The Story of Ming Lan

10-rating won't do any justice to this masterpiece

The Story of Ming Lan is an exquisite C-costume drama.

It doesn't suffer from actors who overact their roles and viewers won't find annoying cutie acts from the female leads. It's a drama for viewers who appreciate a good drama after a day's work.

The story evolves around the protaganist, Ming Lan, who lost her mother and unborn sibling due to the mechanism of her father's favourite concubine, Little Madam Ling. She was eventually raised by her official grandmother who had no blood relationship with her family apart from the old lady's position as the official mother of ML's father.

As the story progresses, it shows ML experiences her first romance with Qi Heng, her first revenge against Madam Ling and her eventual marriage to Gu Ting Yue.

The drama is well paced and the script is well written. Scenes for plots are well shot and acted by the cast.

The chemistry between the FL and ML is excellent which makes this drama entertaining. Viewers see the first meeting of ML and GTY where the latter lost the shooting arrow game to ML when both were aged 8 and 12. The development of their romance touches the heart of the viewers.

Overall, this drama is a classic master piece.

Watch it.

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Compelling, Riveting, Moving Historical Drama

I would say that this is one of the only historical dramas that I have watched that is truly character driven. There are plenty of those long, high production dramas that star a female lead and follow her life (and whose name is the title of the drama), but they often become side-tracked by palace intrigue, wars, blood-shed and tyranny, etc., and their tone changes dramatically. That, or they are about revenge.

From the beginning, the pacing and tone of this show is just totally different from most other dramas. The focus is on the households and the injustice and strife occurring within families. In that way, it reminds me a little of Jane Austen, if she cared more about politics. The pacing is very slow but the more I rewatch it the more I enjoy it, and although there are perhaps some episodes that drag later on, it doesn't really bother me because I think the actual scenes are so well-crafted. There is so much subtlety, double meaning, and silence in these conversations between characters. So much is said with so few words. I think that's partly why it is such a rewarding rewatch: there are plenty of details I didn't catch the first, second, or even third time around.

Our female lead is unique in that she is smart and careful, not recklessly bold and 'spunky'. She has had to learn to take care of herself, blend in and curb her talents so that she isn't destroyed by her own family and the society around her. However, underneath her well crafted demure mask she is quick-witted, sharp-tongued, brave and fierce. Watching her grow into a woman and come into her own and use her abilities to protect herself and those she loves was so fulfilling and satisfying to watch. That's what I mean when I say that this is one of the few dramas that is truly CENTRED on the female lead: the story is about her development and how that affects the plot, not on how the outside world shuffles her from place to place and ups the drama.

Now, I know that the Story of Minglan does (mild spoiler alert!) feature palace politics, especially in the latter half of the drama, but I think it's handled in a much more personal and realistic way than in other dramas. Minglan at no point sets her sights on becoming the empress or taking over the kingdom, she never discovers her hidden royal parentage, nor does she end up with a man who secretly wants to overthrow the kingdom. Sure, her husband ends up being a very significant figure in the political/military world, but it feels realistic and in general not over dramatized. This show usurps the usual tropes by showing how their position in society is stressful, by focusing on taxes, fraud, the duties of the household, the actual topic of concubines, etc.

I think the greatest difficulties when getting into this drama are the number of characters and their connections to one another, the pacing and understanding the rules of the world (something that was totally foreign to me, like the topics of second and third wives and the standing of their children, the actual relationship of parents to their daughters after they get married off, the intricacies of social standing and what was socially acceptable for women vs. men to do, the way that people courted each other, what was deemed a good match, etc.). Once you've gotten used to the drama I think this is one of the most satisfying and rewarding dramas I have ever seen.

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A drama as superior as Yangxi Palace

This drama is really excellent in all aspects. It reminds me of Yangxi Palace.

The first episodes dont really focus on the main character (Minglan) so I wasn't so hook up with those episodes until, there is more screentime for the main character then i'm loving it already. Also, i was confused who is Gu Tingye whether he is the young master who helped Minglan or not since the first time they met again, there is no shock reaction or expression or whatsoever. But later on, the show highlighted him and that was the time I was able to know.

The casts really did their roles splendidly. Of course, Sheng Minglan & Gu Tingye really did their part very well, they're unbeatable couple when it comes to wittiness and skills. They're so good with schemes.

This drama is really amazing. Hope, i can find another drama as good as this!

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Complex family drama with good payoff

Lots of complicated family relationships in the families of both main characters and some imperial intrigue to keep things exciting. It's a nice slow burn that spends time setting up things and establishing the characters, so when you get to a moment of payoff, it's really satisfying. It's surprisingly funny at times, but it never feels like the humour is undercutting the show or bringing it down. I really appreciated how they would sometimes spend an entire episode (or more) on what's essentially one conversation or issue.

I also really appreciate Ming Lan picking up that sword and walking across the house to go get the doctor because she was like "I couldn't do anything last time, but I can and I WILL now."

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BEST OF THE BEST❤️❤️❤️

Finished 20 June 2024. A great historical Romance series that I enjoyed very much❤️

Really enjoyed this and can honestly say this was the best historical romance series I've seen thus far, even with it being a 2018 production. I delayed watching this due to the number of episodes and very glad that I decided to watch it as lessor episodes would have been a great disservice to this story.

All the actors did really really well and made the whole story come to life and made it feel very real.

Production, Visual FX, OST and sound effects were excellent for a 2018 production and brought everything together to contribute to the success of this series.

The reason for not giving full score is due to a few plot holes, why certain individual was murdered (shown but nothing further), unsuccessful assassin shown but also nothing further, poisoning discovered but nothing further, etcetera.

Rewatch value : Very high - will definitely rewatch this when I can't find anything to my liking or, like this year where a lot of shows are only releasing at the end of the year.

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niche slice of life from mostly woman viewpoint in ancient china

__*The Story of Ming Lan (2018)*__ -8,5/10 cdrama

good but sadly its just too long.
first part of drama was very good and niche in style :slice of life from noble female courtyards in ancient china:
sadly second part of drama went to quite classic fight for throne fight for power in noble houses and intrigues.
[this theme is used too many times in historical dramas and in this drama it was quite averagely done].

Still this drama did quite good job on character development .. at least for some characters.

__*plot*__ - FL is kid of third unfavored concubine from noble house. Sadly her mother is pregnant and falls dead due to intrigues of other wife. FL ends up being raised by paternal grandmother. Growing up, she learns to hide her true self and use cunning methods in order to survive in family where members are plotting against each other and where no actual familial love exists.

ML is second son of marquis household who is supposed to inherit, but falls victim to tricks of his family members to lose all.
Story is about FL and ML growing up from kids to adults and going through their first love and all kind of different troubles just to meet each other and form complete pair.

__*genre*__ - historical, romance

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Most Intelligent and Satisfying Drama

I’ll break this into non-spoiler and spoiler.

Non-spoiler:
I’m very amazed how such a lengthy and slow-paced show turned out to be not boring at all.

I went in expecting to fast forward through every non-Ming Lan scene but to my surprised I wanted to actually sit through all the scenes with the other characters!

For me, apart from the star-studded acting from Zhao Li Ying, Zhu Yi Long, Feng Shaofeng and the old folks, the story itself is beautiful. You don’t have the repeated lame schemes amongst the sisters, concubines, brothers that other shows do. The script and plot were very well written, well paced and pleasant to watch. There’s also a lot of subtle humour in this especially with the mothers and grandmothers.

I may be a little biased because I’m a Zhao Li Ying fan but every scene with her were great. She pulled off this innocent yet highly intelligent character very well. I particularly enjoyed watching all her conversations with her grandmother.

I personally learn a lot from the script. Very applicable to real life. :)


-Spoilers ahead-

Minglan is so very intelligent. She has a lot of devils trying to take her down, but she also has a lot of supporters. Grandma, cousins from Youyang, Shen family, Yanran. You could see how supportive they were when she was at her lowest. 90% of the time she is very calm, composed and smart but touch her grandmother and husband, and she will claw you without caring about the consequences.

Every 20 episodes or so, you’re introduced to a new villain. Each, more cunning than the last. Gu stepmother was the one character I never thought I could hate so much (what a good actress!)

I fully understand why everyone was raving about the main couple. They are so sweet. I’m amazed how a playboy like Gu Tingye could be so caring, sweet and somewhat attention-seeking childish when it comes to Minglan.

Yet at the same time I felt his childishness were a bit prolonged. Just arguing with Minglan for getting him a concubine lasted 5 episodes. I understand the premise, but again was abit too much of a filler. His childishness was very hot and cold. This part was the only part I didn’t like in the whole series.

The ending was satisfying. Very, very satisfying. Whilst I expected Gu Tingye to rise again for winning the war, I didn’t expect that the Emperor was behind it all along. Very well played. I was wondering why this Emperor would turn so ungrateful to his saviours.

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Two things which I want to mantion:
1. Why to watch this series.
2. What I liked about this series.

1. Why to watch this series.

First of all , I liked this drama because I love chinese historical, war,romantic dramas so if you also have same taste Iike me then this drama series is the best choice for you. I am 100% sure you are gonna love this drama too .
Perhaps Some people says that this drama is slow or you may fell, but at this point what I want to say is that, yes, it is , but it is still not at all boring you will not be able to skip a little bit.
In this series, as same as the title the story of minglan they showed a life of a girl from childhood to adult, the real problems which a girl use to face in that time, or have to compromise, and at the same time a beautiful love story, which will definitely make you cry , the love and hatred. If you really finding a best drama to watch then this drama is really a best choice for you to entertain and worth of time.

2. What I liked about this series.

I watched this drama in confidence that I will definitely like this because of its ranking of reviews, and same happened.
What I liked about this drama is its story. They really made a best story that I ever watched, I like the type of girl who fights for her rights and as in this drama the girl who fights was bold , sharp and intelligent, have to hide her real self because of her mom's last wish. And then when she plots against her mother's killer for revenge, that is really twisted that we can't even imagine, I liked the why she ploted against her ,without getting involve herself.
And first she liked a guy but due to some reasons they were not able to be together at that point I really cried or felt sad. The way they showed the whole story was well written and directed that I felt that every turn is meaningful , connected and really a real story, not like in other series who schemes or plots for other makes me fell really unrealistic or too much . But this is not the case with this drama. I cried too many times and felt sad during whole series.
And you may know if you use to watch chinese dramas main role actors are well known, so some people may watched this drama because of them, Sheng Ming lan (Zanilia Zhao) and Gu ting ye (Feng Shao Feng) and I also watched because of (ZZ) but because of its ranking to. In romantic drama the chemistry of the lead role is very important that when they come close we fell real couple, or when the breakeup we fell sad and when they patchup we fell happy for them and in this series the chemistry of main roles is best, as now after this series they are together in real life.
First after seeing that this drama have 73 ep. I ignored it but after I started watcing it I was not able to skip any moment .

Now lets talk about the characters in this drama. Although I am a fan of ( ZZ). She is literally a real actor the way she changes her acting style in every drama according to role that is really tough and she is really hardworking actor. And I am eagerly waiting for her new drama (LOF) And (FSF) at first I really don't liked him in ice fantasy drama so I droped it, but after watching this drama I started liking him too. And planing to resume ice fantasy drama too. And btw other characters are also very good in their acting not over or irritating but (GTY) first wife Zhu Man Niang she was really irritating that I wanted to kill her by my own hand not because of acting because of her role, I really don't know why always she gets this type of roles like in (legend of Fuyou) and (legend of dugu). but her acting level is good.
And what I most liked about this series is that there are not many annessery deaths of any important character in order to save main character as sacrifice they showed tha value of everyone's life.
Overall, I loved this drama series too much , I just can't forget about the storyline and characters just like it seems that it is a real illusion in my memory.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO WATCH THIS SERIES THEN YOU SHOULD GIVE IT A TRY.

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The Opera House

Performer 1: Come one come all! Hear our words!
Performer 2: Holds no interest, reckonings. Blind reckonings.
Performer 1: Heed us, as we must share the unspoken. I’ve been no stranger to false accusations in my years, tis no surprise here.
Performer 2: Shameful... Framed?
Performer 3: Dressed ineptness wrapped away and labeled as art, class acts dancing away to the tunes of a tired music box. One claims malarkey but the word spreads m-
Performer 2: -orbid(1:-olasses)audacity... speak less.
Performer 4: Do give us room for air, the same words by many must have origin.
Performer 3: Unfortunate that this origin holds the exact opposite of it’s creative counterpart.
Performer 2: Speak LESS. Vile words of scrutiny is at order.
Performer 1: Irony.
Performer 3: A tree falls with no one around, it holds no sound. The impact remains. The word travels with the minority but attracts no ears, as the scratched record entertains.


The Story Of Minglan carries a similar burden as the leads, claimed by many to be this slow bore of a series dragging its viewers along until it all pays off. Those that managed to trudge through holds the same advice, bear with it. First time diving into the drama, i understood. How many episodes must i watch until the drama becomes worth it? 34? The other commentator said sevente-..don’t waste my time? Dropped in 3? What’s the problem with them still being k-. Wait, skip how much? What the hell is yanxi palace again?

I’ve never wanted to rant on anything this much outside of the drama itself until encountering this one. Most that’s given high remarks and praises still holds words that can deter you away depending on what you’re looking for and toleration. For well over a year now i kept my eyes away from this drama because I don’t believe pieces that requires patience past the first episode to be worth my time nor others’. Though that’s just my perspective, as i still respect and envy others that can withhold their last straw. So what even made me give in? Hell every person i know rather didn’t watch it yet or bares the same discouraging words as the rest. Hunger, hunger for this particular setting, genre, and tone convinced me in giving it a go.

Did i encounter this overbearing snooze fest of mundane acts that others warned viewers of in the beginning? No, what i encountered was an articulate trap made up of subtly theatrical performances and neatly wrapped storytelling that slowly unfolds it’s layered lead characters and the world surrounding them. I remain utterly confused as to how anyone can give a slice of life at this length a try and expect anything other than a slow burn. What’s funnier is that the pacing doesn’t even take the actual slow course it’s known for until after those beginning 6-8 episodes, yet many dropped or found it hard to continue feeling that it did. Rather it’s influence from the loud minority or preference for a completely different pace that has no business in a drama of this genre and length. My credulity fell for the influence.

My dear viewers, you have been wronged. This series requires your time and attention, not patience.This is a fairly paced slice of life warranting it’s length that barely consists of any unnecessary scenes, characters, nor arcs. Yes every single episode is well worth paying attention to and skipping any of them will completely lose you in the next. No this isn’t exaggeration, as my proud elders once said in full certainty, fuck around and find out.

Cast/Production

The cast is as large as it is talented, with naturally witty dialogue and mind games to match. Raw emotions are constantly thrown at the viewers no matter if it’s genuine of the characters or them putting on an act(you’ll get this a lot, i mean a lot). No complaints on the outfits, appearances, sets/backgrounds , or cinematography. All held up to the quality expected. One nitpick i have is that every performance worth mentioning were too..balanced? In my opinion,nobody really went above and beyond. They all were great, just no hint of excellence. Don’t go in expecting stand outs or jaw drops. You’ll be constantly impressed nonetheless .

Story/Direction

The strongest aspect of The Story of Minglan is,in my opinion,the pacing. Scroll through some comments and/or reviews. The most common questions you’ll see are referring to when [blank] will happen, when [blank] and [blank] grow towards one another, when will we see [blank] again, so on, so forth. What we have here is natural progression folks. In all of it’s satisfying and painful goodness. The climb in ranks, pitiful downfalls, house empowerment, filial favor, newfound family, the list goes on.

It’s of no surprise I’m an absolute sucker for slow burns when executed well. And dear god do they go way beyond that here. Not only are you taking in each episode waiting for future inevitable moments and interactions that’s way further down the line, you also find yourself not willing to loose your grip of the current relations and moments happening that would have to take a tumble for the others to progress. There are countless memorable scenes from the very beginning to the very end. You’re nail biting early on not because of anything coming off as banal or monotonous, it’s from disbelief that there’s still so many things you have to look forward to on top of everything you’ve had the pleasure in watching already.

The camera language and use of symbolism is next level, these factors alone marks this series with a very high rewatch value. Stare downs, signaling through eyes and body language, setting up for future stages to perform.There are plenty of subtle hints and details that most will miss the first go around and many moments leaving room for interpretation that lets the mind roam freely, speaking of..

The use of romance and bonds here are second to none. The chemistry/dynamics are so distinct and profound amongst each character you’ll have to see it for yourself to believe how effortlessly they interact. From the banters, thoughts through time apart, strategizing, rehashing, lessons, arguments, persuasions, attests. I could go on and on, the chemistry alone makes this well worth the try.

Shortcomings

The ost’s ass...... condolences. Ight listen if i have to hear that same tired ass track in romantic/longing moments another second I’ll lose it. No track stands out or grabs attention besides the rare use of sound design on sudden tensity, you’ll hear what i mean.

Way too much plot armor and abuse of convenient last moment timings. You’d wish for a competent male antagonist since the women here has to rely on the incompetence of their aides to lay a scratch on anyone. Besides some ass whippings and timeouts the feel for stakes on the line completely diminishes about halfway through. This drama is many things, a thrill isn’t necessarily one of them. So much protection going on I wonder how some of them even got pregn-

Epilogue

To anybody who hasn’t tried this out yet i can only ask what’re you waiting for, more so what’s holding you back? What I’ll advise is don’t force your way through this drama, if you can’t stomach any more, let it go. Need a break? Take as long as you need, it’s okay to not binge in a couple sittings, much healthier at that. Watch and experience this breathtaking journey at your own pace.

A new favorite of mines, been hours since i finished and i think it’s about time for an encore.

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Best c drama for mature audience.

If you havent watched this drama I can only say that this drama rewards patience and perseverance which is actually the central theme of this drama! So only start this drama if you are going to give a serious attention to it, this drama is definitely not for teenagers.
This drama's main character is Minglan, it starts with her back story as a child and her sufferings and the cause of it. The people who were involved in it , to avenge them is her main drive.
But the main USP of this drama is how she actually plans for it or is she really the one planning? This is where I say its for adults cos not a lot of teens would understand her actions , her patience, her humbleness , her real reason for doing sth or rather giving up on sth.
All this leads her to meet someone of her own caliber a true partner for a lone wolf and this is when the real game starts and the show starts sprinting ( and that's why most reviews give it a slow burner tag).
All I can say about this show is that this hit too close to me personally, its such a great show that its a shame why its not world famous!

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Carpe diem

Least to say I was disgusted with the way women were treated back then, not only by men but by other women, as well. The system was so evidently misogynistic that women themselves adopted the same mentality as it was natural for them to do so. While most of them were pushed into making some very awful decisions, mostly in order to protect themselves, others did some extremely harsh and evil things so at to get what they want. The struggles of the women of those times were very well portrayed in the story. It was really interesting to see how Ming Lan managed to overcome all those difficulties that seemed never-ending with her intelligence. She was constantly in danger, she had to endure so much hardship just so that she could be alive (in the beginning especially). The acting of Zhao Li Ying as Ming Lan , Zhu Yi Long as Qi Heng / Yuan Ruo (Duke), Feng Shao Feng as Gu Ting Ye / Zhong Huai (Marquis) and the rest of the cast was simply amazing. I specifically feel the need to mention Cao Cui Fen's who played Old Mrs. Sheng (Ming Lan's grandmother), as her acting was magnificent. All those subtle micro-expressions were so well executed, plus her character in the story quickly became on of my favourites.
Although this drama has quite a lot of episodes, the story didn't feel draggy, instead it felt very well developed in an appropriate pace. When I watch dramas like this, on one hand I wish they have even more episodes, as I don't want them to end, but on the other I don't want them to have that many, because then they'll end up getting draggy. This drama certainly has a fitting amount of episodes, it leaves you wanting more, without destroying its plot.
The chemistry between the leads is astonishing, they were super adorable together. My only complain is that I wish they were slightly more open in their communication, especially on Ming Lan's part. That being said with all that trauma she has endured for all those years, and the atrocities of other men that she has come to know of, it's understandable for her to feel insecure and be scared of being vulnerable with her husband.
I have to admit that I felt bad about the 2nd ML, but this drama taught me a very valuable lesson... The circumstances will almost never be ideal, waiting for that to happen is simply useless, instead you should always do the best in your abilities, so as to not have any regrets later!!! Even if you fail, you can at least proudly say that you have tried! So what if the circumstances aren't great... What matters is that we do our best for what we sincerely want! To me, this drama seems very unique and I greatly enjoyed it. I strongly recommend it and would love to watch it again!!!!

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