PeachBlossomGoddess

Ep 12

He’s great in 13 Years of Dust. I wasn’t a huge fan of The Ingenious One.

I think that place is somewhere the 8 families rarely visit - it is a secret treasure trove they want to keep hidden from the world. And I suspect he may have confided in the 8 families what he planned to do. I just expected him to return home with more visible trappings of wealth but it seems not though I am sure he has some funds on him.

Fingers crossed🤞🤞🤞.

Yes I agree with that. I have watched many good dramas with a very average/green casts. What makes them work is that they are all kind of the same level so no one's flaws stands out markedly. I have some sympathy for this actress bc I feel she is in over her head.

Unfortunately dramas cost a ton of money and backers who range from wealthy individuals to big talent management agencies in addition to the platforms themselves. Most dramas make low/no returns and iqiyi is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. So they are happy to accept investments that come with "requests" in terms of the main/supporting cast. This is my first drama by this actress so I know very little about her but from her credits it looks like she has had some good drama and movie credits to her name so she has decent backers. She also has worked with this director before. Too many factors come into play its hard to say why she was cast. I don't like her voice acting and her lines but overall, I don't think she is terrible. The cast overall however is exceptionally strong and that also makes her flaws seem a lot more visible. What helps is the character is well written - I can think of many other actors who would have totally slayed in this role.

As I roll right down the mountain....🤡😜😊

😅no no, I get confused or lose track sometimes also.

I don't understand why he comes back with so little after his success with the 8 Families.

1.) The wedding party was just an excuse to get everyone to get drunk and let their guard down so that they could smuggle the kid and the mother out along with the war horses. 2.) Yes he was planning to meet up with Chang's caravan. He didn't want to follow Ms Su bc she is a rebel, he can't go home if he went south into rebel territory with her. Whereas with Chang, he can work his way back to his home town some day.

Yes I like the character the way it is written quite a bit, the portrayal not so much. I think Xiang Hanzhi who is playing the fiance may have been a better choice.

Yeah I am not familiar with her voice. She doesn't match her own mouth movements well so I wondered if it was a VA. The actress is 28, surely she doesn't sound like this in her normal voice? I don't know why she is trying so hard to sound like a teenager when it doesn't exactly match her appearance. Whereas Chen Xiao is speaking naturally he isn't trying to sound very young even though he is playing a much younger character. I turn the volume down in her scenes, it helps a bit but its still a bit annoying.

To me and for most native speakers, she is obviously the weakest link. And of course I pay as much attention to some Chinese platforms/commentators, they usually share my views on the prose, dialogue and line delivery in a way non native speakers are not able to. Further, I didn't comment on her appearance I don't have any problem with it so no need to use sweeping generalisations and try to attribute it to me. I also have pointed out elsewhere that people who read subtitles will be much less sensitive to this than native speakers. That's why I haven't tried to deny their comments it is their experience. Its all good, the character is well written and you should go on and enjoy it the way you do. Your enjoyment however does not invalidate others observations nor does it suggest they are somehow just being negative or mean spirited or just idol watchers. Every one's watch background and perceptions are their own and are just as valid even when they don't match yours. And this is a public forum, people don't deserve to be shamed or lectured for simply sharing their honest opinions and impressions.

I suspect it’s her own voice. One of those cases where a pro voice dubber would have been a better choice. Character is not poorly written. I just think the role is miscast and her acting to noticeably be the weakest link in an otherwise stellar cast. Her portrayal is also drawing criticism on Chinese platforms.

We are literally in the final year of the Xianfeng emperor's reign. He was the last emperor that held any real power. After that, the next and final 3 Qing emperors were all puppets under Cixi empress.

I watched 1 or 2 episodes and then I realised I wanted to read about the river diversion effort and its significance to Qing. I will watch it at some point but when I have time to geek out over all the details. But yes, I saw the bit about his son and I was just shattered.

That was a terrific scene - it illustrates their different, you could say opposite, business approaches and reluctant but genuine admiration on LWT's part. While I think Chen Xiao is really slaying this role, Huang Zhizhong is easily out-acting him. Its been awhile I almost forgot how fantastic his acting is.

Yes Cixi should be in the picture soon. I believe she became regent over Xianfeng's son after he died.

🤣🤣🤣 Definitely not Fan Ching Fook Ming - that ship sank long ago! Not to spoil you but Chang borrowed the money in the 10th year of Xianfeng so this is late Qing dynasty. Xianfeng reign should be over very soon. So most likely she is part of the Taiping Rebellion which took place throughout the Xianfeng reign. In short, she is a supporter of some dude that claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ out to form the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. I kid you not. And since Heaven is for dead people, you can't get more cray cray than that.

Well she is perontak but she may be on the right side of history. I suspect she is trying to overthrow the Qing govt in order to become a republic. You know like Mandela was called a terrorist when he was fighting against apartheid but today he is a freedom fighter bc he won.