Character Driven Moments Within a Conventional Love Story
This drama has all the cliche tropes you can think of, which makes the drama predictable.
Godfrey Gao’s portrayal of Wang Li Chuan is the strongest element of the series. Just his movement alone, especially the way he carries himself as someone living with a disability caused by illness, felt natural and restrained. He did not overplay the pain or fragility, and that subtlety made his performance believable and, at times, genuinely touching. His calm presence is honestly what carries the drama.
In contrast, Jiao Jun Yan’s performance as Xie Xiao Qiu on the other hand, was mediocre. Her acting often felt awkward and exaggerated, especially in emotional scenes. Instead of coming across as earnest or endearing, she frequently felt over the top, which made it hard to connect with her character. I ended up skipping many of her scenes because they dragged the pacing and broke immersion.
The romance itself suffers because of this imbalance. Wang Li Chuan feels grounded and mature, while Xiao Qiu often comes off as written and performed like a much flatter character. Their chemistry relies heavily on Godfrey Gao’s performance rather than on genuine emotional exchange between the two leads.
Overall, Remembering Lichuan is watchable mainly because of Godfrey Gao. This was one of the roles I felt challenged him as an actor because the previous few works I saw, he played a comedic role. If you enjoy slow, melodramatic romances and do not mind predictable plot points, it might still be worth a watch. But if strong acting and well balanced leads are important to you, this drama can feel frustrating.
Godfrey Gao’s portrayal of Wang Li Chuan is the strongest element of the series. Just his movement alone, especially the way he carries himself as someone living with a disability caused by illness, felt natural and restrained. He did not overplay the pain or fragility, and that subtlety made his performance believable and, at times, genuinely touching. His calm presence is honestly what carries the drama.
In contrast, Jiao Jun Yan’s performance as Xie Xiao Qiu on the other hand, was mediocre. Her acting often felt awkward and exaggerated, especially in emotional scenes. Instead of coming across as earnest or endearing, she frequently felt over the top, which made it hard to connect with her character. I ended up skipping many of her scenes because they dragged the pacing and broke immersion.
The romance itself suffers because of this imbalance. Wang Li Chuan feels grounded and mature, while Xiao Qiu often comes off as written and performed like a much flatter character. Their chemistry relies heavily on Godfrey Gao’s performance rather than on genuine emotional exchange between the two leads.
Overall, Remembering Lichuan is watchable mainly because of Godfrey Gao. This was one of the roles I felt challenged him as an actor because the previous few works I saw, he played a comedic role. If you enjoy slow, melodramatic romances and do not mind predictable plot points, it might still be worth a watch. But if strong acting and well balanced leads are important to you, this drama can feel frustrating.
Was this review helpful to you?
