Plot summary: The Chinese film revolves around two women with very different personalities – the confident and unrestrained sex therapist Zhang Jiachen (played by Yang Jinhua) and the sensitive and quiet librarian Song Qingyu (played by Chen Jiahua) – who try to uncover the problems faced by modern couples such as sexual life disorders, marital crisis and lack of sex education while exploring the balance between sex and love.
Zhang Jiachen, a sex therapist with dual nursing and psychology certificates, is known for her beautiful and unrestrained image and courage in sexual exploration. Although she is well versed in sex techniques, she has repeatedly suffered setbacks on the road to love, especially breaking up with her ex-lover Wang Jihua due to disagreements about sex, and eventually, the other party disappeared silently. At the same time, although Song Qingyu has an enviable family and job on the surface, she encounters obstacles in her sex life with her husband Azhe. She is eager to talk but finds that her friends and colleagues around her are too busy to provide substantial help. Under the arrangement of fate, Qingyu becomes Jiachen’s sex therapy object, and the two embark on a journey to find a balance between sex and love.
Jiachen’s guidance, Qingyu gradually bravely faced her inner self, and together with Azhe, she uncovered the pain of the past, and their relationship reached a critical turning point. Jiachen also encountered various cases at work, including premature ejaculation, minors, SM live broadcasters, and elderly lesbians. The complexity and diversity of these cases not only tested her professionalism, but also prompted her to explore deeper in her professional identity and personal emotions. In addition, Wang Jihua’s unexpected return also brought new twists and turns to Jiachen’s life.
Creator’s voice: Under the bright starlight, Ella Chen and Cheryl Yang joined hands and bravely spoke for love: “We are willing to discuss sex frankly.” In the public eye, high-profile first-line stars, Cheryl Yang and Ella Chen are not bound by unrealistic idol baggage. They found a suitable platform to express their views and opinions on sex by participating in the drama “Tonight Let’s Applaud for Love”.Tonight, are we ready to discuss sex with an open mind? Cheryl Yang and Ella Chen smiled at each other and said in unison that they had no taboos on this topic. On the comfortable sofa, they each took a corner and started an in-depth conversation. They chose to participate in this drama with the theme of sex therapy because they believed that in the relatively open discussion atmosphere in Europe and the United States, drama works on this topic are relatively scarce and there are almost no precedents to follow. However, after reading the script, both were deeply moved by the story and immediately agreed to participate in the performance. They believed that such an issue deserves to be seriously discussed. After all, sex is a part of human life, how can we avoid talking about it?
Recalling their sexual enlightenment during their growth, Cheryl Yang and Ella Chen both have profound experiences. “When we were young, whenever there was a kissing scene on TV, our parents would cover our eyes. Perhaps they didn’t know how to explain it, so we once thought it was something shameful,” Cheryl Yang recalled. He played the role of sex therapist Zhang Jiachen in the play, and this role made him feel deeply meaningful. He said: “I think we should not only discuss sexual behavior but also understand and love our bodies so that we can truly connect sex and the body.”Ella Chen Jiahua feels relatively lucky because she had the opportunity to understand sex with a positive attitude during her secondary school years. She observed that schools now have begun to hire sex education teachers to guide children. Although her son is only seven years old now, she is optimistic about this. “I think children must learn to respect other people’s bodies from an early age, understand what sexual behavior is, and the problems they may encounter when growing up, rather than letting them grope and bump on their own, or not know how to respond when they feel uncomfortable or even violated.”
On the premise of protecting herself, Ella Chen Jiahua believes that sex can also be a way to observe the relationship between two people. She said: “This is a bit like the older generation asking us to bring our boyfriends home and observe each other’s character through eating and drinking. But sex is very personal. I am afraid that some people will be overwhelmed by love and think that is love. We can feel whether the other person is a gentleman through sex. If some small details and actions make you feel uncomfortable, girls don’t have to accept it completely.”Sex also reflects a person’s state. Although Cheryl Yang and Ella Chen have different growth experiences, they both feel that they have gained a lot from participating in “Let’s Applaud for Love Tonight”. Cheryl Yang, as an ENFJ personality, is particularly sensitive to things that benefit everyone. He found that the production team of this drama was very attentive and conducted solid field research and case studies in the early stage, which made the story both real and touching, and he also benefited a lot from it.
Most of the cases in the drama are caused by disharmony in the relationship, which affects their sex life. From these stories, I seem to have learned something about the relationship between two people.” He pointed out that many times, people mistakenly think that there is a problem with sex, but it may be that the relationship has become tense, which leads to this phenomenon. The relationship between sex and love is always complementary, and being able to take the initiative to face the problem is often the first key step in solving the problem. “We consulted a real sex therapist and learned that in many cases, the patient needs to speak out himself. As a therapist, it seems that we cannot always tell the other party what to do. It is very important to assist the patient to tell himself.
When the patient finally dares to speak out about his problem, it is a kind of release, which means that they can begin to face the problem, and the therapist can guide them step by step.”Ella Chen Jiahua plays the role of Song Qingyu, a reserved and quiet librarian in the drama. Despite having a seemingly ideal job and family status, she cannot sleep with her significant other. Although Ella gives people the impression of being informal lively and outgoing, she interprets such a role that is completely different from herself effortlessly. She calls herself a Capricorn Moon, an ISFJ Guardian among the 16 personality types, and a 5/1 projector in the human chart. She often unknowingly becomes an altruist who bears the expectations of everyone.
She can understand Qingyu’s situation. “I am a bit like the character. I also have a very stubborn side. When I was a child, I felt that I had to do everything by myself. I don’t let my troubles become your troubles. It is a manifestation of love. I can completely understand why the character has certain reactions.”In the drama, the therapist always asks Song Qingyu to relax a little. If she feels nervous, her shoulders will become tense and she will not be able to move freely. This plot reminds Ella Chen Jiahua of her experience of unconsciously shrugging and frowning at concerts. “I used to think that relaxing is lazy, but later I felt that it was just being with myself at the right time, enjoying the present moment without thinking about other things.
At the same time, I also learned to let go of some things. If I want to do everything by myself, I will be overworked. I was also healed by this role. I realized that it is really important to relax and be assisted.”In a relationship, a pleasant sexual relationship must be built on a good relationship. However, in the process of communication and adjustment, conflicts are inevitable. How to face and deal with unpleasant situations is another big deal. Cheryl Yang believes that two people can occasionally have a fierce quarrel, but the most taboo is the cold war. “The Cold War means no communication. As long as you speak out, there will be a chance. In the past, I have met someone unwilling to communicate, and it was really painful. I am very lucky that my partner is willing to communicate and likes to communicate.”
Having been together with her partner for eight years, Cheryl Yang feels that the two times they communicated were not many, but the content of each communication was different. In this process, the two gradually found a balance in getting along and would no longer argue about the same things. He believes that the key to keeping their relationship is that both parties are willing to take a step back on the premise of maintaining the relationship. “I used to be a bit tougher, but I saw that he was willing to give in, so why shouldn’t I also take a step back and not be aggressive? I think this is a lot like dancing, a sense of rhythm. If there is a dispute, everyone should do this, and things will have a satisfactory result.”
After 12 years of marriage, Ella Chen Jiahua said that to achieve a state of getting along that makes both parties feel comfortable, they must go through a period of adjustment and cooperation to achieve today’s tacit understanding. He will not deny that he is the one who chooses to escape during the dispute, while the other half tends to make things clear and not give up until the dispute is clear. Relying on the initiative of the other party in the early stage of the relationship also helps. But as he gets older and more experienced, he also starts to read more and pursue spiritual growth, and he has learned to introspect.
He said: “Later, I found that sometimes things are not serious, but I get emotional and get more and more angry. Now I will tell myself, ‘To be honest, Chen Jiahua, there is nothing to be angry about. You are even angry about this matter, there is no need, and learn not to be deceived by my thoughts. Now my temper is not so hot, and we can live a stable life and are quite happy. I like this feeling of calmness.”In this era of rapid information flow and various social media postings, people’s hearts are particularly easily shaken, affecting their value judgments.
Ella Chen Jiahua hopes that through such a play, everyone can think about relationships through the issue of sex. He said: “Sexual problems may cause a situation that needs to be discussed, but whether it will become a serious problem depends on how the individual faces and solves it. Many times the crux of the problem is that both parties are unwilling to communicate, not unwilling to be intimate. The relationship between two people is not all about sex. If you are willing to discuss, sometimes you can live happily even without sex.”
In general, “Let’s Applaud for Love Tonight” is a groundbreaking and realistic work. With its unique perspective and profound analysis, it has successfully aroused social attention and discussion on marriage, sex education, and related social issues. The play not only reveals the current situation and dilemma of modern marriage and sex education but also provides the audience with a thinking path to understand and deal with these problems. In terms of actors and performance techniques, the play has also achieved remarkable results. Although there are some shortcomings, I believe that in the future development, “Let’s Applaud for Love Tonight” will bring more wonderful stories and thoughts to the audience.
