Chang Feng Du (2023)

What I like:
The reason I watched this: Bai Jing Ting
The reason I keep watching: Song Yi's character - is strong and intelligent
The seal that keeps me watching: Episodes 10 and 11 (the later part of episode 10 and the early part of episode 11)
The reason I watched it again for the 3rd time: episodes 10 and 11 (also the reason why I wrote this review. I do not know what was it on these episodes, but the first time I watched it, I felt so nervous as if I was one of the characters, and the relief I felt when Xifeng admitted defeat)

What I do not like:
Some "punishments" are not enough for me to give that high level of satisfaction example episode 9
The reason behind the main villain's reason for revenge and how they tidied it up at the end. Like really?

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This one is way underrated! It deserves more recognition

This is a really good story, especially the love story between the 2 leads. Juisi and Yuru’s love story was one of the best ones I have seen portrayed in a Cdrama. This is definitely proof that kissing scenes and implied sex don’t make a romance. Their relationship is definitely a slow burn, but their partnership, friendship and ultimately love is evident in all they do. I like that they really are a pair working together. They even arrive at the same conclusion from different angles multiple times. She is soft spoken but fierce when necessary, and above all she is brave and smart. He is a spoiled child when the story begins, but one with a good heart. He grows into the best kind of hero. But I especially love his sense of humor and a bit of his childish delight. He keeps this even though he grows up. Watching this is riveting TV.

What bumps this drama down a bit for me is the stuff outside the main romance. The bad guy is more like the kind who stomps around wearing a black cape and laughing evilly. He is “behind” all of the chaos that happens, but our heroes know it and still don’t take him out. It feels like we are told he is bad rather than shown it. He never really seems like a compelling bad guy to me and more like just an obstacle for plot purposes. Much of the palace intrigue is less than logical and the selflessness of our main couple means they have to start over 3 times before they finally get their happy after. It makes the story drag quite a bit in the back half.

Overall, watch it for the romance and the palace intrigue, but it would have been better if about 10 episodes had been cut.

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Destined is my joy. Bai Jing Ting is my enjoyment.

Destined (2023) is a Woman in Business Period RomCom Drama. This is one of my favorite Chinese dramas of the year.

Apart while together. Destined hones in on a comedy while being a serious drama. The star, Bai Jing Ting, tries his hand at comedy, while reeling in the serious aspects of this story too.

The Story

A pampered son of the richest Costume Drama Plutocrat, has a spat with the daughter of a modestly well off Merchant. The differences are irresolvable. As with happenstance, the two end up in a arrange marriage. He is a bon-vivant and she is prim and proper. This is great fodder for laughter as the two try to cohabitate peacefully. Destined stars Song Ye as the prim and proper Liu Yu Ru and Bai Jing Ting as the spoiled but kind-hearted Gu Jun Si. He begins to teach her business and she pushes him to the highest scholastic achievements. They both “better” each other has walls are broken down to expose love.

Destined is a refreshing Costume drama change. Few things produce more of an anachronism than a Comedic Costume Chinese Drama. I have not seen Bai Jing Ting in a RomCom yet, but this seems to be the year that many Asian dramatic actors are challenging themselves to try comedy. Bai Jing Ting has never given his audience the same acting performance in his dramas and this extends to his attempt at comedy. I found myself laughing a lot. Bai Jing Ting, as Gu Jun Si, utilizes body language and gestures to aid in his comedic performance and his comedic timing is spot on.

Song Yi as Liu Yu Ru plays the straight part in this Chinese drama series. She gives some of the most endearing dialogue about women in business and love, sending goosebumps up my arm. Song Yi’s demur sweetness was so right for this part. Her character, Liu Yu Ru, is portrayed as a high intellectual and a quick learner, becoming the asset to her husband and the longing of other men.

Quote: This business is about Military supplies. Confucius said, “To rule a country of a thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business and sincerity; economy and expenditure and love for men; and employment of people at the proper time”. Husband teaching wife what the client needs to hear. From Destined

This RomCom is a high Yes! from me.

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Love that grows from strength to strength

A beautifully told tale of a love story that started out as an accident and evolved into a relationship of trust and genuine love. No unnecessary misunderstandings and jealousies to tear them apart was much appreciated. Instead their obstacles were the situations they were placed in.

A love triangle of sorts, the villain turned out to be victim of circumstances but the flashback sequences of him with the FL was sweet and gave you the usual “if only” wishes hoping he had it better growing up. The reveal during his end was not unexpected but good enough to tie up his storyline.

The star of this drama is the ML. Watching him grow from a carefree, playful person to one who sacrifices himself to fight for the good of the people was the highlight of this drama. Kudos to the scriptwriter for some of the most intelligent and interesting dialogue for this character. He delivers it so well and righteously in keeping with his character’s personality.

It was also nice to see the FL transform from originally resigning to her fate of just being a typical wife to having her own aspirations in business. However, this changes seem too jarring at times, one of which was when she went from crying on her wedding night to suddenly being extra gung-ho as she led men to the entertainment house to chase down the her husband. Brandishing a sword to get him was a nice humorous touch. However, her revealing all her marriage aspirations and how the ML ruined it in front of the many people in there felt so wrong. A normal person would have some reservations about sharing such private information in public, what more she had just spent years learning about a family’s code of conduct. Overly dramatic. (also found it strange she had no reaction when she saw her original target husband in the crowd there)

Watching her start her first business showed some smart moments but not fleshed out enough as she quickly turned things around after 2 weeks of slow sales. Not enough moments to make me believe she is this super business person especially when she was in the capital and when she was lying low during the 3 years.

One of my favourite parts would have to be in Wangdu and how the ML defended it with just 10,000 men against an army 10x bigger. I loved both his confrontations with his uncle here - perfect lines perfectly delivered!

Didn’t care much for the palace storyline with the new Emperor suddenly being sick all the time compared to when he was just a Commissioner. Liked the Empress Dowager and her daughter even less especially their senseless meddling. The twist here became too convenient and a few extra scenes on how it happened would have been better.

The ending was good enough, showing us what happened with all the main characters and how some of them still go on despite not having a spouse. A definite must watch if you are a fan of the ML as he was truly in his element in this drama.

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Is Destiny in our hands?

I enjoyed this drama ??,its not fast paced but well put together,the schemings and plot twist were not over the top or scattered,if you are not into political drama you will find it draggy,but over all it a lovely series.
Casting was good,i liked the pairings,,great acting from the leads to supporting actors,good interpretations of roles,,you could see character growth as you watch, its a drama i would like to rewatch?
Now were i had tiny issue... The Ending,i wanted more from it,i was waiting for Gu jiu si's father to show up , ?‍♀️ then general Qin,she didn't need to die,imagine if she was made the only survivor while protecting the Zhou family ...those 2 roles showing up would have given the drama a grandier ending imo ??...

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A drama that you shouldn't miss

I usually stay away from dramas that has more than 30 episodes but I'm glad that I tried watching it because once I started I just couldn't stop.

The FL & ML are smart, selfless and patriotic. Their love and trust for each other are unmatchable. I love how they are sorrounded with family & friends that share the same value as them.

I hate how smart the villain is just as the ML in this drama. It's like the ML & the villain shares the same brain but just have different values. The other is evil and the other is righteous who puts the country & people above all but it makes the drama more interesting and somehow unpredictable not knowing how the issues can be reversed.

I also love how I, as the viewer we're able to watch all the characters grow despite going through so much predicaments and near death situations. All of the good and relevant characters will grow on you as you watch them transform from young, free and idle individuals to outstanding heroes.

Story wise, it was well written. There were no unnecessary filler scenes. I didn't feel the need to skip or fast foward to other scenes despite having 40 episodes with at least 40mins duration. The story shows patriotism and how the characters navigate their way into overturning situations despite the villain's plans and hindrance. However, I feel like that the villain's story should have been discussed more because somehow his reason for revenge was not heavy enough compared to the efforts and the level of chaos he brought to everyones lives. He should have been given a heavier backstory so the viewers can understand his reasons well.

Characters- I love the ML so much! He played his role well and manage to give life to the character. The FL was okay but I think someone can play the role better than her. I feel like she wasn't able to fully embody the character the way the ML did.

Music - It was okay. I heard better music and ost from other dramas. Whenever I like the music used in dramas I always try to find it on spotify and add on my playlist. The songs on this drama didn't make the cut. It was just a regular song for me, nothing special.

Wardrobe - I notice that they only use few costumes on this drama and almost use the same clothes but I don't mind as the story are great and you won't really have the time to focus on it as you will be engrosed to the story.

I highly highly recommend this drama.

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Destined to be Almost Perfect - but not quite

Destined is divided into three very clear Acts.

Act 1 - which takes place in the then prosperous city of Yangzhou. Where a rich playboy, Gu Jiusi and virtuous perfectionist, Liu Yuru, accidentally get married against their wills. As is the case, things seem to fall into place and they fall in love and the internal chaos turns into external chaos. Act 1 was really enjoyable and the lightest of all the Acts. Along the way, they meet the righteous General Zhou Ye of Youzhou who they become sworn brothers and sister with. The beautiful settings and costumes were just a feast for the eyes and a delight to watch. Gu Jiusi's mother, Jiang Rou, was a picture of dignity and grace and life really seemed like it was too easy and happy.

Act 2 - takes place in Youzhou. This was the MOST enjoyable Act for me and they should have just stopped while they were ahead, honestly. Like I won't begrudge the writers for just stopping the show after Act 2. This wonderful Act saw how the family rebuilt their lives after an external calamity and continued to make good friends around them. The final few episodes of Act 2 were action packed, smart, well paced and thoroughly enjoyable. There were so many beautiful moments of trust, collaboration and cooperation between Gu Jiusi, Liu Yuru, Zhou Ye and Ye Shi An. It was such a joy to watch how they cleverly overcame all the obstacles that came their way.

Act 3 - the most chaotic Act. This takes place in the Eastern Capital. Honestly, half of me wishes I just stopped at Act 2. Suddenly I found myself in a palace drama full of conniving officials. It's like a completely different show just haphazardly stitched together. The drama was unnecessary and weird. Alot of the plot wasn't thought through. It was as though the writers had to find content to finish 40 episodes. The last death of a wonderful character was COMPLETELY unnecessary and let me very dissatisfied. It really didn't propel the plot further. It was just death for no reason. That was quite upsetting to me. Anyway the ending was a good one but it could have been happier if the good character didn't die (you'll know what i mean if you watch it). I also didn't like how Luo Zishang, the villain, was such a trope-y bad guy. He was too cliche. It was too boring. He was like the villain in Under the Power. This entire Act could have been improved. And the good person didn't have to die!

All in all, I really enjoyed it. To me, I would say this was a cross between Under the Power and A New Life Begins. Apart from the chaos in Act 3, I think it was such a refreshing drama and highly recommend it.

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It was good then it got political

I liked this because for the most part it was light and fun to watch, with some seriousness.

I really love the ML actor, he has a charming quality about him.

The FL character was interesting, she did annoy me with her snivelling mews of weeping, but she actually was a strong minded and independent character who grew a lot.

It doesn't focus too much on romance, which is a little bit of a shame because their healthy developing relationship was sweet and I felt like just nice and normal.

I hate how political it suddenly became as I always get confused about who's who and what's happening. There just got to be too many characters and too much palace power struggle and conflict happening. I dropped it so close to the end - only about 8-9 episodes to go, but I just couldn't keep my interest up for it,

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The story started off really intriguing. The first 10 episodes just kept making me want to watch it more and more. The roles fit the main leads very well, and the drama was off to a great start.

I fell like when the story got to the plot or when the couple heads to YouZhou, the story starts to get really boring, and there’s nothing left for me to watch, I really did think about giving up but luckily I didn’t. The story picks up again after near the end.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best or a masterpiece, but the story is very good then drops then is good again. I mean it’s not a complete waste of time to watch it, but again 40 episodes is really worth it.

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JUST WATCH IT AND SEE IF YOUR TASTE BECAUSE IT IS MINE

*NO REVIEW SAID WHAT I NEEDED TO SAY IN THE HEADLINE*? but one spoiler if you stayed her mother is ill and the concubine made her mother bend down outside for the whole night and when the daughter and the son in law came the concubine was trying to act all nice ? next scene they're eating and they serve this dish that the daughter is allergic to but the thing that get me is that the father didn't even know that she has allergies to that dish i mean you have to at least know what your so called daughter is allergic to but no he just sit there with a shock face and im think that the concubine or the father must have place that dish on purpose

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United as Husband & Wife—Destined together | Will always choose each other in this lifetime <3

I want to commence this review by saying how this drama gave me peace of mind, tranquil and warmth. I didn't exactly know how it happened at first but I later realized that it is all because this story created such a homey vibe...a feeling of security, strong bond, genuine concern and unconditional love that effortlessly resonated to its viewers which made me watch this in a comfortable and peaceful manner. I know it may sound weird, but I feel a lot kinder now. Hahaha! I would say they succeed in building a connection to their viewers on how they want them to view this drama as a whole. I believe they want people to know and understand that kindness, compassion and willingness to help can keep anyone away from worries, selfish desires and greed; and that it can become an instrument, a guide and inspiration for us to take on the right path to achieve a fullfiling and sucessful life.

I don't wanna make comparisons and I will not, however, I just wanna mention that this drama gave me the same vibe I felt when I was watching "The sword and the brocade" but this time the ML is a lot nicer and that there really isn't so much drama and scheming going on within the household. It maybe because of the story as both of the Female leads were forced into marriage but, more so, I think it's because of the FL and her gentle demeanor, intelligence and philanthropic activities to help people that made me reminisce of TSATB. All in all I love both dramas and I am really into this kind of story that highlights women and how capable they can be.

Story (Line, progression and twist) - I love how the story line focuses on the Main leads and stayed commited that way until the very end. I think this is one of those dramas who didn't get greedy in building so much side stories only to end up not using them. I also like the fact that all the supposed side stories were treated as a special scenes where we're only updated about their whereabouts just to check on how they're doing. It feels more satisfying that way because I don't really have to get stress on what will happen to them nor get bothered on whether we get an update or not. No strings attached at all! But kudos to the Writer for still keeping them in the story while casually giving us their life updates. I just also wanna add up that Luo Zishang's origin revelation is something unexpected yet makes a lot of sense to me. I never really bothered about his hatered, so when it was revealed at the end, I instead feel bad for what he went through at the same time happy that he get to meet his father as a consolation of his traumatic and tough childhood. But then again, he commited a lot of hideous and condemnable acts to get pitied. Well deserve death and a satisfying ending for him I'd say.

Overall design, CGI and Costume - The budget must have been huge because the entirety of the drama looks grand and luxurious. The wedding alone looks elegant and expensive, so what more with the other details I may have overlooked all throughout. The design and set up of each scenes are mostly intricate and it feels like the department handling this stuff made sure that eveything looks perfect the best way they can. CGI and editing are looking good too! and although I can still notice the use of green screens, I would say it's not as bad compared to other dramas out there who look straight up terrible. In regards to costume, I wanna say that they've got some good stylist with them. The choice of colors and designs for the costumes are great and I never felt that something is wrong with them. Most of the time I was even in awe on how good they're in making the costumes look beautiful and elegant no matter how simple they are. This also helped the actors/actresses to look more attractive and charming.

Lastly is the progression of the Main Leads' love story. The chemistry has always been there but Ghad! Bai Jingting and Song Yi's acting put it into another level. I love how their relationship gradually improved as time passes by because it showcased the real definition of Falling in love unexpectedly and unconditionally. I can still remember how the ML falling in love with the FL felt so magical. This story is simply so good. + I also appreciate that both of them are such mature characters who knew each other very well because it helped the story avoid unnecessary conflicts out of jealousy and misunderstandings.

Story - 10, This is such an inspiring and impressive story. I love how they're able to create a narrative that goes beyond the typical full of jealousy drama and was able to create such a strong and wonderful love story with firm foundation. Another factor that impresses me is on how they executed this drama with proper phasing even with all the timeskips that has transpired all throughout. What a Great Job!

Acting/Cast - 10, I'm very satisfied with the cast and I can never picture any other person playing the main and support roles; and as I mentioned above, the combination of Song Yi and Bai Jing Ting made this extra special and precious to me. This is also the first time where I truly appreciate and fell in love with Song Yi as an actress. Her acting is great + she looks extra beautiful here! My goodness! Liu Xue Yi did an impressive job too portraying his character, as well as the other supporting casts.

Music - 10, Proper placement of music and I also love their choice of BGMs in every scenes. + I love that they have full control of the volume of the song and never allowed it to overshadow nor drown the scenes it was used to even a single time.

Rewatch Value - 10, This is one of those dramas I will truly watch if I have more time and lesser drama to watch. I really appreciate the entirety of this production.

Overall - 10, Do I need to say more? Everything about this feel so precious and so close to me. I love the story so much and I also appreciate how they were able to tell the story in a nice and a broad-minded way. I highly recommend this drama specially to those who love the Main Cast!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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