Memory of Encaustic Tile (昔有琉璃瓦)
Story
Memory of Encaustic Tile is a 2022 Chinese drama adapted from a novel with the same name. The drama is set in the early 2000s in the alleyways of Beijing, China. It follows the life of a neighborhood of conservator-restorers and their children, Shao Xue, Su Nian, Zhang Qi, Shi Yin, and Wu Huan.
The set is interesting to me. The alleyways to the shop on the side of the road looked unrealistic due to the lighting and boxed set; it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. The director focused on the relationships between the neighbors and what happens within the walls of their homes. Allowing less time for our eyes to focus on the emptiness of the set and on the characters and their conversations instead. Also, time moves through the focus of significant timeline events, such as the SARS epidemic (2003) and the announcement of holding the Beijing Olympics. I think this is an excellent way to tell how much time has passed on top of major school events.
Characters
Shao Xue is played by Chen Yu Qi. Shao Xue is a bright girl who aspires to travel the world, like Su Nian’s mother. She wants to discover new places to tell her own stories with them. While she isn’t good with her studies and is always condemned by her mother. However, Shao Xue is ambitious and proves it with her proficiency skills in English.
I like how Shao Xue is so carefree, yet she has a concrete goal set for herself. She’s ambitious and has a lot of drive to achieve her goal, even though others may want her to do it differently. Shao Xue treats the people around her well and isn’t afraid to express her feelings. We know early on in episode two that Shao Xue has always wanted to leave home, specifically to go out of the country.
Su Nian is played by Lin Yi. Su Nian is the bright male lead who excels in his studies and is the model child. He doesn’t get into trouble and does his tasks meticulously. His temperament and talent follow his parents, especially his mom, with their gentleness and art skills.
I love the little open and honest side of Su Nian. How he understood Shao Xue’s dream and wanted her to be happy, so he teaches her how to cook in case she misses Chinese food when she’s abroad or that he buys her English books that would help her. Even so, Su Nian still tells Shao Xue that he’s afraid to lose her (linked below). Seeing him be vulnerable was a good changeup to having the perfectionist role of a male lead, who keeps everything inside.
Zhang Qi is played by Yan Zi Dong. Zhang Qi is the second male lead who loves playing computer games. His bedroom walls are adorned with Ling Er, his crush from Chinese Paladin. Apart from his love for gaming, he has a knack for mathematics and eventually moved into the competitive class. He lives in a single-parent household with his mom but is still showered with love. Zhang Qi’s external personality is like Shao Xue. They’re both loud and lively. They often come up with similar ideas that Su Nian disagrees with.
Zhang Qi has a very likable personality to me. While he may come off as immature, he still puts his friends first. In fact, we see a good little snippet into Zhang Qi personally at the end of episode four when he openly talks about his feelings in front of his dad’s altar.
Shi Yin is played by Zhang Tian Ai. Shi Yin is known as one of the prettiest girls in school. Being on the dance team causes Shi Yin to be strict with her diet. Her ice princess personality can make her appear snobbish. However, we come to learn that SShi Yin’s background, episode five, before Beijing makes her self-conscious of what people think about her and how she should act.
Wu Huan is played by Sun Kai. He’s a hardworking child who lives alone with his sickly mother. Wu Huan works several jobs to help them get by and has a big crush on Shi Yin. There are a handful of times where we can see that Wu Huan is self-conscious of his societal status within his friend group. But he tends to stay cheerful and friendly with everyone.
My biggest peeve about these characters so far is not that Chen Yu Qi tends to overact a bit to seem like a young girl, but it’s the fact that they’re supposed to pass as young students. From their looks to their personalities, sometimes it felt spot on and other times, it wouldn’t. They masked youthfulness with immaturity, lack of motivation, vanity, and so on. I think the acting overpowers how these actors and actresses may or may not pass as high school students. I found that Su Nian’s temperament is quite mature for a student his age. The way Su Nian stepped back and analyzed Shao Xue’s problems to help her get through her fights with her mom. I overlooked this, assuming that Su Nian probably has a higher EQ than most high school students.
A little dive into Su Nian and Shao Xue. They are like yin and yang to me. Opposites, but they complete each other. Our two main protagonists live right next to each other. While Shao Xue’s family is boisterous and lively, Su Nian’s family is calm and quiet. Whenever Shao Xue argues with her mother, Su Nian can hear from his house and silently walk over to console her. Like their family dynamics, Shao Xue is loud and lively, and then there’s Su Nian, who’s quiet and gentle. Shao Xue yearns to travel afar like a bird. While Su Nian wants to stay stagnant like a rooted tree. The contrast between the two is evident and will be a hurdle they will have to cross in the upcoming episodes. I am curious to see how they will be together in the near future as Su Nian is the only one aware of his feelings towards Shao Xue right now.
On the other hand, Zhang Qi recently realized his feelings towards Shao Xue, allowing himself to push his 2-D Ling Er to the side. It seems like he will keep his love a secret for the time being. Unlike Su Nian, Zhang Qi is scared of putting his feelings out there. I don’t foresee this drama to have a messy love triangle but maybe a broken heart for the beloved Zhang Qi.
First Impressions
Based on the first 12 episodes, Memory of Encaustic Tile seems more of a slice of life drama. While focusing on the children, its tone doesn’t feel much like a lighthearted youth drama. I think this is due to the age of the actors and actresses who plays these young teens as they are supposed to be in middle school when we first see them. The tone it sets on familial relations, youth dreams, friends like close family, and so on makes it feel different from youth-centered dramas on school life.
Sometimes character shifts in dramas would dramatically shift the focus of the show. As they grow older, I am curious if the feel of a family drama switches. Especially when the romance has yet to be incorporated. When it does, would it affect the tone of the drama as well?
My initial verdict says this is great, which I’m a bit worried about. I’ve started several Chinese dramas where the first 12 or so episodes start out excellent and then fall as it continues. I’m expecting good things from this show as the director is Tian Yu, who directed I Don’t Want To Be Friends With You, which has a lot of high reviews.
The relationship aspect between the families, Forbidden City workers, and friends is warming to watch. While they live in a big city like Beijing, it seems like a small-knit community. There is still much left to explore as the protagonists slowly open up their feelings and pursue their own dreams simultaneously. For some reason, I’m expecting some heartache and some drama coming. It can’t go this dandy for too long, and there’s so much more to see in this series. We have yet to unpack Wu Huan’s mother’s story. There’s a lot to be said between Wu Huan, Shi Yin, and Tan Ya. Zhang Qi has yet to let his feelings be known, and Shao Xue has yet to recognize these boys’ feelings for her. I can’t wait to continue the series and see what it has in store, though.
Are you watching Memories of Encaustic Tile, or do you plan to watch it? What are your initial thoughts so far? If you’d like to share in the comments, I’d love to read them!
Photo credits: Douban
