The Long Ballad: First Impressions

“The Long Ballad” was deliriously intoxicating, uniquely entertaining, emotionally engaging, deeply realistic and delightfully gratifying. All aspects of the production, cinematography, scenery, characterization, acting talent, action, dialogue and attention to detail made the series exude a high level of realism both engaging and immersive in the Tang era. If you are looking for action, adventure, and tender romance with lots of killings I highly recommend “The Long Ballad.”

“The Long Ballad” was my first completion of a long series Chinese historical drama series with English subtitles. Typically, I don’t write any reviews about anything but this series deserves a review. Typically, I am not a great fan of long series with subtitles and continuous commercial ad interruptions every few minutes. I don’t even remember how I stumbled over this series on YouTube but I was fascinated, captivated and hooked by the first scene. I was able to watch and complete all 49 episodes in about three to four weeks because I am a busy working professional. After completing the series, I searched and discovered this website resource and wanted to share my first experience with “The Long Ballad.”

I was instantly connected by the emotional soundtrack, the visuals, the natural scenic beauty, the characters, the action, the plot, the architecture, the cities, the towns, the palaces, the furniture, the costumes, the customs and all manners of warmongering. The Tang Dynasty era suddenly became alive and sparked in my imagination as to what life might have been like that long ago. Far too long I have yearned to learn and experience more about our Chinese cultural heritage. I have read some books attempting to understand the history of China. “The Long Ballad” series instantly connected me to a fascinating time and space with a broad range of fantastic possibilities from great walled cities, the grasslands, the desert and beyond !

I was fascinated to learn that most of the location names still exist on today’s map of China so I was able to dive into the terrain and find potential routes that once were and helped me really get deep into the story. It gave me a sense of the long travel distances, time frames and treacherous travel difficulties of the era from one place to another.

I went into the story blind not knowing anything about anything simply seeking some connection with my Chinese cultural heritage. I immediately fell in love with the cast, the characters, the story, the world and the open-ended possibilities. I really didn’t know any of the actors going into it so I did not have many preconceived notions or biases towards the actors, the characters or the story. I think not knowing anything about the actors or the story made my experience even more powerful because it allowed my imagination to detach from reality and absorb every visual and word of the story. The screenplay was generally well-written with well-timed tender and comical moments interspersed throughout the midst of an intense drama. It was joyful to watch and pretend to live every special moment vicariously through each character.

The introductory and closing credits immediately pulled me into the story. The soundtrack pulled at my heart strings instantly. The credits gave me time to engage and decompress between each episode. I don’t think I ever skipped the introduction nor the closing themes on any episode. However, I spent a lot of time rewinding because the English subtitles rolled so fast I could hardly read and watch the action at the same time. I do have to admit I did rewatch some of the most tender moments over and over again to my heart’s content.

In many scenes the subtleties of romantic passion were so accurate, intense and intimate it was challenging to discern between character and actor so the story melted together with no choice but to fall for the fantasy with such realism that it was extremely hard to resist. The superb acting talent, on-screen chemistry and cinematography were so natural and fluid it made the story deeply realistic, intimate and believable ! Every actor seemed to have been on their very best top level of ability combined with the meticulously staged sets, furniture, artifacts, details and scenery made the series deeply memorable. The production quality makes the series worth watching over and over again from beginning to end ! I loved it ! Thank you to all producers, actors and stage crews for creating such a beautiful and gratifying engaging series.

* About me: I am a third-generation Panamanian-born-Chinese-American born to Hakka Chinese parents. I was born in The Republic of Panama. I speak Spanish, English and very limited domestic Hakka Chinese. I seek to learn and reconnect with my Chinese cultural heritage to understand the hearts and minds of China. I currently live in the United States and work in the fields of architectural design and construction administration.

Recently, Chinese people in Panama celebrated 150 years in Panama. My family Chinese cultural heritage stems back to a village in Sha Tau Kok on the border of what used to be the New Territories northeast of Hong Kong. Sha Tau Kok is east of Shenzhen toward Starling Inlet. When the Japanese brutally invaded China in World War II, my maternal great grandfather and his family were forced to flee Sha Tau Kok and take refuge within the New Territories in Tai Po village about 9.6 km (6 miles) southwest. Within a few years, he emigrated to Panama where he made a small fortune owning and operating a small local bakery. My father was born in Panama to Hakka Chinese immigrants and worked for the United States Panama Canal Commission as an Electrical Power Generation Dispatcher. In the early 1990s, my father took his family and emigrated to the United States.

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