Afternoona Asks

Today we're talking Chinese! But what is "Chinese" language? Discover the basics of Chinese language, its regional variations, its writing system and pronounciation. Grace and Sarah talk about similarities between Korean and Cantonese and we all learn some basic Chinese phrases.

Show notes:
Word that is used to describe passing a test or being accepted into a program: 합격하다 hab-gyeok hada - the infinitive form, to pass or, more literally, to do pass. The word discussed was just the first part, 합격 hab-gyeok, pass.

We hope you enjoy our show, and we hope to bring you a Chinese culture pod with your C-Drama related questions next time, email the show with any queries you may have!

Finally we're back, with the long awaited part two of our deep dive into Autistic Lan Wangji. "It has been 16 Years....", Well, two months, but we know you've all been at the edge of your seats. We’re finishing our discussion of The Untamed, starring Wang Yibo (王一博) and Xiao Zhan (肖战). It’s one of the most watched series in Asian television history with 10 billion views domestically in China as of 2022 in China on one service alone, never mind the huge international success and acclaim it garnered. This all with a cleverly crafted and nuanced production that captured the spirit of the original novel, while being able to stay within the framework of China’s strict onscreen morality laws. 

Franziska (@wanderingfranzi) and J (@theflowerthatbloomsalone) are joined by enthusiastic fandom guests and fanfic writers Jie (@JieJie_AiNi), Kaey (@Firebrd86) and PaidSubscription (@PaidSubAO3) for a deep dive into autistic-coded Lan Wangji. In this part two, we discuss the Cloud Recesses as a haven but also a constraint on an autistic Wangji, as well as how Wei Wuxian was the first one to really perceive Wangji and hear “the melody of his heart.” Add in queer symbolism, how an autistic Wangji articulates the drama’s themes, and a chat about the fics our authors have written. Join us as four fandom nerds and one very enthusiastic cohost (who wants to binge watch it all again) talk about the concept of expansive love, what we see the characters doing post-canon, and how Lan Wangji might just have the best arc an autistic character could have. 

PS this pod is not spoiler-free! Plus be sure to listen to part one (released for Valentines Day) where we discussed which of Wangji’s traits resonated the most for us, what we loved about his character development as an autistic-coded character (is it one of the best arcs ever?), and how and why his relationship with ADHD-coded Wei Wuxian just works so well. Don’t miss it!

For Transcripts for both Parts 1 and 2 please see our website: https://www.afternoonaasks.com/transcript

Links:
Jie’s fics 

https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiejieaini

Paid’s fics 

https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaidSubscription

Kaey’s fics 

https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixieLeader

zhiji explained 

https://www.tumblr.com/hunxi-guilai/612161034673946624/all-right-guys-lets-have-a-conversation-about

Post with quote about the melody of his heart 

https://hunxi-guilai.tumblr.com/post/620065749733720064/god-please-tell-us-more-about-who-you-think-lan

#kdramapodcast #kdramapodcasts #Idrama #cdramas #cdrama #chinesedrama #xianxia #koreandramapodcasts #asiandramas #asiandramapodcast #autisticcoded #autisticpodcast

In the second installment of our Confucian series, Sarah and Grace dive deep into the 2023 historical drama My Dearest. We discuss what made the drama "so Confucian," different characters and their varying levels of adherence to Confucianism, including our anti-Confucian hero and heroine, and try to clear up the confusing plot points and timeline. 

We had a lot of fun unpacking our joint favourite drama of 2023 and hope you enjoy listening it too!

For a preview/another take on the drama, check out our sister pod's earlier discussion at Apple Podcasts or Spotify Podcasts

Haeji, Sarah's tour guide from her Gwangjang Market night tour in Seoul, joins us this episode to talk about life in Seoul in the era of Hallyu. We get her perspective on accessibility for people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ life, feminism, and drinking culture in Korea. We discuss what hot topics are for young women in Seoul right now and also talk about the centrality of Seoul to Korean life. In our Korean language section, we have fun learning some slang.

Find Haeji on Instagram @gmt_haeji or see what her company's tours are like @jfromkorea, @goodmatetravel, and book her tour on AirBnB abnb.me/c3KME2UiYpb 

Sarah and Grace are joined by Youjeong Ssaem, one of Grace's Korean teachers, for a chat about the South Korean educational system. We go into technical details before discussing broader issues currently impacting students and teachers, like school violence and pressure to academically excel. In the language section, we talk about Konglish.

Find Youjeong ssaem on iTalki at: https://www.italki.com/i/reft/ABDHece/FeBBCe/korean?hl=en&utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=share_teacher

Correction: 

During Grace's comments about early college admissions in the US, she misremembered the relevant terms - "early decision" generally describes early admissions applications that are binding, while non-binding early admissions applications are usually called "early action." 

This Valentine’s Day, the feeling of sticking to the single log bridge with us until it’s dark is not too bad! Finally, we’re covering the Untamed, starring Wang Yibo (王一博) and Xiao Zhan (肖战). Yes, one of the most watched series in Asian television history with 10 billion views domestically as of 2022 in China on one service alone, never mind the huge international success and acclaim it garnered. This all with a cleverly crafted and nuanced production that captured the spirit of the original novel, while being able to stay within the framework of China’s strict onscreen morality laws. 

Franziska (@wanderingfranzi) and J (@theflowerthatbloomsalone) are joined by enthusiastic fandom guests and fanfic writers Jie (@JieJie_AiNi), Kaey (@Firebrd86) and PaidSubscription (@PaidSubAO3) for a deep dive into autistic-coded Lan Wangji. 

In this part one of two, we discuss which of Wangji’s traits resonated the most for us, what we loved about his character development as an autistic-coded character (is it one of the best arcs ever?), and how and why his relationship with ADHD-coded Wei Wuxian just works so well. 

Join us as four fandom nerds and one very enthusiastic cohost (who wants to binge watch it all again) theorise a possible reason why the Lan clan has those 3000 rules and if in a modern alternate universe, Lan Wangji would make his own phone calls.

Note: this pod contains spoilers

Plus be sure to listen to part two (to be released shortly) where we will discuss the Cloud Recessess as a haven but also a constraint on an autistic Wangji, as well as how Wei Wuxian was the first one to really perceive Wangji and hear “the melody of his heart.” Add in queer symbolism, how an autistic Wangji articulates the drama’s themes, and a chat about the fics our authors have written. Don’t miss it! 

Link: 
The link to the translated portion of the interview with the author MXTX mentioned in the pod: https://asksythe.tumblr.com/post/716755273102082048/mxtx-interview-with-risa-wataya-for-subaru/amp

#kdramapodcast #kdramapodcasts #Idrama #cdramas #cdrama #chinesedrama #xianxia #koreandramapodcasts #asiandramas #asiandramapodcast #autisticcoded #autisticpodcast #theuntamed #mdzs #chenqingling #lanwangji #weiwuxian #lanzhan #weiying

We're back with a very special guest, Lia from our sister pod, Afternoona Delight! Lia made a trip to Seoul, her first to South Korea and she's on our podcast to chat to us about how she found it, what KDrama locations she saw and how being in Seoul made her feel.

Tune in to listen to how she found her trip and pick up some travel tips for your own future trip to Seoul!

Notes from Show mentioned in episode:

1. Sinchon Graffiti Tunnel 
2. Hakdong Park, Gangnam
3. Goblin walk - Doeksugung Stone Wall
4. BTS Rookie restaurant - Yoojung Sikdang 
5. Leeum museum
6. Singer mentioned - Mesani and his EP, Jungle
7. Skincare place in Gangnam - Lienjang Plastic Surgery
8. The 2 palaces - Changdeokgung and Changyeounggung 
9. Korean Dramaland - for Drama locations
10. Papago - also available as iOS/Android apps

Fellow podcaster William Han joins Grace and Sarah to discuss the history of wuxia, as well as its cultural context and significance. He discusses how men--and women--with a "particular set of skills" and an unshakable code have played a notable role in Chinese history and literature, why Jin Yong's wuxia novels are a lingua franca of the Chinese speaking/reading world, and how wuxia concepts have been embraced by Western creators. Join us for a deep dive into the origins of some of the most familiar C-drama themes and character archetypes!

For more from William, find The Master of Demon Gorge on your favorite podcast platform. Or @w_t_han on Twitter/X. His book, From the Wall to the Water, is available via your favorite bookseller. 

In another episode examining autistic coded characters in KDrama, we discuss the popular Korean BL's Semantic Error and Light On Me. Sarah, J and Fran discuss what autistic traits we saw and how the dramas handled their characters autistic traits. We talk about what worked and didn't work for us about these two dramas.

Show Note:
Light on Me BL Express blog mentioned in the show by J.

We invited along fellow members of the Patreon to discuss our 2023 year in dramas - this is a bumper three episode edition, which we are releasing on the last three days of 2023. This is Part 3, and here Tania and Heather are here to chat to us about their favourite dramas, performances and underrated dramas of the year. Be sure to check out the other 2 episodes in this mini-series!