The Chinese Remake of “Full House” Plays It Safe

Chinese remakes of Korean dramas tend to get a bad rep, so it isn’t a surprise to see that Midsummer is Full of Hearts <仲夏满天心>, a remake of the 2004 Korean drama Full House, is playing it super safe.

The original 2004 series was based on a manhwa written and illustrated by Won Soo Yeon. It starred Song Hye Kyo as Han Ji Eun, an aspiring writer who inherits a “Full House” from her parents. Unbeknownst to Ji Eun, the house is sold to popular Korean actor Lee Young Jae, portrayed by Rain. To win back the house, Ji Eun agrees to get into a fake marriage contract with Young Jae, whose sole reason of marrying Ji Eun is to make his crush jealous. Despite their initial dislike of each other, they eventually become attracted to each other, and fall in love.

Full House propelled the romantic comedy trend in South Korea, and is regarded as one of the biggest Hallyu dramas of our time, taking the Korean wave to all new heights.

Seven remakes have been released in the past fifteen years, with China’s remake—Midsummer is Full of Hearts—being the latest one.

The Chinese remake series is a 40-episode serial, set to air on Tencent Video this year. Directed by Zhang Lichuan (张力川), Midsummer is Full of Hearts stars former Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101) member Yang Chaoyue (杨超越) as Luo Tianran, an aspiring musician who remains optimistic of her future even after multiple setbacks. By chance, she meets the popular idol Jin Zeyi, portrayed by Addicted <上瘾> actor Timmy Xu (许魏洲), and the two get involved in a hate-love relationship. It has been said that the story of Midsummer is very similar to Full House, and that only those who has never seen Full House would enjoy the remake.