{ "id": "eprw0xg12g", "slug": "moonshine-and-valentine", "title": "Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "label": "Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "label": "Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋) is a 2018 Chinese fantasy romance web series, 25 episodes on Tencent Video, adapted from Shi Dingrou's novel 结爱·异客逢欢, directed by Leste Chen and Xu Zhaoren, starring Song Qian and Huang Jingyu; Douban 7.4, controversial rushed ending.", "snippet": "Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋) is a 2018 Chinese fantasy romance web series, 25 episodes on Tencent Video, adapted from Shi Dingrou's novel 结爱·异客逢欢, directed by Leste Chen and Xu Zhaoren, starring Song Qian and Huang Jingyu; Douban 7.4, controversial rushed ending.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "markdown": "# Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋)\n\n**Moonshine and Valentine** (结爱·千岁大人的初恋, also known in English as *The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love*) is a 2018 Chinese fantasy romance web series directed by Leste Chen (陈正道) and Xu Zhaoren (许肇任), starring Song Qian (宋茜) and [Huang Jingyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/huang-jingyu) (黄景瑜). Adapted from Shi Dingrou's (施定柔) 2008 novel *Jie Ai: Yi Ke Feng Huan* (结爱·异客逢欢), it follows an intern reporter and a centuries-old fox-clan priest whose romance spans multiple lifetimes. The series premiered on [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video) on May 9, 2018 and ran for 25 episodes.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) • [2](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html) • [3](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-09-06/doc-ifykpysa3730105.shtml)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 结爱·千岁大人的初恋; English titles *Moonshine and Valentine* and *The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love*[4](https://chinaq.fun/tv-cn/201811213/) |\n| Source | Shi Dingrou's 2008 novel *结爱·异客逢欢*[2](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html) |\n| Broadcast | Tencent Video, from May 9, 2018; 25 episodes[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) • [5](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/gl6iujvk8gj3otr) |\n| Directors and leads | Leste Chen and Xu Zhaoren directing; Song Qian as Guan Pipi, Huang Jingyu as Helan Jingting[3](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-09-06/doc-ifykpysa3730105.shtml) |\n| Production companies | Penguin Pictures, Mango Pictures, and Zaomengji Pictures[6](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0201/c1012-30605836.html) |\n| Reception | Douban score of 7.6 during broadcast, settling at 7.4 with more than 35,000 ratings; cumulative views of 2.58 billion[7](https://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/zjnews/zjxw/201806/t20180620_7580469_ext.shtml) |\n| Awards | Top-ten web drama at the 3rd Golden Bud Network Film and Television Awards (January 12, 2019); Excellent TV Drama nomination at the 30th Golden Eagle Awards (September 15, 2020)[8](https://www.baike.com/wikiid/7217645346075557900) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nGuan Pipi (关皮皮), an intern at a newspaper, is assigned to interview Helan Jingting (贺兰静霆), a reclusive antiquities expert. His habits are startling: he eats flowers, takes \"moonlight baths,\" is blind by day but sees well at night, and his heart beats only three times per minute. He tells her he is an alien, a silicon-based life form rather than an Earth carbon-based one, and she initially assumes he is mocking her.[5](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/gl6iujvk8gj3otr)\n\nHelan is in fact a priest of a fox clan from a distant star system, with a lifespan approaching a thousand years. His single purpose across the centuries has been to find the reincarnations of Hui Yan (慧颜), the woman he loved, who gave her life to cure his eye disease; Pipi is her current incarnation.[9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0601/c40606-30027008.html) • [8](https://www.baike.com/wikiid/7217645346075557900) The clan members call themselves foxes, possess night vision and telepathy, fear sunlight, and must periodically absorb moonlight energy to survive; adults awaken the ability to foresee the future, and jade serves as their medium of power.[8](https://www.baike.com/wikiid/7217645346075557900)\n\n**The romance develops slowly.** After Pipi's childhood-sweetheart boyfriend and her close friend betray her one after another, Helan stays by her side, and she gradually lowers her guard and learns about his world. The two overcome fate and come together, but internal struggles within Helan's home star soon engulf them, and each risks everything to keep the other safe.[5](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/gl6iujvk8gj3otr) The series also follows supporting couples, including the fox-clan left priest Zhao Song (赵松) and Tushan Qianhua (涂山千花), and Pipi's friend Xiaoju (小菊) caught between two suitors.[10](https://yule.bandao.cn/news_html/201805/20180510/news_20180510_2828713.shtml)\n\n### The ending controversy\n\nThe series' reputation fell sharply at the close. As the balance between main plot and subplots shifted in the second half, viewers began to say the show was collapsing, and the final episode was widely mocked as the \"most rushed ending in history,\" with the male lead reduced to a background presence; the show's real-time viewership dropped from first place to around sixth, at roughly 40 million.[15](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2228323.html)\n\nBoth director and screenwriter apologized before the finale aired. On June 8, 2018, screenwriter Shen Yang (沈洋) published a long statement apologizing to disappointed viewers, attributing the collapse of the later plot to his own inexperience: he had written eight episodes before filming began and then wrote while shooting, which lowered quality. He denied rumors that the female lead's role had been cut to promote a supporting actor, explaining that because the wrap date was fixed while shooting frequently ran overtime, some scenes originally written for the female lead had to be reassigned.[16](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-06-08/doc-ihcscwxa6203159.shtml) Chen Zhengdao, who had initially rated his own series four stars on Douban, later lowered it by one star.[17](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2123566)\n\n## Production\n\nThe series opened filming in Bangkok in September 2017 and wrapped after roughly three months of shooting entirely in Thailand, where the production even built Chinese-style ancient architecture for the period scenes; the actors performed with their original voices.[3](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-09-06/doc-ifykpysa3730105.shtml) • [11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-12-08/doc-ifypnyqi2063448.shtml) • [9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0601/c40606-30027008.html) The title's two characters, 结爱, come from a poem by [Tang dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/tang-dynasty) poet [Meng Jiao](https://www.edgepedia.org/meng-jiao) (孟郊), \"心心复心心，结爱务在深,\" meaning that two people in love should love deeply and with matching hearts.[10](https://yule.bandao.cn/news_html/201805/20180510/news_20180510_2828713.shtml)\n\n**Fidelity to the novel was a stated priority.** Director Chen Zhengdao said the main romance line followed the novel's development as far as possible, even though the female lead does not formally fall in love with the male lead until episode 12 and is considered the weakest character setting until episode 18; he argued that viewers should watch for character growth rather than character setup, and the team added supporting storylines so that each side character had a story of their own.[9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0601/c40606-30027008.html) Apart from the two leads, he rejected all casting recommendations from the investors and required other actors to audition three or four times; in the later part of the shoot the screenwriter worked on set, writing episodes as they were filmed, so the characters' emotional lines developed collectively.[9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0601/c40606-30027008.html)\n\nThe fox-clan worldbuilding drew on Chinese sources. Producer [Fang Fang](https://www.edgepedia.org/fang-fang) (方芳) of Penguin Pictures pointed to the Tang dynasty collection *Guang Yi Ji* (广异记) as an example of traditional material available for urban fantasy dramas, while author Shi Dingrou said the fox-clan setting was inspired by *Liaozhai Zhiyi* (聊斋志异) and described the story as drawing mainly on Chinese native myth and legend.[12](https://k.sina.cn/article_1985593262_7659bfae0190098s3.html) • [2](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html)\n\n## Reception\n\nExpectations were low at first: the title and the familiar \"millennium love\" premise led many viewers to dismiss the show as a routine idol drama, and the producer had internally rated it a mid-tier A project.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) After its May 9, 2018 debut on Tencent Video, the Douban score stabilized at 7.6, unusually high for a domestic romance series, with praise concentrating on the production values, described by commenters as polished and cinematic.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) • [13](https://news.jstv.com/a/20180527/1527402263158.shtml) By the finale on June 20, the series had accumulated 2.58 billion views, its Weibo topic had reached 2 billion reads, and more than 35,000 Douban users had rated it 7.4, still well above the average for domestic dramas.[7](https://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/zjnews/zjxw/201806/t20180620_7580469_ext.shtml) On IMDb it holds a 7.3/10 rating.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7872144/ratings/)\n\nCritics credited the directors' restraint. Chen Zhengdao, a Taiwanese director known for the films *Mystery* ([盛夏光年](https://www.edgepedia.org/eternal-summer)), *20 Once Again*, *The Master of Memory*, and *Who Am I?* (催眠大师), said he deliberately avoided rushing the romance and let the characters grow, and he was interested in how modern the novel's heroine was, noting that the 2008 novel has Pipi forgive the two people who betrayed her after reflection.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) Reviewers also highlighted the supporting couples' storylines, which carried comedy and avoided melodrama, offsetting the old-fashioned flavor of the central millennium romance.[1](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065) The series raised the profiles of both leads: Song Qian was seen as having turned around her acting reputation, and Huang Jingyu built on the attention from *Operation Red Sea*.[2](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html)\n\n## Legacy\n\nThe series is remembered as an early example of a domestic fantasy romance that combined a familiar \"love across a thousand years\" premise with film-grade production and a slow-burn central romance, even though its ending damaged the whole.[13](https://news.jstv.com/a/20180527/1527402263158.shtml) • [15](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2228323.html) It received the annual top-ten web drama award at the 3rd Golden Bud Network Film and Television Awards on January 12, 2019, and a nomination for Excellent TV Drama at the 30th Golden Eagle Awards on September 15, 2020.[8](https://www.baike.com/wikiid/7217645346075557900) A comic adaptation of the same IP launched on February 1, 2019 across Bilibili Comics, Tencent Comics, Kuaikan Comics, and other platforms.[6](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0201/c1012-30605836.html) Shi Dingrou's earlier novel *Li Chuan Wang Shi* had already been adapted as the well-received drama *Meet Wang Lichuan*; *Moonshine and Valentine* made her name prominent among drama viewers a second time.[2](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [专访｜《结爱》导演陈正道：不要急着发糖，沉住气让角色成长, 澎湃新闻 (2018)](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2145065)\n2. [\"结爱\"原著作者畅谈IP改编 奇幻题材也可反思现实, 人民网转羊城晚报 (2018)](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0617/c40606-30063542.html)\n3. [《千岁大人的初恋》开机 宋茜黄景瑜上演倾城虐恋, 新浪娱乐 (2017)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-09-06/doc-ifykpysa3730105.shtml)\n4. [結愛·千歲大人的初戀, ChinaQ (alternative titles and credits)](https://chinaq.fun/tv-cn/201811213/)\n5. [结爱·千岁大人的初恋, WeTV (series synopsis, 25 episodes)](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/gl6iujvk8gj3otr)\n6. [圈层破壁！《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》IP漫画新春甜暖上线, 人民网转北青网 (2019)](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0201/c1012-30605836.html)\n7. [谢谢导演懂我，没有着急发糖, 浙江在线 (2018)](https://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/zjnews/zjxw/201806/t20180620_7580469_ext.shtml)\n8. [结爱·千岁大人的初恋, 快懂百科](https://www.baike.com/wikiid/7217645346075557900)\n9. [《结爱》成IP剧的一股清流 导演揭秘幕后故事, 人民网 (2018)](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0601/c40606-30027008.html)\n10. [《结爱》昨开播 宋茜黄景瑜开启寻爱之旅, 半岛网 (2018)](https://yule.bandao.cn/news_html/201805/20180510/news_20180510_2828713.shtml)\n11. [《结爱》曼谷杀青 李燊化身狐仙宿世纠葛反差萌, 新浪娱乐 (2017)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2017-12-08/doc-ifypnyqi2063448.shtml)\n12. [黄景瑜宋茜《结爱》成功的秘密丨揭秘, 新浪新闻 (2018)](https://k.sina.cn/article_1985593262_7659bfae0190098s3.html)\n13. [《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》：一道并不油腻的甜品, 荔枝网 (2018)](https://news.jstv.com/a/20180527/1527402263158.shtml)\n14. [Moonshine and Valentine – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7872144/ratings/)\n15. [《结爱》以\"史上最仓促结局\"收官，导演编剧提前一周道歉, 界面新闻 (2018)](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2228323.html)\n16. [《结爱》编剧回应结局争议：向失望观众表示歉意, 新浪娱乐 (2018)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-06-08/doc-ihcscwxa6203159.shtml)\n17. [《结爱：千岁大人的初恋》：只能靠黄景瑜的颜了, 澎湃新闻 (2018)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2123566)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Iv to My*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋)](https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine](https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Moonshine and Valentine (结爱·千岁大人的初恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/moonshine-and-valentine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Moonshine and Valentine is a 2018 Chinese fantasy romance web series, 25 episodes on Tencent Video, adapted from Shi Dingrou's novel 结爱·异客逢欢, directed by Leste Chen and Xu Zhaoren, starring Song Qian and Huang Jingyu; Douban 7.4, controversial rushed ending." }