This review may contain spoilers
If you don’t have power and influence, you are literally nothing
This is an interesting story, but not in a good way, but I’ll get to that.
It takes place in the Qing Dynasty and revolves around our male lead Gu Pingyuan who goes to the capital to take part in the imperial exam but is tricked into thinking his mother is ill and he causes a scene and gets exiled for 10 years in the harshest of lands where he is surrounded by evildoers but uses his wit and intellect to stay alive. He finds love but has to separateand escapes the hell hole and is reunited with his family. He then goes into various different businesses and is constantly challenged by the establishment but manages to thwart their plans at every turn making several enemies.. though these people including his father, ms Su, various officials and royalty all plan his demise and death he always manages to find a way out. The story finishes with him going back to his wife and them living a peaceful life, even though he is declared officially dead..
The problem with this story is too many to list, but the point I will make is that it is supposed to be about Aspiration. The show uses Gu Pingyuan as a highly idealised aspirational figure. The issue I have with this is that it makes it very clear that the average Joe literally has no chance to succeed. The fact that only a person of Gu Pingyuan's extraordinary caliber can survive and effect change highlights just how flawed and brutal that society was.
They also try and show us this is about Nationalism/Patriotism: The core message emphasises that qualities like intelligence, resilience, and integrity, when dedicated to the good of the nation, lead to ultimate triumph and national salvation. This suggests that extraordinary individuals are needed to correct systemic injustice, and shows the average person is disposable.
But in my opinion, all this show does is reinforce Hierarchies. The status quo. Influence matters above all else, and the system is so brutal that typical hard work won't save you. My perspective views the show as subtly discouraging mass dissent and encouraging reliance on exceptional, virtuous leaders.
So while the show aims for a message of "virtue triumphs," the mechanics of how it gets there (requiring the ML to be essentially a genius superhero with incredible luck) inadvertently support the reasoning that the average person doesn't stand a chance.
It’s clearly Chinese state propaganda and this stems from this contrast between an individual's struggle and the state's message of strong, morally sound leadership being necessary to overcome challenges.
My final thought is I also hated the fact that every time somebody did something to the ML not only did he forgive them but he somehow found a way to reward them for their despicable actions by either becoming allies and cooperating with them in business or allowing their business to flourish successfully .
The whole thing is just stupid.
It takes place in the Qing Dynasty and revolves around our male lead Gu Pingyuan who goes to the capital to take part in the imperial exam but is tricked into thinking his mother is ill and he causes a scene and gets exiled for 10 years in the harshest of lands where he is surrounded by evildoers but uses his wit and intellect to stay alive. He finds love but has to separateand escapes the hell hole and is reunited with his family. He then goes into various different businesses and is constantly challenged by the establishment but manages to thwart their plans at every turn making several enemies.. though these people including his father, ms Su, various officials and royalty all plan his demise and death he always manages to find a way out. The story finishes with him going back to his wife and them living a peaceful life, even though he is declared officially dead..
The problem with this story is too many to list, but the point I will make is that it is supposed to be about Aspiration. The show uses Gu Pingyuan as a highly idealised aspirational figure. The issue I have with this is that it makes it very clear that the average Joe literally has no chance to succeed. The fact that only a person of Gu Pingyuan's extraordinary caliber can survive and effect change highlights just how flawed and brutal that society was.
They also try and show us this is about Nationalism/Patriotism: The core message emphasises that qualities like intelligence, resilience, and integrity, when dedicated to the good of the nation, lead to ultimate triumph and national salvation. This suggests that extraordinary individuals are needed to correct systemic injustice, and shows the average person is disposable.
But in my opinion, all this show does is reinforce Hierarchies. The status quo. Influence matters above all else, and the system is so brutal that typical hard work won't save you. My perspective views the show as subtly discouraging mass dissent and encouraging reliance on exceptional, virtuous leaders.
So while the show aims for a message of "virtue triumphs," the mechanics of how it gets there (requiring the ML to be essentially a genius superhero with incredible luck) inadvertently support the reasoning that the average person doesn't stand a chance.
It’s clearly Chinese state propaganda and this stems from this contrast between an individual's struggle and the state's message of strong, morally sound leadership being necessary to overcome challenges.
My final thought is I also hated the fact that every time somebody did something to the ML not only did he forgive them but he somehow found a way to reward them for their despicable actions by either becoming allies and cooperating with them in business or allowing their business to flourish successfully .
The whole thing is just stupid.
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