Lilly1008

Yup! He could read the phonebook to me and I'd not get tired listening to him. *sigh*

What I heard, Youku was interested in financing a possible sequel, but the director, writer and production team obviously didn't confirm anything about it, so far. It's been an independent low-budget production which had a unique story and a passionate cast and crew. With a big company involved, they might fear to lose this independency and could be forced to follow the wishes of the money-givers.

Indeed! One of the few soundtracks that never get boring. Always lovely to listen to it again.

The historical Xiao Yanyan became a very powerful woman after the Emperor's untimely death, still commanding her own cavalry of about 10.000 horsemen at the high age of sixty, even fighting back the legendary generals of the Yang family.
So, the novel this series is based on can't simply make her end up like a frail and heartbroken damsel in distress as she never had been one.

You have no idea how much you speak my mind!

Totally agree! And as it seems, the historical Xiao Yanyan did not hate her husband, the Emperor. So, why, the heck, have the writers always to mess up historical records. Just because of another fanfiction? I checked on the history of the Liao Dynasty and its rulers and clans and it's so interesting in itself, that it simply doesn't need made up love stories.

I grew up reading the great adventure stories of the 19th century (Jack London, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, Henryk Sienkiewicz) and with the classic movies about pirates, Robin Hood, knights like Ivanhoe or Iron Heart. And so I also read Water Margin as a teen in the 1980s.
I waited for a long time to find a fitting adaptation.
For Dumas' "Three Musketeers" there are the movies directed by Richard Lester in 1973/1974 which are unmatched up till today, but the Water Margin adaptations were all kind of good but not outstading...until 2011. There were finally all the characters portrayed as individuals and not just like a band of outlaws worshipping Song Jiang. But after almost ten years, it's still not fully subbed. It's a shame.
As for the drama that started this discussion: Like always, I'll check on a few more episodes before I'll critically judge it.

Qu Chu Xiao used his real voice, no dubbing involved for him.
But I agree, his role was a bit a means to an end. That's why I'd love to see a second season. The writer, who's also the author of the novel, handed the storylines of what happens after the last episode to the four protagonists and it would be so worth turning this into a sequel. Maybe, one day...

So do I!
I love strong couples with strong storylines and heroes and heroines who stick with their partners like in the great old wuxia tales of Gu Long, for example. Like Cui Nong and Fu Hongxue.
As for the series: "The Legend of Qin" also has some wonderful love stories without prominent love triangles.
It is possible to create good stories, but at the moment it's really hard to find the good ones. Some of the last, I really enjoyed were "Bloody Romance" and "Qing Qing Zi Jin" as both are quite different from the mainstream drama in their very own way.

Oh yes! If it comes to great stories and great heroes, the Song Dynasty is defintiely one of the most interesting: Water Margin, Yue Fei, the Yang Clan, the Liao and Jin Dynasties with their great clans (Wanyan, Yelü, Tuoba) as rivals. There is enough stuff for dramas for decades. If only we'd have the writers and the directors.
Kuk Kok Leung (the mastermind behind Water Margin 2011 and The Patriot Yue Fei) doesn't get younger. Cao Dun focusses on other stories and, let's face it, except for some few other good directors, the main part produces less than average drama, at this point of time.

Her sisters were married to powerful members of the Liao's Yelü clan, too, and her son was still very young when her husband, the Liao Emperor, died. It wouldn't have been the first time that a clan memeber would have tried to snatch the power from the ruling part of the family. So, I could imagine, she wanted to prevent this.

I really love the tales about the Yang family especially about their histirorical (General Yang Zai Xing) and fictional (Yang Zhi, Yang Tiexin, Yang Kang & Yang Guo) descendants, but to see the historical happenings from the Liao Dynasty's point of view could be interesting, too, especially with a powerful historical woman in the lead who really held power and didn't have to be turned into a Mary Sue.
Honestly, it doesn't sound as if she hated her husband, the Emperor, in history, so, why do these drama-stories and novels they are based on always create those boring love-triangles where there never were some?
In this case, history definitely wrote the better story, in my honest opinion.

Indeed! Their love-triangles must be their Holy Grail. How could it be that a woman/lady/queen/empress possibly likes her husband? No, there always has to be a freakin' love-triangle. Blergh...

Xiao Yanyan's life story would have been interesting enough without a made-up lovestory. When did the Chinese writers and directors start to forget how to make great biography dramas instead of always the same romance blabla...???

"Xiao Yanyan was the 3rd child of Xiao Siwen (蕭思溫), Liao's chancellor. Also referred to by the name Xiao Chuo, Xiao's original Khitan family name was Bali (拔裏氏). Xiao later married Emperor Jingzong of Liao and would go on to bear the crown Prince Yelü Longxu. Being granted the title of Empress, Xiao was influential during her husbands reign and would go on to become regent for her son in 982 when he ascended the Liao thrown as Emperor Shengzong at 12 years old after the untimely death of Emperor Jingzong of Liao who died while returning from a hunting trip. In 986, the Liao Empire was invade by the Song Dynasty to the south under the leadership of Emperor Taizong of Song, but was defeated by Liao forces under Xiao's command which had retreating Song troops thrown into the Xia river. A further invasion by the Song would ensue in 989 only to be defeated once again by Liao forces resulting in the death of Yang Ye (note: Yang Ye, the famous General and head of the legendary Yang Clan). As Empress Dowager Chengtian, Xiao commanded her own army of 10,000 cavalry and would personally lead the Liao army in battle against the Song in 1005 despite being well over 60 by that point. Known for her great skills in civil administration and Empress Dowager Chengtian would retained great influence until her death.
She was also instrumental in arranging a marriage between her son and her court lady, Xiao Noujin. However, she had a poor relationship with her two older sisters, and she eventually poisoned or murdered both of them."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Yanyan)

Thanks heaven, this series has an actor like Su Jian Quan as General Xia Hou Ying.

When the acting went underground, but one's still watching, because some amazing so called veterans are part of the cast and deliver better performances in two minutes screentime than the main leads in twenty episodes...

You're welcome. :)
This series is truly outshining most of the stuff broadcast nowadays.

No worries! There are only 38 episodes. I've watched it without subs back in 2017 and it already had only 38 episodes. No more and no less.

You're welcome. :)

Can't say, how glad I am that I downloaded all episodes before the show got pulled down.
As far as I know, the original version should still be on watchasian / dramacool, though.
As they are not Chinese, they didn't take it down when "Guardian" vanished from all other channels, including YT.

I'd like the idea! It was a nice little series with a very good cast.

Hehe, yes, me too.
I'll keep a watchful eye on him from now on. :D