It’s All A Game

“A general’s victory is built upon ten thousand rotting bones.” “The entertainment industry is one big dye vat.” While these sayings about show-biz might sound old-fashioned, they reveal the ugly truth behind the entertainment industry. Since her debut, Tia has faced countless malicious attacks and criticism. “I think of this as a game of chess. If the opponent does not attack, you will not have the chance to build your defence and protect yourself .” Tia laughs, “Actually, this is the half-glass-full philosophy. Rumours and false allegations are annoying and have threatened to break my spirit, but I’ve learnt how to love myself more in the past few years. Therefore, I am willing to see all these malice as the catalyst to mature and become stronger. Whether it be other people’s stereotypes or my own negative feelings about these stereotypes…it’s all too heavy to bear. To fly high, I must find the courage to let go.”

There Are Two Ways To Resist 

Tia shares, “I watched The Queen’s Gambit, and I particularly liked the fourth episode where chess attacks were used as a metaphor for gossips and false allegations. The heroine did not leave the chessboard and did not run away from the rules. She dodged the attacks and arrived in the safe harbour after going against the tide and became a better version of herself.” She muses, “In the entertainment industry or in life, there are two attitudes I can adopt in the face of difficulties. I can either leave the chessboard and quit the game out of anger or I can also stride forward in the face of the very people who are trying to hold me back and overcome them. The latter is much productive way. Once you overcome the attacks and the pain, you elevate yourself.”

The production team, comprising of Hong Kong creative talents, have added details to the animation that reflect Tia’s real-world challenges. When the princess falls onto a chessboard, she comes across a newspaper with the deadline “Goddess for homebodies” and becomes a white pawn. On the other side of the chessboard, the queen reads the newspaper and commands the black chess pieces to attack the princess. This scene reflects how Tia was placed under media scrutiny in the past. After she reaches the other side of the chessboard, the princess transforms back into her human form, which echoes Tia’s words “Once you overcome the attacks and the pain, you can elevate yourself.” The episode ends with the mysterious appearance of a handsome prince, who kneels before the princess to declare his love, and the rest is left to the audience’s imagination. Will the princess finally have her happily ever after? The answer lies in episode five.