Alaskan

The Pursuit of Jade was a visual delight. The costumes were beautiful, in particular the royal outfits worn by the Princess Royal and everything worn by the Marquis. (His furs, the l-o-n-g pheasant feathers!) The Marquis, played by Zhang Linghe, was jaw-droppingly handsome but, really, almost everyone was beautiful. All of the couples (including the one with the evil prince) had intense chemistry. I also thought that much of the cinematography and music were gorgeous.

However (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

I’m not sure about the ending(s). Why was there a “what if” storyline tacked onto the official ending? Regardless of whether it was in the original book, it might have been better to leave it out of the drama because it seemed to diminish the prior 39 episodes. I thought that the first ending had problems, too. For example, the Marquis becomes Prince Regent and the General becomes a big important general but they go back to the village and, it seems, work remotely??? Further, my favorite parts of Chinese historical dramas are the political struggles and maneuverings but here they never approach the intensity or tension and satisfying resolution of other historical dramas such as Blossom or The Legend of Zhang Hai or Nirvana in Fire (okay, the last is an impossibly high standard).

But I would recommend Pursuit of Jade if you are looking for a very romantic and visually stunning historical drama.