"Silence in 'Blossoms” — An Analysis of the Chinese Aesthetics of Blank-Leaving in the TV Adaptation Blossoms Shanghai

The term"不响" (Buxiang, "not speaking"/"silence") appears over 1,300 times in the novel Blossoms, making it an indisputable keyword. Director Wong Kar-wai interprets"不响" as a form of blank-leaving (留白), describing it as both the creative cipher of author Jin Yucheng and the key to his own adaptation. It is precisely by embedding"不响" into every facet of the series that the TV adaptation Blossoms Shanghai has garnered widespread acclaim among audiences in Shanghai and across China. This paper examines the manifestations of"不响" in the TV series from the perspective of blank-leaving aesthetics.