The man with the opera mask is Lay's idol, Xiang Yu, a General who succeeded in defeating the strong Qing Dynasty. So this MV was inspired by Xiang Yu's life story. The MV itself was conceptualized and financed by Lay himself. And the costs incurred to make the MV amounted to 1.4 million dollars. Thank you so much for reacting to LAY, he's an amazing artist. Flying Apsaras's visualizer and dance practice is a must watch, too.

This Mv itself cost around 1.5 million dollars and this whole album just sold within 6 sec , lay is so much to perfection very creative , and he wrote the song and produced i dont know what this man he cannot do and all exo solo staff has unique style thats why ilove them even more ❤❤

You just got introduced to another EXO gem. Lay is unique in everything that he does and his talent knows no boundaries. But so are all EXO members in their own unique lanes of individuality and talents as you have began to explore. EXO is untouchable because of the crazy talents of each of the members individually which put together creates and unbeatable force in the industry.

Lay is a comprehensive artist and one of the best dancers in K-Pop and China. He was able to create his own music on his own, as he always uses a mixture of Chinese and modern music, which made him unique in this distinguished path. That is why he is called the King of China.

This man.. This man worked so hard.. I'm teary when you started praising him. I was feeling so proud.

LAY '飞天 (Flying Apsaras)' Dance Practice is the most beautiful!

The beauty about EXO members is they are all unique in their solo work!❤

The story in Lay's "Lit" MV, he said, is based on his favorite Chinese historical figure. In the MV he is portraying a Chinese general who has been trapped by the Han soldiers while trying to rescue his wife. The general -- who is portrayed as the character with the mask -- is a real historical figure named Xiang Yu, who fought in the battle of Gaixia. In the beginning of the MV you hear a Peking opera singer performing “The Song of Gaixia” (A traditional Chinese Opera song), which is a song that Xiang Yu composed for his wife, Lady Yu, who eventually took her own life. (Fun fact: In Lay's song "Jade," which is a song also on this album, the story is supposed to be about Lady Yu and Xiang Yu's love story.) The dancer with the long nails is a traditional Chinese dance style, and, along with the drummers, I believe it's also part of the Chinese opera performance. Lay is an ambassador for China, so one of his goals is to share Chinese culture with the world. One way he is doing this is by creating his own style of music, which he has labeled M-pop. M-Pop stands for Mixed-pop, which means he mixes traditional Chinese elements and sounds with mainstream pop and hip-hop beats and styles -- combining old school Chinese culture with new modern hip-hop and contemporary beats and styles. As he says in "Lit," "I am the King ... bringing China to the world." And that's pretty much a fact: He has king-maker status in the music and entertainment industry and he has a lot of international influence, which allows him to bring Chinese culture to the world. Everything about this song and MV is a poetic, cinematic masterpiece. For example, as you discovered, the word Lotus in Chinese sounds a little like Lit in English. (Another play on words, just like the Chinese pronunciation of Jade sounds like Yu, or you in English, which Lay cleverly used in his song "Jade." Get it? Jade = Yu and Jade = you.) Lay used lotus (Lit) as a metaphor for no matter how hard people try to bring him down, he will stand strong and survive through anything the world throws at him, like a lotus flower. The Lotus often represents purity. The Lotus is special because it grows in the mud, but out of the most dirty and unforgiving conditions, blooms one of the most beautiful flowers. The Lotus is a famous symbol in Chinese culture and it often represents how something good and pure can grow and triumph despite what you would think are harsh conditions. Lay has said that the idea for "Lit" comes from the fact that his haters have been calling him "White Lotus," which refers to someone who acts innocent, and uses it for his gain and plays the victim all the time. So when he wrote the song he took that negativity and embraced it and turned it into something positive. So, in other words, he is saying: "You thought you could bring me down, but you are wrong. I am not a fake white lotus, but I am a true lotus who is LIT. I am more powerful than you know and I will rise above all your negativity and show you how I grow even stronger and more beautiful no matter how much mud and dirt I have to go through," etc. The dragon is a very powerful symbol in Chinese culture, and it is even said that if you are Chinese you are a descendant of the dragon. Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize vitality, strength and good luck. In one interview I read, Lay also talked about how he has two dragons inside him -- a good dragon and a bad dragon. He said he always chooses to listen to the good dragon. The good dragon is the one who is protecting him and helping him through all his hardships and difficult times. So the main theme of "Lit" is about fighting his inner self and learning to ignore and overcome the people who are trying to knock him down. Lay is is a singer, rapper, songwriter, composer, producer actor, director, editor, dancer, designer, etc. -- genius -- and with every new release of his, he just one ups himself. And "Lit" is a prime example of that. If you take the time to read the credits at the end of this video, you will see this MV was produced by Zhangyixing Studios, which is named after Lay (Zhang Yixing is Lay's real name, Lay is a stage name given to him by SM Entertainment) -- he owns the studio. So, the credits show, Lay has his hand in almost every aspect of this production. It's his name you will see dozens of times in the credits. He is the one that wrote and composed the song, as well as the beat. He is also executive producer (So, this production was all financed by him), he came up with the storyline, he helped choreograph and he helped direct the MV, etc. This MV took more than 6 months to make and more than $1.4 million to produce. And it was all done by Lay. They actually filmed at one of the largest and most well known film studios in China and had more than 50 extras. What you saw was the real temple. The dragon was CGI, but the rest of the set is all real. You should check out the making of film, kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rsV7Zpyf2ampiKs.html, and Lay's "dance practice"/choreography video for "Lit," kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b7-Vmdxnzt2Ucac.html, to really see how things were made. Within the Chinese music industry and dance community, Lay is regarded as an industry expert that pretty much all other dancers and musicians look up to -- he is one of EXO's main dancers. He has even been credited with making Krump a mainstream dance style in China, and he is one of China's leading experts when it comes to Krump. (Lay's first Krump teacher is Trix who is from Korea and is considered one of the best Krumpers in the industry.) Lay's dancers are always very international, they are usually from all over the world, all races and genders and they speak all different languages. Lay's goal is always to seek out the best of the best and to surround himself with experts in everything he does. He wants to learn as much as possible and to be as diverse as possible about all styles of dance and cultures. And he doesn't just casually learn a new style of dance, when Lay puts his mind to something he goes all in and immerses himself in it with a goal of becoming the best at it. That is why he is regarded as an expert at so many different things, because he becomes so involved and studies and practices so much that he eventually surpasses his teachers.

You should definitely check out Lay’s “Flying Apsaras” visualizer. It’s as (if not more) jaw dropping as lit mv. Lay spent a lot of money (heard that the budget is over 1.6 million usd) on the Flying Apsaras mv. He flew 150 staff members and dancers to the desert and a well known world heritage site called Mogao Grottoes, also known as Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, to shoot the mv. The Flying Apsaras are often considered a symbol of the Mogao Grottoes, painted in Mogao caves 1600 years ago. The reason for him to release only 40s visualizer is because, as he said, he’s not fully satisfied with the rest of the mv. I really hope he’ll drop the full version, but I respect his decision. As we all know, Lay never settles for less. For the full song, you could check out the dance practice, Lay incorporated many traditional dance moves and gestures painted on the caves. The dance practice itself is a masterpiece.

The man is The CEO of his own company. Got the popular singers in china on his own label. Zhang Yixing always go all in if coming to music. He isn’t just a singer, he produces all of his song by himself. U should checkout more of his song💜

Lay Zhang... all Lay... Did it all his way and we we were blessed! Lay is the Lotus, Lit is the dragon.... ❤

welcome to exo solos club,,, they all are very VERRY different from each other but they all are masters of their own genre,.,you will be surprise to see how these well in-synced members a group standsout individually. tbh EXO is great not only because they have golden discography but also they have soloist YIXING ,BAEKHYUN,KAI ,SUHO ,D.O ,CHEN XIUMIN CHANYEOL SEHUN as assets. please do check more from yixing and other members too

thank you for the reaction! our precious lay is an incredible hardworking guy! he writes, composes, produces, funds... he has his own company and his own trainees now in China and he is like a really really big name in his country. His albums get sold out in seconds! you should listen to his another gem "flying apsaras" and its visualizer!

Although EXO is a South Korean music group Lay Zhang is Chinese. The song is in English and Chinese. The white faced red robed character is from Beijing opera and the buildings are from an actual movie set, called Hengdian World Studios. Lay has become a really good actor in China. I’m sure his path to fame must have been even more arduous since he’s a Chinese citizen making a living as a Korean idol, hence the lotus references. This song is Lit!

Thaaaank youu , OMG 😳 you didn't just jumped to Lay 😭 The lotus flower is sacred in Chinese culture. In my city In Africa there is a giant lotus flower that was a gift from the state of China. They sanctify it because it contains medicine, magic, and beauty, and because it rises from the mud into something beautiful and smells wonderful Yixing is a dedicated person who cherishes his culture The lotus flower tells of the life of struggle he went through. These masks belong to Chinese culture. They either symbolize a great general or a god, or they symbolize a demon. Each character has a special mask. He is also a contemporary of the person who was given the title of Michael Jackson's grandson by the MJ Group of Companies. He is truly a phenomenon. he is a hella hard worker this man's movie brock ''Barby'' and '' Oenheimer '' nbrs in the boxoffice so you can imagin the hard work

our lay is the lit and also he is lit. isnt he? 😂 he had a really difficult life when he was a child. but now he is the ceo of 3 company in china

I love your reactions because you are always very observant, Lay is an incredible artist, in addition to all his talent, it is very beautiful to see how much he loves and values his country and culture.

OMG LAY ❤❤❤ Thanks Pierre 🎉 I love this .. please react LAY VEIL MV ❤❤❤

The story in the MV "LIT", Lay said it is based on his favorite Chinese historical figure. In the MV, he is portraying a Chinese general who has been trapped by the Han soldiers while trying to rescue his wife. The General is a real historical figure named Xiang Yu, who fought in the battle of Gaixia. In the beginning of the MV you hear a Peking opera singer performing "The Song of Gaixia" which is a song that Xiang Yu composed for his wife, Lady Yu, who eventually took her own life. (Fun fact: Lay's song "Jade" which is also a song included on this album is supposed to be about Lady Yu and Xiang Yu's love story). Everything about this song and MV is a poetic and cinematic masterpiece. For example: the word Lotus in Chinese sounds like Lit in English (Another play on words, just like the Chinese pronunciation of Jade sounds like Yu or you in English. Lay cleverly used this in his song Jade). Lay used the Lotus (Lit) as a metaphor for "no matter how people try to bring him down, he will stay strong and survive through anything the world throws at him", like a lotus flower. The lotus is a famous symbol in Chinese culture and is often represents on how something good and pure can grow and triumph despite what you think are unforgiving conditions. Lay has said that the idea for 'Lit' comes from the fact that his haters have been calling him 'White lotus' which refers to someone who acts innocent and uses it for his own gain, playing the victim all the time. So when he wrote the song, he took all that negativity, embraced it and turned it into something positive. So, in other words, he is saying: "You thought you can bring me down,but you're wrong. I'm not a fake 'White lotus', I'm a true lotus who is LIT. I am more powerful than you know and I will rise above all your negativity and show you how I grow even stronger and more beautiful, no matter how much mud and dirt I have to go trough". (Lay has been receiving a lot of backlash from another fandom who they always twist Lay's speech during past ceremonies and make him look bad) The dragon is a very powerful symbol in Chinese culture and it is even said that if you are Chinese you are a descendant of the dragon. Chinese dragons symbolizes vitality, strength and good luck. In one interview, Lay talked about how he has two dragons inside him, a good dragon and a bad dragon. He said he always chooses to listen to the good dragon. The good dragon is the one protecting him and helping him through all his hardships and difficult times. In conclusion, the main theme of 'Lit' is about fighting his inner self and learning to ignore and overcome the people who are trying to knocked/bring him down. Lay is a singer, rapper, dancer, songwriter, composer, producer, actor, director, editor, designer, instrumentalist, etc.- genius- and with every single release, he outdoes himself. And 'Lit' is the prime example of that. If you put attention to the credits, you see the MV was produced by ZhangYixing Studios, named after Lay because he's the owner. As the credits show, he is involved and has his hands on, in an almost every aspect of the production. He is the one that co-wrote and composed the song, producing the beat himself. He is his own beat maker. He's also the executive producer, he came up with the storyline, he helped choreograph and direct the MV, etc. But he does that with all his solo work. He does it all, a true perfectionist, there's almost nothing that he's involved in that he doesn't have 100% control of. He prides himself in the fact that all aspects of his music are created by him. This MV took more than 6 months to make, and more $1.2 million to produce. All done by Lay. Cr. Milinda Wilson on YT We as his fans are really proud of him. Thank you for reacting to him, we exo-l's would love to see more of EXO content on your channel in the future! God bless and have a nice day 🎉

LAY VEIL, it's really amazing you'll like it

Like he❤like❤love lay❤❤❤love lay❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉💪💪💪💯💯💯👍👍👍

I'm extremely happy that you checked it out. This MV is for the haters actually. In China, lotus or white lotus is used to address someone who is pure on the outside but opposite on the inside. The haters addressed Lay as Lotus. For which Lay made this MV where he said he's the Lit or lotus but he's actually the king representing China to the world. He showed how he actually grew from the mud through hardship and efforts. The fund invested in this was totally made by Lay himself which was 1.5 million USD. He produced it. The dragon here is just way better than any editing in movies I've ever seen. Lay is actually called the king of China. All his solo MV will please you in different ways. Please react to VEIL by Lay next.

Lay is an artist and a perfectionist and it shows in his work! So glad you liked this video. Can’t wait to see Baekhyun solos 😊

Lay is impressive, her talent is on another level, I love how she includes her culture through music a genius, in everything he does, tremendous producer, artist. He transforms everything into art.💕👑🇨🇳

Your detail explanation, your honest reaction makes me in tears. I love how new people recognise & appreciate Lay hard work. Thank you for this, new subscriber here!

Lit has similar pronunciation as lotus flower in Chinese, and it describes a Chinese religious belief of the duality of life and death. In lit mv, general Xiang Yu (the person who got killed in the beginning of the mv, and the one in Peking opera costume) who is a very famous war hero 3333 years ago, is the past life and Lay in modern clothes is the present life. Dragon is the spirit and soul, and the lotus flower and witch help pass along the spirit. Another meaning of Lotus flower is the symbol of growth and purity because it grows and blossoms out of mud. Some people also use it to describe someone who is pure and innocent in appearance but maybe opposite inside. Lay’s antis used to call him white lotus because they don’t believe such a huge star could be so honest, humble, hard working and respectful to others. They also mock at his dream of bringing Chinese music to the world, saying that all of his hard work and effort will go in vain. This song is Lay’s answer to their bully. “No one beat me down, I walk my own path, I’m the lit”.

Lay usually incorporates Chinese elements in his music. You should check out veil next. He's also a perfectionist so he didn't release one of the MVs for his other song because he didn't like how it turned out

Please react to more of Lay’s solo works: Honey, Veil, namanana, sheep (both the original and sheep relift), flying apsaras (both the visualizer and dance practice) , to name a few. All of his solo works are fantastic.

Everything Lay do is OUTSTANDING! And is very remarkable his efforts for combine chinese traditional sounds with modern pop. Continue search Lay discography is a MUST, I swear!

You need to watch the MV without pausing cause you would answer your own questions. He is telling a story of a Chinese general and of Lay's own struggles. The Chinese mask is from a Chinese opera.

this was a song which inspired me to check out kpop after I found out Lay is also a member of a kpop group XD this MV is probably one of the best ones I have seen in my life. And I adore the song.

Oh my god this man..... I'm speechless 🫠. He can kill all of us by one word and move

Finally our Lay Zhang🦄 solo and Lay spent about 1.73 billion won on this mv. Pls react lay honey Veil lose control. Thanks for the reaction ❤

Lay is a master at doing such cinematic and story telling songs. He is a producer writer, singer and phenomenal dancer. Plz checkout "Veil" and "Honey" flying apsara" etc. Thankyou for your reaction.

Muchas gracias por reaccionar a nuestro maravilloso y super talentoso Lay 👑💖

Oh My God, i always waiting this moment for giving reaction EXO LAY solo. He is very talented person btw. Thank you so much , i apreciate you.

Love reaction, love Lay❤

i really love u when u react to all memberr, but thank u have do react lay, please react exo concert “drop that+keep on dancing+lucky+run” that really good live stage

thanks for reacting to Lay.. he's the most hardworking man I've ever seen.. and he is very talented too.. looking forward for another Lay reaction ❤

El Rey de China👑 nuestro precioso Lay❤

I have so much respect to this person. Seriously he's just so great. Zhang Yixing ( his birth name) is a true king. I love him. Thank you for reacting to his music.

Wow zhang yixing❤ more lay reaction pls!

Thanks for the reaction Lay is so talented and professional

I love how you’re slowly discovering more and more of exo, hope you’re enjoying the ride cuz man this is a rabbit whole of musicality

Lay, our healing unicorn, EXO's sheep, lotus lit, Zhang Yixing first of his name 🔥

LAY is Amazing🔥.

Thank you very much for reacting to Lay Lit, he is an extraordinary artist, his solo career is growing, marking new generations in China and the world, his music is a new musical genre that his fans can enjoy. I appreciate that you can react to their different MVs, you will love it.😊

I recommend Give Me a Chance MV / Namanana of Lay then shift to Flying Asparas and his latest MVs. He's so good!

Yeeeeees finally King is here ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

he will always be my favorite artist in the whole world, Love Lay

Thanks for such a great reaction :) I really felt like watching a movie with Lay, my king of China :)

grows and blossoms out of the mud means not the Phoenix out of ashes, but this good person is not influenced or contaminated by the outside world.

This mv is so beautiful I can't even express in words!!

Lay is incredibly talented and hardworking! Thank you so much for reacting this masterpiece.

EXO Lay always slays❤

OMG!! thank you so much for this reaction 💗

Lay create a label called "DNA" and they released "DNA cypher" it was another level if you wanna check out

I recommend you EXO Lay honey mv + sheep mv + veil mv give me a chance+ lose control mv please 🙏🙏🙏🙏

ALL I GOT BAEKHYUN PLEASE.. >< LAY IS CEO OF CO CHROMOSOME HE IS WOOOOWWWWW

finally the reaction lay too omg I'm so happy I hope you react, all the songs are so cool

If Lay dosen't get you with the lyrics he will get you with the music video visuals and choreo. That dragon, by the way, looks better than some on big budget movies. He really pours his time and love into a song and does a lot of the work himself. A lot of us miss him and would love to see him back with EXO, however we are very happy for him and his solo projects, which are always amazing. You know, Lay something checks out reaction videos to his songs. Who knows, maybe one day he'll see yours. 😊

In addition to a singer and a main dancer, Lay is also a producer. He tried to incorporate traditional Chinese elements (instruments, dance, custumes, setting...) in his music and MVs. Please check out his most recent MV, "Veil". Thanks!

He supervised doing all of this, including writing, composing, producing, and everything. As for the lotus flower in Chinese culture, it is a symbol of betrayal, I think, because after the departure of three Chinese members from EXO, Lay was left alone. We called him a Chinese traitor...and he is also considered one of the first Chinese to introduce this type of music to China and use his country’s culture in his works as you can see, he also pointed out the people who hate him and try to destroy him in various ways

lol! I hope the coffee helped! It's a bad ass mv and song. Thanks for the reaction!

As far as I know, Lay is responsible for almost everything. This is the first time I've heard you use soooo many adjectives though hahahaha. Thank youuu!

Your reaction was like my first reaction to this song (but I was an exo-l at that time too and this song hit me hord too )

Hahahaha I lowkey wished you read the credits, so you would see it was all "Lay Zhang" in the first slide

Lay created a history with LIT. 🔥

The person with painted face is a famous Peking Opera character, Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu is a well known hero in the history of China. After the fall of Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu was enthroned as the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" (西楚霸王) and ruled a vast area covering modern-day central and eastern China. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the Chu-Han Contention, which concluded with his eventual defeat at the Battle of Gaixia and his suicide.

Yess finally "Lit" 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I need legend!!!! Please !!!!!!

Thank you so much for this reaction 💙✨ Lay is Amazing 👁️👄👁️

Awww Lay ❤️

‏‪11:22‬‏ and all of that were on his own money 🔥

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!! Thank you for your reaction 🤍

I recommend you to watch Lay's song called Veil and Namana too. That is so good!

Wow. I enjoy your reaction so much.

I like ur reactions especially on EXO members ♥️

Mi chino talentoso ♥️

Lay spend 1M US for this MV

btw Lay founded an agency called Chromosome Entertainment Group and a month ago just debuted his first trainee as a soloist named LE'V aka Wang Zi hao

Thanks for this! I loved it 💜

гспд... как же я обожаю эту песню и этот клип. да и в целом Исина... это прекрасно

King of Chain 👑

Exo Lay 🥰

please pay atention to the credits, lay is everywere

That right there is Chinese pride and Lay is the king of promoting Chinese culture.

Listen to Exo's solo songs and you will find various colors and different atmospheres ✨✨

Ans ofc his the CEO of his own company

you also have to react DNA chyper 2 songs combined into 1 MV there are lots of things you have to hear and see from the album and single lay

‏‪11:57‬‏ don't be sorry. We appreciate you pay attention to all you can

I miss lay😢😢😢😢

The Chinese instrument is call "GuZheng" not sure if you are referring to this instrument that was played in there haha.

king of china , he is just fire

There's a lot going on here. The lotus flower thing - he's kind of going off on his haters who like to call him a "white lotus" - someone who appears naive and innocent, but is actually horrible and conniving. He did the same thing with people calling him a sheep. He just owned it - look at the video for Lay's Sheep. Plus he's just claiming his place as the King of Chinese pop music. He's actually krumping in all those scenes. He went and learned it directly from the guy that created krumping. And it's not a dance style that's easy on the body.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Thank u so much ❤❤❤. Please stay healthy to reaction our EXO's video 😂😂😂

more EXO please!!! ❤

Zhang Yixing, the king of China.

Note the people are not CGI but real people.