Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
To be cast leeward on the least stony shore
As a theme digger, I am interested in messages promoted or accidentally touched upon, especially non-obvious.
FUTILITY OF DEDICATION TO POLITICS
Lan Xiang & Han Liang sing Zuo Zhuan’s commentary to “Spring and Autumn Annals”: “The late emperor’s successors rose and shaped the realm / How many emperors were wise, and how many were foolish?” Years later Han, diligent & righteous Minister of Justice, is punished, standing in the snow till he freezes to death.
All state officials knelt for the new emperor. Jin Qi also abandoned his rival-friend to save his family, just like his ancestors had left the Shens (in Asian mentality, failure to help means treason). Soon, finally at home, he succumbed prematurely to the amassed physical & emotional burden. Only Lan Xiang, who tended to the countless war scars on his exploited body, understood why.
Rampant or recumbent, these deaths show that a wrong rule is a waste of potential, efforts, lives. Survival cannot be achieved by opposing or avoiding vicissitudes, only by letting oneself be seized by the current & cast leeward on the least stony shore.
SIGNIFICANCE OF DEDICATION TO SOCIETY
In contrast: Lan Xiang gave herself to society. She showed concern for others’ needs & limitations, deftly stepped aside not to hurt Ji’er’s pride, alleviated maids’ shared misery, provided support to the family who had wronged her. She acted like a bee in a beehive, in spite of feeling lonely & misplaced.
This brought Lan Xiang double success. Fate placed her back in her lost position, though she abhorred it. The other achievement was crucial: the restitution of her family’s honour. Though she did not live to see it, she felt it coming: it transcended her death. New, unknown generations gratified her effort through a peculiar ‘genetic memory’ of the collective spirit.
Jin Qi also had concern for people. He would stand among soldiers, promising to fight for their provisions, fulfil his duty as their commander. We could expect him to rise above the cowardice of the Lins.
VALUE OF ART
The method Lan Xiang chose for her aim was the art. By writing scripts (regarded as an inferior business) she conveyed the message of her family’s innocence. She improvised on stage, drew identikits, acted as a connoisseur of paintings, sang, wrote, taught, analysed to save herself or others. It brought her close to others, making her even more invincible. Art is also the trail that led Jin Qi to Lan Xiang’s identity. A tragic irony is the fact that the brothel from which she narrowly escaped was called a ‘music house.’
IMPORTANCE OF MARITAL SINCERITY
The recurring scenes of mute suffering are among the strongest: during the mass suicide, the brute violence happening to maids, the decreed wedding, the visit to the Shen mansion, on the burial hill. It takes a superhuman instinct to stifle any moan, suppress desire for unbosoming – just to survive.
Yet Lan Xiang’s lack of sincerity towards her spouse does not derive from a survival instinct but stands in opposition to it. Neither does it appease the tension, nor inspire understanding, nor lay a basis for a new start.
First, she refused Jin Qi feedback regarding his fault when forcing her to marry him. Obviously, he was awkward rather than deliberate. Little indeed would be needed to facilitate his remorse.
Second, she concealed her identity, even long into the marriage. The opportunities for sincerity came in a graded series. On learning that her husband had given her family (including her unfortunate double) a proper burial at the risk of conflict with his relatives & emperor, she still decided to retain a false name. After the exposure she refused to utter a word.
A question arises if this love-hate relationship, with no sincerity at its basis, can be called love. On one hand, Lan Xiang decides to sell an orchid & pawn hairpins – gifts from Jin Qi. When enlisting the most important things in her life, Lan Xiang casually skips the husband. Her wedding slap might be taken for a passing fit of anger, but her farewell utterance “One lifetime is enough” is downright cruelty; it is a slap to Jin Qi’s weary, departing soul.
On the other hand, Lan Xiang consistently protects Jin Qi & his relatives long before any idea of marriage arises. She stands for him, comforts him whenever he suffers. She allows him to wrap an eternal string around their bodies.
IMPORTANCE OF FOSTERING
Fostering is viewed as strong bonding that defies genetics. Lan Xiang’s foster parents start acting as if having forgotten that she is not their flesh & bone.
When Lan Xiang is dying, she is holding a sachet from Gui Hua, instead of the paper with the message “Live” from her biological mother.
There are other heartwarming examples: Xiu Ru treats her stepdaughter on equal terms with her daughters. Zhao Xiang decides for Xiu Lai & her children to receive his family name. Shun Hua bequeaths the title of the First Madam to Lan Xiang instead of her female relatives. Former rival Xing Tang gives the same farewell advice as Lan Xiang’s mother did years ago: “Live well.”
DIGNITY VS SURVIVAL
The heroine’s repeated suppression of words & tears shows how much dignity & ambition went lost the moment her family was sentenced. She cannot expect to live a full, satisfactory life. Thanks to exceptional emotional intelligence & good luck, she manages to stay alive. Yet her level of dignity remains high enough to keep her away from becoming desperate & harmful like Xing Tang.
An interesting quest for the restoration of dignity can be observed in Jin Qi. After the slap, he first tries to prevent gossip, then to persuade his wife of his good intentions & only later to take her feelings into account.
One character took a unique way from dishonour to dignity. During the flash marriage negotiation, Xu Wan proved able in an instant to redefine her preconceptions, assess her suitor’s intentions, reckon the risk of full honesty & refute her elders’ reservations.
OBJECTIFICATION OF MEN
In many C-dramas men serve as a foreground for the display of women’s features. Here the main victim of this process is Jin Qi, who has to be inferior to enable Lan Xiang to be superior. His attendants also exist partly for the sake of ‘lifting’ two maids. Lan Xiang’s biological father leaves a bitter sensation of his contemptuous view on servants.
The greatest flaw of this drama is the open feminist didacticism, the pretentious slogans involving stereotypes instead of the more discreet actions.
However, this series does justice to men by showing they also fall innocent victims to political disputes or manor intrigues. Male characters also evince positive features that tend to be reserved for women in world literature.
The early superawkward, possessive Jin Qi later learns to be more subtle, open to the complexity of human condition. His fainting at Lan Xiang’s childbirth, apart from serving as a comical element of the plot, reveals his care & sensitivity.
His fragile brother Jin Lan evinces the same level of restraint & caution as Lan Xiang. He is able to defend his family in a motherly way rather than fatherly; by negotiating the circumstances rather than drawing swords.
Wan Quan is likewise a mild protector. Although innocent in his illiteracy, he is able to dodge the life’s blows almost as efficiently as his foster daughter.
Landlord Lu Xie has an exquisite level of vulnerable insight, which he is constantly trying to conceal under the mask of drowsy indifference.
Jiu Gao cherishes his discovered female side, ready to boast of it in public.
Zhao Xiang grows remarkably flexible in his views, setting aside his pride as a senior for the sake of the innocent.
GLITCHES & FLAWS
The settings & staging are so meticulously performed that I cannot name a single glitch. Perhaps only some scenes with wounds, death or explosives which defy biology & physics – but most C-dramas bear that trait.
However, there are major flaws in the character building:
Lan Xiang’s behaviour during & after the wedding towards her husband & his family is unearned, exaggerated, reckless. The reaction of the Lin family is lenient, considering they lack the knowledge of her mind, let alone agency to change the emperor’s decree.
Lan Xiang puts the manor at a risk by concealing the potentially contagious disease of her fellow maid for days. It undermines her image as a mature, prudent, foreseeing person.
Lan Xiang as First Madam rightly treats punishment only as a preventive measure, but her overall attitude starts to fit into the system that has oppressed her.
During the brothel rescue, Jin Qi ignores Ji’er. Lan Xiang forgets her promise to help her, just waiting passively for the news.
There is a false analogy in two acts of burning documents. When Lan Xiang sets fire to a testimony against Jin Qi, she actually puts an end to a morally groundless threat, which would drown her too as Jin Qi’s wife. His act of setting the oppressed prince free was pure act of mercy, even if the emperor would never admit it, since the logic of the state is detached from human reasoning. Some episodes later Jin Qi sets fire to pieces of art & wisdom that might serve as a disputable testimony that Lan Xiang is Jia Lan. Likewise, there is no guilt involved. Nobody would have a motive to harm the survivor: the emperor who persecuted the Shen family is long gone. Similarly, Jin Qi has nothing to fear from his wife: there has been a long history of mutual support & protection, no threat of revenge.
APPEAL
I enjoy the selection of actors for the main roles – predominantly over 30 yet with youthful & natural looks. This corresponds with the atmosphere of wisdom & moderateness. I wish it becomes a trend in C-dramas: instead of exploring the limits (like in Western culture), the novelty can derive from looking deeper (Eastern culture). Wherever extremes are unnecessary, no need arises for plastic surgery, intricate special effects or exaggerated violence.
Written by a nationless spirit confined in the decaying Mid-Europe.
FUTILITY OF DEDICATION TO POLITICS
Lan Xiang & Han Liang sing Zuo Zhuan’s commentary to “Spring and Autumn Annals”: “The late emperor’s successors rose and shaped the realm / How many emperors were wise, and how many were foolish?” Years later Han, diligent & righteous Minister of Justice, is punished, standing in the snow till he freezes to death.
All state officials knelt for the new emperor. Jin Qi also abandoned his rival-friend to save his family, just like his ancestors had left the Shens (in Asian mentality, failure to help means treason). Soon, finally at home, he succumbed prematurely to the amassed physical & emotional burden. Only Lan Xiang, who tended to the countless war scars on his exploited body, understood why.
Rampant or recumbent, these deaths show that a wrong rule is a waste of potential, efforts, lives. Survival cannot be achieved by opposing or avoiding vicissitudes, only by letting oneself be seized by the current & cast leeward on the least stony shore.
SIGNIFICANCE OF DEDICATION TO SOCIETY
In contrast: Lan Xiang gave herself to society. She showed concern for others’ needs & limitations, deftly stepped aside not to hurt Ji’er’s pride, alleviated maids’ shared misery, provided support to the family who had wronged her. She acted like a bee in a beehive, in spite of feeling lonely & misplaced.
This brought Lan Xiang double success. Fate placed her back in her lost position, though she abhorred it. The other achievement was crucial: the restitution of her family’s honour. Though she did not live to see it, she felt it coming: it transcended her death. New, unknown generations gratified her effort through a peculiar ‘genetic memory’ of the collective spirit.
Jin Qi also had concern for people. He would stand among soldiers, promising to fight for their provisions, fulfil his duty as their commander. We could expect him to rise above the cowardice of the Lins.
VALUE OF ART
The method Lan Xiang chose for her aim was the art. By writing scripts (regarded as an inferior business) she conveyed the message of her family’s innocence. She improvised on stage, drew identikits, acted as a connoisseur of paintings, sang, wrote, taught, analysed to save herself or others. It brought her close to others, making her even more invincible. Art is also the trail that led Jin Qi to Lan Xiang’s identity. A tragic irony is the fact that the brothel from which she narrowly escaped was called a ‘music house.’
IMPORTANCE OF MARITAL SINCERITY
The recurring scenes of mute suffering are among the strongest: during the mass suicide, the brute violence happening to maids, the decreed wedding, the visit to the Shen mansion, on the burial hill. It takes a superhuman instinct to stifle any moan, suppress desire for unbosoming – just to survive.
Yet Lan Xiang’s lack of sincerity towards her spouse does not derive from a survival instinct but stands in opposition to it. Neither does it appease the tension, nor inspire understanding, nor lay a basis for a new start.
First, she refused Jin Qi feedback regarding his fault when forcing her to marry him. Obviously, he was awkward rather than deliberate. Little indeed would be needed to facilitate his remorse.
Second, she concealed her identity, even long into the marriage. The opportunities for sincerity came in a graded series. On learning that her husband had given her family (including her unfortunate double) a proper burial at the risk of conflict with his relatives & emperor, she still decided to retain a false name. After the exposure she refused to utter a word.
A question arises if this love-hate relationship, with no sincerity at its basis, can be called love. On one hand, Lan Xiang decides to sell an orchid & pawn hairpins – gifts from Jin Qi. When enlisting the most important things in her life, Lan Xiang casually skips the husband. Her wedding slap might be taken for a passing fit of anger, but her farewell utterance “One lifetime is enough” is downright cruelty; it is a slap to Jin Qi’s weary, departing soul.
On the other hand, Lan Xiang consistently protects Jin Qi & his relatives long before any idea of marriage arises. She stands for him, comforts him whenever he suffers. She allows him to wrap an eternal string around their bodies.
IMPORTANCE OF FOSTERING
Fostering is viewed as strong bonding that defies genetics. Lan Xiang’s foster parents start acting as if having forgotten that she is not their flesh & bone.
When Lan Xiang is dying, she is holding a sachet from Gui Hua, instead of the paper with the message “Live” from her biological mother.
There are other heartwarming examples: Xiu Ru treats her stepdaughter on equal terms with her daughters. Zhao Xiang decides for Xiu Lai & her children to receive his family name. Shun Hua bequeaths the title of the First Madam to Lan Xiang instead of her female relatives. Former rival Xing Tang gives the same farewell advice as Lan Xiang’s mother did years ago: “Live well.”
DIGNITY VS SURVIVAL
The heroine’s repeated suppression of words & tears shows how much dignity & ambition went lost the moment her family was sentenced. She cannot expect to live a full, satisfactory life. Thanks to exceptional emotional intelligence & good luck, she manages to stay alive. Yet her level of dignity remains high enough to keep her away from becoming desperate & harmful like Xing Tang.
An interesting quest for the restoration of dignity can be observed in Jin Qi. After the slap, he first tries to prevent gossip, then to persuade his wife of his good intentions & only later to take her feelings into account.
One character took a unique way from dishonour to dignity. During the flash marriage negotiation, Xu Wan proved able in an instant to redefine her preconceptions, assess her suitor’s intentions, reckon the risk of full honesty & refute her elders’ reservations.
OBJECTIFICATION OF MEN
In many C-dramas men serve as a foreground for the display of women’s features. Here the main victim of this process is Jin Qi, who has to be inferior to enable Lan Xiang to be superior. His attendants also exist partly for the sake of ‘lifting’ two maids. Lan Xiang’s biological father leaves a bitter sensation of his contemptuous view on servants.
The greatest flaw of this drama is the open feminist didacticism, the pretentious slogans involving stereotypes instead of the more discreet actions.
However, this series does justice to men by showing they also fall innocent victims to political disputes or manor intrigues. Male characters also evince positive features that tend to be reserved for women in world literature.
The early superawkward, possessive Jin Qi later learns to be more subtle, open to the complexity of human condition. His fainting at Lan Xiang’s childbirth, apart from serving as a comical element of the plot, reveals his care & sensitivity.
His fragile brother Jin Lan evinces the same level of restraint & caution as Lan Xiang. He is able to defend his family in a motherly way rather than fatherly; by negotiating the circumstances rather than drawing swords.
Wan Quan is likewise a mild protector. Although innocent in his illiteracy, he is able to dodge the life’s blows almost as efficiently as his foster daughter.
Landlord Lu Xie has an exquisite level of vulnerable insight, which he is constantly trying to conceal under the mask of drowsy indifference.
Jiu Gao cherishes his discovered female side, ready to boast of it in public.
Zhao Xiang grows remarkably flexible in his views, setting aside his pride as a senior for the sake of the innocent.
GLITCHES & FLAWS
The settings & staging are so meticulously performed that I cannot name a single glitch. Perhaps only some scenes with wounds, death or explosives which defy biology & physics – but most C-dramas bear that trait.
However, there are major flaws in the character building:
Lan Xiang’s behaviour during & after the wedding towards her husband & his family is unearned, exaggerated, reckless. The reaction of the Lin family is lenient, considering they lack the knowledge of her mind, let alone agency to change the emperor’s decree.
Lan Xiang puts the manor at a risk by concealing the potentially contagious disease of her fellow maid for days. It undermines her image as a mature, prudent, foreseeing person.
Lan Xiang as First Madam rightly treats punishment only as a preventive measure, but her overall attitude starts to fit into the system that has oppressed her.
During the brothel rescue, Jin Qi ignores Ji’er. Lan Xiang forgets her promise to help her, just waiting passively for the news.
There is a false analogy in two acts of burning documents. When Lan Xiang sets fire to a testimony against Jin Qi, she actually puts an end to a morally groundless threat, which would drown her too as Jin Qi’s wife. His act of setting the oppressed prince free was pure act of mercy, even if the emperor would never admit it, since the logic of the state is detached from human reasoning. Some episodes later Jin Qi sets fire to pieces of art & wisdom that might serve as a disputable testimony that Lan Xiang is Jia Lan. Likewise, there is no guilt involved. Nobody would have a motive to harm the survivor: the emperor who persecuted the Shen family is long gone. Similarly, Jin Qi has nothing to fear from his wife: there has been a long history of mutual support & protection, no threat of revenge.
APPEAL
I enjoy the selection of actors for the main roles – predominantly over 30 yet with youthful & natural looks. This corresponds with the atmosphere of wisdom & moderateness. I wish it becomes a trend in C-dramas: instead of exploring the limits (like in Western culture), the novelty can derive from looking deeper (Eastern culture). Wherever extremes are unnecessary, no need arises for plastic surgery, intricate special effects or exaggerated violence.
Written by a nationless spirit confined in the decaying Mid-Europe.
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