Cheng Huan Ji (2024)

Plot is about How to Bring Up a Dysfunctional Parent

While Yang Zi and Xu Kai are technically the leads, the drama appears to revolve around an unlikeable, and dysfunctional mother character. Even though the show only has 38 episodes, I stopped watching at Episode 35 - the mother character overwhelmed the whole story, even as I could not find any sympathy for this character. The moral of this story appears to be that children should forgive emotionally abusive parents, a premise I totally disagree with, since the effects of emotional abuse last a lifetime. The show was stressful to watch as it contained many scenes of emotional manipulation from the mother character, while showcasing filial children who frustratingly, forgave it all.

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MOM! Stop it!

See if you agree to some degree with my rant.
I was really enjoying this 'coming of age albeit at age 30' family drama but Mama's incessant obstinance to judge and meddle could no longer be tolerated as 'it's just her way of showing her love." Perhaps the actress played shrewish single mindedness on securing money so well it finally became intolerable for me. So I've stopped midway as the story takes a ridiculous turn even though it did set up 'the move in' of the ML-- it's far to contrived for someone to do (I was going to say normal person but part of the set up is that he hasn't grown up in a normal household)....but if having an over overbearing relentlessly meddling mother you tolerate for 10 years (of adult life) is normal, sorry I don't get it.
Add a over the top mean potential sister in law whom nobody seems to be able to stop the vile from her mouth (and also wierdly lives at her parent's without her child and husband for pregnancy (again, an apparent set up that her pregnancy is why she lives with her parents?) AND a lazy rich boy who gets by playing video games yet is supposedly a dream boyfriend for 3 years to a smart and industrious girl AND a well off best frend who can open a jewelry store and pay for whatever a drop of a hat yet doesn't have the business savvy to fend off her ex...and sorry this story gets too melodramatically ridiculous.

I think part of also why I am stopping here is that the end will be obvious--the two will end up togehter (btw,, yes, their acting in these roles do click) with or without marriage, and Mama will realize her life's ambition for her daughter to secure wealth (skipping that she has nearly zero after thoughts for her son's happiness-which even that is set up in backstory as to why she's little invested in his happiness and the father utterly absent in connecting with his son) and herself to finally be wealthy due to exploiting the good things that come her way vs her daughter who works for it (btw where does her daughter's wisdom from anyway since it's clearly not from mom--oh yeah, the other setup--the wonderful non-biological Grandma (yes, this relationship was sweet to watch)). Mama will likely have some sort of aha (though I can't tolerate the story progress to see it happen) and our guy gets a 'normal' family and their joint efforts to run Grandma's legacy will be solidly successful after a few more bouts of obstacles from the stereotypical bad person (ooh, but it's fresh-it's a woman! --being sarcastic).

When I run out of things to watch and this runs its course, I may go back to finish it just to see if the twists and turns in the last half are surprising and fast forward when Mama appears (again, her character is a plot device to make many of the roll your eyes 'events').

Highly suggest Blossoms in Adversity instead for a more rewarding watch about a tenancious businesswomen and family.

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In the race of chicken or the egg, the mother hen wins!

Let’s just get the easy bits out of the way first. This series is watchable and entertaining at times. The OTP are well matched and they have good chemistry. However, this is where things get complicated.

As one of my friends commented after finishing the show, who is the FL of this drama? Ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but she does have a point. While there is no doubt Yang Zi is the FL, her mother’s role is more titular. In fact, so many of the subplot radiate from the matriarch that her screen time and presence more than rival the FL’s. Furthermore, a lot of the time, most characters are placed in a reactive roles due to her machinations and has little agency.

I can understand that this will resonate with a lot of Asian viewers because they are probably living in a similar situation or knows someone who is. It is a reasonable premise to kick-start the show and give the FL reasons to grow. In that sense, the first half of the show is the best. This is helped by the sage like grandmother who sees all and pulls the strings to get our OTP pass the frenemy stage. Her presence counterbalances the mum’s and provides a safe harbour for our leads.

It all changes after she passed. The FL’s mum’s presence looms larger than ever before. Her interference reaches new heights once we factor in the grandma's legacy. I understand that it is an effective way to introduce some angst as the official antagonist was a bit light weight. However, it also means that the show becomes unbalanced and lacks focus. Everyone is tiptoeing around the mum and keeping secrets from her which set up more confrontations later. It is a vicious cycle.

In the meantime, the mum continues to meddle in people’s affairs and guilt trip her family regularly. It is tiresome to watch and might trigger some viewers. It distracts us from our CP’s romance. When love is in the air, it is sweet and swoonworthy, but they are like deer in the headlight. After more confrontations and some heart-to-heart talks, the mum finally tones down her actions, but it is an uneasy truce.

The problem from my perspective is that we can't really hate the mum because she is not evil in the literal sense, but her constant meddling is annoying and very harmful to her closest and dearest. Yet she always falls back to the old chestnut of “I’m doing this for the good of ….”. Hence all the characters are in a no-win situation.

This shunted several characters into the margins. Chief among them is the ML. He should have a much stronger presence but between helping the FL in her business and being the peacemaker to her family, he became just the nice guy putting out spot fires. In fact, the mum casted such a big shadow that no characters are spared. This is even more dramatic in the last 3 eps when it is all about the mum.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for a mother centric show and there have been some excellent ones. However, in this case, it felt like the mum was initially used as a catalyst for change but ends up taking over the show. The series is still watchable, but it can be very trying at times.

Ultimately, if you are looking for an escapist rom com then this might hit too close to home to be fun. If you want a family melodrama then this is inferior because it is just a hotchpotch of tired tropes. Throw in the PITA matriarch and we have an inverse trifecta. One time watch for me.

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Family means everything (I will leave it for you to interpret whether its good or bad)

This is a family focused drama with romance as a main side focus. The FL mother is honestly the star of the show. Great acting!! (to the point I really cant stand her but for Yang Zi, I watched till the end).

Lets, start with plot. As mentioned above, this is a family focused drama. It talks a lot about values and "filial piety". Coming from a different background from this drama, I had a very hard time understanding the FL mother behavior. The FL is a people pleaser: pleasing her mother and her ex bf. Essentially, eventually she also got tired of it all and this drama follow the route of how she grows. (did she though... maybe?)

I actually did enjoy how the romance part of this drama played out. From the FL ex to the ML, the transition of how the FL moved on was smoothed. Good chemistry between the FL & ML.

Conclusion:
This drama is not for everyone. A lot of Chinese audience seem to enjoy this drama. But if u come from a different culture, the FL mother's behavior may boil ur blood and ruin ur enjoyment from watching this drama.

Side note: FL mother is the main role not Xu Kai! Once u watch the drama, u will understand what i mean.

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Family. A Mother and Child Bond

Honestly, 95% of the time the mother in this series got into my nerves. But, the last 5% of the whole storyline became the saving grace of this show; it is not because the mother changed drastically, but because her changes were very small yet somehow highlighted her somewhat crazy yet caring way of thinking.

The micro management of the Mom about everything and to everyone is honestly grating. She’s honestly and without a doubt the true antagonist and protagonist of this show.

But, there is something gut wrenching about how that kind of suffocating love is also and is still love. Love that some people long for. Love that some people dream about. While it is too much, we can never discount that she love her kids and her family.

In essence, I think this show was able to capture the realness of love in the family. All families are not perfect. All families have feuds from within. But at the end of the day, when all is rooted in love, there is security and peace to be with the family.

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Crazy Stupid Mother ruins the watching experience

Typical Chinese drama with the toxic mother unfortunately. The ML and FL are great actors and portrayed the characters well and draw the audience into their inner struggles. The second couple, FL's brother & her BFF, also had a heart-wrenching storyline worth watching. The parental control culture are very real and well reflected in this drama - i.e. society/parents feel they have the right to control all the life choices of a woman, cultural discrimination against the older woman with younger man, annoying relatives who thinks they have a right to your money etc. The ML's personal growth, humanity and cool is so good to watch and XuKai is funny and perfect as usual.

What ruins the show is the FL's mother character - an explosive stupid idiot with a high pitch voice. it’s complete torture to watch. This character is an insult to women as mothers. The important parental character is the grandmother who is loving, strong and wise, the grandma we all wish we had. however the grandma is also flawed - not raising ML herself despite knowing his horrendous childhood, giving him to the FL’s family only works in her imagination. Grandma essentially gave the grandson ML nothing he wanted and needed when she passed away.

The first boyfriend is a weak pathological liar, rich but retarded. Recommend skipping some episodes to eliminate this useless character and the stupid mother's over-the-top screaming scenes. 1. Fast forward to ep 12 when FL is starting over as a single girl. 2. Fast forward ep 16 to avoid the big "engagement" scene where stupid mother went insane. It's worth waiting for the slow burn of the lead's love story. Ending is a little anti-climactic for the lead's love story although a happy one.

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Great story, but the toxic mom is over the top

Xu Kai is great, and the chemistry between him and Yang Zi is better than I expected. She is sometimes a little too bubbly and naive for me, but she does well here.
The story is pretty good, but they went overboard on some of the side characters. The dad is a miserable hen-pecked man who devotes everything to his family. Yet he’s constantly degraded as worthless and useless by the mom. And he just happily goes along with it all. The mom is absolutely horrible. She claims she’s doing things for the good of her daughter, but she’s cruel, manipulative, and will happily sell her daughter off for money. She is a terrible person and no one in the show seems willing to address it. When she’s finally called on some of her behavior, she plays the victim. It’s almost enough to turn the snow off. It’s just hard to watch when they make these characters so extreme.
The female best friend is awesome. She’s intelligent, witty and sweet. The male sidekick is super funny and entertaining.
The brother is sweet, dedicated and hard working. One thing that has disappointed me is that Gala Zhang’s character is very somber. He plays it well, don’t get me wrong. But I love the way he always laughs in Love Like White Jade- it’s absolutely infectious and keeps me smiling. I’ve been hoping to see/ hear that more, but the character isn’t there yet. Hopefully it will come later. (Not all of the episodes are out yet.)
The story itself is nothing new, but it’s an easy watch and moves at a decent pace. I do hope the mom develops as a person, but I don’t see a lot of hope for it. I’ll keep watching, as the main couple and side couple are just adorable.

Edit to add: I had to go ack and lower my rating. The mom does get a bit better for a while. She starts to understand others and makes an effort. But she’s still a raging psycho who sees herself as a martyr while creating huge amounts trouble for those around her. The last few episodes were about her and I was ready to turn it off. She’s run unchecked with a bad temper and a lack of thoughtfulness yet the family continues to tolerate this and treat her as if she’s a victim. A lot of problems could have been avoided if the husband had acted like a man at any point in their marriage and stood up to her. But no, they just all continue to tread on egg shells and try to appease her. The show would be much better without that extreme awfulness.

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very Asian family

When I read the first page of this drama review, mostly the comments are divided into 2. The one that feel the mom is so f*ck*ng annoying & the others that feel she brings life to the drama... Haha... But for me this drama really screams very Asian family drama... One dominant / over bearing mother and her filial piety child.

What I like:
+ The beautiful story about Asian's family. And in the end it become more beautiful...
+ How the relationship of Mai Cheng Huan (CH) & Yao Zhi Ming (ZM) shape. How they built each other trust & feeling.
+ CH is one strong woman. When she decided something, nothing can change it.
+ The funny & cute relationship of Mai Cheng Zao (ZZ) & Mao Yong Xin (MM).
+ The best grandma. She's one truthful woman, she honest with herself & have principle for herself, even from her youth.

What I don't like:
- At first, of course the over bearing mother. But I feel I can understand her feeling & put myself on her shoes. But that's doesn't mean I agree with every stupid decision she did, especially regarding CH & Xin Jia Liang (JL)'s relationship.
- The lousy JL. OMG... Several times I want to slap CH for choosing him as her man. Pity my Niu Jun Feng to get this role.
- The weak 'fear of wife' dad. Yes FL's dad almost have no voice in the family. But at the same time, this characteristics exactly what needed to balance her mother....

overall this drama is not about romance or workplace. It's more about family as a whole...

Below I'll write about the story, but that's also mean SPOILER ALERT!!! So read it at your own risk!!!












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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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Story about Mai Cheng Huan (CH), a girl from an ordinary family, who is urged to be married by her mother. (Reason? Only 1, she's 29 years old... Haha...). Feeling the urge, CH finally talks to her boyfriend, Xin Jia Liang (JL) about her mother's 'demand'. One day, CH accidentally finds out that actually JL is not from an ordinary family, but JL actually is the 2nd generation of a rich family. That made CH angry & feel betrayed, cause JL hid the truth about his family from her for 3 years. From this point, their relationship turns to the dark corner.

CH's mother, when learning the truth about JL's family, turns 180°. At first, CH's mom thinks JL is a lousy man with no future, but as soon as she hears that JL is actually a 2nd generation rich man, she's so happy & tries everything to make CH & JL relationship successful. It's a typical Asian mother, who dreams of marrying a rich man but unsuccessful & eventually gonna force her daughter to fulfill her dream, cause they're always thinking :"it's what is best for their daughter."

JL squeezed between his feelings for CH & his family disapproval, cause CH is not from the rich family. And JL is one of the weak & lousy men, he never can take a firm stand on where he's standing between CH & his family. And still added to the fuel by JL's sister, who shows the most disapproval of their relationship. And it's all really crumbling down in ep 16, where CH's mom & JL's sister just do the most outrageous things & make JL & CH relationship finally completely over.

Feeling enough with her mother's pressure & intervention, CH finally decided to live outside of her family. And begin focusing on herself & her career.

Now, about CH & Yao Zhi Ming (ZM). CH & ZM know each other from the workplace. ZM is CH's boss & later we found out he's also his step cousin, CH's grandpa married ZM's grandma. And because of their grandma, ZM is getting to know CH. And because of CH, ZM realizes his shortcoming when it comes to the warmth of the family. Over time, ZM is getting closer to CH's family & feel welcome & the warmth of Mai's family. ZM's feeling toward CH is more and more special & CH also learn more & more about ZM & later they finally start their relationship.

On the other side of the coin, there's also a story about Mai Cheng Zao (ZZ) & Mao Yong Xin (MM). ZZ from baby raised by his mother's family at the village. That makes him sometimes feel detached & unwanted by his parents. That's brought up many issues regarding him, his mother & his mother's family. MM on the other hand is god daughter of Mai's family, she's also CH's best friend. ZZ longed to adore MM & had feelings for her. And later, MM also feels how good ZZ is to her & they become a couple.

When CH starts to focus on herself & her career, comes a sad news, her grandma died. But her grandma left CH inheritance of her hotel, for CH to manage. And with her warm hand, the dying hotel bloomed to glory....

Overtime CH & ZZ also repaired their relationship with their mother. They're starting to be better at communication, their mother wants to bow down & listen to her kid (CH &ZZ). And when everything looks wonderful, comes devastating news of their mother. Their mother get sick & she decided to go back to her hometown. And in this hometown, CH & ZZ find the amazing past about her mother's youth. About her abandoned dream, about her youth, about what she sacrificed for her family....

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Less than stellar follow through

Overall story is good, one could even argue than it is almost great in the beginning. But midway through the writing seems more and more.... lazy is the best word I could think of to describe it. In the beginning, every conflict and thought process of the characters are told in detail, and so is the climax building. But then all of sudden the scenes are just fillers then they just tell us the ending, not in a novel way, more like news reports way, just informing us what happened, then The End. Other that that I think this drama is pretty good, especially the acting and chemistry between the main characters and the family

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A expectativa da parceria de Xu Kai com Yang Zi foi bem maior do que o visto no drama. O roteiro não é o melhor, é focado mais nas complicadas relações familiares, os romances não contagiam e os personagens são comuns e sem nada de especial. A parte negocial é apenas preenchimento da trama. A verdadeira personagem protagonista desse drama é a mãe, pois tudo gira em torno dela que é uma personagem, até quase o final do drama, pouco gostável.
As atuações são boas, mais nada de extraordinário.
O tempo de tela desperdiçado com personagens insignificantes é imenso. A relação do casal protagonista está mais para amigos ou irmãos, pois não há emoção entre os atores que passe o sentimento de um romance. A finalização é insípida e faz jus ao drama.
Há algumas cenas cômicas bastante engraçadas e algumas poucas, emocionantes.
Yang Zi e Xu Kai são extremamente talentosos, mas o roteiro não colaborou para que eles brilhassem vestidos de seus personagens.

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