Perfecting all the drama

Chen shares appreciation for the script's richly drawn world. The series features a wide range of characters, he says, each with a distinct personality and a vitality that makes their lives and choices compelling.

Translating that world onto the screen required considerable preparation. To create a convincing setting, the production crew spent eight months building a sprawling garden compound spanning over 25,000 square meters at Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang province, one of China's major film and television production bases.

The two directors and the creative team also visited renowned classical gardens in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. They consulted books on traditional garden design to understand the architectural aesthetics behind these spaces better.

Filming began in May 2025, but the team continued refining the drama over the six-month production. They held repeated script readings to deepen their understanding of the characters and their relationships.

Meanwhile, the garden required constant attention. Flowers, grass and trees were transplanted to bring the setting to life. Some plants were sensitive to temperature changes and prone to yellowing or withering, adding pressure to the shooting schedule. The crew planted banana trees two or three times to capture rain falling on their leaves for a scene, the two directors say.

Such care for the setting was part of a broader visual approach that often favors suggestion over explicit display — an aesthetic principle commonly known in Chinese art as liubai (leaving blankness), leaving room for the viewer's imagination.

One such example: Xu, tipsy and unsteady on her feet, walks through a fragrant garden with Lin, the nobleman who has fallen for her, following close behind. Her cheeks flushed, she pauses to breathe in the scent of orchids blooming at night. Lin's admiration is unmistakable, yet the camera refrains from turning the moment into overt physical intimacy. Instead, it leaves space between the characters, allowing the atmosphere and unspoken emotion to do the work.