darkstar

The end eludes me. I see it two ways. ML died in that battle and FL imagined him returning. ML survived the battle and really came back.
I saw a few comments about a short post-series episode that hints ML survived.
Where to find it?

This is an excellent series. Story, production, acting, and the soundtrack is superb. It's hard to watch everything balanced just right like in this series.
Despite not a 10 like Nirvana in Fire, it's very close.
Now I am looking for the two ququin musics played in the competition. That was definitely a high point in the series.
I just have one question (below under the spoiler).

Is there a place where we can get the two ququin music played by Fang Fei and Ruo Yao in the competition? I found a couple fan-based interpretations on YouTube but I am looking for the ones in the drama. They are magnific.

Interesting series that, above all, shows how the Chinese movie industry evolved and is among the top worldwide.
The production, story and acting in this series feel like something made by students with a very low budget. However, if we look through the eyes of the year it was made, it's a fun series to watch. It also shows how many actors improved a lot since it was released.

1,000,000,000

Impressive how bad it was. Story had the opportunity to do something a lot better. However, the bad screenplay, direction and acting messed it up.

Great article, thanks!
I would include:
My Journey to You - Yu Shu Shin (Yun Wei Shan)
The Legends - Bai Lu (Lu Zhao Yao)
Hard to Find - Shen Yu Jie (Feng Yuan)
Royal Rumours - Meng Zi Yi (Hua Liu Li)
A Journey to Love - Liu Shi Shi (Ren Ru Yi)
Legend of Fu Yao - Yang Mi (Meng Fu Yao)

Still watching, but promising to be great: The Double - Wu Jin Yan (Jiang Li)

There are several others, but those came to mind as I read the article.

I saw YoYo just started streaming it.

Very good drama on an interesting story. It is a great production that did not spare bringing it very good actors to play cameos, some in very funny roles. I don't remember seeing so many in a single drama. Even though the story had a few typical cheesy moments (it's a romance afterall), it was a great watch that I binge watched from beginning to end without skipping or fast forwarding. The director, screenwriter and actors did a great job keeping the drama very entertaining and pleasant.

LOL! The monkey analogy also came to mind. It hurts my head each time that character appears.

Just started watching this series. Cool story and good production. Only problem so far is that ML's friend. It's really hard to watch so much stupidity. Couldn't they have made the sidekick not act like the chimpanzes in those Tarzan movies? I'm on episode 10 and have to fast forward everytime that character shows up in order to keep watching this series. I like the History and Archaeology topic, so will try to put up with the fast forwarding.

Editing to add comments after completing this series.
It was a great concept that was poorly implemented. Bad script with too much drag, flashbacks and bad acting that made some episodes umbearable. I probably skipped close to twenty episodes and fast forwarded some more. It's a pity, because it's a good story that could have been told much better.
Based on other ratings, 7.7 is way too much for this series.

I'd not discard them coming back also. That tree had some Avatar-like stuff going on, also like that tree in the Fox Spirit Matchmaker story. It's a Xianxia story, so anything goes. 😉

Indeed. There's room for many great sequences.

I did not get the last episode and how this series really ended. In episode 21, things aren't looking good and it seems that both husbands (ML and SML) sacrificed themselves for their wives (FL and SFL).
However, in the last epsisode it seems that FL wakes upand then her husband and daughter show up, as if FL was still dreaming. SML and SFL also show up as if nothing happened in the previous episode, which also indicates FL was in a dream.
The father also showed up and his relationship with the sons was great, another indication of a dream.
In the last scene, ML is preparing to go to work while FL wakes up. Everything was a dream?
So, what really happened?

This was an OK series. Nothing special, even though the story gave an opportunity for something much better. The acting ranged from OK to mediocre. And I don't know what to make of this series' ending. Comments and question in the following spoiler.

Not sure. In the last episode, she FL wakes up and her husband and daugher suddenly show up, as if she was dreaming it. In the previous episode, thngs were not looking good. So, not sure whether the last episode's happy ending is a dream or not.

Glad you liked. Please feel free to use as you like. 😉

What a great miniseries. Plot twist masterly written and with the very good acting and direction makes it deserve a 9.5. This series shows that a great screewriter and film crew (director, actors, producers, etc.) can do a great job even in such short timeframe. Excellent job! I'll definitely keep an eye on them for more of their work.

I agree that Mao was just part of it. The corruption and decadence that led to Mao's takeover also has a big part on it. The famous saying "great empires are not conquered, they rot and fall from within" was confirmed once again.
I also hope to see China restoring its prowd past, and hopefully not doing what Japan did last century. But that's a different story.

What Mao and his minions did during the so-called cultural revolution is very well documented, including the induced famines. The destruction of cultural heritage is also documented. Denying it only impacts the denier's credibility.
I congratutate the Chinese government for the efforts to restore history and hope that politics and agendas will not impact that great country's heritage.
By the way, this issue of destroying heritage and history is not a Chinese problem only. Europe also did it and currently some groups in the US are also trying to do it.
As far as England returning anything, don't forget that that empire was founded on piracy, plundering and other sruff of the type. And criminals very seldom return what they take from others.