Flight to You
I have been watching Asian dramas for many years, finding that I like watching Korean and Chinese dramas. Really enjoy watching Asian actors emote. In particular, I like Chinese dramas with Mandarin subtitles because I had studied Mandarin in my childhood Chinese School (Wah Kue) in Oakland Chinatown many moons ago. Returning to the sound of the Mandarin dialect (as an elder) many years later refreshes my rusty Mandarin comprehension and pronunciation skills. I am also reintroduced to the actual calligraphy that I once knew and write with ink and brush on a pre-primer level.
Today, I finished watching the 49 episodes of the 2022 Flight to You starring Wang Kai as Gu Nan Ting and Seven Tan as Cheng Xiao, both dedicated pilots in the Chinese aeronautical industry. They fly for the fictional Luzhou Airlines, which is proud to show off the first of the commercial airplane constructed in the People’s Republic of China.
Flight to You is listed as a romance drama and it is that. When Gu Nan Ting and Cheng Xiao first meet he is a strict by-the-book pilot and a Louzhou Airline administrator. She is one of the earliest passionate female pilots whose lawyer mother does not support her daughter to fill the role of a pioneer female pilot. Any strong Chinese drama worth its rice bowls introduces the universal tension between protagonists. From the tension of the leading male and female the narrative grows, captivates, and entertain especially many Chinese actors are eye-candy especially stars like Wang Kai, Hu Ge et al.
In Flight to You Seven Tan is formidable, breaking into an industry that is male dominated. She has the passion, skills, and confidence to commune with the clouds in the azure firmament. She is TOPS in that she achieves.
During the progress of a Chinese drama there is a universal coming together between the lead actors. Gu Nan Ting closed heart begins to slowly open, letting Chen Xiao’s feisty transparent personality to find residence although he tries to block her warmth.
The supporting cast is strong from Chen Xiao’s best sidekick friend, to Gu Nan Ting’s friend (brother of his first love) and her lawyer mom whose own traumas get in the way of an harmonious relationship between mother/daughter. Chen Xiao’s father is a keeper.
I could go on and on. Instead, I will close with this disclosure. I have been a fangirl of Wang Kai since 2015/2016 when he, Hu Ge, and Jin Dong lit the drama screen with Nirvana in Fire and The Disguiser. Wang Kai’s singing ability compounded my focus on this actor whose parents did not support his thespian focus/skills.
Closing now. I want to watch Wang Kai in Hunting, another 2020 Chinese drama where he rules the screen as a rising star in the police force. Does he flex his muscles while creating facial expressions that are totally captivating? I think so.
Full disclosure: I used to contribute passionately to his website with my commentary. My takeaway for you readers – watch Wang Kai emote. He is worth the hours that you will invest in his dramas.
More about Flight to You . . . I enjoyed Flight to You for many other reasons, especially the strong thread of feminism in the drama, which was supported by Gu Nan Ting, the taciturn pilot whose eyes and heart was opened by Xiao Chen’s unabashed courage.
There was an earnest effort on the part of Luzhou Airlines to recruit additional women pilots. The stats really weighed in favor of male pilots. Seven Tan was an outstanding example of a feminist with the skills of piloting who knew what she wanted. She set her goal and went for it in spite of her harsh lawyer mother who wanted to stop her daughter. The mother had her own trauma and early on only acted from her fearful position as a mother who wanted to be obeyed, not considering her daughter’s flying dreams. As I mentioned earlier the father was caught between his wife and daughter. Wisely, he erred on the part of his feisty wise child.
As the Chinese airline industry started to expand there was hope for female pilots because as a team Chen Xiao and Gu Nan Ting formed a collaboration to move the airline industry in China forward.
Artist/Poet/Educator Flo Oy Wong’s first Asian drama was the 2003 Korean “Jewel in the Palace” featuring Ji Jin Hee and Lee Young Ae. Since being enchanted by “Jewel . . . “ Flo has kept moving forward to watch and dissect multiple Asian dramas that catch her fancy.
