Chai Ji Dan Interview 2025.08
Q: Compared with CA from ten years ago, do you think the new series RL shows improvement, met your expectations, and delivered the emotional impact you wanted?
It has far exceeded expectations. I never imagined our series would be so well received. Because our budget compared to big productions was small, some scenes I wanted to film, due to budget constraints weren’t fully realized. With trade-offs come regrets. But the feelings this show gave me were unparalleled. For me, it’s a lifetime memory.
Q: Compared to CA, what has remained the same, and what has changed in RL? How did you make these decisions?
In fact, compared to the previous versions the content is richer. Especially with the addition of some snake elements it really completes the story. What remains unchanged I think is the romantic vibe between the leads. With the script and runtime being limited, when selecting the content, we made sure to keep the love story first. In fact, the novel doesn’t have many side stories. It’s purely a love story. So early in the adaption we focused on extending the ambiguity to make WSW’s emotional shift smoother.Because in the original novel the transformation of lust outweighed the shift in emotions. For current audiences, especially those into pure love stories, this might be hard to accept. Later on, the adaptation of WSW’s mom’s attitude towards her son in a relation actually came to me one time when I was drinking. I suddenly burst into tears. I thought of WSW’s mom before death, telling CC that she actually understood everything. Shouldn’t this kind of acceptance already exist in today’s society? Shouldn’t we, ten years later, have broken free from society’s old stereotypes and fixed views? As for why CC was imprisoned, I admit it was really hard to change. The original involved very sensitive issues but the adaptation still wasn’t great. I admit my ability is limited and I couldn’t satisfy everyone.
Q: What convinced you that TXN and ZY were right for CCand WSWi, and how do you see their performances along with the other cast members?
Well, it’s not just TXN and ZY but also ZX and LXC. For me, it all comes down to intuition. Chemistry is a mystery, you can feel it, but can’t explain it. In terms of acting I’m very satisfied, they exceeded my expectations.
In your view, what made the actors take on this series and their roles?
In my view, this is a delicate question. I don’t know what they think but I feel most want a chance to challenge themselves. Everybody thinks differently. These roles are easy for audiences to recognize but they also have their own appeal - real, rebellious, brave, full of life, and dramatic tension. People are complex. If you simplify them to back-and-white characters and make them flawless, isn’t that a shame for the actors? In our show if you ant to curse you curse, if you want to vent you vent. Isn’t that pretty awesome? Real life is pretty repressive so being able to experience another life through a drama is pretty exciting.
Did you adjust the plot or characters to better fit the actors while still giving them room to perform freely?
For sure there were adjustments. Take WSW for instance: his role is set as a typical straight guy. In addition to being a straight guy, he also took on some of the actor’s own cuteness. CC’s domineering character was softened with gentleness. As for the other actors. For example, JXS we added some mischief. GCY was flamboyant - that came from the actor. With YY, now her behavior and attitude make sense because society keeps changing, roles can’t stay the same.
Were there moments when the actors brought unexpected surprise to their roles beyond what was in the script?
There were so many. The biggest surprise came from the everyday scenes. We cut many everyday scenes when writing the script. I regret it now. When writing the script, we had to focus on the plot to keep the story moving. We couldn’t anticipate such great chemistry between actors. Many everyday moments that didn’t drive the plot ended up adding real value, and we only discovered this after filming began. We couldn’t add scenes on the fly because the schedule was already tight. We had to finish the whole storyline so it was a pity. But their performances really surprised me. It left me wanting more.
What techniques did you use to make the series as exciting and emotionally deep as the audience expected?
I think the original novel was already very stimulating. The script was fine too. As for emotional depth, that depends on the actors. We needed them to fully immerse in their roles. The audience isn’t stupid. They can tell at a glance if it’s real love. Emotional depth is the core of BL dramas. To capture that core, actors must give their all, especially when they lack a lot of acting experience. A blank slate is easiest to shape, that’s why I’ve preferred new actors or lesser-known ones, because they come without fixed impressions. They can fully belong to their roles.
Did you face any other challenges during the filming and production of RL?
There were too many challenges. Saying more would bring tears. When we first filmed, it felt like a roadside stall. We signed strict NDAs with all the staff and enforced them tightly. Every day I worried we wouldn’t finish on time. When filming finally wrapped, the entire crew was exhausted. That’s as much as I can say.
There were many shared props and costumes in the series - was that mainly a workaround for budget limits?
It’s just because the budget was tiny, but some costumes like the ones CC and WSW shared were actually realistic. Couples share clothes after all. As for shared props, honestly, only when I rewatched the series and saw what fans pointed out did I realize. Though it was a flaw, I found it pretty funny.
Have you noticed the international attention this series has received? In your view, what aspects resonate with audiences across cultures?
I’ve always followed international feedback. I never expected it to be so well received overseas. At first I thought only overseas Chinese or students would watch. I didn’t expect so many non-Chinese audiences would watch it too. And they’ve been very supportive and open-minded. I’m really grateful. Personally, I think satisfaction comes from love. No matter the country, love is the scarcest thing in society today. It has nothing to do with gender or geography. It’s what people most deeply long for. That sweeping, passionate love where’d you’d give everything for each other. The purest, truest love.
How did you start your career in BL content creation?
At first, I was fanatically obsessed with BL works. I read thousands of novels. In the end, I couldn’t find more that I wanted to read. So I started trying to write one myself. I was only 20 years old at the time. I kept writing until I was 25 and then started shooting my own series when I was 26. Shooting the series was purely to satisfy my own desires. I wanted to see the embodiment of the characters I created. I didn’t expect them to be so popular.
After all the ups and downs, what keeps you motivated to keep creating BL works?
For me, no extra motivation is needed. It’s already such a cool thing - why need more? As long as nothing stands in the way
From CA to RL, do the changes also come from your own growth? If you could say something to yourself back when you were writing CA what would it be?
If I could speak to myself writing CA, I’d just say: write more. While you still believe in love, before life wears you down, while you still have passion, keep telling their stories. I don't want them to end either. But now I've lost the ability to write about wild and beautiful love.
Will you continue to create BL content? What are your next plans? Will you consider trying other genres, themes?
As for themes, BL is still my strength. For novels, no plans for now. But films and series - I’ll certainly keep going. Beyond my own work, I may try to adapt other great Danmei IPs. I don’t have many works and mine are average among Danmei works. With limited range, I hope to broaden my skills and expand into new subjects and collaborate more widely.
RL has brought you a lot of attention recently, how do you feel about it? Pleasant surprise or scary?
What I feel more is fear. At first, it was a surprise. My past works were well received so I was prepared for this but kept my expectations low. This series was also well recognized. That’s an honor. But later, things got out of hand. I was confused most of the time. Even in this interview, my mind still feels foggy.
Is it worth it? Compare the gains and losses in BL content creation after all these years.
It’s really worth it. I’m doing what I love and sharing that joy with others.
Recommend some ways of withdrawal (from the show).
I actually tried to withdraw three times. The first time was soon after leaving the crew. I couldn't seem to return to normal life. I dreamt every night I was still on set, as if it never ended. That lasted many days. So I buried myself in work, writing scripts to distract myself. But soon, I had to prepare the BTS footage and plan the drama promotion. We shot BTS for over 10 hours a day, which means I had to watch 10+ hours daily to edit. That lasted nearly two months. I fell in again and had to withdraw a second time. Then I started working like crazy again. The third withdrawal is now, after the series ended. But the dreams came back every day that it was still airing. Meanwhile, I had new scripts to write and other work waiting. But I just couldn’t do it. I’m just in a trance. So if you ask how to withdraw, I also don’t know. I don’t even dare open social media platforms.
