strong FL and ML
Amazing casting! This is my first time watching a drama with Chen Xiao and loved his role in this.I am always down for the strong FL and ML - power couple. He was so captivated by her the minute he saw her and you could tell, he found him a bit interesting.
Listen, I had no idea Ouyang Xu would end up like that LOL.
Despite all the set backs, the leads and their friends finally got what they wanted.
For some of the characters (family), maybe I missed what happened to them.
For the ending, I wouldn't say it is my favorite. They could have given us the ending we were looking forward to see.
Overall, it was good and you will enjoy the romance and fighting scenes.
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a love romance with passion and strengh
the story is about a woman, dance entertainer, who has fallen into pariah class for her father's fault and HOW she will stand up high again after that. my feelings after watching the drama are joy and relieve.there are a lot of good things to view in this drama: costumes, poetry, songs, dialogues, fights, political plots, views of ancient life in China, view of women condition in ancient China. I loved the subtle way the main characters seduced each others and behaved with one another. I also loved how smart the main female character is.
violence: in my opinion there are 2 major violent scenes, (ep24, 39th min until beginning ep 25 4th min) and (ep37, 18th minute). I would keep children under 12 away, and definitely explain to all under age children why that's not ok.
sex: that's a very family friendly show.
when to watch: with your family or your lover. there are definitely too much love scenes for friends' entertainment. the show is relaxing enough to be watched on after work's basis. it is catching and you'll have sometimes hard time stopping. but keep some good stuffs for tomorrow my friend!
have fun!
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Justice always triumphs
"A dream of splendor"mainly focuses on women and their struggles to settle in their life.It tells the story of 3 women from Qiantang to the Eastern capital and how they start and run a business successfully and establish themselves in the capital,make friends and eventually find their loved ones.Liu Yifei as Zhao Pan'er and Chen Xiao as Gu Qianfan were perfect in their roles.Ada Liu is excellent as Sun Sanniang.Jelly Lin as Yinzhang is also good..All the other actors were good.
The drama,to be precise is very practical and also interesting at the same time.
What I liked the most is the background is very bright and all the costumes and sets were very nice.The plot is also grippy with few twists and turns.The locations were scenicl.
Overall it is a worth watching drama which leaves a pleasant impression on our minds.
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Women empowerment
Pros:- The sisterhood is so good—literally, you won’t wanna skip any scene.
- Strong themes of women empowerment, feminism, and challenging patriarchy are woven throughout, giving the show depth.
- The Song dynasty setting? Hard to pull off, but they nailed it. Realistic, solid plot, and it looks amazing.
- The fl is a standout character. The actress really brought it, simple but powerful, a character who understands right from wrong while maintaining a relatable vulnerability. ml is a walking gentleman, everything he says is like “stop, you’re too perfect.”
- Slow-burn romance done right. It’s a mature portrayal of love, where the connection builds gradually, making the tension feel even more authentic.
- No filler convos here. every scene counts, which is super rare for this genre.
- I love how the problems come from everyday life, not some grand political schemes. Makes it more relatable and less heavy.
Cons:
- It’s slow, no steamy romance, and maybe too realistic for some. ik not everyone will love that.
- More people need to watch this, but it’s flying under the radar. Deserves way more hype tbh.
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Unparalleled chemistry
Many things are great about this drama, (and a few things I didn't particularly like) but the one thing that teuly stood out the most to me is how perfect the chemistry between the two leads was, I truly can't think of any other drama where I could feel their chemistry through the screen like I did here.The drama itself is very good, each character has its own interesting story, character development, relationships development and depth without it overshadowing the two leads stories.
The female lead isn't a perfect mary sue nor is she a damsel in distress: she's smart and resourceful, she has ambitions and passions outside of her love interest but she also doesn't put him second and cares deeply about him and his happiness and safety.
Her "sisters" (family isn't always decided by blood) are also fully flashed out characters, they are not there just to have a secondary love story, advance the plot or assist the FL: they have ambitions and flaws, they make mistakes, more than once, they learn from them and develop as characters and mature as people. Their bond and their struggles, their love for each other and their disagreements and fights were always well executed.
The male side characters were also really well developed, interesting and extremely lovable.
I watched this drama because of Crystal Liu but the stand out for me in this drama was the actor that played Qianfan: I felt like he was truly phenomenal in the role, he was able to play the stone faced commissioner but also made me swoon every time he was near the FL.
I enjoyed the first half a lot more and I would give it a 10, but the second half wasn't as good, maybe an 8? I'm not sure if I have to be honest, but still.
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Satisfied.!
I’m years late watching this drama but am happy I did I love Chen, Xiao! Ever since I saw him in Ingenious Ones I was hooked. A strong quiet, heroic character is always a turn on . I really liked this drama. After watching so many dramas with scheming, conniving characters this was definitely a more mature smart show, also I love a happy ending. I’d be okay if every show had a happy ending.Was this review helpful to you?
A Hard-Hitting Tale of the realities of Low Class Women in Ancient China
I liked this show; what a moving depiction of the struggles of the low class, especially women in historical China. The music and production put the icing on the cake of a good story and great acting.I really must dub my hat to the writers: 3 women tied together by their experiences but all with distinct personalities and heart-wrenching stories.
My props to the actors for bringing the story to life. Ouyang Xu is definitely going up on my list of vile antagonists.
The story's pacing was pretty good except for a few episodes in the middle between 25-32—otherwise a great watching experience.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really love this series. It's not a complex drama that drives you crazy with twists and turns, but it tackles women's empowerment. Also, the cinematography is so damn great and comparable to The Longest Day of Chang'an. Showcasing the culture back in the Song Dynasty captivates me. Undeniably, I love the Song Dynasty, their costumes, delicacies, music, paintings, etc. Furthermore, what makes me keep on watching this series is the chemistry between Pan'er and Qianfan and other central characters throughout the entire series. They have overflowing chemistry and their eyes speak with emotions that fit the scenes. The osts are good too, because they have deep meanings. Honestly, I don't like Yinzhang because she irritated me a lot with her personality, but it's a good thing she has a character development at the end. Ouyang Xu really drives me insanely. Gosh, he fucked up at the end and he deserved it. Also, the emperor is doing well because it's rare to find a character in a comedy that is not scheming and heartless. This time he listens. Other supporting roles are doing well, and I can proudly say that I love Chen Xiao as Qianfan. He's such a gem and underrated in INTL, but damn his acting skills are great. Same with Liu Yifei. If given a chance again to work in the future, I will support them because their tandem is one of the best. They've lived up to their hype in China and have gotten high scores and ratings. Some may find it boring or have draggy episodes. Well, it's natural because we all have different tastes, and it's really normal for the series to receive negative feedback. Was this review helpful to you?
Appealing Story
This show gets a good solid 7 from me. I really enjoyed the first 20 or so episodes and the characters were fun and interesting. The cinematography was quite lovely and the music was well done. I have become a big Chen Xiao fan lately and like Liu Yi Fei. I think she is quite lovely and he is so expressive with just his eyes and gaze. The side characters were good and the strong women banding together theme was refreshing to see in a c-drama. It really captivated me and I was loving it until I was not. The writers just could not help themselves from throwing in a few tropes that were entirely unnecessary. Mainly the I am breaking up with you for your own good trope. I think that was thrown in as a filler to get through 7-8 episodes. Definately not needed. It was a 9 for me until episode 27 or so and then it digressed. The last 13 episodes were to me poorly written. The ending was a total letdown. I almost gave it a 6 but just love Chen Xiao so upped it to a 7. It is definatley one of the better c-dramas out there these days but why oh why can the writers of these dramas not learn the lesson that sometimes less is more?Was this review helpful to you?
A Must Watch!
The last review I wrote was a rant about how bad the series was. This is the total opposite. Everything about this series was wonderful. I particularly liked the fact that the story was woman-centered, showing three strong women during a time when it was exceptionally difficult to be a single woman.The acting was extremely well-performed, with not only the ML/FL having real chemistry but also the other roles being particularly well-done. It is also one of the few series when I haven't pressed fast-forward in any episode. The pacing was excellent.
All in all, this might just be the series that overtakes "The Wolf" as my favourite series, perhaps because I'm a sucker for a good ending and, boy, was the resolution good.
If I have one small gripe, it's that no effort whatsoever is made to make the pipa playing look anything like real. I don't know anything about playing this instrument but she even seems to be holding it very differently from more historical series that I've seen but, oh well, you can't ask for everything.
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This review may contain spoilers
S'okay
Will someone please deliver C drama from the curse of useless misunderstandings between the leads?This is a woman who wants complete independence yet her business is largely funded by a man
She wants to expand her business and instead of saving up she expects the male lead to fork over a very large sum of money and when a mistake happens, she automatically writes him off and then turns to another man to dig her out of the mess she made all by herself.
I swear I wasn’t sure if the creators of this drama were poking fun at women’s independence or celebrating it cause all this series does is show that women could only have anything bc men allowed or funded it.
I did enjoy eps one through 16 but the FL stood too long on her soapbox and compounded that by making avoidable mistakes for no reason whatsoever.
Now, let’s talk about the male lead.
That the wind blew the mortgage receipt was all due to the idiocy of the ML. So fucking what if your father caused harm to the FL’s family? That was not a good reason or time to play the avoidance game when all he had to do was tell her the relationship was done. Avoiding her was a convenient plot device that allowed the producers drag the series by an additional fifteen episodes. It was all about the money otherwise A Dream of Splendor should have only had 20 episodes.
If you want a show with true female empowerment then watch “New Life Begins”. The women in that series truly support each other and funded their businesses themselves.
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