The most memorable line from this drama occurs in Ep. 2 or 3 early on, when Chen Feiyu’s Duan Xu says ‘I was sand, I will be sand, but for this moment I’m a sandcastle.’ Beautiful line.
Love Beyond the Grave is based on novel ‘Carrying A Lantern In Daylight,’ a 107-chapter Chinese fantasy xinxia romance written by Li Qing Ran. It is available in Chinese and English languages online. It’s actually a well-written novel with a solid story and a good epic star-crossed romance with a happy ending. [https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5458205 ] [https://www.novellist.co/novels/love-beyond-the-grave ] [https://www.readthedrama.com/novels/love-beyond-the-grave-bai-ri-ti-deng ] [https://nomad-translations.com/carrying-a-lantern-in-daylight-calid/ ]
The 40-episode English-subtitled adaptation stars Dilraba as the spirit queen and it’s her show all the way, she has the difficult and meatier role, a character she was probably born to play. She and Chen Feiyu are perfect for their roles. An immortal, 400-year old spirit queen Simu and a mortal 20-year old general Duan Xu have an on-off relationship which is tested across mortal and spirit realms over the span of a year. The spirit queen wants to experience life as a human by feeling the sensations of the five senses, since she has none - i.e. she can see, but cannot feel what she sees. Both realms are colorless, bland and joyless to her. The general can give her the ability. Both have their own ambitions and struggles in spirit and mortal worlds and have their work cut out for them. The story will end with the life-changing decision by the spirit queen abdicating her throne and immortal life and becoming a mortal to live with Duan Xu [in the drama, she doesn't make the decision, the decision is made for her by some fairy of Lord of Fate because DX has been killed] and though there are effective scenes, the grand romance is a hard sell. I think it is due to the way in which the drama is filmed, the way in which connection or lack-of between both leads is filmed. The spirit queen has had 22 lovers in 400 years, forgetting them all, because she couldn’t feel them with any of her senses (you know touch, taste, etc.). This is precisely why Duan Xu is memorable to her, because she can experience the totality of it all with him. And he tells her in Chapter 65 that he likes her because: ‘[Duan Xui] spoke softly, as if accusing and joking at the same time, “You lure me in.” He Simu raised her eyebrows. “With your gentleness beneath your cold exterior, the loneliness above all ghosts, and the love for the world, you lure me in. And I willingly took the bait.”’ Of course, her being a larger than life indestructible figure is part of the appeal.
Duan Xu knows her more than any entity and gambles and schemes to make her accept him, but in the drama she’s mothering his spoilt kid demeanor and the story loses its appeal around Ep. 23 or 24 - too much time is spent in the spirit world and the general’s heart is broken in more ways than one. You’ll find yourself skipping scenes and episodes.
The soundtrack’s best number is ‘Above All Spirits / Souls’ sung by Huang Xiaoyun. It's epic and enhances every scene its in.
This could have been a very sensual and romantic saga of 2 people fighting their own battles in spirit and mortal world and getting together at the end, but it is one of the coldest 'love stories' as in, there's no heat, no sizzle, no chemistry here. I've spoken more about it in my video review posted on youtube.
Love Beyond the Grave is based on novel ‘Carrying A Lantern In Daylight,’ a 107-chapter Chinese fantasy xinxia romance written by Li Qing Ran. It is available in Chinese and English languages online. It’s actually a well-written novel with a solid story and a good epic star-crossed romance with a happy ending. [https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5458205 ] [https://www.novellist.co/novels/love-beyond-the-grave ] [https://www.readthedrama.com/novels/love-beyond-the-grave-bai-ri-ti-deng ] [https://nomad-translations.com/carrying-a-lantern-in-daylight-calid/ ]
The 40-episode English-subtitled adaptation stars Dilraba as the spirit queen and it’s her show all the way, she has the difficult and meatier role, a character she was probably born to play. She and Chen Feiyu are perfect for their roles. An immortal, 400-year old spirit queen Simu and a mortal 20-year old general Duan Xu have an on-off relationship which is tested across mortal and spirit realms over the span of a year. The spirit queen wants to experience life as a human by feeling the sensations of the five senses, since she has none - i.e. she can see, but cannot feel what she sees. Both realms are colorless, bland and joyless to her. The general can give her the ability. Both have their own ambitions and struggles in spirit and mortal worlds and have their work cut out for them. The story will end with the life-changing decision by the spirit queen abdicating her throne and immortal life and becoming a mortal to live with Duan Xu [in the drama, she doesn't make the decision, the decision is made for her by some fairy of Lord of Fate because DX has been killed] and though there are effective scenes, the grand romance is a hard sell. I think it is due to the way in which the drama is filmed, the way in which connection or lack-of between both leads is filmed. The spirit queen has had 22 lovers in 400 years, forgetting them all, because she couldn’t feel them with any of her senses (you know touch, taste, etc.). This is precisely why Duan Xu is memorable to her, because she can experience the totality of it all with him. And he tells her in Chapter 65 that he likes her because: ‘[Duan Xui] spoke softly, as if accusing and joking at the same time, “You lure me in.” He Simu raised her eyebrows. “With your gentleness beneath your cold exterior, the loneliness above all ghosts, and the love for the world, you lure me in. And I willingly took the bait.”’ Of course, her being a larger than life indestructible figure is part of the appeal.
Duan Xu knows her more than any entity and gambles and schemes to make her accept him, but in the drama she’s mothering his spoilt kid demeanor and the story loses its appeal around Ep. 23 or 24 - too much time is spent in the spirit world and the general’s heart is broken in more ways than one. You’ll find yourself skipping scenes and episodes.
The soundtrack’s best number is ‘Above All Spirits / Souls’ sung by Huang Xiaoyun. It's epic and enhances every scene its in.
This could have been a very sensual and romantic saga of 2 people fighting their own battles in spirit and mortal world and getting together at the end, but it is one of the coldest 'love stories' as in, there's no heat, no sizzle, no chemistry here. I've spoken more about it in my video review posted on youtube.
Was this review helpful to you?
