The Story of Ming Lan

Too long

The drama would've been monumentally better if it was cut down to 40 episodes, 50 tops. When something was happening, it was interesting. The rest of the time, it was draggy and boring. There were too many scenes and conversations that should've been edited. Watching characters interact in a regular home environment was not interesting even if the drama was portraying a more realistic family life.

It took ML and FL 40 episodes to get married. Before that, he was off somewhere serving in the military with the story rarely focusing on him. Instead, it was just her dealing with family drama and her childhood crush on a day-to-day basis. After the wedding, the sisters mostly disappeared from the plot making me wonder why the writers gave them so much screen time. It would've been more interesting if the drama was more narrowly focused on ML and FL growing up and falling in love, instead of less relevant side characters.

Another thing that was frustrating was the fact that none of the villains were properly punished. The evil stepmom burned the house down and died in the fire. The evil aunt got stabbed trying to kill FL. The fourth sister just continued on with her miserable life after scheming against FL. There was no actual punishment that they truly deserved after all the evil crap they pulled.

Overall, this was a one time watch for me. If I had to do it again, I would skip about half of it.

Read More

I've rewatched it about 20 times I would say

I'm currently on spring break, so I have to do my usual rewatch of this drama. Anytime I have a break from school, I rewatch this drama. First of all it's 78 episodes so I need a good couple days free that I can enjoy it lol. But really, this is such a great drama. The plot is *chefs kiss* no matter how many times I watch it, i notice new things that I haven't previously noticed and I'm awestruck each and every time. I felt like not only will you fall in love with the main characters, but the side characters and their stories will draw you in. You will not regret watching this drama. I promise you.

Read More

It took me 4 tries to finish the Story of Minglan

For the life of me, I found the first 20 episodes or so to be boring and unoriginal. But the drama started to be enjoyable midway and seriously, I was glued to my screen then. I dropped this drama like three times before reaching the ending, but I can say that the Story Ming Lan is arguably one of the best Chinese Dramas I've watched. First of all, the soundtrack and filmography are just *chef kiss* and the editing is seamless. The leading actors are top-tier, and the other cast members are just as good. The sluggish start may be a deterrence, but I'm glad I pushed through it.

Read More

?? Wow.! What can I Say About This Beautiful Drama.!
I Mean It's Such Amazing Drama.! Story Is the One of Greatest I ever Watch In Dramas In Asia.! I glad They Pair Willim feng/Zanilia Zhao Cause They Really Fits This Character at least for me.! Their Chemistry Is Out Of This World.! Ofcauae It is Since they r married in real life.! also for Those Who Says It's Slow drama or boring.! They R worng cause Few eps later from Ep 5 its gets keep getting better and better! U will Love it.! as I did.! Don't Hesitate Just Watch The Masterpiece.! and U will Never Regret.!
I LOVED THIS BEAUTIFUL/SWEET MASTERPIECE.! ??

Read More

A masterpiece

This was one of the first cdramas I watched. The number of episodes intimidated me at first but I’m so happy I decided to watch regardless.

The storyline is amazing, it’s slow paced but it doesn’t feel like the drama is dragging. All the actors played well and the love story was just beautiful. Watching this feels like a real historical life of upper class. The acting is mature, the script is amazing, the costumes are beautiful and so on. I don’t usually rewatch dramas but this one is definitely one that deserves to be watched a few times. A solid
10/10.

Read More

The beginning might be a bit slow for some people but it’s also important (as we see later on) to establish a baseline / foundation for the plot.
I have probably watched it a couple of times with my friends (to get them into it) and they have totall loved it.
I’m a fan of historical dramas and this one was it for me. It had thins I hadn’t realized I was looking for: slow relationship and chemistry of main pairing.
I totally recommend this story because it’s full of DRAMA, it’s a realistic development of relationship, chemistry of main pairing, detail in plot and costumes, strong female lead and POLITICS.

Read More

Suspenseful but slow-moving

Hmm... what should I say about this drama? This is largely an internal family rivalry story with politics at the court as backdrop. Generally very good but did not create not much of an impression. The story is full of suspense but a slow-moving start made me impatient and I went on to watch the last episode before I decide to continue. By then, it had spoiled the suspense. But for the viewers who have not done this, I am sure the suspense would have been quite worth the while.

Overall the story is good but there were too many convenient moments when the hero appeared suddenly and saved the heroine. I thought some of the saving the damsel in distress could have been done by the rival lover giving it a bit more bite and contention.

With my experience, only a few dramas managed to hit 70 episodes without draggy moments. 50 episodes are usually the best to cover sufficient depth. This drama is full of draggy slow moments.

Read More

It's a marathon not a race. Take your time and enjoy the journey

I'm so glad I was able to binge this show. 70 smt episodes sound daunting, but honestly by the end, I was a little sad it had to end. The show is so empowering for me as a woman. In a time where women have so little control over their lives and everything is dependent on their marriage prospects, family prestige and who they were born to . In a time like this, these shining examples of the smart, strong women who use their brain and strength so take care of their family and become the force behind the stability of their clan thanks to their ability to properly manage their household. Ming Lan is of course the best one, but I'll get to her later. I just love the entire journey of how some women made the decision to use schemes and immoral means to get what they want and suffer the bitter end and others use their own strength and brain to make a difference in their own life. Ming Lan is easily the best FL there ever was. It's not too often do we see a drama that completely focus on the journey of the FL, but that's what this is. It is so so refreshing to see. You might find her too quiet at the start, but you would be dead wrong. Years of suffering taught her to keep her mouth shut when she needs to and use her own way to get her justice. She also has grandma who taught her how to be a smart woman. Her love story is also very real and interesting. She got a great husband in the end, but the journey of their love is so realistic but full of affection and romance as well. Ming Lan is a great character. Always needed to be strong also became her weakness, as she's unsure on how to truly depend on the man when loves. She's so independent and has suffered so much after her first puppy love and life as a concubine's daughter. That's why she has a hard time truly learn to rely on her husband. That was the main hiccup after they got together, and it was so beautiful to see how her husband take down her wall gradually and she learn to be vulnerable with him. His reaction to it is also amazing. They're an amazing pair (on and off screen!). I love most about Minglan is she knows when to keep things to her self but make no mistake, she will not forget the injustice she faced. She's just smart and knows when to wait for her opening. She rarely truly lose her composure but she will make the guilty pay justly for their sin. She seems cold but she is actually a very loving person. Once she love someone, she will make it her business to be there for them and help them get some justice one way or another. It's refreshing to watch such a sensible and no nonsense female lead while still making sure we all see that she is a warm person. The show is a journey into the life of this tenacious, strong and woman and a look into the lives and politics of these prestigious families. Take your time to watch the conversations and after a few episodes, you'll start feeling like you're getting the tea of these families' secrets and rooting for our protagonist as she rises and find her happiness. It's very satisfying when the vile people get their retribution too.

Read More

Downton Abbey set in Traditional China... but better!

This is a literary romance soap opera for adults. Not for young adults, like most mainstream Chinese romances are, but for adults. With a Male Lead who is realistically flawed and not some dreamy perfect blank slate female fantasy. (Although the second Male Lead gives us that, for the inner teenage girls in us who want it – and it doesn't hurt that he resembles a young Tony Leung and is very easy on the eyes!)

I also appreciate that Ming Lan isn't a complete unabashed Mary Sue who excels at everything, with every male character admiring and falling for her. Ming Lan is frequently berated and punished for her perceived wrongdoings, some people think she's incapable, and she doesn't win every single conflict she's in (unlike Liu Yifei's Zhao Pan'er in A Dream of Splendor, whom everyone thought was formidable and always got the last word against her detractors – though I loved Zhao Pan'er too, it did seem a little annoying / unrealistic).

The other supporting characters too are believably flawed, like Ming Lan's sisters and their legal mother, and contribute to a rich story world.

I'm 20 episodes in and I haven't spotted any flaws (other than maybe a few too many hysterical-threatening-suicide scenes from the excellently manipulative villains and I completely feel the other reviewer who wrote that she fast-forwards through those scenes; and the unrealistic fight scene on boat early on). I already know this is going to be the best Chinese serial I've ever watched – yes, above Nirvana in Fire, A Dream of Splendor, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which all didn't even break 9.0 for me even though I enjoyed them tremendously for the most part. What elevates The Story of Ming Lan above is that for our main leads, their battles consistently feel hard-won and nobody just gives them a free pass, which is what bothers me in many of the shows above – after a certain point it feels like the writers gave up and started solving their problems a bit more lazily.

To elaborate a bit on my comparison to Downton Abbey – another reason I think is the deliberate distortion of the peerage system used in The Story of Ming Lan. In the Song Dynasty, aristocratic titles (like the earls 伯爵, marquises 侯爵 and dukes 公爵 used here) were not hereditary. The system in this drama, where the male heir will automatically inherit the title, is actually more similar to the aristocratic system in Britain, hence my nod towards Downton Abbey and other historical British romances like Bridgerton, et al. I don't mind that the creators made that choice because it certainly makes the stakes higher for a good elitist romance story, but just be aware that it's historically inaccurate.

Note: I haven't finished watching the series yet but already had several thoughts about it so I wanted to write them down. Will update when I finish all episodes.

Update: I finished the series and found lots more to love since my original review. I loved the slowly developing intimacy between the leads, which feels hard-earned after their initial struggles and miscommunication early in their marriage, which feels like relationships in real life where you have to learn to adapt to another person's communication style and emotional needs. Other than a few quibbles about repetitive tropes of how villains plotted against our main characters, it was pretty much a perfect series for me and I'd rewatch most episodes in a heartbeat, which is not something I could say about any other Asian drama I've watched.

Themes explored in this drama:
1. Evil concubines
You could argue that main wives can be equally evil in this show. But I feel like every time a concubine has an devious scheme to undermine a main wife, we see it onscreen – whereas every time a main wife (outside of Sheng family) oppresses a concubine, it happens offscreen... shows where the true perspective of this show lies.

2. TBC

Read More

Excells within the limitations set by its storytelling's purpose

I'll begin by citing the most obvious flaw that might deter most people: The pacing.
The first half moves at a glacial pace, what could've been done in 10 episodes is instead stretched to 20. This first half is more of a slice-of-life ensemble show, we get to meet the different families that we'll follow, we get to see their dynamics within their homes (especially parent-child) and with each other (their place in the hierarchy), the cultural practices and beliefs that dominate this time period and we get to see Minglan as an underdog that hides her skills and intelligence in the name of self-preservation.
Thankfully once the second half starts (marked by her getting rid of those awful bangs), the pace picks up considerably. This is because the playing field has gotten more dangerous and requires bolder moves, and Minglan now has more power and agency to make the moves herself.

Story:
Your standard underdog female character in a harem drama. No surprising twists or deviations that make this drama standout but it is adequately engaging and entertaining.
The FL doesn’t make moves that are too smart or beyond her capability, nor is she gifted a strong plot armor. Similarly, her allies help her with skills and power that is suitable to their status.
The traps set by her enemies are simple enough (which is a positive) but dangerous enough to raise the stakes and create tension.
The ML is also given a good independent story/emotional arc that familiarizes us with him even though his love story with the FL will take a while to unfold.
The ending is a bit rushed.

Themes:
- Parents’ duty towards their children: “If you love your child, you must prepare their future”.
A nice theme to explore in a society that emphasizes filial piety. We see a range of mothers who love their children but have different visions as to what constitutes a good future, sometimes ones that run counter to the desires of said children. The skills and teachings they bestow upon their daughters (and sons) play an important role in shaping these children’s decision-making and their ability to secure a good future.
- The blood thread that ties people together:
We saw many examples of how blood relatives aren’t necessarily a boon or a treasure but often a dead weight and sometimes a malicious existence that forces many of the characters into making decisions that go against what they wish for.
- Women must be kept away from power:
Giving the sheer amount of women that misuse their power and who our "heroes" must stand against, it is hard to call it a coincidental choice on the part of the writers.

Acting:
Every actor delivers a solid performance but the older cast is a standout. The actors who portrayed the grandmother, the father and the main mother are excellent, infusing their characters with much life.
Zhao Li Ying portrays a delightful Shen Minglan, adorable and frail but whose strength and boldness emerge in critical times. The character in the second half retains these characteristics but with a more confident air.
Feng Shao Feng does right by Gu Tingye, giving him the necessary charisma and volatile air this character needs.

Costumes:
I don’t know if they were historically accurate or not (and I rarely care for this aspect) but I thought they did the required job of being consistent enough and lending a “period piece” feel to the drama. I was never impressed however.

Music:
Unremarkable for the most part. I really like “Don’t You Know” by Hu Xia and Yu Kewei though.

By any measure, it is a perfectly decent and entertaining drama with a colorful cast.

Now to the main critique:

Stories like this one are a dime a dozen. I might not have watched many but I have read many. Many mediocre, some average and some even good. Minglan is of the good variety. So it gets a 7 but no more.
My main critique of Minglan is actually a critique of the philosophy underpinning these stories.

A young girl/woman is born into a noble house where the father is neglectful and the wife/concubines are running amok. She is disadvantaged in some manner (dead legal mother, an unfavored legal mother, an unfavored concubine mother, a dead unfavored concubine mother, etc.) and thus is the victim of a grand atrocity committed by one of those rogue harem women. But our heroine is smart and resourceful, talented and special (unlike her half-sisters) so she bides her time, sharpens her claws and awaits the right time to strike and get revenge. She side-steps the traps set for her and thwarts the plans of her enemies. In the meantime, she forms a connection with the ML (usually of bad repute -could be fake or real -, of upper status, has great power and is secretly a devout monogamist who's just waiting for his one true love to commit to) who will marry her and they become a power couple. Together, they take on the other aristocratic families (sometimes even the imperial one), emerge victorious and lead a life of bliss and peace.


If one would pay attention, they will notice that our heroine's enemies are almost exclusively women and she deals them the cruelest of fates. The men, inexplicably, despite being at the top of the power pyramid and whose neglect/unfair treatment leads directly to the death of many women, receive a stern talk at most. All the ire is directed at the women. To make this ire acceptable to the audiences, to make them crave it even, the writers would often opt to portray these women in a manner that is so absurdly detached from their lived reality giving us the audience and our heroine the moral superiority by being “not trouble seekers” and thus justifying the miserable endings of these “bad” women. Whatever fate befalls these “bad” women, they have earned it.

At its very core, it is a patriarchal power fantasy.

Patriarchal storytelling portrays women's evil as an incomprehensible and unique force of nature that they are born with and leads to great chaos unless contained, thus the necessity of keeping women under strict control and subjugated. In these stories, the harem system is a perfectly acceptable and functioning system, it is these women who cause trouble by being irrationally evil. Had they been “good” women, all would have been perfect. This where our heroine steps in, she must straighten them out and get rid of these evil doers! And if your story falls within the benevolent patriarchy territory, you might see your heroine give the men a stern lecture.

The Story Of Minglan is patriarchal. Hell, we even get a mini "false rape accusations ruin men's lives".
Many of the female characters act in an illogical manner and their plans are consistently motivated by inexplicable jealousy.
Concubine Lin killing her mother makes no sense as she is heavily favored with a son and a daughter in tow.
Zhu Manniang’s motivation remains a mystery to me, I initially thought she was spy sent by Gu Tingye’s stepmother but she's not, she's just a hateful and crazy woman who abandons a man who cares for her with no prospects in view, I might have understood if she left him for a richer man but she didn't.
Lady Kang picks up a fight with a married Minglan for no good reason, they have no history nor any ompeting interests with each other. She's just Satan incarnate i guess.
Tingye's stepmother has a seemingly compelling back-story but the writer has no interest in exploring her mindset.
Cong Xing’s concubine doesn’t even try to hide her attempt to murder his wife and unborn child.

It’s one thing to have one or two characters act in an irrational malicious manner, but most of the female cast?!
I suspect the director is aware of these shortcomings, hence the reason all these actresses were asked to deliver the most unhinged-over-the-top-crazy-woman performance that they could manage (and they did very well) so the entertainment value would obscure the terrible writing for these characters.
Further exacerbating this trend, almost every woman who manages to gain some effectual power misuses it in some manner. So the need to strip her of said power becomes a moral imperative. By the end, the men are the only ones in charge.
By contrast, the men are treated as innocent lambs who only commit minor infractions like: being neglectful husbands and fathers, slapping their wives and daughters, being womanizers, visiting legal rape centers (brothels and prostitution houses), letting their daughters suffer at the hands of abusive men, etc. Whatever they might have done, it is nothing that a stern lecture and regretful look can't fix. You are forgiven. The women though? The most hellish punishment.
This is why Molan's ending didn't upset me, if that terrible father of hers gets to live happily ever after, she can at least be forgiven (she's already stuck with that husband of hers which a harsher punishment than most of the men have received).

An attempt at feminist storytelling, in other words one that is rooted in the belief that women are human beings, would have humanized these women. It would have afforded them the dignity of creating realistic events and realistic mindsets that would explain how these humans came to be this way and why they make the choices that they make, however evil they may be. It would not have glossed over the men. At the very least, Minglan would have found a way to punish her father. It is especially egregious when this drama pays lip service to women's pain and how women are positioned to be punished while the men gain it all, only to delight in the destruction of these women. Something that i also want to remark upon is the sheer amount of slurs thrown at women (bitch, slut, whore), it is very unsettling. I don't know if it's a translation choice or original to the story but it's awful.

Minglan is what benevolent patriarchy considers a “virtuous/good woman": A competent woman who saves the worst for the women, lectures the men for not being proper patriarchs who lead their women and keep them from causing chaos, and respects the institution of marriage and harem. For that, she is rewarded with the monogamist ML who loves her so much.
So you see, this is a power fantasy. One for patriarchal women who wish they could play the system and win while not making any effort to buck it. They might make some comments on how women suffer or live unfair lives, but those comments are only said to mask their monstrous loyalty to the system.

Read More