The Epoch of Miyu, my latest Chinese romance drama obsession, dropped on WeTV on April 13th, and binge-watching its latest episodes is the first thing I do every morning as soon as I wake up.
It’s not just the superb drama itself that I love as it follows cheated on and then verbally abused housewife Xu Mi Yu (wonderfully played by the stunningly beautiful Zhu Zhu) as she attempts to restart her life after she dumps her awful husband, it is also that gorgeous ending theme song.
Now that song, I have been playing on repeat since it released on Spotify the day after the drama as, even if I only understand minimal Chinese, its melancholic cello, piano and strings, to me, perfectly express how both Xu Mi Yu and hotel manager Ji Feng (played by Wallace Chung) feel about life.
A life that wasn’t always full of perfect moments but, instead, more hardship than not. Until they both decide to take control of their own lives and stop allowing other, usually worse, people to do it for them.
And a life that will now only see them become blazing in their glory. I am sure of that.
The song is called “被遗忘的” (The Forgotten) and is performed by honey-voiced Chinese singer Kang Zi Qi (康子奇), and once you know its lyrics, lyrics that evoke a wonderful sense of hope and courage, it becomes even more lovely.
The Epoch of Miyu ending theme song — “被遗忘的” (The Forgotten) performed by Kang Zi Qi (康子奇) – lyrics
Now, I am not an expert in Chinese language, obviously.
So, when I need help finding slightly more obscure things like newly-released Chinese song lyrics, I head to Deep Seek, as that AI engine is superb at digging up things Google cannot.
Today, the Chinese AI assistant found the lyrics to Kang Zi Qi’s ‘The Forgotten‘ in about seven seconds flat. It then translated them into English and into Pinyin, and then told me it hoped I had “immense fun” singing along. (I already have!)
And once you read those lyrics in English, ‘The Forgotten‘ becomes even more beautiful as they point out that even the most mundane of lives can become dazzling.
Especially if you refuse to look on the past with regret but, instead, embrace both your past sad experiences along with the even better ones that are to come.
Verse 1
A dim, weak light
A bowl of warm soup
People in this city
Frantically rush into the busyness
The palm of time
Polishes the simple, ordinary days
Sprinkling them into this bustling world
To be savored slowly
Chorus
Embrace this dazzling world
And your heart won’t grow dim
The sorrows and joys of life, the warmth and cold
Intertwine within the mundane
Let us bravely gather up
The forgotten past
There may be regrets
There may be loneliness
Verse 2
Facing the unknown, lost and confused
Gently brew something tender
Gently comb through the frost on your temples
Left after a thousand journeys
The crooked, uneven rows of buildings
Have scattered their hopes
We stand among the sparks and smoke
Waiting for the light to bloom
Chorus
Embrace this dazzling world
And your heart won’t grow dim
The sorrows and joys of life, the warmth and cold
Intertwine within the mundane
Let us bravely gather up
The forgotten past
There may be regrets
There may be loneliness
Outro
Embrace this dazzling world
And your heart won’t grow dim
The sorrows and joys of life, the warmth and cold
Intertwine within the mundane
Let us bravely gather up
The forgotten past
Walk through this mortal world
And leave with no regrets
The Pinyin for Kang Zi Qi’s ‘The Forgotten‘ go like this – just in case you also want to sing along:
“Bèi Yíwàng De” (The Forgotten)
Verse 1
Yī zhǎn ruò de guāng
Yī wǎn rè de tāng
Chéngshì zhōng de rén
Pīnmìng jǐn jìn cōngmáng
Suìyuè de shǒuzhǎng
Yánmó yúnshí de shíguāng
Sǎ jìn zhè lùlù rénjiān shì
Xìxì pǐncháng
Chorus
Yōngbào zhe xuànlàn shìjiè
Xīn jiù bù huì àndàn
Shēnghuó de bēixǐ lěngnuǎn
Jiāozhī yú píngdàn
Ràng wǒmen yǒnggǎn qù jiǎn
Bèi yíwàng de cóngqián
Yěxǔ huì quēhàn
Yěxǔ huì gūdān
Verse 2
Miànduì wèizhī de míwǎng
Wēnróu de yùnniàng
Qīng shū nǐ qiān fān hòu
Bìnjiǎo de shuāng
Cuòluò bù qí de lóufáng
Yíwàngle xīwàng
Wǒmen zài yānhuǒ zhōng
Děng guāng zhànfàng
Chorus
Yōngbào zhe xuànlàn shìjiè
Xīn jiù bù huì àndàn
Shēnghuó de bēixǐ lěngnuǎn
Jiāozhī yú píngdàn
Ràng wǒmen yǒnggǎn qù jiǎn
Bèi yíwàng de cóngqián
Yěxǔ huì quēhàn
Yěxǔ huì gūdān
Outro
Yōngbào zhe xuànlàn shìjiè
Xīn jiù bù huì àndàn
Shēnghuó de bēixǐ lěngnuǎn
Jiāozhī yú píngdàn
Ràng wǒmen yǒnggǎn qù jiǎn
Bèi yíwàng de cóngqián
Zǒu guò zhè rénjiān
Yě bù liú yíhàn
Lyricists: Wang Fei, Yu Jiale
Composers: Wang Fei, Yu Jiale
Kang Zi Qi’s ‘The Forgotten‘ has been officially released by Tencent on both YouTube and Spotify (listen to it on both platforms below), along with the equally gorgeous instrumental version of the song.
(And is it just me who often plays the instrumental version of Chinese drama theme songs as much as the original song?)
Other Kang Zi Qi theme songs
Just in case you have missed some of the Chinese singer’s other OST song, it isn’t just Kang Zi Qi’s ‘The Forgotten‘ I am addicted to either.
In just the last few months, I have had his 一切从遇见你开始 (“It All Started When I Met You“) from C-drama Speed and Love,〈飛星〉(“Flying Star“) from The Demon Hunter’s Romance, 抵达时间的尽头 (“Reaching the End of Time”) from Fighting for Love, and his 语风 (“Whispers of the Wind”) from the A Moment But Forever OST on repeat on Spotify as well.
To say he is also only 26 years old, I have a feeling I will be adding many more of his OST songs to my list in months and years to come, won’t you? As Ye Gods, his voice is lovely.
The Epoch of Miyu
The superb romance drama The Epoch of Miyu is currently streaming on WeTV, dropping two new episodes a day through its Episode 38 end. Yes, it’s a long one! And I’m all in for every episode.
Along with Zhu Zhu and Wallace Chung, it also stars Li Meng as Mi Yu’s former husband’s mistress, and Jing Chao as her awful ex-husband.
And you know the C-drama is one worth watching, as even the oft-disgruntled folks over on My Drama List (MDL) are now rating it an 8.0 out of 10. A quite high score on that site, where Chinese contemporary romance dramas don’t always fare so well.
Watch The Epoch of Miyu on WeTV internationally.
If you love a beautifully-acted and directed, emotionally wrought drama about love involving people who aren’t in their 20s, and one that, I am absolutely sure, will have a happy ending, I do not think you will be disappointed.
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