Corneilius

You should watch WJY in the Story of Yanxi Palace. she is scared of no one, even the emperor as she tries to get revenge for the death of her sister in the forbidden city.

WJY starred in The Story of Yanxi Palace which is one of the most watched cdramas in recent years. she is also a very talented dancer, she was accepted into the prestigious Chinese National Ballet but had to retire due to a persistent foot injury at 19 and then persued a career in acting.

fantastic peice of acting, Minglan only has one line in that whole scene " I never intended to marry into the house of Liang" but madam Lin visably collapses from desperatly clinging to her prestige to crawling after Minglan as she left the room.

Wait until episode 33. Are you in for a ride!

it's slow burn. As the saying goes 'The course of love does not run smooth' so there are a few misunderstandings but the side chracters make up for it. Their back stories are surprising and sometimes shocking.

I believe there was a cook book released with it, but unfortunately it is in Mandarin and has not been translated.

Why is Sevens stock low? I thought she was pretty much in demand.

If you have not seen it The Sword and the Brocade is almost the same story but much lighter. I watched it before Minglan and it doesnt have the same depth and richness of writing but Shiyi is so like Minglan

You missed the demise of Madam Lin in episode 33! The whole drama turns on that, the first time Minglan shows her claws.

The mother opened a Beauty Salon and was planning to pick her son up but there was a scuffle in the salon, she tried to break it up and the customer fell, hit her head and died. She went to prison for 4 years and by the time she got out decided it was best for her son to stay where he was. The child with her belonged to one of her employees who had also been sent to prison for kiling her abusive husband in self defence.

I think Seven Tan as Jian Jian was a good cast, she does look a lot younger than her age and with that puding haircut did look like a teenager. I agree about Ling Xiao, he waa more wooden than one of Jian Jian's scuptures, Ziqui was the more interesting brother, and she should have chosen him.

Not sure from your comment whether you finshed the drama but Ziqui's mother did turn out well, there were very good reasons why she couldn't return to take Ziqui back.

This is only 4 epidodes but is almost Looks like this is a continung Chinese Goverment programme where established actors star for a few episodesSeven Tan is in 4 episodes which are a reverse of the recent hit 'Meet Yourself', a village is losing its young population to the cities so a few elderly residents get their children to give up lucrative jobs to return to the village and use modern technology to make the village sustainable.

It seems to he a government backed production and the politics is subtle and understated until the last 15 minutes which is full on CCP celebration with teary-eyed citizens rousing music and paddy fields full of different coloured plants painting patriotic tableaux and party slogans.

Totally bonkers

It is not a rollercoaster, its a warm blanket. Just immerse yourself in the scenery and the community and .....relax.

Just finished The Ideal City and after a great start, it tailed off in the last 3rd of the drama, it just got too complex. 2 things that rankle. Helen from HR, she dreams of owning her own flat with her boyfriend who supports her whilst keeping her grounded and he literally saves every last penny to realise the dream. Then the president gives her doe eyes and she goes weak at the knees, dumps him in the most brutal way possible to shack up with the elderly president.
And what was the pretty boy all about, only there for eye candy, he just sat in scenes playing on his phone having the odd peice of dialogue and proving that China can also lead the world in the worst fashion stakes. Some of the clothes he wore would make a clown feel embaressed!

Gu, Qi marries into the royal family after the crown prince kills the consorts sister, who has arranged a marriage for Qi with his mother and without his knowledge, Crown prince then threatens to kill Minglan and her family if Qi refuses this marriage. Qui' wife is killed in a palace coup so he sets his sights on Minglan again but Gu has already set himself on marrying her. Qi ends up with a good wife and they both support Minglan In her hour of need.

I got to episode 20ish and was thinking of giving up because there seemed to be nothing happening, but I stuck with it, and boy, am I glad. Once Minglan reveals her brilliance, the massive backstory becomes apparent. Watched 3 times now, and when it looks like nothing is happening, everything is happening.

I wondered how she could get redeption, but once her story was revealed, I did have sympathy for her. She borrowed money to start a business from the father and left her son with her family. Her intention was always to reunite with him when she was secure, but there was a scuffle in her salon, a customer fell and struck her head, and she was jailed for manslaughter. Once out, she rebuilt her business and probably knew her son was in a good place and didn't want to interfere. One of her employees killed her abusive husband in self-defense, so she took on her son whilst she was in prison. I dont think she did anything really bad and was embarrassed to contact her son because of what had happened to her. I thought the outcome at the end was satisfying.

Really heartwarming drama, especially when the children are young, gets a bit angsty after they become adults.

If you have not seen 'Go Ahead,' watch for the best Dad ever. Stars Seven Tan as well.

Agree, her character is hard working and talented, but because she won't be pushed about, people are criticising her. I suspect that the story will develop around criticising her out of work life. When you think of one of her recent dramas, Master of My Own, the ML in that was Toxic but recieved far less criticism.