I read somewhere that "Princess Agent" is in fact a plagerism from this drama. I mean the novels versions. So…
Argh I hope what they plagiarized was only a few sentences and not the storyline. I was not fascinated by that story from Princess Agents at all. The summary up there sounds different though. The storyline in Princess Agent was very BLEH! Actually when I first read the summary for it, it was interesting. IDK I haven't read the novel, maybe it is supposed to be interesting. Maybe it was only the director who ruined it, instead of filming the entire story he only filmed 1/2 of it, and he even tried to squeezed that tiny 1/2 cake into 67 (episode) people mouths when it's barely enough to feed 10 mouths. Super frustrating. If it is the same story YM should move on to a different drama, there was already enough comparisons about how Fu Yao is a replication of Princess Agents.
Very good article, although I haven't watched any of the drama's you mentioned I do intend to at some point in…
Sadly I think some of the dramas I listed do not have eng sub if you don't speak chinese.
I agree with you, realism plays very well with me when it comes to ancient dramas. It's not that I want to see a weak girl, I just want to see a realistic girl in the ancient times. There are outstanding ancient girls like you say but still don't have the opportunity to get overly intelligent because women rights didn't exist yet, they have less life experience, and less exposure to knowledge. So they are still very simple overall compared to modern people even though they are the most outstanding during their times.
The best woman who played a wolf in sheep's clothing and fool people with a sweet innocent face is actress Rebecca Wang Yan (another one of my best ancient actress, she also played in HZGG as the Princess Ching'er) in the drama Wulin Waishi, I wrote a review on it on MDL but sadly there is no english subtitles.
Interesting read, I've written my Master thesis on the portrayal of women in Asian films, and the truth is that…
Sorry for late reply guys got busy in the weeks ago couldn't visit MDL often. It's true women are always seen weaker. Even when they already play female knights they would still faint from very minor things and require the male knights to save them on time.
I think what I should have make more clear, it's not just about women being weak or strong physically, but also the realistic acting aspect and storyline too.
I like it when an actress try to portray a girl in the old days and would make it look realistic unless they are timetravelling to explain their different behaviors. There are rebellious girls like Zhu Ying Tai and Mulan who are tomboys in history that do exist. And Xiao Yan Zi played by Vickie Zhao is a good example, she is rebellious and unlike the girls of her time but Vickie played it very convincingly. She is naughty, but it is nothing like a modern girl either. It is sitll very much a naughty girl set in the olden days. That's why Vickie became a legendary because she is so herself, a modern girl would not act like her because she is too ancient, but an ancient also don't act like her because she is too different from them, so, she is unlike anybody at all except herself. When Noel Leung played the role Zhu Ying Tai that was how I felt too, she played a naughty girl but still elegant and simple minded like someone from the past, someone who has no knowledge about the 21st century.
That's what I kind of miss, I think the dramas today don't focus on this anymore. Watching simple minded characters make it feel like watching people being in a totally new world, sometimes that's the beauty of watching ancient dramas because you are supposed to be watching something set in the ancient days.
Sorry I don't. I'm sure they will sell it online somewhere (just make sure the site is reliable) but quite sure there will be no eng sub. Looks like HD version is still online so I would recommend that. Besides, there are many substories in this drama. Only the first story (with Huang Xiao Ming in it) 1-10 episodes is watchable. Don't mistake the awesome MV for the real story too XP it's actually fan made only. The real story isn't really like that.
That is called Cha Shou Li or Jiao Shou Li（叉手礼/交手礼. It was a normal greeting ritual in China from…
Oh...Thanks for the clarification! That is interesting. I usually see the hands on top of each other, but never noticed one thumb up before. Lots to learn when watching ancient dramas.
Yeah, I think the Actor Who played the father did a great job. When he was young he was very handsome, I still…
Oooh! I didn't know it's him! He was handsome!
I couldn't recognize his face but his voice is so unique that I knew he was the uncle from Nothing Gold Can Stay. His voice is really soft but also strong at the same time. I noticed him in some reality shows too, he is a really funny and humorous person.
I agree his acting in LAD is great, especially that part when he was crying guilty. So realistic. Love how he always use his real voice.
I love how every time they spy on her when she's human, she's always doing things prettily. I always wonder if it's in reality, what if she had to secretly fart? Dig boogers? Go to the bathroom? The Gods spying on her would see it all lol.
Need spoiler.... Can anyone tell me whether it is happy ending or not?
First part: "Oh no, she has amnesia"
Last part: "Yay, she finally... has no more amnesia"
--But it ended there...so it's a bad ending I guess? Overall, the drama was really draggy and the plot is all over the places. Curiouscloudly and Avenuex also made reviews about this drama on YT if you're interested.
Michelle Yip's TVB Eternal Love is also about Meng Li Jun. I prefer the TVB version because of the comedical side to it.
This one isn't bad, but somehow the leads are not as interesting as the villain. I think (villain) Chen Long's acting is very good here, I got more invested into his story more.
I was debating if I will go watch The Longest Day in Chang'an, and I happened to see a user commented in there about The Story of Minglan. I'll share with you and quote what he wrote about the inaccuracies they portrayed about Song dynasty.
RSMasterfade "In term of attention paid to the historical setting, this show is head and shoulders above Minglan. In many respects Minglan's portrayal of Song was the exact opposite to the real history. Take one of the most glaring misrepresentation - slavery. Chattel slavery, legal and widely practiced in Tang, was completely abolished in Song. All house servants were free men and free women working under contract, so if anyone were to beat their servants to death, they would be put on trial for murder. Chattel slavery was reintroduced to China after the Mongol conquest. The first Ming emperor tried again at abolition but didn't succeed. So some key (and heartbreaking) moments in the show could have happened in any historical period but Song.
Also, the show had the Sheng father and son serving together in the capital, which was just impossible in history. Song had strict anti-nepotism laws, to have son and father both serving in the capital required special wavier from the emperor which was almost never granted - the Censorate would have a field day if an emperor tried, so it's reserved for the emperor's favorites and even then only under exceptional circumstances. Qi Heng and his second father-in-law were also both serving at court in the capital - impossible for the same reason.
The show also portrayed the Song upper class as obsessed with birth and noble titles, which was again opposite to what was true. Song marked the fall of the power of the Chinese aristocracy. All important government positions were available only to people who passed the exam and everyone wanted to marry their daughters to top rankers regardless of birth. Minglan's story would make a lot more sense in Tang, when the aristocracy was so powerful the most prestigious aristocratic families would refuse to let their sons marrying princesses because they considered the imperial family beneath them. The original novel behind Minglan had no historical period attached, and the script writers (or the investors, who knows) decided to make it Song. It's not just a poor choice, it's the poorest choice possible.
The costume design in Minglan were also overall inaccurate. The formal dresses for ladies with conferred titles were good. The minister's court dresses were fine but the emperor's court dress was atrocious. GTY's wedding attire was wrong - people wore formal dress to their wedding, commoners didn't have formal dresses so they were allowed to wear an official's semi-formal dress, GTY was a high ranking official so he should have worn his formal court robes with the corresponding hat. A groom going to his wedding without a hat was just unthinkable, far more unthinkable than going to a black-tie wedding now in evening dress and Crocs. The casual dresses in the show were generally bad.
Sorry for this wall of text. I have long felt that the Story of Minglan presented a very distorted picture of the Song society, but people believed it because it was presented with such earnestness. So I have to let this out.
(Minglan's director's next show is also set in Song, but the original novel it based was well-researched and the the trailer looked much better than Minglan in terms of historical details. I'm a fan of the original novel, and I'm very much looking forward to the show. )
On the other hand, the Longest Day in Chang'an is the really deal. It's not 100% correct (for example, people have pointed out that Penzai in the show used Song era pots/planters rather than Tang era ones), but it's better than anything that came before in term of period details. It's attracting attention not just in the popular press but also in the more rarefied circles of universities and museums, and not just in China. I just saw a tweet from the associate director of the Eisei Bunko Museum in Tokyo commenting on the show's excellent set design."
This show haven't stun me yet but it is ok. Tell me if my eyes are wrong, I think I see a Diliraba doppelganger. If nobody sees it then guess it's just me.
lmaoo Alila is right u skipped way too much if u didnt even get that ending. you should just play it on 1.5x speed…
XD I just rewatched it because my roommate wanted to see from the beginning. I don't know why at first I find the beginning so terribly boring. I think it's because I wasn't attach to the main girl yet. It's so much more watchable the second time around. I see things a little differently, Zhi Yan doesn't really feel like the main lead in the middle part anymore (although her role is still very important). I still think lots of things could've been done way faster. But this drama is still one of the better ones this year. Would totally by a 10/10 to me if it's only 20-30 episodes long.
Anita Mui + Sammi Cheng + Cecilia, All 3 super big stars together in one piece! Why not?
I was lucky to get to watch this with Eng Sub a long time ago, so sad I couldn't find it anywhere anymore. Found the soundtrack though, it's a beautiful piece. I love it so much when Wu Yen goes to war with it.
Sammi Cheng - Love how she's such a great warrior and loyal to her country. You'll fall in love with her, and feel her pain.
Anita Mui - Although her character is very stupid, she is very very hilarious. She's a great singer in real life. She's also the actress who played in Moon Warriors with Andy Lau and Kenny Bee, soundtrack in that movie is so touching, check it out if you haven't.
Cecilia Cheung - Her role is cute and interesting. She is really handsome as a man, and really beautiful as a woman. She's the trouble maker but she is also hilarious. Love this actress in The Lion Roar (must watch!).
Raymond Wong - I think he got the same name like the music producer but they are different people. This guy is handsome but very very funny. You'll laugh at his role and interaction with Anita Mui in this movie. He also took some other very funny roles in the Love Undercover movies with Merriam Yeung (resembles Sammi Cheng a lot don't mix them up). I really like this guy after watching TVB drama call Sweetness in the Salt.
The summary up there sounds different though.
The storyline in Princess Agent was very BLEH! Actually when I first read the summary for it, it was interesting. IDK I haven't read the novel, maybe it is supposed to be interesting. Maybe it was only the director who ruined it, instead of filming the entire story he only filmed 1/2 of it, and he even tried to squeezed that tiny 1/2 cake into 67 (episode) people mouths when it's barely enough to feed 10 mouths. Super frustrating. If it is the same story YM should move on to a different drama, there was already enough comparisons about how Fu Yao is a replication of Princess Agents.
I like both the actresses like you too, there are fanwars between them but it doesn't make sense because they look so similar and their acting are also the same. Have you ever noticed if ZLY face is skinnier it will look like YM: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c5/0d/b3/c50db347be82bcc1776d1f341cfcca21.jpg
And if you can imagine when YM face being fuller it will look like ZLY as well: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/29/9c/ae/299caeed4f132094d89fa4754f223dbc.jpg
I agree with you, realism plays very well with me when it comes to ancient dramas. It's not that I want to see a weak girl, I just want to see a realistic girl in the ancient times. There are outstanding ancient girls like you say but still don't have the opportunity to get overly intelligent because women rights didn't exist yet, they have less life experience, and less exposure to knowledge. So they are still very simple overall compared to modern people even though they are the most outstanding during their times.
The best woman who played a wolf in sheep's clothing and fool people with a sweet innocent face is actress Rebecca Wang Yan (another one of my best ancient actress, she also played in HZGG as the Princess Ching'er) in the drama Wulin Waishi, I wrote a review on it on MDL but sadly there is no english subtitles.
It's true women are always seen weaker. Even when they already play female knights they would still faint from very minor things and require the male knights to save them on time.
I think what I should have make more clear, it's not just about women being weak or strong physically, but also the realistic acting aspect and storyline too.
I like it when an actress try to portray a girl in the old days and would make it look realistic unless they are timetravelling to explain their different behaviors. There are rebellious girls like Zhu Ying Tai and Mulan who are tomboys in history that do exist. And Xiao Yan Zi played by Vickie Zhao is a good example, she is rebellious and unlike the girls of her time but Vickie played it very convincingly. She is naughty, but it is nothing like a modern girl either. It is sitll very much a naughty girl set in the olden days. That's why Vickie became a legendary because she is so herself, a modern girl would not act like her because she is too ancient, but an ancient also don't act like her because she is too different from them, so, she is unlike anybody at all except herself. When Noel Leung played the role Zhu Ying Tai that was how I felt too, she played a naughty girl but still elegant and simple minded like someone from the past, someone who has no knowledge about the 21st century.
That's what I kind of miss, I think the dramas today don't focus on this anymore. Watching simple minded characters make it feel like watching people being in a totally new world, sometimes that's the beauty of watching ancient dramas because you are supposed to be watching something set in the ancient days.
I couldn't recognize his face but his voice is so unique that I knew he was the uncle from Nothing Gold Can Stay. His voice is really soft but also strong at the same time. I noticed him in some reality shows too, he is a really funny and humorous person.
I agree his acting in LAD is great, especially that part when he was crying guilty. So realistic. Love how he always use his real voice.
Last part: "Yay, she finally... has no more amnesia"
--But it ended there...so it's a bad ending I guess? Overall, the drama was really draggy and the plot is all over the places. Curiouscloudly and Avenuex also made reviews about this drama on YT if you're interested.
Yes I always thought Ni Ni looks a lot like Shu Qi and Joey Yung
https://www.ondramanice.ch/elixir-of-love-episode-1/
Don't miss this cute movie, love the beautiful setting!
This one isn't bad, but somehow the leads are not as interesting as the villain. I think (villain) Chen Long's acting is very good here, I got more invested into his story more.
RSMasterfade
"In term of attention paid to the historical setting, this show is head and shoulders above Minglan. In many respects Minglan's portrayal of Song was the exact opposite to the real history. Take one of the most glaring misrepresentation - slavery. Chattel slavery, legal and widely practiced in Tang, was completely abolished in Song. All house servants were free men and free women working under contract, so if anyone were to beat their servants to death, they would be put on trial for murder. Chattel slavery was reintroduced to China after the Mongol conquest. The first Ming emperor tried again at abolition but didn't succeed. So some key (and heartbreaking) moments in the show could have happened in any historical period but Song.
Also, the show had the Sheng father and son serving together in the capital, which was just impossible in history. Song had strict anti-nepotism laws, to have son and father both serving in the capital required special wavier from the emperor which was almost never granted - the Censorate would have a field day if an emperor tried, so it's reserved for the emperor's favorites and even then only under exceptional circumstances. Qi Heng and his second father-in-law were also both serving at court in the capital - impossible for the same reason.
The show also portrayed the Song upper class as obsessed with birth and noble titles, which was again opposite to what was true. Song marked the fall of the power of the Chinese aristocracy. All important government positions were available only to people who passed the exam and everyone wanted to marry their daughters to top rankers regardless of birth. Minglan's story would make a lot more sense in Tang, when the aristocracy was so powerful the most prestigious aristocratic families would refuse to let their sons marrying princesses because they considered the imperial family beneath them. The original novel behind Minglan had no historical period attached, and the script writers (or the investors, who knows) decided to make it Song. It's not just a poor choice, it's the poorest choice possible.
The costume design in Minglan were also overall inaccurate. The formal dresses for ladies with conferred titles were good. The minister's court dresses were fine but the emperor's court dress was atrocious. GTY's wedding attire was wrong - people wore formal dress to their wedding, commoners didn't have formal dresses so they were allowed to wear an official's semi-formal dress, GTY was a high ranking official so he should have worn his formal court robes with the corresponding hat. A groom going to his wedding without a hat was just unthinkable, far more unthinkable than going to a black-tie wedding now in evening dress and Crocs. The casual dresses in the show were generally bad.
Sorry for this wall of text. I have long felt that the Story of Minglan presented a very distorted picture of the Song society, but people believed it because it was presented with such earnestness. So I have to let this out.
(Minglan's director's next show is also set in Song, but the original novel it based was well-researched and the the trailer looked much better than Minglan in terms of historical details. I'm a fan of the original novel, and I'm very much looking forward to the show. )
On the other hand, the Longest Day in Chang'an is the really deal. It's not 100% correct (for example, people have pointed out that Penzai in the show used Song era pots/planters rather than Tang era ones), but it's better than anything that came before in term of period details. It's attracting attention not just in the popular press but also in the more rarefied circles of universities and museums, and not just in China. I just saw a tweet from the associate director of the Eisei Bunko Museum in Tokyo commenting on the show's excellent set design."
I was lucky to get to watch this with Eng Sub a long time ago, so sad I couldn't find it anywhere anymore. Found the soundtrack though, it's a beautiful piece. I love it so much when Wu Yen goes to war with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE5tUpp7syE
Sammi Cheng - Love how she's such a great warrior and loyal to her country. You'll fall in love with her, and feel her pain.
Anita Mui - Although her character is very stupid, she is very very hilarious.
She's a great singer in real life. She's also the actress who played in Moon Warriors with Andy Lau and Kenny Bee, soundtrack in that movie is so touching, check it out if you haven't.
Cecilia Cheung - Her role is cute and interesting. She is really handsome as a man, and really beautiful as a woman. She's the trouble maker but she is also hilarious.
Love this actress in The Lion Roar (must watch!).
Raymond Wong - I think he got the same name like the music producer but they are different people. This guy is handsome but very very funny. You'll laugh at his role and interaction with Anita Mui in this movie. He also took some other very funny roles in the Love Undercover movies with Merriam Yeung (resembles Sammi Cheng a lot don't mix them up). I really like this guy after watching TVB drama call Sweetness in the Salt.
https://photobucket.com/gallery/user/diro-diro/media/cGF0aDoveW1hbmR6bHlfenBzbnpjeHFldmYuanBn/?ref=