Dessert candy costume short drama

As of May 26, this drama was fully subbed until Ep 15 on WeTV, but I watched the rest in original on another platform instead of waiting since it trickled out at the snail pace of 10 mins daily, so I got impatient. It is also being released without subtitles at the moment on YouTube.
The story seemed to promise events and there were lots of turnabout moments, some demoniac magic, some treason, a heartless and treacherous crown prince, an illegitimate other prince, some foreign princely "Kun" state that has perhaps an axe to grind with the rigid "Wei" king, some undead people... and a pretty girl who does not know who to trust and who to love.
It translates into live action a popular manhua, "Shang Guo Fu Zhi Qian Dui Xue" (上国赋之千堆雪) by Ga Cha Shang Hua (呷茶赏花), with a cast of pleasant-looking actors in costumes, and colorful and clean decors, just like in the very pretty posters.
ML Chen Tongxue is maybe not the most handsome of the princes (at first, he is not even a prince, but being the illegitimate son of the Wei king , he has been accepted to join the palace, despite the covert enmity from the legitimate Crown prince). He is not bad looking either. Chen Tongxuan is played by Hu Wenxuan (胡文煊 ) who was a K pop idol and a dancer, signed under Yuehua (the Beijing based music company where Cheng Xiao and her sister also are signed) together with four others who formed the group D5 in 2019. He notably appeared as Fu Yi Zhuo, the latin dancer friend of Li Xun in the drama "Lighter and Princess" (2022) and in a support role in "Wenderella's Diary" (2023).
Antagonist Crown Prince is played by Zhou Chuan Jun (周川珺), who already appeared in a handful of other dramas, mostly fluff youth ones, since 2019. He is quite good looking, but obvious as a scheming, treacherous, evil minded prince. His good looks would have made the Maid choose him if she had a choice, not seeing through his "benign" appearance, for a good part of the drama.
FL, Xuan Qiancao is from a fallen military family and reduced to become the maid of a prince, if he so chooses her. She has a magic mark on her nape that could give power to her lover, so Chen Tongxue sought to secure her as his maid from the start. Qiancao is played by more experienced actress Han Le Yao (韩乐瑶). I remembered her from a small support role as the cousin of the protagonist in "Arsenal Military Academy," and more recently as Secretary Bai lead in last year's funny time loop short episodes drama "I want to resign every single day".
There's also Yue Shuye Second prince of Kun State, a foreign country that has an exchange of gifts with Wei kingdom. He is played by Guo Xiao ( (郭祥) (no further info about this actor, at the moment) and sports a very shiny outfit with braided hair, and despite a straight forward way of looking directly at people, he is just as inscrutable as the Crown prince.
The Kun state seems to be a sort of Khanate, where coral and lapîs lazuli beads are used in hair decoration. It once won a battle against Wei state, so they are equally matched in the drama, and the Second prince is a sort of ambassador.
There are also other secondary characters which don't stand out as much:
Lu Qinghui, a faithful aide to Chen Tongxue (played by Li Jia Yang (李嘉祥), a Chinese singer and actor),
Lin Yi, another trusted aide in charge of relief planning (played by Tao Hao Nan (谭浩楠) )
Lan Yao, Qiancao's friend at the Academy who becomes the Maid and spy of the Crown Prince, and seems to become possessed with evil magic at his contact. She is played by Gao Tao Tai (高乙冉)
The king of Wei, the mother of Qiancao, and the mother of the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's reluctant fiancée He Lingying (who has set her sights on Chen Tongxue and also seems to wear a magic mark, but does not use it herself; she is played by Li Yang (李阳) ), make up the rest of the cast, apart from the palace staff and soldiers.
The drama is not boring. It's a romance, so there's the usual tropes and kisses. Some parts are puzzling, there are mysteries and a "grand design" linked to the magic mark.
The episodes are short (10 mins x 24), so it is binge-watchable as "dessert candy".
The music is pleasing, with a nice song at the end of episodes. The theme song is called 《故人山河》Old Friends Mountains and Rivers, sung by 二两车厘子. Another song is 《恩宠》 "Grace" sung by Hu Wenxuan 胡文煊 (who acts in the drama).
Presumably, The Maid Ballad will be released as a "movie-edition", sometime after finale of today, or after the translations are completed in about a week's time.

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Recommended for those who appreciate slice of life and don't crave romance

This is one of the genres that I really like, using drama as a mirror to show real life in a country.

Watching the Story of Xingfu was like a memory trip to me, back to the early or mid 2010s, when I witnessed such changes in China. But I will let the dust settle its veil on my extensive jianghu roaming throughout the vast country which I visited or lived in for several decades.
The vibe of change has not let down as China, despite still having a vast agricultural part, has now for years slid into a majority urban mode of life. Poverty has been more or less uprooted, as the allocations to the neediest gave a leg up for many to gain access to better opportunities. Chinese people are industrious, and this drama shows some ways they put this attitude to work.

My opinion is that this drama portrays very well the lingering rural / urban divide, together with the opportunities for everyone to change their destiny through education or venturing into business. China's rapidly evolving landscapes and mindscapes are the subject of this drama, as well as the disappearance of utter poverty as was documented by the likes of Wang Bing in movies such as TieXiQu and San ZiMei. This is only hinted to in the wistful reminiscences of the Wan village leader, in the drama, but it is ever present in the memories of all those who lived in the decades leading to the 21st century, and it is useful to understand that China has an increasing part of people reaching retirement : they are living memory but can also be a burden with their different mindset from the new generations who feel shackled by the outdated ways and values such older generations family members still accept.
Old ways must sometimes be firmly opposed, forcing new ways to replace backwards customs, like outlawing the wedding hazing or boorish behavior in the drama, or fighting attacks on women in real life, like the Tangshan, Hebei, BBQ restaurant incident in June, that had the Chinese social media aflame, triggering crackdowns on emerging gang style groups.
Yes, there are still remnants of old ways of doing things, like the relying on family and friends networks for favors or needed support by public like Xingfu seeking approval from village leader Wan, the red envelopes, etc. Village life is often a sort of extended family life in which special rules may apply; the village head is considered as a revered father figure.
With modernity, new challenges appear : environmental concerns, new ways of marketing the products of the land, quality control, especially since the melamine laced milk scandal of 2008 that has left deep scars on the Chinese public's confidence in food and beverages : can mountain streams water be drunk safely ? can fish and produce be free of toxic pollutants?
The regulatory frame is hinted to : today it is so much more aligned with those in developed countries. New laws and regulations have addressed how to tackle the people responsible, with less influence from adverse lobbying than in many other countries. Part of the drama takes place in a law firm, and we see court at work.
But a generation's booming almost lawless development has left traces in groundwater and soils. Shifting from coal based to other energy (wind, solar, nuclear, or imported fuel) is not really seen in this drama that tackles other subjects for concern. Such as hacking and theft of identity. And also the threat of being targeted by the social media rumor mongers, the fearsome 'Water Army' that can orchestrate smear campaigns, difficult to get to the root of and to rectify.
Rumor mongering is severely punished when it is possible to find the authors. Therefore it is especially important that the discontented follow the rules that have been established to get attention from authorities, in order to find solutions. The drama takes the Chinese view on treating problems within the bounds of the tradition that view mediation as often preferable to fighting and going to court ; when it gets there, the sentence can be harsh if there is bloodshed or treason, otherwise the culprit will be sentenced to time that can be spent usefully to redeem and improve themselves through studying. Reform is the objective if the guilty party must return to society. It was already so in 1992 with Qiu Ju and it remains in part true in 2015-2022 with Xingfu.

Actors perform quite well in their sometimes unappealing roles as proposed archetypes or role models. Zhao Liying is a much more beautiful countryside Xingfu than Gong Li's Qiu Ju, and her cheerfulness and courage faced with problems that exceed the family frame, is meant as a good role model for many, but may feel a tad too flawless (ZLY will be again in a leadership role in upcoming Wild Bloom drama next year after two other dramas). Her husband Qinglai, played by Tang Zen, is the epitome of country bumpkins that are the burden which needs to be carried and educated. His sister Xiuyu, played by Lin Siyi, is the model of the downtrodden who must find a way to swallow the heartache and move their destiny upwards nonetheless (She is now playing in a more lighthearted youth romance, Dear Little Mermaid) , Xingfu's sister Xingyun, played by Zhang Keying, is the model of the women who let their profession dampen their moral aspirations, Wan Chuanjia, played by Cao Zeng, has the role of a villain, not the worst, but driven by a weakness of moral character, opposite to his father Wan Shantang, played by Liu Wei, who represents the older, idealistic, generation, who fought to make positive changes around them. The most awaited star (except for Zhao Liying) : LuoJin , appears mostly in the "Xingfu in the city" first part episodes. He plays a pivotal role as Guan Tao the lawyer, and represents what China strives to achieve in law and order.

It is not really useful to dwell on the music. The orchestral theme for the opening of episodes is adequately pleasing to listen to while pictures and sketches roll by. The background music is unobtrusive. The end episode theme song "Happy Flowers" 幸福花朵 sung by Tan/Qin Kexin (覃可心) is a slow ballad.

Despite some expected twists and lengths, it is in my opinion, a very good drama, that presents an interesting image of how China is evolving, centered on domestic country problems, still hoping for a brighter future through the efforts of all.
Would I rewatch ? I have, once, on and off, while being in the thrall of a beautiful ancient History costume drama starring the other Zhao actress and the impressive Wu Lei, so still somewhat distracted from gathering my thoughts about this radically different Story of Xingfu. As in many dramas, the end can feel slightly disappointing or satisfactory, depending on mood and pov.. Overall, I still rate this as excellent in its subgenre.

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Less romance than healing drama about rather serious issues

I liked that drama for its tackling a lot of serious issues such as PTSD, OCD, harassment, behavioral issues, and ways of healing.
It had some good conversations between the quartet of FL, ML, SFL and SML, that shed light on how young people can be triggered into reacting positively as well as negatively to some traumatizing situations, with some suggestions for coping and healing those traumas.
Many on that sharpshooting team, and other ones, seemed to have serious issues, which made me wonder if the management and recruiting of athletes there could avoid spotting some personal traits potentially negative to be included in a team. Even if the bullets were not deadly, it was shown that they could hurt, and the requirement of a necessary stable psychological conditions to allow these young people to wield arms was tackled. First through the routines to disregard sudden noise or taunts, later in the coach having doubts about the champion, because of his lingering amnesia and the moments when he isolated himself. But I had the feeling that this stability requirement was put on the same level as their just following rules (such as forbidding athletes to leave the training camp).
Could being (apparently) a high functioning Asperger's slightly sociopathic loner and a mild obsessive (like the weird sleeping under beds) be tolerated and diregarded if the athlete kept peforming to an impressive points result?
Could the almost manic smile of the hyperactive livestreamer be viewed as an asset for her profession? Her coping mechanism of singing/rapping to overcome stuttering is not as outlandish as it could seem: singing has indeed been included in some recognized ways of calming stressed people. Running is another one.
Some of these attempts were funny, but the humor was not frequent in this drama. One of the more funny moments was when SML cross dressed in skirts to seek forgiveness from his love interest.
The psychologist herself was not very credible to me, with her own set of problems that dragged on through the drama.
I suppose the co-cure she advocated was more for the dramatic effect of having the two leads get closer on screen (with some of the more humorous effects), instead of an actual realistic way of healing. So o this was a stretch that may annoy those who work in the field of clinical psychology. But it was interesting to see that psychological support was highlighted together with the athletic skills, as necessary to prepare a competition. The importance of courteous, rational and calm communication was also something that was emphasized, which is not so frequent in romance dramas I' have watched.
Using a pet for emotional focus has indeed been advocated from what I read and saw about autism or PTSD sufferers. That they chose a hedgehog was cute. Was it the same one as in Lie to Love? C dramas seem to like to repeat some scenes from other ones, like carrying the female on the back of the taller lead: such cross references or tropes becomes almost expected. The physical touching scenes were limited. The point seemed to be that some behavior that is usually common in older dramas, like grabbing females to forcibly kiss them "romantically" is, in fact, questionable. Such resraint in the script certainly left the actors with less leeway to express a tender budding romance.
Nevertheless, my opinion is that they performed quite well to handle both romance, healing and healthy reaction to new potential traumas encountered by their characters.
Not knowing anything about this sport, I found the technical details woven in quite interesting. It was a bonus point for novelty for me and I was pleased to be introduced to it this way. There was a moment when the livestreamer was assigned to try shooting in a friendly pairing, which puzzled me, but maybe it was only exceptional, to give some variety to the shooting sessions and make the sport look less removed from audience. Does it happen realistically in this sport is another question.
But watching dramas is an exercise in suspension of disbelief to find entertainment or food for thought. This was done thanks to the good to excellent quartet of actors (Xing Fei, Hu Yitian, Kido Ma and Wenfy Luo) who carried the drama. Therefore, despite the objections raised before, I still decided not to rate this one as harshly as some did.
I also liked the songs from the OST some of which had tunes that I found different from run of the mill romance dramas.

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A good start and hot scenes, but a disappointing end

Although I liked the drama until ep.19-20 or so, and especially the very hot office kissing scene, I grew very disappointed and bored in the last third of the drama, when the conundrums took over with the SFL psycho step sister (daughter of ML's adoptive father) and the "best friend" of FL (step brother of SFL with same father, still wanting to possess FL when she had made clear she loved ML only). ML "CEO", who lacked acumen to see through the jealousy of his "secretary" cum "amnesic hidden sister", became increasingly boring, despite a few randomly thrown in kissing scenes, break ups and make ups.

The over repeated "I can do everything for you" bgm song grew on my nerves, so I almost slammed computer shut. But being a completionist, I stayed to watch the drag and chore of last episodes. They were not worth purchasing into express package : it was a tedium for me to stay until the "happy ending" with SFL standing in a field of flowers facing the ex hostile scion of the antagonist family, to accept his proposal! while a drone brought a white head veil to be plucked from the sky by ML to accompany his proposal, said drone operated by "best friend" who had taken over the role of CEO at ML's company, to push it into merging with the once hostile competitor.

This "business romance" drama, which was filmed last year, April 1 to May 28, 2023. had won attention to be in the top 10 web dramas previous week, and was still #5 in the top ten ratings for last week ending 2024.04.14. But I doubt it will get a high Douban rating, now. The unraveling of the unnecessarily convoluted knots of the story ended up voiding it of any meaning, so, I can't leave a high rating.

The ML Zhao Zhiwei and FL Lu Yangyang had good chemistry, and SML Brian Chang, looked good, that's all. I hope the leads will get better roles in the future

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A very important movie in the Zhang Yimou-Gong Li filmography

This was a groundbreaking movie of Zhang Yimou, with a formidable Gong Li starring as the peasant heroine of the late 1980s. It was spot on. So many things I could compare to real life back then, and yet a good story.
Qiu Ju goes to court had both comedy and tragedy, together with being a mirror to the bygone era of teeming masses.
The music is almost exclusively folk tunes and Chinese opera excerpt, and the sounds are real life, so it is very realistic.

With the new drama "The Story of Xing Fu" translating the story into the 21st century, this movie is worth rewatching again for comparison. In the new story, the countryside is more tame, despite the lingering rural-urban divide, which was poignant in the movie.

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A bowl of luosifen quarantine dish, accompanying tiny mint candy to keep teeth shining

The very short episodes make watching this drama feel like getting a box of tiny candies in too much individual wrapping, since it is unlikely that a first taster will lead to just patiently waiting hours, days, or more to see where it is going. Either you fling the box away in disgust about all that waste, or you go on unwrapping, even when you don't expect to find a surprise or a gold nugget.
On YouTube, the first and last 15 episodes have been cojoined in 2 episodes and that's quite sufficient. On WeTV you'll have to skip a lot of intro and end credits for each of the micro episodes, which are cutting off rather abruptly.
The acting of FL brought up in my mind memories of old time cutesy and feisty "cunning" females in outdated old movies or cartoons from the 1920-1940s. The ML looks helpless like a puppet. The weird BFF of FL, the neighborhood watcher, and the weirder mother of ML sometimes made me think that the story was skidding off track, perhaps veering to ghosts and fantasy, but no, it did not venture into those interesting fields where flamboyant vampires, shape shifting snakes and foxes, or drawings on windows coming to life, wreak havoc in human realms... Sigh. The supporting ML act is at best that of a papercut.
But this drama is clearly just a small sugar dish for those who want uncomplicated screen fluff, in time for (if you can get it despite confinements) high tea with scones and marmelade. As long as the oven does not set fire to the house !
The story is not leading anywhere, it just goes back and forth between the two adjoined houses and high terrace of the necessary office, in an eternal see-saw movement which could be spinned sappily on and on after present day end credits, with space for a lot of soup, soap and skincare commercials.
Also, what is it with those recent dramas that keep hyping the evil smelling luosifen noodles ? Has it to do with having preserved river snails become “most popular (cheap & fast) food item during quarantine” ?--- okay, take another helping of mints to combat the boggy smells !
It is a no way memorable drama, just a small innocuous and guilty pleasure that does not even need to be hid from parents, teachers and preachers. And since it is short, the waste of time is not critical. For those who are bored, it could even be construed as a homeopathic pill, not toxic anyway, to while away the hours.

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Raw adventures in the Golden Triangle

Granted that this is not a feminist, romance, or healing drama ; there are lots of parts that are uncomfortably close to what deepest fears for women or even men can be. The young actor who plays the character Guo Limin expressed it well in his farewell message (text in my companion piece, in Discussion section on the main drama page).

Btw Guo Limin was an interesting "old style given name" since 立 means "upright" (like the enclosure of a city) and 民 means "people": a sort of name that was bestowed on children in the 1950's after the "New China" emerged! (although 立 also can mean "neutral") . And although his name was not "country" guó (国) it was the same as that of modern times illustrious Guo Moruo (郭沫若), one of the leading writers of 20th-century China, and an important government official. So, Guo Limin's inclusion in the story could have led to expectations that he was the undercover neutral (中立) "moral mirror" that would support Shen Xing through his perilous adventure. But that was a "wild goose" or guess (猜 cāi, lol), the "neck" of which got quickly wrung, so to say. But I would not go as far as thinking this name and character are meant to reflect a lack of confidence in the home country of Guo Limin and Shen Xing...

* Shen Xing (played by Guo Qilin, fondly remembered as the comedic Fan Sizhe brother of Fan Xian in Joy of Life) is the most well-known actor in the cast, together with, for HK movie and drama fans,
* Francis Ng /Wu Zhenyu (who plays the gang lord Uncle Cai, aka "Mr Guess"), who at first, reluctantly, then more wholeheartedly, accepts the young naive foreigner to be inducted and trained into the gang brotherhood. At first, their illegal activities seem harmless enough : "supplying water" (alcohol or bootleg goods) to other gangs seems just about driving truckloads of less dangerous stuff.

Escape... is a thrilling, sometimes funny, but overall a dark story, closely following the 397 days with gangs in the Golden Triangle from real life, which young author Shen XingXing (17 years old when the real life adventure started in 2009) made into a book. The drama fits the theme of the "new" Youku category (White Nights Theater). So, to get a scare, this is an alternate to horror and slasher movies, although it does not end in a bloodbath (...at least, not for every character.. hmm). Going through the linked gang-scapes, from episode to episode, is a rather compelling watch, as watching a rat looking for the exit in a maze. The treatment is very naturalistic, not at all romantic, showing the interconnections of evil-doers, gangs, power-wielders, and the few seeds sown for a glimmer of hope and change, on the way.

Most saluted the cast and photography, led by director Lao Suan (Passsee Mu), well-remembered since explosive success short drama Reset in 2022. Much care was given to sets, built for the occasion in tropical climate Xishuangbanna area of Yunnan province, close to the border of the real Golden Triangle. A linguist also worked on the "Bomo" language spoken by the people in fictional Federal republic of Bomo (i.e. two regions called Bokang and Mokang).

Some audiences thought the ML looked too fat, too short, too expressionless, and thought him not charismatic enough ; others recognized him to embody the clueless, unfit, young everyman who only by sheer luck manages to survive in the tough underworld where some characters may look more glamorous, or remarkable. I think Guo Qilin was not a bad fit, and he did show some growth in appearance and character between his arrival and his final escape. Not too much: after all, the duration of the real story did not last long enough to show him getting too mature by the end of it.

The whole cast had a large selection of people showing diverse abilities even in short support roles.
* Dan Tuo (played by Jiang Qilin) was among those who stood out, but so were also actors like :
* Jiang Qiming (Wang Anquan, "know-all" and "stacker"),
* young Zhou Zhengjie (Lan Bo, adopted son of Ai Suo)
* or older Zhang Junyi (Xia Wenjing, manager of Blue-King casino).
The other notable gangsters were played by :
* Wang Xun (Wu Haishan the mine owner),
* Li Xiaochuan (as Ai Suo, lord of the cattle routes despite being a staunch Buddhist),
* Zhao Jun (as President of the Trilateral slopes Xiangyun Chamber of Commerce),
* Song Jiateng (as Yan Baimei, manager of the Century hotel Casino)
* Terence Yin / Yin Ziwei (as Jason Li, vying to take over the Casino).

Among the female characters, Liu Jincui (played by Qi Xi) was totally mismatched with Shen Xing for a "love interest": they were poles apart and irreconcilable, despite the rough interactions which understandably made audiences uncomfortable. The height difference, thinness of the manageress, was an embodiment of the mismatch with plump and short Shen Xing, who couldn't even play "babyish" to a woman who was supposed to have got rid of or abandoned two of her own, with zero maternal instinct ; she only cared, a little, for some of her female employees. Still, this was not at all a miscast super imposition of incongruous romance on a male-centric story, as some wanted to reproach: the brief attempt at romance did happen in the real life account by the author, but "Cui Jie" and Shen Xing could not pull it through; their ideals and background just did not fit together, so this part is reflecting, precisely, the impossibility of romance between such people, despite their brief revealing of their vulnerabilities in a short-lived moment of trust.

Most women in the story were not lovable :
* Ma Lanian (played by Liu Lu) was too egocentric and ambitious,
* Chen Jie (played by Qian Jie) was insufferably partial to her hooligan son,
* Rong Jie (guest appearance by NNadia Chan) was a smiling beady eyed mantis ready to devour preys (even though she was portrayed a "flamingo" in the animal posters).
In the chaos of the Trilateral Zone, no empowerment of women was expected, despite Liu Jincui mentioning that she had her girls educated to better be able to fend for themselves. But in fact, the truth was that Cui Jie made a business in trafficking brides. One in the large array of trafficking that were depicted in this drama. The other women are mostly guest roles by :
* Jiang Peiyao (SuSu, the tattoo parlor artist) and
* Wang Yuwen (the mentally unstable half sister of SuSu, who does not get much scope to be remembered by, in a mostly passive and short role, where she ... tortures a betta fighting fish!)

(An interesting fact is that the characters got depicted in posters mentioning an animal name, totem-like, sometimes related to a real animal that appeared in the drama : the white peacock which was the pet of Mr. Cai, the tapir which gave power to Ai Suo, the betta fighting fish of the two girls from the tattoo parlor... 28 such actors/characters "animal posters" were issued and can be found in a GIF in the promotion section of my companion piece, in Discussion section of the main drama page).

Despite there was not much promotion before airing, the production made the artificial "Bomo" language, which is a feature of this drama, an attraction to watch 'small classes' on the Migu alternate platform, besides the official Youku ones, where games and sweepstakes offered subscriptions as prizes.

I am actually amazed that Escape got so high esteem from a large public, which often complains that the world is so difficult and depressing that they rather need light stuff, which is mostly what the largely female, partly "scared girls" audience, look for in c-drama, in my opinion. But I can't blame them for preferring to shed buckets of tears on a costume drama instead of being disgusted by the actions of too-close to real gangsters, especially if they are not the long legged, handsome, enticing eyes kind. (That's why I also relax with dramas like Embrace In the Dark Night, as antidote and polar opposite example to this one... )

So, despite the high rating on Chinese Douban and the movie-quality of some sequences, the thrills of hot pursuits on mountain roads, and gunfights, mine explosions and spectacular conflagration of the holy shrine in the midst of Mr Cai's remote jungle estate local bamboo and precious timber mansion, casino-games thugs and others, I can only recommend the drama to those who are not too easily scared and enjoy a solid cast, well chosen for diverse and tough appearance...

That said, the end episodes, which are tougher in subjects than the ones up till 12, keep some sequences that veer from naturalistic to symbolic, like the nightmares of Shen Xing starting from episode 17, where an old minesweeper also suddenly appears. The implications of the drama go beyond the superficial thrills of jungle adventures or mafia busting.

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Warnings of triggers for certain audience. Zhao LuSi shines with Wu Lei in this masterpiece.

2nd edit : Now that I watched it to completion, I agree that THIS IS A MASTERPIECE and that the cast did (all) perform outstandingly.
Nevertheless, coming in as the "naive viewer", it took me some time to warm to it : Ep1 is okay. Ep. 2-4 are literally painful. Even on to ep.10 there's harsh beatings and mental triggers. Still the story seemed to change slowly for the better. The humor especially, black humor, buffoon humor, jokes, etc, peppered even the "painful start" to the story, which indeed was necessary to understand the dysfunctional military family, where the mom thought love had to come with taunts, constant belittling and beatings (though careful not to damage the goods, but at first sight, well....)
So I think this drama should come with strong trigger and PG warnings... It is not suited to everyone's taste, especially if one got lured in by the starry title, not knowing the story beforehand or at least some background. Some reviewers helpfully provided minute details and explanations which may help keep up patience. For once, let's thank the spoilers!
Once this is understood , one can get more easily into the story, admiring the superb acting, the spectacular cinematography, the excellent directing by Fei Zhen Xiang who worked skillfully with the cast and technicians, the humor and the slow burn volcano of sentimenys expressed through gazes and swift protecting moves on the part of general Ling Buyi (played by the godly fit Wu Lei, master of every martial art and riding, and literal Superman at times - though there are no fantasy elements and flying around on rooftops. Well, maybe one rooftop but when you'll get there you'll wow and chuckle along with glee !
I was watching on because despite her dire "education" at the hands of the feared mom, even bruised and battered, Zhao LuSi still shined. And not just a little. She is the superstar here !

So as I wrote I might about my initial review of the first episodes, I did progressively upgrade my opinion on the story (the initial painful part supposedly condensed the 20 first chapters of the novel). It did take me some time to get more wholeheartedly into the relationships.
But from ep 8 to episode 11, everything began to feel like a rollercoaster with addictive feel.
Despite the horrors of war the unfairness of treatment and the jealous girls taking every opportunity to pick on the undaunted girl, I began to laugh and tear up wholeheartedly for Cheng Shaoshang nicknamed NiaoNiao i.e. 'slender and beautiful" (played by Zhao Lusi), her innocent would-be betrothed Lou Yao and of course, the mysterious and dangerous general Ling Buyi, courtesy name Zisheng, nickname Shiyilang ( 11th son of the emperor, unofficially, because although he was treasured by the emperor, he was not from his blood family : he only had been raised in court together with the imperial brats because he was the surviving member of the emperor's deceased blood brother).

The emperor, his empress and his consort, are also important figures in this drama. They were modeled on the real historical emperor Guangwu of Eastern Han dynasty and his two wives and successive empresses: historical Guo and Yin. The unusual transition of having their first sons named crown prince without a great struggle is also interpreted. The emperor in this drama is benevolent as are his wives, but the children are unruly and sometimes vicious, used as pawns by elders who have their own agenda. Lin Buyi stands out impartially, as a "pillar of the state" resolving treasonous plots and old painful mysteries touching his own family.

Cheng Shaoshang is naive, but strong and unusual, so when Ling Buyi repeatedly catches sight of her and her shenanigans, the general (21 years old in the story) warms up to protect her and convince her of his love. It is not sappy romance. Shaoshang is perfect in his eyes only, but as his future wife, she will of course need instruction in a variety of matters and customs to negotiate the real dangers of living in the imperial court. And that is not easy since she had been left behind for over ten years in the deficient "care" of a grandmother who viewed her as expendable and an aunt who viciously mistreated her and made her into an unruly, semi illiterate wretch, only able to react with fights when picked upon. In this first part, she is only 14-15 years old, so of course she has trouble wrapping her head around what she could do, and what would be best.

I started to understand somewhat better the rigid warrior mom, although without warming to her, and to admire the young lady's resourcefulness and cold-blooded resolve. Of course, she'd be the perfect partner to the general, although she still did not realize it. His respect and care was wonderful. The other young men who chased her all had different agendas and personalities.

To sum it up : LLTG is a complex story, a dive into a distant but lesser known part of ancient China through a wonderful and engaging story of a woman's struggle in an age where freedom had other meanings than today, but where upbringing and social awareness are likewise crucial. The hilarious parts provided a well-needed balance. The first images were a bit baffling and it took a while before the drama at last gave some clues about why general Ling's suddenly turned to focus on general Cheng's wild daughter . Slowly, clues were added, the story got more and more interesting. and I had to alter my initial too lukewarm assessment.
The climb to the extraordinary episodes 24 and 27 was a surprisingly quick one. Once rolling, this drama takes away the audience like an avalanche, and both young (not too young as per warning) and older viewers fall into its thrall.

Following the ardent wish of the hundreds of millions who gathered for this drama as it was being released, part 2 started seamlessly after the end credits of part 1 : it ought to have been a 56 episodes one but for administrative reasons, a "part 2" label was slapped on, midways. It would be inconceivable to leave after part 1 or view the parts independently. The drama stays at time of writing on top of the charts in China and I wholeheartedly agree.
This might be the best one for 2022, in its fictional & historical genre.

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Love and danger, pristine snow and downy willows in spring, triumph of persistence

Ep30 was a sweet coda to this very wholesome composition, which deserves full marks for acting, choice of shooting locations, no nonsense or over-sugary dialogues and plot. I also liked the realism and the messages of hope, endurance, faithfulness and mature understanding and support to partners. I actually liked the slow pace which showed how intuition and almost telepathic getting vibes and staying "in tune"without need for long conversation is one form of beautiful love.
For those who don't get or get impatient with first episodes, it could be viewed first, since it is the chronological reason for what happens in first episode, and an explanation of the "baffling" reply by ML to FL in the beginning.

The two separated "because they were too young", because Gui Xiao thought she needed comforting words to overcome the pain of her family turmoil, but these could not be conveyed over the phone, and because her great love was prevented from rushing back to hug and comfort her. Both felt hurt and regret but years went by and, not wanting to be intrusive, neither of them managed to make the needed step forward to get back in tune. Until they did, and this is the sweet and realistic story that unfolds in the drama. The radiance of their love not only make them stand out, but also touches those around them: their friends and "complicated families", and the little boy that Gui Xiao spontaneously agrees to foster to allow him get a more stable environment with trusted people and better schooling. Unconsciously or not, this first act of kindness and love brings her friend (and other foster "aunt" for the boy) together with Lu Chen's friend and Qin Xiaonan's dad.
LuChen and Xiao Nan are quickly aware of Captain Qin and Duan Rou's compatibility, which culminates in Ep22 where both couples radiantly and almost literally "walk on air". For once, we would not have minded seeing more about this secondary couple!
It also helps that Jing Boran has a special type of northern handsomeness, impervious to the cold weather, maybe due to his part-Russian ancestry. Sichuanese Seven Tan Songyun is delightfully petite and with an infectious warm smile that brought perfect balance to this "fire and ice" story where the apparently cold and detached ML was just yearning for spring to be back and enough fulfillment in a life half or more devoted to dangerous missions.
As for OST, it is nice, although as I mentioned in an earlier comment, what stood out for me was the old Zheng Jun Cinderella song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xVtrob8Rto). Lyrics here : https://www.chinese-tools.com/songs/song/12/cinderella.html

I watched quite a few of Seven Tan's dramas before; always very satisfied. I had not watched much of Jing Boran's filmography, he seems to have been mostly involved with light movies, when I was following more heavyweight directors' filmography. Perhaps, if I have time, I will go back to check more of Jing Boran's filmography now, and perhaps even re-watch Road Home which despite its slow pace, was as enjoyable as a famous director's movie. Ah, spotting 2018 "Us And Them" in JB's filmography, which I think I must watch since I love Rene Liu's music and her acting in "A World Without Thieves".

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Nine tailed demon king falls for a complicated heroine

Nice spontaneous play by the FL Li Lulu (Hua Ling) who flashes lovely smiles. Lots of fluff.
The story is somewhat convoluted with the off voice of an "NPC" that is supposed to help the heroine unravel the intricacies of a "predestined fate" that turns out to be anything but. Like the tangled red thread of the matchmaking god. The Demon king has a cute and spectacular nine fox-tails that flash out on occasion. The "senior brother Shen Yan" leader of a demon hunting sect, turns out to be different from expected - he is played by Richar Li (Li Fei) who also appears as "Fang Wu Yue" in black and red at the brothel, as is shown in promo clip 2, available on dailymotion.
The bullet-time drama (2'+ episodes) glued together in 30' episodes x2 is not available any longer on Youtube, but original episodes can be watched on dailymotion or on myasiantv.

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A packaged deal for Fotile kitchen equipment, standardized cooking included.

No superpower heroine. Story is basically another variation on Cinderella, poor girl/rich prince who needs to take over as king of the business - she, JingJing (played by Ling Meishi), is a shy designer trained girl who did not get a job in her specialty, has bad luck and low IQ but a pretty face.
He, Gu Rong (LiuTe) is supposedly well educated abroad, but looks as diffident as if he was kept under a glass globe at home from which he wanted to escape but became overwhelmed by the outside world. Because he would prefer to be an artist but has no real talent, although he does have haphephobia, so the triangle eyed girl that was his intended is likely not going to get the old king (granddad) the 5 grandkids he wishes for (umm, I know the one child policy has been abolished and 2 or 3 kids are encouraged to help with the aging gap, but 5? That was the standard in Mao times and granted it is a "lucky number". But again, all this for that while the Congress closes and gender equality is promoted in words but not in deed at the highest level, according to news reports).

A quaint old village is showcasing outdated ways of living in a big city. Neighbors want to make more money but are clueless in front of Internet and new ways of selling their stuff. Not that they are from the countryside: they are encrusted and fossilized in their picturesque ways., waiting like the Sleeping Beauty to have someone wake them up and show them something else, cautiously. Of course, that's where the bulk of the story takes place, in an old (well, only 10 year old so rather not ancient) martial arts school. The rest takes place in shopping malls (spend, spend, spend!), a company and a minimalist model apartment for yuppies, plus the bedroom of the old patriarch in his mansion guarded by same lone guard who must be a scarecrow like statue. Mansion has a garden which will prove convenient for a kiss.

Lots of fluff and luosifen, some demo of haoyue dragon halberd by Su JingJing's dad, and sword demo of taijijian moves, except the FL, if she needs to be a master at kungfu fighting to impress a foreigner investor, also has to be afraid of a few traces of blood to the point of fainting. She cannot balance on high heels except if it's combat boots, and is a weak drinker of alcohol. We get "tricks" to attract the stray bird : false fever twice, spoon-feeding, piggyback carrying and everything in the romcom catalogue.

Although it's only 24 episodes and there's a villain who sells secrets, there are no surprises, we suspected from the start who and what had been cooking, so I can understand those who get annoyed.
There's little "chemistry": the couple looks most of the time like clueless children playing at "dad and mom", dressing up as newlyweds to be so conspicuous that they won't be noticed ("Look, I close my eyes and you can't see me", like 3 years old do,, lol!) making food and clay clownish figures, needing models for behavior and reassurance and boundaries.

This drama is to be consumed with and like a pack of Doritos or a box of licorice candies (with little to no licorice, replaced by anise oil) : no real food value, "mildly harmful to health" waste of time, Yet, I watched till the end, slightly surprised that the end came earlier than announced ; but surely this was a "filler" forgettable drama to pave the way before more interesting and long awaited c-dramas.

Lots of use of, demonstrating, advertising for Fotile top kitchen appliances. Some for motorcycling instead of Rolls Royce cars that are comfortable but have a risk of getting flat tires (!) Maybe that was the real point? Advertising some brands ?
My take : it is not really awful, so I don't hate it. I had some time to kill before serious teeth cleaning, so therefore used it viciously to binge on a big dose of saccharine before a restful sleep to face real life pain and bloodshed next. I was watching Love in Time/secret roommate too, so that was food enough for thoughts and speculation about the value of escaping 2022 to get back to 2021.

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A business romance around Z.Tao

Some parts feel like a travelogue about Hawaii, Suzhou, Shanghai, New York Manhattan...

Z.Tao played impeccably as the Xie Xiaofei spoiled heir of an unlikely America based Chinese group, pushed almost to destitution by internecine business and family strife, who emerged from the ordeal as a more powerful business leader.
His love interest was the negotiator Tong Wei played by Yang Mi (overdubbed here as she usually is, whereas the rest of the cast is not). She let herself be seduced by the uninhibited young man, and went on to help him regain his footing in the company.
But Xiaofei's dad wanted his son to marry heiress Chen Xi, and the father of this other woman always sporting a well oiled head with "elegant" short hair also wanted to pressure his daughter into a marriage for business alliance; she loved Xiaofei since she noticed his selflesness on a plane while they were both flying to Shanghai, but Xiaofei was very clear about his heart already being taken. He still accepted to help her as a friend, and was even tempted to finally marry her because of his falling out with the negotiator. It could have been an unhappy ending but with a last half of episode twist, things got back on track.

But I can't help feeling that Yang Mi often played perfunctorily in this drama and did not feel that much connection to her character and her partner. The tragic death of the negotiator's friend was also unneeded and even made that part feel like the scriptwriters had an agenda to show karmic punishment for those who don't conform to the established forms of relationships in courting leading to marriage and only then, to having children. The fairy tale of the selling and recovering of the town house and the hysterical aunt, the annoying cousins on both sides, many tropes etc and the plot holes were detrimental.

Z.Tao did his best and because of him, the drama was still enjoyable. I read somewhere that this was his very first drama acting, released after another one, for some reason. If so, it is even more impressive : he shows lots of expressions, and spontaneity which redeem the older Yang Mi's competent but not really charismatic acting here. The age difference between the two is not stressed in the drama, instead it is more the class difference and the different ways of leading a large business, which were at the center, with clan leaders clashing and mysterious mentors influencing outcomes.

The music in the OST has nothing to do with Z.Tao. Although the drama is not a musical, and he does not play a singer (though he does perform an impressive flip as a street performer, at one moment, which will remind audiences about his real life martial arts youth training) I regretted that his distinctive take on music and rap were not used here, too.

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Sequel to same

I was often bored while I watched this one. The story did not get very interesting and in my opinion, it often dragged. The villains were not very villainous, the good guys did unreasonably not get along and if there was an investigation, and jalousy. it stayed below heating up to burn. The music was nice but too bland.
The rich and powerful were a bit lacking in both, much of what happened could be expected and even cooking became a subject for hit-or-miss experiments.
The last part was pleasant, but leaves with the menace of a Season 3. While I don't dislike the three couples, I think it is best if the story stopped here.

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Lovely winter sports and romance drama

This was a lovely winter sports and romance story even with the expected elements, beautiful pictures, nice showcase of the ice sports. The actors are very good looking and act well, so despite the 33 episode length, the drama goes by smoothly. Both leads : Wang Anyu (as Shao Beisheng, the "Prince" of pair and figure skating) and Song Zuer (as Shen Zhengyi the budding speed skater who joins a team belatedly at age 18), and supporting characters were pleasingly portrayed. The shy college romance, ebullience and naiveté of some might make them look younger than their age group, but this makes for a "forever young" atmosphere. The older adults, teachers, coaches, parents, doctors are present too.
The brief appearance of real life speed skating legend Wang Meng 王濛 in episode 31 was a nice surprise.

The optimistic mindset, breaking down of mental barriers to overcome challenges and past or present traumas, emphasis on trust, friendship and team spirit in practical demonstration, importance of food and family, and learning something about the figure skating, speed skating and some more in present day college life in China, are some of what can be remembered.

This was a nice drama to watch before Winter Olympics and even after.

Winter sports have come to be popular in China, with ski domes and skating rinks in many cities (even tropical weather ones), bringing them to new and young players who may or may not also have enjoyed skating on natural ice in the north where winter freezes lakes and rivers. Those who want to embrace these sports professionally look further than inter college contests, having ambitions to be better and win honors even abroad with the teams they'd join. But it is clear that this is a physically and mentally demanding short career, where retirement comes very early, sometimes as early as graduation from the university where they joined teams (Wang Meng in real life retired in 2014 after an injury and converted to business after earning a diploma in Business administration from Renmin Daxue). The drama shows realistically the hurdles, jealousies and joys of training in sports beyond the amateur level, and what such players may expect for their future.

When hopes are dashed, converting the energy to look away from the closed and locked door, and find the open window to move forward again, is pleasingly shown in this drama. I may go to rewatch some parts or episodes that I liked, not only for the sweet romance or comedic moments.

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Solid Richard Li in an ambiguous role

Solid Richard Li as mysterious Preceptor Dongfang Zui with foresight, wuxia skills, and tainted blood from being a bastard prince raised in hiding by his mother's Na family. Na Jianci's existence caused the whole Na family to be slaughtered, so he has grounds to seek revenge. He appears as quite ambiguous, at first, domineering, charming, purposeful with secrets to hide.
Richard Li's smiles could dispel clouds and light up suns in a stormy night, and his kissing skills are famous. His roles in shorter dramas never disappoint, although they often have tragic ends; this one is not decidedly tragic, so it will be a positive point.
Good He Xuanlin (as FL Xie Wanyin) and surprisingly good SFL Luo Yutian (as Mingyue) who was wonderful as both sunny and respectful young lady of a military family, and as forced to palace lady in waiting with a tragic fate. The villains are very villainous (Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince).
There are triggering parts (in episode 9, and up till episode 16-17 with SFL story, so this is perhaps not for the too easily triggered young ladies... Better skip then and focus on the lead couple story, which also has dangers, but is less triggering).
The secrets make it so that the drama feels a bit like hopscotch from one base to another in some parts. But there are many beautiful pictures. The cranes flying over to help Dongfang Zui find his spouse make for nice flyby scenes.
The revenge is not easy to get, but the villains don't meet a happy end.
The drama has a possible open end, which most can interpret as happy since it looks like perhaps Na and Xie found the cure to his condition.
The music is nice. The MVs can be found in Discussion section, subtitled by MDL contributor Peachey Blossom, who has a YouTube channel for c-drama OST music and song lovers.
Overall, I found "Dawn is Breaking" satisfying as a good watch, even if much was quite expected, story-wise, and although I had left it on hold for various reasons, coming back to finish it in two sittings: the impressions from where I had left off were still clear enough that I did not need to go back to refresh memory.

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