Swords into Plowshares

A high quality political historical drama

Grandeur in nature; this was a highly political historical drama of 48 episodes length based on real events (maybe not entirely but that’s up for discussion!) that occurred during the five dynasties and ten kingdoms. It focused mainly on the kingdom of Wuyue up until it surrendered peacefully to the Song Dynasty in 978 to spare its people from war.

Song China has been one of the well-known dynasties due to its success but I love how the drama had given spotlight to a smaller but thriving kingdom in Wuyue who’s often overlooked in history. It showed us the rise and the changes within Wuyue, the problems it faced, the things they implemented for its success, and the events that led up to its surrender to Song. On the other hand, we were also given a peak of the chaos in the central plains along with the changing of dynasties that occurred. With only 48 episodes, I think the drama tried its best to cover all the events mentioned above (which was a pretty good feat!).

From the first minute of the first episode, you could tell immediately that this is a top-tier content. This may not be an easy watch with all the characters being thrown to the viewers throughout the drama. YES it was confusing at first, but as the story progresses, you will eventually get familiar with all the characters and the role they play. I believe neither of the characters were good nor bad, but rather they were simply focused on doing what was best for their state. The only characters that I disliked were the young successors who were easily manipulated or were too foolish to rule.

The performance of every single cast is nothing short of remarkable, with seasoned and stellar actors delivering nuanced portrayals of their characters. The delivery of their lines was brilliant, and you could feel the intensity in every word they drop. I came here for Zhu Yawen but ended up loving every cast, most especially Bai Yu. The portrayal of Bai Yu as Qian Chu was phenomenal. He was able to give the youthful energy that the young Hong Chu should have, and at the same time, he was amazing with depicting the older, weary King of Wu Yue. Zhou Yutong may have not a lot of scenes, but her portrayal as Sun Taizhen certainly deserved applause. I remember watching her in the beginning when she barely had any lines and yet her facial expressions were enough to convey the character’s subtext and complex emotions.

The drama also gave a dash of romance between Qian Chu and Sun Taizhen, but I love that it was not distracting to the plot at all! They may probably be my favourite couple despite barely having any scenes together. They met when they were kids, grew up together, went through adventures and challenges together, and built life and family together. Despite minimal physical intimacy, the audience could still feel the characters’ deep mutual understanding and affection.

The production demonstrated exceptional quality and artistry, particularly through its authentic set designs and costumes. The music was no less exquisite with it seamlessly matching each scene. The narrative primarily features ministers and officials engaged in discussions concerning state affairs, with dialogue taking precedence over action. I find these conversations interesting, offering substantial value and insight. The dialogues were well-written that I often find myself repeating a scene just so I could take in what has been said and understand its complexity in its entirety. I thought I would get bored at some point, but that point did not come when watching this. The plot moved rapidly as it involves multiple shifts in power, numerous deaths, and constant changes throughout. The drama started strong and it kept its audience engaged until the end.

Although this drama is well-produced, it may appeal mainly to history enthusiasts familiar with the era or have deep passion in learning history rather than casual viewers. That being said, please still do give this drama a try! This was a heavy watch but so so worth it in the end.

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The cycles of history

Set during the latter half of the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Swords into Plowshares endeavors to condense several decades of turmoil into a cohesive story. For the most part, it succeeds as a well-produced historical epic, anchoring the story around a few historical figures - Qian Chu of Wuyue, his wife Sun Taizhen, Zhao Kuangyin of Song and Guo Rong (Chai Rong) of Later Zhou.

The first 12 episodes or so are some of my favorite - bold, devastating and moving in its depiction of the wanton slaughter and abuse of the common people as the Central Plains exchanged one ruler for another. There are also moments of human triumph some to arise out of that destruction and usher in a semblance of peace and order. But mankind is fickle, and human nature is not easily overcome. Until the final frame, our main characters face struggle after another in order to bring about a "year of peace."

A few historical figures are unfortunately whitewashed to fit an overall narrative of unifying the lands for peace, but the drama is overall still a respectable attempt to faithfully depict an often overlooked period of Chinese history. The script at its best waxes philosophical regarding varying viewpoints regarding human governance, and its strong use of classical Chinese is a much needed breath of fresh air in this age of idol dramas. It may too dense for some, but the cast deftly bring their characters to life, and one can simply follow their emotional journey fairly well even if much of the detail in the dialogue escapes them.

As a longtime enjoyer of historical dramas - from any country or language - I hope to see more in this vein from C drama land.

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