It's still uncertain what the future holds for Love Never Fails, but we are hoping this highly-anticipated costume drama will be given a chance to be aired soon.
Done filming in 2021, this drama has been reportedly lined up for release this year on Mango TV but the leading actress, Yuan Bingyan/Crystal Yuan got entangled in the messy tax evasion scandal which led to the drama's release being put on hold.
Yuan Bingyan's Controversy
In China, tax evasion is a serious offense, apart from the heavy fines imposed on individuals who commit such acts, the impact on the person's activities is massive.Â
Celebrities who were found guilty of committing this offense were heavily fined and bore the worst consequences - they got "canceled", brands will terminate their contracts, and they will be blacklisted from almost every facet of life in China -Â social media, movies, television, business, among others.
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| Yuan Bingyan |
The "cancel culture" in the Chinese entertainment industry for misbehavior and other legal issues is terrible, celebrities who are involved in any form of controversies will be ultimately "punished" by removing them online, with shows never to be permitted to air.
Last month (September) we discovered that Yuan Bingyan's Weibo page has been banned, with a disclaimer saying ""This user is currently banned due to violation of relevant laws and regulations". It came after the Chongqing tax authorities found her to have committed tax evasion.Â
It was the second investigation launched on Yuan Bingyan regarding tax dodging after she received a warning in July 2022 to comply with the laws regarding her tax obligations. However, on September 16, 2023, it was reported she was found guilty of a tax evasion case.
According to a statement released after the investigation, Bingyan's affiliated company was fined RMB 978,000 last year for tax evasion. However, the two parties seemed to have not learned any lesson as the actress was found recently to have evaded tax yet again. She was fined RMB 4.3 million.
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| Liu Xueyi as Hao Chen and Yuan Bingyan as Xuanji in Love and Redemption (2020) |
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| Yuan Bingyan and Liu Xueyi in the booting ceremony of Love Never Fails. June 2021 |
Before the verdict came, she had already filmed "The Emperor's Love" and "Thunder Chaser", which are now likely to be shelved or the production will have a reshoot replacing her with another actress.Â
She was supposed to appear in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Yuehong, but was ultimately removed after the first wave of controversy over her tax evasion scandal surfaced online. She was replaced by Bambi Xudan.
In 2021, she wrapped up filming Love Never Fails, her reunion drama with her Love and Redemption co-star, Liu Xueyi. However, the approval for release was put on hold due to Bingyan's tax evasion controversy.
Updates:
Early this month (October) it was reported that her social media accounts (Weibo etc.) were reactivated but the reports from mainland China did not clarify if Yuan Bingyan's dramas will now be given the green light for release.
But citing the same cases in the past, for example, Fan Bingbing's case. Although her tax evasion case was already resolved and her social media accounts in China were not completely deleted (unlike in the case of Deng Lun and Zheng Shuang), Fan Bingbing was unable to return to the Chinese entertainment spotlight.
She was not able to recover her popularity in mainland China and drama productions were hesitant to rebuild a relationship with her, despite the fact that she was China's most popular celebrity and the country's highest-paid actress.Â
Although the ban was already lifted, her finished drama, Legend of Ba Qing, remained unreleased and seemed forever shelved. Networks and producers in the mainland seem hesitant to get associated with someone who has a history of controversies and legal issues to avoid receiving backlash from the public.
So it looks like Love Never Fails might suffer the same fate as Legend of Ba Qing, unless the production, networks, and top executives will take a brave stance to release this drama. Perhaps, they need to wait for the issues/controversy about Bingyan to rest before making any move.Â
It looks like in China once you commit a serious offense, you are forever judged as a bane to society without any chance for redemption.Â
It takes years for Chinese celebrities who have legal issues there (and other controversies) to recover but it is doubted if they can still recover the warmth that was given to them by the public, this is perhaps the reason why producers and networks are hesitant to get associated with them again.
Love Never Fails
Love Never Fails would have been her reunion drama with Liu Xue Yi. They both appeared in the hit xianxia drama, Love and Redemption (2020), where Liu Xueyi played the support role of Hao Chen/King Bailing, while Yuan Bingyan played the main role of Chu Xuanji.
They were my ship in Love and Redemption (sorry Si Feng 😂). I love their rapport there! There was some spark (that I only feel perhaps) swirling around the Shaoyang sect each time they interacted. There was a sweet connection each time they stared, a different level of comfort that made me want to see them more.Â
Although Hao Chen/King Bailing was a schemer and a hindrance to Xuanji and Si Feng's (Cheng Yi) love, I liked his character for the most part of the drama.Â
Hao Chen appeared to be like a righteous man at first, a steadfast protector of Xuanji who did everything he could to protect her. But well, he turned out to be the greatest manipulator in the story who devised an unimaginable conspiracy for his ambitions.
Anyway, naturally I was happy to know they were paired to finally play the main leads in Love Never Fails, but goodness, what a fail! Such a terrible turn of events!Â
Love Never Fails also stars Ao Ruipeng and Xu Xianuo in the supporting roles.
Plot Summary of Love Never Fails:
Love Never Fails, also known as When The Flower Falls, tells the story of a Camelia demon and the King who guards the Middle Heaven.
Jin Xiu, the King of the Central Heavens played by Liu Xue Yi, intended to help a little Camelia demon to become immortal. At the Flower Festival held once every 100 years in the heavenly realm, the Camelia demon, Hong Ning (Yuan Bingyan) boldly confessed to Jin Xiu her intention to become his queen.Â
But when he tells her that demons and gods cannot be together, she takes his advice to heart. She then spends her life in cultivation to achieve immortality to be with him.Â
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| Yuan Bingyan and Liu Xueyi in Love Never Fails |
But upon her ascension to heaven, Hong Ning learns that Jin Xiu is marrying someone else (a misunderstanding or a piece of mistaken information relayed to her perhaps). She resolutely abandons an immortal life to enter the cycle of reincarnation, simply to forget him.Â
So, Jin Xiu defies fate itself in order for Hong Ning to be reborn. He hopes to repay his debts and protect her for a lifetime.Â
A misunderstanding that cannot be avoided, an identity for which there is no escape; when spring ends, the two meet again. But Hong Ning is destined to become Jin Xiu's tribulation in love. Hmmm...That sounds like the concept of Love and Redemption!Â
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