Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yuxian in the studio.
Coming up, they say love make us do things we wouldn't otherwise do.
But what happens when it makes us forget who we really are?
Let's dive into the world of Lianayna, where love can sometimes cloud the mind.
In today's digital age, why is the internet turning to lambast?
The love drunk, those who lose themselves in love's spell, and curtains rise, the lights dim, and Beijing becomes the beating heart of global cinema.
As the 15th Beijing International Film Festival unfolds, it's magic.
reporting straight from the red carpet our very own reporter Jung Jung brings you a front row reflection on one of the festival's most captivating highlights our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple podcast got a question that's keeping you curious from social issues to tech and everything in between let us take a stab at it emails us at roundtablepodcast at qq .com emails are fine but voice memos are always better and we'd really appreciate it if you could include your name, as well as region of residence so you know we know a little bit more about you when we're trying to
answer your question and now let's a switch gears.
In China a popular internet slang term that gained traction in the late two thousand and twenty two I think is Lian Aino which literally means love brain it describes someone who becomes irrational or overly fixated when they fall in love, kind of like being love -drunk, to the point of losing all common sense.
The phenomenon didn't just remain a topic of online banter, it's evolved into a commercial opportunity.
Entrepreneurs began offering services such as scolding love brains awake, while individuals can pay for advice or even harsh wake -up calls to help themselves or friends snap out of unhealthy romantic obsessions.
So first of all, guys, what are the characteristics of li hai na being love struck?
I mean, don't get us wrong.
Feeling crazy in love, feeling clingy to your partner is totally normal, especially at the beginning of a romantic relationship.
But here, we're talking about such a status when people fall in love, they will devote all of their energy and thoughts to love and to their partners.
So this term refers to that head over heels obsessive stage when people enter when they fall deeply for someone and neurologically it's like being high with dopamine surge and just full of rational thinking and people might make reckless decisions during this period of time.
It's romantic right but it's not that wise kind of Yeah, I mean, it's that time when you can't stop thinking about them, you can't stop texting them, you want to call them 10, 15, 20 times a day, you can't see any faults in their character to you.
They are perfect. They can do no wrong.
Every joke is funny.
Every insight is like it's coming from Einstein himself.
They are spectacular.
spectacular. Here, here, wow.
So, at this point of Leung Ai now's life, they may not be able, some will give the feedback that they may not be able to focus on their daily routine anymore.
They may not be able to, you know, stay focused on their studies or their works, and for each and every second they just want to spiritually, and perhaps physically, stick together with their partner.
So that's Leung Ai now, where love reigns.
And here I just kind of feel language has power, because you mentioned clingy.
Immediately in English, that's a really negative word in relationships, right?
But if you're saying, oh, that person's just really into him or her or like just quite very attached or, or something, and then, you know, it just feels less bad and Liāi māo in Chinese just sounds so bad, unfortunately.
Oh, does it really?
It really does. In most cases, it's more of a negative comment on someone than a good word, to say that, oh, you're so deep in love, that's not good, when you're calling other people in.
Is there anything within the Chinese characters that is connected to negativity, or is it just the term itself over time through internet use and comments and things like that, has become a negative word?
I would say it's the latter.
It's the online influencing plus a lot of netizens sharing their experience of how to overcome Lianan as a way of saying it's negative.
It's a past of my loving experience that I'd rather give up.
Oh, oh, I see. Ok, so it's viewed as being in that state of being too much in love, if you want to put it that way is seen as a negative thing.
Yes, and also there's something about the characters as well because it's basically love brain put together and it's almost like you know what your brain looks like everybody's seen that on the internet or through comics or whatever it is so that's squishy organ that controls everything of us our emotion and everything and just imagine it has nothing but L -O -V -E in it.
Yeah, so I think the negative sort of portrayal and perception kind of is it comes from the semantics and it spreads into the pragmatics, in linguistic terms. And it's implying that you're not being yourself in a not -so -great way.
Okay, got it. And if we may delve into the whys and you know, just to understand the brain better, I suppose, in this context.
What do you think drives people to that state of mind of being love -struck in a kind of negative way?
Yeah, I'll say a lot of the times it has something to do with the low self -value.
That's a psychological way of analyzing it.
What, why? No, no, just hear me through.
this is from whoshow .com and I kind of agree with that personally, because it has some traces back in your childhood when the parental influences over the child has a strong impact even in the long term effect of the individuals entire life sometimes we we know there are those parents who well based on their mood and status will shine on your day for for one day and then rain on your parade for another such as previous example of Cathie base the famous Hollywood star whose mother commented to her after she won an oscar is it an oscar that oh what's so big about that it's not it's not like you
cured cancer or anything so comments like that they kind of give you this um feeling as if your self -worthiness is not proved within the family so after such an individual grow up That they tried to seek such idealized validation and affirmation from a partner, a romantic partner of such. So that's one reason energy deficiency, low self value that's causing people to feel like, wow, I need to stay close to this partner because he or she empowers me in a way I've never felt before.
I mean, I just think that's such an analytical and unromantic look at falling in love.
Not everyone who falls in love with somebody, this is one of the things that allows us to be human, right?
Our experience as human beings is somewhat limited, right?
We have a range of emotions but still we are limited within that range of emotions.
And that's one of the more positive things that can happen to a human being in their is that feeling of falling in love, that feeling of, oh, I wanna text them too many times in a day.
And we see it in the movies, right, like, they'll pick up the phone, oh, no, I can't text again, I just texted them five minutes ago.
But that's that teenage, like, there's something poetically romantic about that.
So to analyze it, I'm sure the people at that website are very qualified and intelligent.
But I just think that it's, oh, come on, we don't need to go that far with just asking why people f - It's a universal thing.
It's a human nature.
We all do it. Well, shall I say, hopefully - Yes.
We all get a chance or shot at it.
Right. Cause I don't know how it got here, but maybe we can get into that a bit later.
But just by judging some of the comments online in Chinese, some people are so - I don't know how old they are.
Because nowadays when sometimes you engage, not me, I know some people do engage in online fights with people like a verbal dispute and then a lot of back and forth, a lot of fiery words.
Are being fired. And then you realize that the person on the other hand, hopefully that's a person, not an AI bot is like a third grader or like a teenager or something like, or somebody like that.
And why did you guys get into an online fight that consumed your, your, you emotionally for like half a day.
But anyhow, some people, some of these online comments, they seem to automatically occupy the moral high ground when they say that this person with this love struck state of mind should be fixed or like they're broken.
So something like that.
And then so criticizing the love -struck state of mind, immediately earns you sort of the upper end of the conversation and it's just really interesting.
I, like you said, Steve, I thought this is a pretty natural thing and if you get at least once in your lifetime to sort of slip for that euphoric feeling or that person and trust me it doesn't happen that often I Think that's maybe you'll get you know Heartbreak, but it's a great feeling that makes life more Colorful than be always in control.
Oh, I win because I'm so rational and crush the love brain How do you live don't you wanna?
To be fair though we're commenting on a healthy amount of love, drunk or whatever term you want to use.
The type that still allows you to function as a human being and put your socks on in the morning and go to school or go to work and be competent at whatever your responsibilities are.
If it gets to a point where, you know, you're skipping your studies or skipping classes or not performing your duties at work because you're experiencing these feelings of love.
Well then maybe you've gotten to a point where something needs to be done about that.
But in the healthy range, I think this is just natural.
And I was so surprised to find out about the trend nowadays where people will pay to get criticized.
Like you mentioned Huo Young.
And a lot of the time - Yeah there's a service available, right?
Yeah, that service, say provider let's say.
A lot of the times are young people too who think they are helping those love drunk individuals to wake up, see things clearer, see things from another perspective, cure your illness.
If you show symptoms, there are so many ways I can reverse that, or quote unquote treat your illness of falling too deep in love.
and wow so that's how young people view romantic or their romantic life nowadays perhaps well sometimes I suppose it's when people realize that maybe it's it's not just that you have that you're in the state of mind but it must not feel great or some some ugly heads have showed up or something in the relationship or something otherwise why would you want to pay I was just about to say, this is a service that's being provided, no one's coming to you and saying, Hey, snap out of it, you're asking someone to help you, right?
Ooh, okay. So you feel like you've gotten to a point where you need some help to snap out of it.
So I don't think we can blame the service for being available to people, right?
The services is there for people to use it if they want to, And apparently, some people want to.
Yeah, and then the so -called service being provided, I don't really know how adequate they are, because just by some of the online reports it sounds like it's more like they use really harsh words to, to, it could potentially mentally scar you in trying to persuade you out of it.
Yeah, here are some details in how the service is provided as reported online.
So, one user, one young female who was trying to get quote -unquote cured, tried to place an order.
She found the service was sold for over 1000 orders a month and it charges by the hour.
It gives guidance through either chat or voice calls with occasional verbal criticism going on during the chat, and one voice service, which promises a term of not shorter than four hours a day and changes the service provider if you don't feel criticized hard enough I guess and it will cost you 2 ,188 Yuan which is roughly 300 US dollars a week.
A week! So that's what we're talking about the service.
Yeah now okay so two minutes ago I said we can't criticize the service for being available but who's on the other end of the line?
I know right! Right?
It's like therapy. If you go to therapy — and this, by the way, is a form of therapy.
But whether they're qualified, we don't know.
That's my point. If you go to a therapist, you can look at that therapist's resume and see where they went to school and what their qualifications are to help you get through your difficult time.
If I'm calling, well, whatever it is, 1 -800 -Make me not in love anymore, then who am I speaking with?
And that's where this can become potentially dangerous, right?
What types of things are they saying to you?
What types of advice are they giving to you?
How qualified are they to be giving this type of advice?
That's where this gets a little...
I don't mind the service that it's available, but I just, I would rather know how qualified these people are at giving this kind of advice.
That's a very good and important question to ask.
I suppose before we move on to the next part of today's show, could you guys just, you know, I want you to borrow your wisdom on, let's say, for somebody who's looking for this kind of service.
Are there ways to withdraw?
Are there more like healthy ways to deal with this situation?
Or yeah, I mean, being in love is great, but when it doesn't go well, how do you sort of step back and and sort of be unscathed.
I mean, there are so many ways that can help, especially if we're talking to all the listeners out there, if you're going through the process of, say, walking out from a relationship that drains you up, then just go try a different facet of life.
For example, growing hobbies such as, say, making handicrafts, or going to the gym, or going on any sort of physical exercises is definitely going to help.
Yeah um ice cream, what?
Chocolate. A lot of just fancy junk foods and just eat and you will feel better.
Sounds nice. For maybe a short period of time, short period.
Yeah I really like the workout thing though, yeah and um who knows maybe you'll meet a fitness influencer who's setting up tripods and stuff from last yesterday's show and you fall in through that pain and get over it it helps you grow.
Yep, yep, coming up next movie magic is in the air as the 15th Beijing International Film Festival lights up the city we have something special to report to you right after this break.
Looking for passion?
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Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to round table where East meet West, and understanding is the goal.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself He Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and You Shen.
The screens are glowing.
The city's alive with cinema, and every frame tells a story that could change the way you see the world.
Our reporter, Young Young, takes us beyond the velvet rope, bringing back the buzz, the glamour, and a stand out film that's lighting up the big screen in Beijing, Steve, who's right here with me on the show, caught up with Yang Yang earlier.
Let's roll that clip.
Yang Yang is back. And the reason I say you are back is because you just got back.
How lucky are you? From the 15th Beijing International Film Festival.
So spill the tea, come on.
We want all the deets.
How was it? It was incredible.
Despite the rain and cold weather, the atmosphere was full of energy on the red carpet.
People were so excited and what struck me the most was seeing some of the celebrities and members of the festival Walking in the rain without umbrellas Why because they want to show the respect solidarity with the media and crew like me who had been standing in the cold all day Ah, it was raining that day Yeah, it was raining.
The media was all soaked and wet and the celebrities thought we want to show our support for the media we want to show our support for Yang Yang I'm so honored so we're not gonna take an umbrella either wow that is kind of touching isn't it yeah it sounds like the spirit of humanity and cinema was alive and well but this is what I want to know Yang Yang you're standing on the red carpet of a major international film festival how was the action on the red carpet how How close were you to the celebrities?
What did you see super close like face to face that kind of clothes?
Wow? Yeah, I Accidentally ended up behind the scenes near the red carpet backstage area Yeah, and I saw where the gas were entering including a beautifully decorated reception area for celebrities and producers so many of the filmmakers looked Incredibly stylish and honestly a lot of them looked even better in person than they do it on screen Did you say hi to anyone?
Yes, it was mind blowing.
I basically said hi to everyone.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've never seen such a high density of a good looking people in my entire life.
Yeah, right. Everybody looks amazing and they're all together.
So I guess it wasn't just a film festival.
It was like a fashion show with beautiful people.
Yeah, that would have been an incredible experience standing on the red carpet, being in the behind the scenes type spot.
But beyond that glam, beyond that kind of five -star moment, were there any kind of interesting conversations or perhaps insights that you picked up on or took away?
Yeah, definitely. I had a chance to speak with a few international distributors, and they all seemed really enthusiastic about Chinese cinema.
One of them had been to China multiple times and talked about how Chinese films are gaining more visibility in Europe.
According to him, several Chinese blockbusters like Nezha Two have been screened at major IMAX theaters and gaining strong audience reactions.
You can really feel the momentum of Chinese film going global.
That's really cool.
I mean, we talked about the success of Nezha Two on Roundtable a lot, and the success of the film was covered in many media outlets around the world.
But what's really cool is that a film that big, that successful, that was homegrown can travel and reach international audiences.
And it's really cool, too, that some of the people you were talking to, they recognize that.
Yeah, exactly. So it's not just about exporting, it's also about international interests flowing into China.
Another distributor I spoke with had just arrived and was excited about the potential co -productions with Chinese filmmakers.
Yeah, she mentioned how the size and creativity of China's market opened up all kinds of storytelling possibilities.
I mean, that's just the power of film, isn't it?
Because, yes, of course it can reach audiences and it can touch people and leave a big impression but there's also the opportunity for cultural exchange which is which is kind of perhaps an unexpected benefit but a wonderful benefit nonetheless.
So with film festivals oftentimes there will be like outside the theater stuff that you can do so was there any of that?
Did you do anything?
Did you go anywhere?
Yes I did. One of the festival's features was a set of themed film watching routes around Beijing.
I followed one called the romantic urban tour.
It took me to places featured in films like Beijing Love Story, Love is Not Blind, it was a fine way to see how modern dating and lifestyle trends are being captured through films. Especially things like watching movies, grabbing food, walking along riverside views, very much the romantic rhythm of urban life.
What was the most romantic moment, Yang Yang, of that particular experience.
It was definitely the Yangma river night cruise.
I was on the boat, seeing all of the lights, the glittering bridges.
It seems like the city comes alive in tantalizing ways all around you.
And I was in the middle of it all.
Did you fall in love with anyone in that moment?
Did you lock eyes? I hope so, yeah.
It's really cool. We get that opportunity to explore the city.
You can do the city tours and things like that and it's it's really cool that you can learn about the history and The cultural aspects of Beijing but to do that through the lens Pun intended of a camera of a film camera is a totally different experience You're lucky you got to do that So speaking of films then did you see anything that kind of caught your eye?
What is in your opinion one of the standout movies from the festival?
Yeah, I got one. One that really stuck with me was the Shepherd, which was nominated for the Tiantan Award this year.
And that award is like the major prize, right?
Yeah, the major prize.
It follows a young advertising executive from Montreal… Yeah, Canada.
Yeah, your country, who leaves behind city life to pursue the unfamiliar path of shepherding in France.
Along the way, he crosses path with a former civil servant who has quit her job on a whim, And together, they find themselves swept into a series of unforeseen adventures.
They explore how to cope with the change with a push and pull between tradition and re -intervention as they walk along the chaotic road of self -discovery.
Well, it's an interesting story, right?
Leaving behind city life to go shepherding.
I don't think I've seen a movie quite like that before.
What was it about the movie that made you love it so much?
Well, it's a beautifully honest and thought -provoking film that speaks to anyone who has ever felt trapped by the pressures of modern urban life and long for a simpler, more meaningful existence.
Through the quiet but powerful journey of the two characters who left everything behind to become shepherds and friends, the film captures both the romantic allure and harsh truth of returning to nature.
It's not just about escape, but about resilience, rediscovery, and finding peace and discomfort.
And the director, Sophie De Rasp's direction blends poetic visuals with grounded realism, making it not only visually stunning, but emotionally resonant, reminding us that while chasing dreams isn't easy, it might be the most worthwhile thing we ever get to do.
I think a lot of audiences internationally would connect with it.
Yeah, I think so, too, because it's something that anyone from any culture can relate to if that person is going through the grind of going to work all day, every day and thinking, What else is out there?
What else can I do?
I think many people around the world have had that feeling at least once in their lives.
And also the French countryside...
France's countryside is very very pretty to look at in a movie too, right?
Yeah, it sounds like you had a lot of fun And it sounds like the kind of movie that will stay with you for a while.
So any final thoughts?
What do you think Yang Yang?
What is your biggest number one takeaway from your time at the festival this year?
Well, I would say it's the scenes of connection even with language or cultural differences everyone at the festival, filmmakers, distributors, media, share this common belief in the power of storytelling.
Like us, there was a real openness to collaboration and exchange.
China's film industry is clearly growing, but what's more exciting is, it's growing with the world.
That's a good way to put it that's really well said.
And it sounds like you did some storytelling to quote unquote, mistakenly end up backstage or wherever you were hanging out with the celebrities.
Yang Yang, I'm so happy you had a great time and thanks for sharing your experience with me.
Thanks for having me.
As the spotlight fades and the credits roll, the 15th Beijing International Film Festival leaves us with more than just cinematic memories.
It's a celebration of stories that cross borders, a platform for industry minds to exchange ideas, and a showcase of just how far Chinese cinema has come and where it's hit it.
And that brings us to the end of today's show.
Thank you so much Steve Hatherly and Yuxi for joining the discussion.
I'm Hea Young. You can always find us on Apple Podcast at Round Table China.
We will see you next time.
