Ashes of Love (TV series)

Ashes of Love (Chinese: 香蜜沉沉烬如霜; pinyin: Xiang Mi Chen Chen Jin Ru Shuang) is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost by Dian Xian.[3][4] It stars Yang Zi and Deng Lun in the lead roles.[5][6] The series premiered on Jiangsu TV starting August 2, 2018.[7]

Ashes of Love
Drama poster
Also known as	Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost
Genre	Xianxia Fantasy Romance
Based on	Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost by Dian Xian
Written by	Ma Jia Xu Zishan Liu Gelin Chen Lusha Zhang Yuan'ang
Directed by	Zhu Ruibin
Starring	Yang Zi Deng Lun Luo Yunxi Wang Yifei Chen Yuqi Zou Tingwei
Composer(s)	Sa Dingding[1]
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	63 (TV), 60 (DVD)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Liu Ning Zhang Yancheng[2]
Production location(s)	Hengdian World Studios
Running time	45 mins
Production company(s)	Perfect World Pictures Omnijoi Media Corporation Happy Era Media Kunchi Pictures Chongqing Shengmei
Release
Original network	Jiangsu TV
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
First shown in	China
Original release	August 2 (2018-08-02) – September 4, 2018 (2018-09-04)

As of January 2019, the series has reached 15 billion views.[8]

Synopsis

The Flower Deity dies after giving birth to a daughter, Jin Mi. She saw a prophecy that her daughter will suffer a great love trial within the first thousand year of her life, thus before dying, she gave her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love. This caused Jin Mi to become the brunt of many jokes when she gets tangled in a love triangle with the haughty Fire God Xufeng and the ambitious Night God Runyu.

Jin Mi is tricked into thinking her father died in the hands of Xufeng and kills him, coughing up the magic pill in the process. Xufeng is revived a decade later in the realm of the Demons as the Demon Lord, and wages war against Runyu, who has now ascended the throne as Heavenly Emperor. Jin Mi is caught in between and doesn't know what to do, ultimately sacrificing herself to end the war and return peace to the world.

Cast

Main

• Yang Zi[9] as Jin Mi (锦觅)
  • A grape spirit, whose real identity is a six-petal frost flower fairy. Daughter of the Flower Goddess and Water God. She is naive and altruistic, but does not understand the true meaning of "love" due to the magical pill she was given at birth. She later becomes the Water Goddess following her father's death.
• Deng Lun[10] as Xufeng (旭凤)
  • Second prince of the Heaven realm; the Fire God and God of War (Phoenix). He becomes the Demon King after his revival from death.
• Luo Yunxi[11] as Runyu (润玉)
  • Eldest prince of the Heaven realm; the Night God (Dragon). A gentle and calm person. Due to his lowly birth, he has never truly gained respect in the Heaven realm since young. He later becomes embroiled in a political battle for the throne after his mother's death, and ascends the throne to become the Heavenly Emperor.
• Wang Yifei[12] as Suihe (穗禾)
  • Princess of the Bird Tribe; the Peacock immortal. Proud and arrogant, she wields great responsibility in securing power within the Bird tribe. She becomes crazed due to her unrequited love for Xufeng, which caused her to commit many cruel deeds.
• Chen Yuqi[13] as Liuying (鎏英)
  • Demon Princess. A cheerful and forthright girl, and a heroic warrior. She has a tragic romantic relationship with her bodyguard, Muci.
• Zou Tingwei[14] as Qiyuan (奇鸢), Muci (暮辭)
  • A reaper who has double identities. He was forced to commit evil deeds for the Heavenly empress due to her control and manipulation, but remains kind at heart. He has a tragic romantic relationship with Liuying.

Supporting

Heaven realm He Zhonghua[15] as Taiwei (太微) Heavenly emperor (Dragon). Ruler of the Heaven realm. A selfish and possessive man who is adept at making use of other people to achieve his goals. Kathy Chow[15] as Tuyao (荼姚) Heavenly empress (Phoenix). Ruler of the Bird tribe. A scheming and cruel woman who caused the death of the Flower deity, and schemes to get rid of Jin Mi and Runyu. Xia Zhiyuan[16] as Dan Zhu (丹朱), Match Maker The Moon Immortal Yuexia (Fox). Taiwei's younger brother; Xufeng and Runyu's uncle. Known for his mischievous personality and youthful looks, he is in charge of love and marriage of all mortal beings. He is earnest in bringing Xufeng and Jin Mi together as a couple. Wang Renjun[17] as Luolin (洛霖) Water immortal. Jin Mi's father and Zifen's lover. An elegant and refined man who keeps himself out of worldly affairs, but is loyal and helpful to those in need. Wang Yuanke as Lin Xiu (临秀) Wind immortal. Luo Lin's betrothed wife. A kind and gentle woman who is a good friend of Zifen and treats Jin Mi as her own. Fan Mianlin as Suli (簌离) Dragon Fish Princess. Lord of Dongting lake. Runyu's birth mother, who gave birth to him after being impregnated by the Heavenly Emperor due to her resemblance with Zifen. She schemed for years to seek revenge on the Heavenly Empress for killing her tribe. Liao Jingfeng as Lord Puchi (扑哧君), Yanyou (彦佑) Snake immortal. After getting banished from the Heaven realm, he was adopted by Suli and became one of her god-sons. He befriended Jin Mi after saving her from the attacks of Qiongqi thousand of years ago. Du Yuchen[18] as Kuang Lu (邝露) Daughter of Immortal Taiji. She voluntary becomes Runyu's subordinate due to her admiration for him, and remains loyal to him through thick and thin. Sa Dingding[1] as Immortal Yuanji (缘机仙子) An immortal who is in charge of the fate and destiny of human beings. Zhang Junran[19] as Lord Liaoyuan (燎原君), Qin Tong (秦潼) Xufeng's personal guard. Li Yixuan as Lord Doumu (斗姆元君) Luolin, Lin Xiu and Zifen's teacher. Li Yongtian as Taishang Laojun (太上老君) Zhang Shihong as Immortal Taiji (太巳仙人) He Junlin as Thunder God Yunxiang (云响雷公) Liu Siying as Lightning Goddess, Shengguang (圣光电母) Li Xuefeng as Rat Immortal (鼠仙) Leader of the Zodiac immortals. Suli's subordinate, who helps her collect information in the Heaven realm. Zhang Xiaoyang as Liao Ting (了听) Xufeng's subordinate. Cui Binbin as Fei Xu (飞絮) Xufeng's subordinate. Zheng Ge as Po Jun (破军) A heavenly soldier recruited by Xufeng. Fu Hongsheng as Yinque (隐雀) Elder of Bird tribe. Dong Xiaobai as Queling (雀灵) Suihe's subordinate. Liu Haochen as Lianchao (廉晁) Brother of Taiwei, Tuyao's first love. Liu Xiangping as Earth deity (土地仙) Zhong Sutong as Little fairy (小仙女)

Flower realm Zhang Yanyan as Zifen (梓芬) Floral Goddess. Ruler of the Floral Realm. Jin Mi's mother. She died after her spirit dissolved due to the fire attacks launched at her by the Heavenly Empress. Peng Yang as Chief Peony (牡丹芳主) Head of the Pavilion chiefs. Ma Jing as Chief Begonia (海棠芳主) Wen Luhan as Chief Magnolia (玉兰芳主) Furou Meiqi[20] as Rourou (肉肉), Qianghuo (羌活) A succulent plant sprite. Jin Mi's close friend, who died saving Jin Mi from Qiongqi's attacks, but later revives and accompanies Jin Mi in her mortal trial. Ning Wentong as Lao Hu (老胡) Carrot sprite. An elder of the Flower realm. Xia Yiyao as Lianqiao (廉晁) A flower sprite. Wu Wenxuan as Pavilion Chief (芳主) Duan Yu as Pavilion Chief (芳主) Demon realm Lu Yong as King Yancheng (焱城王) Ruler of the Demon realm. Yao Qingren[21] as King Biancheng (卞城王) Liuying's father. Song Yunhao as King Gucheng (固城王) Am ambitious man who aims to usurp the throne. Wang Siyu as Chishou (炽狩) Son of King Yancheng. Li Silang as Xuanshou (炫狩) Son of King Yancheng. Hu Mianyang as Qiongqi (穷奇) A ferocious and legendary beast. Mortal realm Sun Ning as Lord Nanping (南平侯) A royal of Huaiwu Kingdom. Suihe's father in the human realm. He aims to kill Xufeng during his mortal trial and usurp the throne. Zhou Yihua as Chancellor Fu (傅相) Chancellor of the Huaiwu Kingdom. Tuo Gufeng as General Ji Chong (偏将齐冲) Lord Nanping's subordinate. Wen Jing as Jingjie (荆芥) Elder of the Healer tribe. She adopted Jin Mi as a child during her mortal trial.

Production

The series began filming in June 2017, and wrapped up in October 2017.[22][23]

Soundtrack

Ashes of Frost Original Soundtrack (香蜜沉沉烬如霜 电视原声音乐专辑)[24]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singers	Length
1.	"Unsullied (不染)[25]" (Opening theme song)	Hai Lei	Jason Hong	Mao Buyi (version 1) Sa Dingding (version 2) Jian Hongyi (version 3)	5:25
2.	"Upwards to the Moon (左手指月)[26]" (Ending theme song)	Yu Hong	Sa Dingding	Sa Dingding	3:50
3.	"Unparalleled in the World (天地无霜)[27]"	Yu Hong	Sa Dingding	Yang Zi & Deng Lun (duet version) Deng Lun (solo version)	3:36
4.	"Love Frost (情霜)"	Yu Hong	Sa Dingding	Yang Zi	4:22

Ratings

• Highest ratings are marked in red, lowest ratings are marked in blue

Episode	Original air date	CSM52 City		Rank	National Average		Ranki
		Ratings	Audience share		Ratings	Audience share
1-2	August 2, 2018	0.995	3.722	3	0.5	2.05	7
3-4	August 3, 2018	1.139	4.344	3	0.63	2.52	5
5	August 4, 2018	1.172	4.74	1	0.58	2.61	4
6-7	August 5, 2018	1.241	4.621	1	0.67	2.67	3
8-9	August 6, 2018	1.384	5.203	1	0.78	3.12	5
10-11	August 7, 2018	1.368	5.185	1	0.75	3.01	5
12-13	August 8, 2018	1.503	5.735	1	0.88	3.49	5
14-15	August 9, 2018	1.44	5.455	1	0.83	3.38	4
16-17	August 10, 2018	1.328	5.066	2	0.86	3.47	3
18	August 11, 2018	1.249	4.912	1	0.82	3.55	4
19-20	August 12, 2018	1.272	4.636	1	0.84	3.29	3
21-22	August 13, 2018	1.417	5.254	2	1.03	4.05	4
23-24	August 14, 2018	1.374	5.047	2	0.94	3.74	3
25-26	August 15, 2016	1.349	5.102	2	0.99	4.02	3
27-28	August 16, 2018	1.253	4.662	2	1.04	3.96	3
29-30	August 17, 2018	1.148	4.415	2	0.98	3.81	2
31	August 18, 2018	1.181	4.667	1	0.99	4.07	2
32-33	August 19, 2018	1.176	4.205	1	0.99	3.85	1
34-35	August 20, 2018	1.352	4.912	1	1.17	4.49	1
36-37	August 21, 2018	1.353	5.029	1	0.99	3.76	2
38-39	August 22, 2018	1.508	5.384	1	1.15	4.32	3
40-41	August 23, 2018	1.273	4.728	2	1.15	4.45	3
42-43	August 24, 2018	1.168	4.301	2	1.08	4.13	3
44	August 25, 2018	1.051	3.871	1	0.89	3.62	2
45-46	August 26, 2018	1.321	4.798	1	1.13	4.2	2
47-48	August 27, 2018	1.396	5.003	1	1.18	4.43	2
49-50	August 28, 2018	1.393	5.064	1	1.19	4.38	2
51-52	August 29, 2018	1.294	4.711	2	1.3	4.85	2
53-54	August 30, 2018	1.283	4.612	2	1.39	5.09	1
55-56	August 31, 2018	1.277	4.545	1	1.54	5.55	1
57	September 1, 2018	1.315	4.414	1	1.58	5.22	1
58-59	September 2, 2018	1.378	4.954	1	1.51	5.58	1
60-61	September 3, 2018	1.358	5.073	1	1.64	6.46	1
62-63	September 4, 2018	1.322	5.093	1	1.64	6.36	1
Average	N/A	1.301	4.82	N/A			N/A

Reception

This drama was commercially successful, placing first among audience ratings in its time slot and exceeded 15 billion views.[28][29] It also received positive reviews, scoring a 7.7 on Douban.[30] The drama was praised for its light-hearted yet grounded storyline,[31] high production quality of beautiful cinematography and exquisite costumes; as well as the tight pacing of the plot and excellent performance of the actors.[32]

The series, however, also garnered some criticism and controversy surrounding the production company's decision to use a combination of two scripts, which complicated the writing credits.[33][34] Rumors about extra screentime added for the second male lead character were later refuted by producer Liu Ning, who stated that a good drama should not simply revolve around the male lead and female lead.[35]

Awards and nominations

Awards	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
24th Huading Awards	Best Actor (Ancient Drama)	Deng Lun	Nominated	[36]
	Best Actress (Ancient Drama)	Yang Zi	Nominated
7th iQiyi All-Star Carnival	Popularity Award (Actor)	Deng Lun	Won	[37]
12th Tencent Video Star Awards	Popular TV Actor		Won	[38]
	Popular TV Actress of the Year	Yang Zi	Won	[39]
	Top Ten Series	Ashes of Love	Won	[38]
Entertainment Capital The 2nd Golden Pebble Award	Best Episode Project		Won	[40]
Media Internal Reference - TV Guide 2018 Mobile Influence Summit Forum	The Most Influential Drama Trader of the 2018 Fingertips List	Liu Ning	Won
	The Most Mobile TV Drama of the 2018 Fingertips List	Ashes of Love	Won
Weibo Taiwanese TV series	Weibo 2018 Influence Drama		Won	[41]
V Influence Summit 2018	2018 Most Best Drama Producer	Liu Ning	Won	[42]
TV Drama Award 2018 (Weibo TV Series)	Top 10 Most Popular Drama	Ashes of Love	Top 3	[43]
	Top 10 Most Popular Actor	Deng Lun	Top 3
		Yang Zi	Top 5
	Most Popular Screen Couple	Yang Zi and Deng Lun	Won
	The Most Popular Hot Stalk	""Have you ever loved me..." "Never"	Won
		"You are finally my ugly wife."	Top 5
Weibo Award Ceremony	Weibo Annual Hot Drama Honor	Ashes of Love	Won	[44]
	Weibo Popular Artist	Deng Lun	Won
	Weibo Goddess	Yang Zi	Won
Tencent Entertainment White Paper	Popular Television Actress of the Year		Won	[45]
Film and TV Role Model 2018 Annual General Rating	Popular Actress		Won	[46]
	Annual Drama Producer	Liu Ning	Won
	Annual Drama Director	Zhu Ruibin	Won
	Annual Drama Series Screenwriter	Ma Jia	Won
Influence of Recreational Responsibilities Awards	TV Drama of the Year	Ashes of Love	Won	[47]
The Third Internet Film Festival	Most Capable Actress	Kathy Chow	Won	[48]
Seoul International Drama Awards	Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year	Ashes of Love	Won	[49]

International broadcast

•  Malaysia - 8TV (Malaysia) (26 November 2018)
•  Singapore - E-Le (10 December 2018)
•  South Korea - tvN Asia (22 January 2019)
•  Hong Kong and  Taiwan
•  Myanmar
•  Cambodia on Ctv8 hd
• Latin America on Netflix
• United States on Netflix
• India on Netflix
• Thailand on Netflix
• Germany on Netflix
•  New Zealand on Netflix

References

1. "萨顶顶挑大梁担任《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》音乐制作总监". 中国经济网 (in Korean). August 23, 2017.
2. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》杀青 张晏诚担任执行制片人". Netease (in Chinese). January 13, 2018.
3. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》剧版启动 小说原著作者加盟". Sina (in Chinese). March 8, 2017.
4. "Stills of fantasy drama 'Ashes of Love' released". China Daily. August 23, 2018.
5. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》首曝定妆海报 再掀仙侠奇幻". Sina (in Chinese). June 20, 2017.
6. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》杨紫邓伦动情演绎"千年之恋"". ifeng (in Chinese). July 16, 2018.
7. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》场景特效获赞 花语幻境突破视觉想象". Jiangsu TV (in Chinese). July 20, 2018.
8. "《香蜜》网播量正式突破150亿！". Tencent (in Chinese). January 9, 2019.
9. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》开机 杨紫为戏减肥停不下来". iFeng (in Chinese). July 16, 2017.
10. "邓伦确认出演《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》 全新制作模式". Tencent (in Chinese). April 27, 2017.
11. "罗云熙《香蜜》出演夜神润玉 称终于"情场失意"". Sina (in Chinese). June 16, 2017.
12. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》王一菲恋邓伦 网友：天界第一唯饭". China (in Chinese). August 10, 2018.
13. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》陈钰琪挑战魔族公主征战沙场". Sina (in Chinese). June 16, 2017.
14. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》开机 邹廷威出演神秘人奇鸢". iFeng (in Chinese). June 19, 2017.
15. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》曝照 周海媚何中华强势加盟". Sina (in Chinese). September 22, 2017.
16. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》开机 夏志远演绎最萌月老". Tencent (in Chinese). June 16, 2017.
17. "《香蜜》横店开机 王仁君饰仙家美男子水神洛霖". Sina (in Chinese). June 20, 2017.
18. "杜雨宸《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》杀青 角色丰盈饱满". Tencent (in Chinese). October 17, 2017.
19. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》张钧然杀青 好性格人设暖". Sina (in Chinese). October 17, 2017.
20. "付柔美琦《香蜜》杀青 饰演两角期待高". Sina (in Chinese). October 12, 2017.
21. "姚清仁《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》杀青 卞城王侠肝义胆". Sina (in Chinese). October 18, 2017.
22. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》开机 杨紫邓伦开启三生情缘". Tencent (in Chinese). June 16, 2017.
23. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》杀青 匠心独运缔造精剧品相". Tencent (in Chinese). October 16, 2017.
24. "香蜜沉沉烬如霜 电视原声音乐专辑 - QQ音乐-千万正版音乐海量无损曲库新歌热歌天天畅听的高品质音乐平台！". y.qq.com. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
25. "毛不易影视初献声《不染》MV上线 萨顶顶为其定制". Sina (in Chinese). February 12, 2018.
26. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》片尾曲曝光 萨顶顶演绎旷世爱恋". ifeng (in Chinese). July 24, 2018.
27. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》开播在即 杨紫邓伦献唱主题曲". Sina (in Chinese). August 2, 2018.
28. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》获江苏卫视2018收视剧王". Huanqiu (in Chinese). August 24, 2018.
29. "《香蜜》将收官，收视率破2创新高，暑期第2部网播破百亿大剧诞生". Huanqiu Fengyun Website (in Chinese). September 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
30. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》7.6分站稳暑期收视C位". People Daily (in Chinese). August 16, 2018.
31. "《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》剧情轻松解压（图）". Tianjin Newspaper (in Chinese). August 5, 2018.
32. "仙侠剧再起"风云"". 中国新闻出版广电报 (in Chinese). August 21, 2018.
33. "注水加戏！《香蜜》要把一手好牌打烂吗？". Sina (in Chinese). August 27, 2018.
34. Wuzhi (2018-09-02). "《香蜜》被质疑注水，编剧发文甩锅". Sina. Sina. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
35. He, Yuan (2018-10-27). "《香蜜》制片人回应注水争议 透露将拍第二部". Sina. Sina. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
36. "华鼎奖提名公布 《和平饭店》《归去来》闪耀榜单". Netease (in Chinese). October 22, 2018.
37. "2019爱奇艺尖叫之夜全程回顾 2019爱奇艺尖叫之夜完整获奖名单". Fengfeng.cc.
38. "腾讯视频星光盛典：Baby美杨超越萌，老戏骨们最有范儿". Tencent (in Chinese). 18 December 2018.
39. "杨紫获人气女演员奖". ifeng (in Chinese). December 20, 2018.
40. "Heavy Sweetness , Ash-Like Frost". Weibo. Heavy Sweetness , Ash-Like Frost. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
41. "Weibo TV Series". weibo.com. December 23, 2018.
42. "V Influence Summit 2018". Sina.
43. "Weibo TV Series". Weibo.
44. "2018微博之夜 唐嫣秦岚佘诗曼马思纯杨紫娜扎获年度女神". Sina (in Chinese). January 11, 2019.
45. "杨紫获腾讯娱乐白皮书电视剧年度之星，立誓2019年戒火锅". Tencent. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
46. ""影视榜样·2018年度总评榜"榜单揭晓 影视大咖齐聚论坛话初心". People's Daily. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
47. "2019文娱责任影响力获奖名单出炉". Sina (in Chinese). March 28, 2019.
48. "第三届网影盛典盛大落幕，金牡丹奖各奖项逐一揭晓". Sohu (in Chinese). August 25, 2019.
49. "Seoul International Drama Awards8". www.seouldrama.org. Retrieved 2019-08-29.

External links

• Ashes of Love on Baidu
• Ashes of Love on IMDb