Yu Menglong

My most vivid memory of Yu Menglong (于朦胧) remains the image of him as the young man holding an umbrella in A Umbrella of Misty Rain (一伞烟雨). During a shoot, he wore a light green round-collar robe, a Futou (幞头), and black boots—like a "zanhua shaonian" (簪花少年) stepping out of a classical painting. Zanhua and Youth In the behind-the-scenes footage, he pointed to the Zanhua on his Futou, saying they represented unyielding spirit and hope for the future. "Flowers and youth" are the purest romance, and this set of photos became my ultimate template for the "zanhua shaonian" image. Zanhua is more than an ornament; it's a symbol of hope. As early as the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and popular in the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Zanhua was worn by young talents and successful individuals. At the "Qujiang Banquet" celebrating new Jinshi (进士), youths used Zanhua to express their ambitions and confidence. The tanhuashi (探花使) was a young graduate. He would ride through the capital collecting flowers, and this activity culminated in composing poems at Qionglin Garden to welcome the top scholar. This is what the poet described: "Riding on a galloping horse with spring breeze, seeing all Chang'an flowers in a day." Career…