Here To Heart (温暖的弦) is a romantic Chinese drama is based on the novel The Warm Chord. Unfortunately, there is no English translation for this Chinese novel as far as I know. In fact, I would love to read it if there is one after watching this drama. Why? Well, because as you can see from the Here To Heart review below, I think there are certain things that the drama is unable to flush out effectively from the book. Hence, it is hard for viewers to understand certain motivations of the characters involved.
Type: Romance
Episodes: 46
Release Date: April 2018
Images Credit: IJQ TV
The Cast Of Here To Heart
- Hans Zhang Han as Zhan Nanxian
- Janine Chang Chun-Ning as Wen Nuan
- Jing Chao as Zhu Linlu
- Jenny Zhang Jiani as Bo Yixin
- Jocelyn Zhou Qiqi as Wen Rou
- Ji Xiao Bing as Gao Fang
- Jin Zehao as Guan Ti
- Guo Zigan as Ding Xiaodai
- David Liang Dawei as Pan Wei Ning
- Li Xinzhe as Liu Rui
Main Characters
Zhan Nanxian
Nanxian is the CEO of Qianyu, a tech company that he started with his 2 friends. He is a successful tech entrepreneur and is often seen with Yixin in public which gives the impression that they are a couple. Nanxian is a determined individual who is rational and sure of what he wants. His ex-girlfriend is Wen Nuan who left him 7 years ago.
Wen Nuan
Wen Nuan is a career-minded woman who is kind and warm. She has been residing in the UK for 7 years after she broke off with Nanxian. The break up was very tough for her and she ended up with severe guilt which she has put off facing over the years. She is also suffering from selective amnesia as a means to protect herself from all the hurt. After working in the UK for 7 years, she finally gathered her courage to return to face Nanxian. She ended up working in Qianyu as Nanxian’s personal assistant.
Zhu Linlu
Linlu is Wen Nuan’s good friend. He has been by her side since her breakup with Nanxian, supporting her through her darkest periods. He has feelings for Wen Nuan but he knows she treats him as just a friend. Linlu comes from a rich family and is managing the family’s company which also happens to be in the tech business. Hence, Linlu and Nanxian are business rivals.
Bo Yixin
Yixin is a popular actress. She and Wen Nuan used to be good friends in university. But Yixin is also jealous of Wen Nuan because she too loves Nanxian. When Wen Nuan left Nanxian, Yixin was the one who stood by his side.
Wen Rou
Wen Rou is Wen Nuan’s elder sister. She is a financial expert and ended up working for Linlu to manage his company’s finances. Wen Rou is always worried over Wen Nuan’s emotional fragility as she knows how much the latter’s breakup with Nanxian has affected her psychologically.
Ding Xiaodai
Xiaodai is a naive young girl working as Wen Nuan’s assistant. She falls in love with Guan Ti as they spend time together. She thought he was interested in her but felt cheated when she found out that she was just a subject of his research project.
Gao Fang & Guan Ti
Both of them are good friends of Nanxian. They started Qianyu together and are like brothers. Gao Fang is more matured and he could sense that Wen Nuan is not just a mere personal assistant to Nanxian. On the other hand, Guan Ti is a typical geek. He is into research and development and started going out with Xiaodai to obtain data for his robotic girlfriend project.
Pan Wei Ning
Wei Ning also comes from a rich family but is not on good terms with his brother. He is also a friend of Linlu. Wei Ning is ambitious and would not hesitate to use devious means to get what he wants. He loves Yixin and is always willing to do what she asks in order to melt her heart.
Liu Rui
Liu Rui is Wen Rou’s assistant in Linlu’s company. He is young and brash. He loves Wen Rou and has no hesitation to woo her although he is her junior.
Synopsis
Here To Heart begins with Wen Nuan resigning from her job in the UK to prepare for her return to China. She is going back to confront her past after breaking up with Nanxian 7 years ago while they were still studying. Back then, they were very much in love but circumstances forced her to leave him very suddenly and without a proper explanation. Why Wen Nuan did so is not explained until much later in the drama.
Nevertheless, it was a very painful breakup for both. Wen Nuan ended up with selective amnesia and severe guilt. She was emotionally broken. Nanxian also suffered tremendously and poured all his energy into establishing his business. During their darkest moments, Wen Nuan was supported by Linlu while Yixin helped Nanxian to overcome his unhappiness.
Back in China, Wen Nuan went to work at Nanxian’s company. Subsequently, she was picked to be his personal assistant. The drama spends a great deal of time focusing on the awkward relationship between Wen Nuan and Nanxian as they re-explore their feelings and trust towards each other. To make things more complicated, Yixin loves Nanxian and they seem to be a couple. She also tries her best to create problems for Wen Nuan to prevent her from getting back together with Nanxian. At the same time, Wen Nuan has a close relationship with Linlu which often invites misunderstanding. So, will Wen Nuan and Nanxian end up together again? Why did Wen Nuan leave him in the first place?
Here To Heart Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Here To Heart has a happy ending. Wen Nuan and Nanxian reunited after going through much ups and downs throughout the drama. The shenanigans of Yixin to separate them didn’t work as it is clear from the start that Nanxian has never forgotten Wen Nuan. He even built their dream house hoping for her to return. The reason Nanxian lets others assume that he is in a relationship with Yixin is to protect her from overzealous fans. He also didn’t want to explain the actual situation to Wen Nuan because he wanted to make her jealous and fight for him instead.
Last Episode
The built-up towards the last episode of Hear To Heart sees Wen Nuan and Nanxian getting closer and closer to each other as they worked through their problems. However, Nanxian’s mother was against their relationship and Wen Nuan was under great pressure to leave him again. To get her back, Nanxian pretends that he will marry Yixin. By doing this, he hopes Wen Nuan can summon her courage to fight for their love rather than avoiding the problem. The fake wedding was also to help Yixin to force Wei Ning to make a choice.
As Wen Nuan decides to rush to the wedding ceremony to fight for Nanxian, she was held up by bad traffic and arrived late. Nanxian left her a note and a wedding dress. In the note, Nanxian mentioned that they will never find true bliss if they don’t end up with each other. With that, he left the country without a word and it is Wen Nuan’s turn to feel the agony of waiting for the one she loves. During this time, she begins to understand how much Nanxian suffered when she left him.
6 months later, Nanxian’s mother begins to accept that she shouldn’t be so selfish to separate the 2 lovers. She told Wen Nuan to look for Nanxian in the UK at the places where they have made beautiful memories together. So, in the last episode, Wen Nuan and Nanxian got back together for a happy ending.
Why Did Wen Nuan Break Up With Nanxian
During their courtship in university, Wen Nuan and Nanxian were deeply in love. However, Wen Rou also had feelings for Nanxian. One day, she confessed to him and Wen Nuan happened to secretly witness it. Being young and immature, Wen Nuan asked for a breakup without revealing the reason. After all, Wen Rou is her elder sister.
Because of the breakup, both of them were feeling extremely down. Their fathers who happened to be working outstation rushed back to be with them. Unfortunately, they died when the plane they were on crashed. That is why Nanxian’s mother finds it hard to accept Wen Nuan even after 7 years. She blamed Wen Nuan for the death of her husband.
Of course, Wen Nuan felt guilty because it all started with her decision to break up with Nanxian. To make matters worse, Wen Rou tried to commit suicide shortly after the death of their father. She blamed herself for confessing to Nanxian and causing her sister’s breakup. Wen Nuan found Wen Rou with her wrist slashed but managed to save her. As a result of all these incidents, Wen Nuan developed selective amnesia, sleepwalking, and emotional distress. She ended up going to the UK to get away from it all and seek treatment with Linlu faithfully supporting her all the way.
The Fate Of Yixin, Linlu And Wen Rou
Everyone in the drama ends up with the one they love except for Linlu. Yixin finally realized that Nanxian would never fall in love with her no matter how hard she tries. As Wei Ning steps up the effort to woo her, she begins to feel the warmth of being loved wholeheartedly which she has never got from Nanxian. Although Wei Ning is not exactly a good guy and was thinking of marrying another woman approved by his father, he still chose Yixin in the end. She was also pregnant with his child by then and they ended up moving to Germany.
Wen Rou also found her happiness with Liu Rui. Although he is actually a spy planted by Wei Ning to get control of Linlu’s company, Liu Rui decided to help Wen Rou to bring down Wei Ning in the end. Guan Ti and Xiaodai also managed to settle their differences. Although they went separate ways after Xiaodai found out that she was being used for data gathering, she still comforted Guan Ti when he had his differences with Nanxian and Gao Fang. In the end, Guan Ti proposed to Xiaodai.
The only one who ended up alone is Linlu. Although he loves Wen Nuan, he knows he will never be able to capture her heart. Moreover, he also realizes that he may never be able to love Wen Nuan the way Nanxian loves her and sacrifice as much. It is indeed sad to see Linlu helping Wen Nuan to try to get back Nanxian after all the time that he has stood by her.
Here To Heart Review – My Verdict
Here To Heart is one long drama for the romance genre. Compared to K-drama rom-coms such as Her Private Life and Something About 1 Percent, this mainland drama is indeed more long-winded and melodramatic. You must have the patience to sit through it because there is a lot of back and forth in the push and pull relationship between the 2 leads. However, the acting of Hans Zhang and Janine Chang is full of emotions and their chemistry is evident. An example is a scene whereby they sang the Here To Heart drama song, Without You, during a karaoke session. The tears just flowed. Without this on-screen chemistry, this drama could well be one big bore.
I guess the producers of this drama probably wanted the viewers to be able to feel deeply invested in the love life of the characters. So, they dragged out the interactions between Wen Nuan and Nanxian as the 2 characters explore their feelings and start a guessing game as to what the other wants. It’s kind of frustrating to watch at times because they could have easily solved their problems by having a heart-to-heart talk like adults rather than torturing themselves unnecessarily.
However, I suspect that the novel probably contains a lot of internal dialogues that describe what the characters are thinking and feeling. This is pretty standard in romance novels. Hence, you can understand their motivations and relate accordingly to each of the scenes as you read. But on-screen, it is hard to make viewers fully understand merely from facial expressions and conversations. So, the drama feels long-winded as the different characters interact. Because it could not effectively flush out all the internal dialogues and emotional turmoils within the characters, you may end up being frustrated over Wen Nuan’s insecurities and scratching your head over Nanxian’s actions at times.
Should You Watch Here To Heart?
I won’t go so far as to say that I wasted my time watching it because I like the chemistry of the 2 leads. But I definitely won’t spend another 40 plus hours to re-watch. If you like a slow burn kind of romance drama, Here To Heart might be your cup of tea. A lot of patience is needed to follow the ups and downs of this love story. You can fast forward or skip certain episodes as you won’t lose the plot. But you won’t feel as emotionally invested in the characters then. This is because certain scenes might seem boring but they are done to slowly build up on the sufferings of Wen Nuan and Nanxian and how much they love one another in the viewers’ mind.
So, if you plan to watch it, I would suggest that you dedicate over 40 hours of your time to watch it from start to end. I don’t think the drama would be able to bring out that kind of emotional satisfaction and flavor if you skip some episodes even if it seems long-winded. It would also make you understand Wen Nuan and Nanxian’s relationship a bit better. The bottom line is Here To Heart is a long-drawn-out drama that aims to bring you on an emotional rollercoaster. So, be prepared for a long ride with some boring stretches in between once you get on!
I’m actually watching it right now. Im not fond of long drama but the actors really gave their best to portray their characters, especially Hans Zhang and Janine Tang. I like the way they were paired, the delivery of their dialogue and their acting. Yixin and Weining also were very versatile characters. They really got the beast out of me. Same with Wen Rou and Linlu. They have pestered the protagonists so much which only meant that their acting was really effective, so to everyone thumbs up!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It was definitely a long drama and some scenes very boring but ohhh my God I really loved the main characters they delivered the essence of their role so well their chemistry is unbelievable. Is a beautiful love story. I rewatched it skipping some of the scenes I really didn’t care for I enjoyed it even more.
You are right. I thought I wouldn’t care for a rewatch because it was kind of boring the first time round. But a friend asked me some questions about this drama and I had no choice but to rewatch. This time I skipped the boring parts and controlled the flow of the story myself and surprisingly, it turned out to be more enjoyable and touching. 🙂
Me too I skipped and rewatched 10.lol
I wish she would tell maxims what yi xui did telling her there engaged. Too many secrets
From Nigeria. This is one of the best series I have ever watched in my life. The main characters delivered. They deserve multiple awards for this. And yes I keep re watching episode 28 n 29. The best episodes in the movie.
Does it have happy ending?
Yes, Here To Heart has a happy ending.
Lo liked so much I did enjoy very much the t.v show 👍👍😃😃
Yes for the main couple and a couple of supporting couples., actually all except Lin lu
Yes it does however rather anticlimactic. The producers could have done better
I’m gonna say, Linlu deserved so much better. He was a great friend and he always waited for the girl. He deserved better.
I’m currently watching this show. So much passion and so much hatred. Personally I don’t like Yi Xin. Too many people stepped into Their love. As a female this is a love I wish for. Just not with all they have gone through already. Nuan and Naxian deserve their happiness back. For Linlu and Yi Xin to destroy it after they finally got it back. Makes me hate them both so much.
Christy, I agree. I disliked her motives throughout the series as well. I wish her motives would have been called out and somewhat reprimanded by Nanxain for all her dishonesty throughout the series.
She got a happy ending but I kinda wish she didn’t because of all her mocking and prying. Instead I wished Linlu would have gotten with Wen Rou and found happiness. 🥰
Uhhh. Linlu with Wen You, baby that’s settling
Too long and drawn out. I think Nuan and Naxian shoul communciate more effectively about their feelings. i would have love to watch more of their Romance together without any obstacles. I like both Nuan and Naxian and LInlu ,. they are such good actor and actress. I did not care too much for Yixin, Nuan should have told Naxian every encounter she had with Yixin and bring out the worst in her earlier, instead Yixin got away with a lot of things. Naxian and Linlu are so hansdsome, love all 3 main characters
THIS IS THE BEST LOVE STORY I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 80 YEARS
OF LIVING. I WOULD LOVE TO MEET THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS.
I HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE IN FULL ABOUT THREE TIMES. THE MORE EPISODES
I SEE OVER, THE MORE MY OPINIONS CHANGE. I REALLY WOULD LIKE
TO KNOW HOW TO PURCHASE THIS MOVIE.
As far as I know, there is a DVD version but it is without English subtitles. If you Google Here To Heart DVD, I’m sure you will be able to find some online stores selling it.
Love it. Make me sad, make me cry and make me in love❤️❤️❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Thank you. Good chemistry
I agree that you need to see all of Here to Heart to understand. Great love chemistry for the main characters. If I I were to see it again, I would skip some episodes. Very emotional 😭, with a lot of ❤️.
This is my second time….the two love characters are so in love with each other. A lot of osbacale in the movie. I also skip the parts. Truly a beautiful love story. Everybody I know me wish for this kinda of love.
Loved the Soundtrack! JUST DISCOVERED Zhang Chang is singing some of it. I would love an English version with same main characters. I have watched this movie twice and multiple short videos.Acting was superb from most characters. I didn’t like the ending with no explanation of what Nanian was doing in UK and why. Hats off to cast and producers for a very long romantic movie during pandemic.😍😍😍
I loved it as well, but I would love a series 2 on the wedding and the baby in fact their life. It does not have to be long.
This is my second time watching this series. I absolutely loved the chemistry between the lead characters Wen Rou and Nanxain. Their relationship brought me back to Here to Heart for the second time just to see if there was anything that I’d overlooked the first time. And guess what guys …. there was😉🤓. I was able to understood several scenes a little better. And the emotional roller coaster was exciting even if it was long.
The only thing that I am TRULY sad about is
I WISH LINLU & WEN ROU WOULD HAVE BECOME A COUPLE. They also had great chemistry. And just like Wen Nuan and Nanxain, Wen Rou and Linlu looked like a power couple both at work and when he visited Wen Rou’s home often (even though it was for her younger sister). Nothing against the young assistant, but I was hoping for those two to hook up because I thought not only did they look good together and compliment each other, the knew all about one another as well. Just My Thoughts on 🌹2️⃣❤️‼️
🥰🎉🎊
I have watched this movie 5 times, I laugh, I cried, it has been the best I’ve watched in a long… Wish there could be season 2.
I like it so much that I’m enjoying their songs and clips on YouTube. Zhang Han and Janine Chang are such a great actor and actress for this show. Does anybody know when Season 2 will start?
Not crazy about the ending. I wanted it to be more about them. The Nanxian character was great, his ex girlfriend made me crazy with her spineless, sadsack, always crying character. She played a doormat for anyone who wanted to use her or bully her. I watched ’cause the three partners were so handsome including a fourth from a competing company (Linlu).
The best part of this drama was the chemistry between the two leads. As much as I was furious with ML for the manner in which he emotionally tortured the FL, felt sorry for his past breakup with the FL. Credit goes to the casting team. Loved the wardrobe. Also, must mention the handsome Linlu😊
I like a long drama.I have watched this one 3 times so far on Netflix with subtitles and I will probably watch it again as long as it stays on Netflix. I would not miss an episode. Great chemistry. One of the best love stories I have ever seen. Thank you so much.
Enjoyed great acting, beautiful people, It was also nice to see that they had beautiful homes, cars and clothing., especially for me, grandson and family will be going to South Korea for 2 years so I have an idea how they will be living,
Was surprised they mentioned God several times and the church was Christian.
Luv the show, watched it several times.
Great review. This is one of my favourite Mainland dramas. The chemistry between ML and FL is amazing. I was disappointed Linlu missed out on a happy ending and that Wei Ning got one instead.
Definitely a drawn-out drama but the acting was so good that I really got emotionally invested in the characters.
One thing I had hoped for was more at the end when they finally got back together. It just seemed an inadequate ending to such an emotional journey for the characters.
Thoroughly enjoyed “Here to Heart”! Yes, it’s long, drawn out; but I enjoyed the slow pace, much as I used to enjoy the pace of Igmar Bergman movies. While there were many times the pace was excruciating, I endured it and it was worth it.
As an American new to Chinese romance and drama movies, I am wowed by the attention paid to clothing and those Christian Louboutin shoes (no penny-pinching here)! Besides Gucci, I could not find the names of the designers. Some of the men’s clothing styles were out of this world! Obviously, Chinese-style pants of any kind for either sex is above the ankle. It took me a while to get used to this, but the slender builds of the actors, I believe, made it work.
The austere (modern) interiors of both work offices and homes of male executives fascinated me… appropriate considering the tech industry emphasis. I found the homes of the women to be warmer and, thus, more welcoming, with one exception.
Lastly, I want to mention the caliber of actors and acting. The main actors, for the most part, seemed seasoned, professional. The minor parts (e.g., the two women in London reading the newspaper article on China tech companies), in my opinion, were assigned to “regular” people, not professionals, leading me to conclude anyone could be procured for these parts (i.e., no actors union).
On this same note, several of the characters end up in the hospital. The room and set look the same for each patient! (I also got a chuckle from the nurses’ caps. In the USA, several decades ago, the nursing cap went the way of the dinosaur.)
I look forward to watching more movies made in China!
Wow! This drama was incredible. Like beyond incredible! I absolutely loved their chemistry, like the way the male lead always looked at the female lead, made me weak in my knees 😭. But I would absolutely not rewatch again, I cannot go though the unnecessary drama that went on before they got back together again. I feel the intensity of their love could have been portrayed without the drag. Absolutely love it though!
I enjoyed watching this C-Drama. Oh I could not imagine myself falling in love with the lead star Nanxian. All the while I was praying that he never stop loving Wen Nuan. I wish there is a making of season 2. Yes I will admit that it was long n drawn out but I still enjoyed most of it. When they cried I cried, laughed I laughed. Excellent acting by the whole cast. Nanixisn friend that got sick in d end is so handsome too.
This drama is v nice but only the two main leads except that the story is v lengthy.. after a while i just skip to main chracter scenes.. the two main leads are v good…
I think the story dragged the same plot over and over again across the 48 episodes or however many there are and the female lead surely mastered masochism acting. if not for the corporate plot twist, this drama would be so boring. On the upside #teamlinlu here!