LayarHijau – The use of an intimacy coordinator on The Early Spring (《早春晴朗》) has sparked a broader conversation about how Chinese dramas handle kissing scenes, physical intimacy and other intimate moments on set.
Starring Jing Boran and Sun Qian, The Early Spring has drawn attention for reportedly becoming the first mainland Chinese television drama to officially bring in an intimacy coordinator during production.
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The role was handled by Taiwanese actress Tsai Jia-yin (蔡嘉茵), who previously worked as an intimacy coordinator on the Taiwanese Netflix series Let’s Talk About CHU (《愛愛內含光》). Tsai also won Best New Actor at the Taipei Film Awards in 2019 for her performance in Heavy Craving (《大餓》).
So, is having an intimacy coordinator already common practice in Chinese dramas, especially when a production includes kissing, romantic or intimate scenes?
Not yet.
The Early Spring and Its Intimacy Coordinator
The Early Spring is based on the novel of the same name by Gu Niang Bie Ku (姑娘别哭), published on Jinjiang Literature City.
The story follows Shang Zhi Tao, played by Sun Qian, a young woman starting her career, and Luan Nian, played by Jing Boran, her sharp-tongued boss.
Their relationship eventually develops from a boss-and-employee dynamic into a secret relationship that lasts for six years. Because the story explores romance, physical attraction and the emotional push and pull between two adults, intimate scenes are an important part of portraying their relationship.
This is where Tsai Jia-yin comes in as the production’s intimacy coordinator.
An intimacy coordinator is not simply someone who teaches actors how to kiss.
The job involves helping directors and actors plan scenes that involve intimate physical contact, including discussing boundaries, developing physical choreography and making sure everyone understands what will happen before filming begins.
The process can start with reading the script and understanding the characters’ relationship. The intimacy coordinator then works with the director to determine what the scene needs to communicate emotionally.
The physical movements can be rehearsed and tested beforehand. Tsai Jia-yin has previously described a process in which stand-ins are used to work out positions and movements before the principal actors begin rehearsing.
Important body positions and points of contact can then be documented so everyone has a clear understanding of the choreography.
The intimacy coordinator does not replace the director. The director remains responsible for the creative vision, while the coordinator helps translate that vision into physical movements that can be clearly discussed and agreed upon.
It’s Not About Making Scenes More Explicit
Another common misconception is that bringing in an intimacy coordinator means a production wants to make its intimate scenes more daring.
That is not necessarily the point.
For The Early Spring, Tsai Jia-yin has explained that the focus is also on how the physical dynamic between the characters changes as their relationship develops.
At the beginning, the balance of power between Shang Zhi Tao and Luan Nian is relatively even. As Shang Zhi Tao’s insecurity becomes more apparent, however, the dynamic between them begins to shift.
Later, when Luan Nian realizes how increasingly dependent he has become on Shang Zhi Tao, their relationship changes again.
Those changes can be expressed through body language.
The distance between two characters, the position of their hands, the way they touch each other, how long they hold eye contact and the rhythm of their movements can all communicate changes in a relationship.
In that sense, an intimacy coordinator is not simply deciding what physical movements should happen. The job is also about why those movements matter to the story.
Why Isn’t This Already Common in Chinese Dramas?
The use of intimacy coordinators is still relatively new in mainland Chinese television production.
Before this kind of specialist role became available, intimate scenes could be directed by the director based on the needs of the scene and their own experience.
In other words, when a scene called for actors to kiss, embrace or make physical contact, the director could directly explain or demonstrate the movements to the performers.
That approach does not automatically mean something is wrong. Many productions can handle intimate scenes that way without problems.
However, it also means that boundaries around physical contact may depend heavily on communication between the director and actors on set.
An intimacy coordinator provides an additional professional role. The director still determines the artistic requirements, while the coordinator helps turn those requirements into specific physical choreography while also taking the actors’ boundaries into account.
Three Examples of Intimate Scenes in Chinese Dramas
The difference becomes clearer when looking at three cases: The First Jasmine (《莫离》), Dazzling (《耀眼》), and Veil of Shadows (《月鳞绮纪》).
Together, these examples highlight different issues surrounding intimate scenes in Chinese dramas, from changes made during the review process to questions about who should physically direct actors during intimate moments.
The First Jasmine
In The First Jasmine (《莫离》), starring Bai Lu and Cheng Lei, one kissing scene was reportedly planned around a move known as a “koala hug.”
The move involves the male actor supporting the female actor around the waist and lifting her off the ground.
According to the material behind this discussion, the move was later changed because of concerns related to the review process. The final version used a more conservative position, with the male actor simply wrapping his arm around the female actor’s waist.
The case illustrates an important reality of Chinese television production: a scene that is choreographed and filmed during production may not necessarily appear in exactly the same form in the final broadcast.
Dazzling
Another example is Dazzling (《耀眼》), the romantic drama starring Guan Xiaotong and Li Yunrui.
According to the material behind this discussion, a kissing scene from Dazzling attracted huge attention on short-video platforms, reportedly reaching around 230 million views in a single day.
However, when the drama went through the review process, the amount of intimate material was reportedly considered excessive, requiring the scene to be revised three times.
The final broadcast version therefore contained a significantly edited version of the kissing scene.
Again, this highlights the difference between what is filmed on set and what viewers eventually see.
Veil of Shadows
Veil of Shadows (《月鳞绮纪》) presents a different issue: who physically directs actors when there is no intimacy coordinator?
In March 2025, a video from the set of the drama showed director Guo Jingming giving Ju Jingyi directions for a scene.
The discussion focused on the way he was physically positioned while doing so. In the video, Guo’s body appeared to be almost in an embracing position against Ju Jingyi, with his elbow positioned around the hollow of her waist.
Some viewers considered the physical contact part of normal movement direction. Others felt that it crossed a professional boundary.
The debate does not by itself establish that Guo Jingming committed any misconduct. Rather, it raises a broader question about where the line should be drawn between professional direction and physical contact that an actor may find uncomfortable.
And that is precisely where the role of an intimacy coordinator becomes relevant.
Without a specialist in that role, the director may be the person directly explaining or demonstrating physical movements to an actor. That can work when everyone is comfortable with the process and the boundaries are clear, but it can also raise questions about whether every physical contact is actually necessary.
So What Changes When an Intimacy Coordinator Is Involved?
The biggest difference is not who has the final creative authority.
The director still decides how a scene should feel and what it needs to communicate.
The difference is that a specialist is there to help turn that creative idea into physical choreography.
For example, if a director wants a scene to show that a character is becoming emotionally overwhelmed by their feelings, an intimacy coordinator can help translate that idea into choices involving body position, distance, touch and movement.
At the same time, the actors’ physical boundaries can be discussed in advance.
Tsai Jia-yin has described discussing the areas of physical contact and the level of exposure that actors are comfortable with before filming.
Her process also includes sensitivity testing for materials that may come into contact with an actor’s body during a scene.
The goal is to make sure actors know what is expected before the cameras roll, rather than being confronted with unexpected physical instructions in the middle of filming.
What About China’s Strict Content Rules?
Having an intimacy coordinator does not remove another major factor affecting mainland Chinese dramas: content review.
The First Jasmine and Dazzling demonstrate that intimate scenes can still be altered after filming as part of the review process.
An intimacy coordinator is therefore not someone who helps a production get around censorship rules.
Instead, the role can help filmmakers find more precise ways to convey romantic tension without relying entirely on explicit physical exposure.
When there are strict limits on what can be shown, details such as eye contact, physical distance, hand placement, body movement and the rhythm of an interaction can become even more important.
A well-designed intimate scene does not necessarily have to be a more explicit scene.
Will More Chinese Dramas Start Using Intimacy Coordinators?
The Early Spring suggests that mainland Chinese productions may be becoming more open to a more structured approach to intimate scenes.
However, intimacy coordinators are still not standard practice across the Chinese drama industry.
The Early Spring stands out precisely because bringing in Tsai Jia-yin represents an approach that remains relatively uncommon in mainland Chinese television production.
Meanwhile, The First Jasmine, Dazzling and Veil of Shadows highlight three different issues that can arise when intimate scenes are handled without a dedicated intimacy coordinator: choreography being changed during the review process, intimate footage being heavily edited, and debates over physical boundaries when a director directly guides an actor.
Ultimately, an intimacy coordinator is not there to make romantic scenes more daring.
The role is to help ensure that physical contact has a clear purpose, that the choreography is planned in advance, and that the actors’ boundaries are discussed and respected during production.
That makes The Early Spring noteworthy not simply because it uses an intimacy coordinator, but because it introduces a production approach that is still relatively new to mainland Chinese television.
If this approach becomes more widely adopted, the biggest change may not be how far Chinese dramas can go with intimate scenes, but how those scenes are planned, communicated and performed on set.
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