A Treasure of the Chinese Culture
This is a beautiful but tragic story depicting a rigid, conservative and orthodox society. Adapted from a novel which tells the story of Princess Huirou and her love story, for the drama, the story shifts its focus and chronicles instead the life of the father of Princess Huirou, Song Emperor Renzong who reigned from 1022 – 1063 AD. Accordingly, many developments in the novel are not included in the drama, and Huirou’s love story becomes a side story. As a chronicle which is trying to adhere as closely to the real historical record as possible, there are no "fancy" actions, no "actual" antagonists, no "exciting" plots or extreme palace politics as we see in most other historical palace dramas. The story is just being told as how history was. So if you're a history buff and appreciate historical Chinese culture, you may fall in love with this drama. If you're expecting actions and plots, you may be disappointed. For me, I love this type of dramas which are hard to come by. Sadly, not many people appreciate it, hence probably the low rating which I feel does not do justice to this beautiful drama; this drama definitely deserves a higher rating.Many viewers may find the arguments among the ministers over trivial matters (such as the dowager empress’s attire) mundane, but it is precisely these dialogues that bring out the thinking and philosophy of the society in that era, which I find immensely interesting. Confucian moral such as filial piety, and political principles such as protocol, are utmost important at the time. I find myself listening to every sentence and every choice of words carefully, watching every facial expression and body language closely so that I don’t miss anything conveyed.
Many important historical figures are portrayed here, acted beautifully and faithfully by the various cast members. My knowledge is very limited on Chinese history and its great writers, poets, calligraphers and scholars, however upon research, I was thrilled to find them on screen and the important roles they play in history, and eventually how they shape the country. Just like the western Renaissance in the 15th century when we see the births of many great artisans, during Emperor Renzong's reign, the culture of Song Dynasty, especially literature, began to flourish. Many famous litterateurs and poets in Chinese history lived or started their creative careers during his reign, including Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu and later Su Shi, Su Zhe, among others. They became the most important litterateurs in Chinese history and also began a new era of Chinese literature.
I’m so intrigued by their etiquettes and mannerism; almost everyone speaks with so much class, self-control, poise, and they all speak rhythmically. Often, it’s like a game of reading in between the lines. Everyone is articulate. Every message is subtle and intelligent without antagonizing the other party. Each exercises the highest degree of restraint and courtesy, and yet palace politics are unavoidable as the Emperor also promotes different point of views from different factions, just like modern day politics in many democratic countries. Getting one's points across without direct confrontation is perhaps the most tactful strategy and is considered a virtue. I wish we have such virtue in today's politics. Perhaps, we'd have fewer wars and happier people. I’m so impressed to see how much value the society places on meritocracy, something that is not seen in any other countries in the era. The scholars have already understood that only with meritocracy would a country flourish. I’m also surprised to see despite an authoritarian monarchy, Emperor Renzong’s court is very democratic with checks and balances.
Wang Kai’s Emperor Renzong is brilliant, from when the Emperor was a young adult to his death at 53. Wang Kai’s acting is immaculate. He has that regal look and charisma, and yet his face radiates benevolent consistently. It's so entertaining to watch those ministers arguing over trivial matters, and the suppressed amused look on the Emperor's face, and how articulately he defuses the situations without antagonizing any parties. Wang Kai’s Renzong is a perfect emperor. Despite the glory we always associate with figures of power, Emperor Renzong’s life was filled with tragedies, regrets and resignation. As a humble and frugal emperor, we also get to see his simple and subdue outfits and unflattering palace fixtures - very different scenes from the elaborate jeweled costumes and palace grandiose that we have accustomed with. Watching the whole lives of important figures passing before our eyes, I can’t help but feel the melancholy of ancient life. Wang Kai goes from a youth to become a sickly wasted man ravaged by poor health. The beautiful verses (ci) composed by Fan Zhongyan and Yan Shu, and later sung in tenor accompanied by a flute or guqin is the most beautiful song, capturing the melancholy, fitting the mood of the drama perfectly.
One of my favorite characters is Empress Cao (Maggie Jiang). Seeing her change from a fearless young lass who disguises as a boy to attend class with fellow male students, to a scrupulous regal lady when she becomes the Empress respected by all including her enemies, is the most fascinating watch. She is the one who always makes the most articulate decisions and resolves all issues which everyone submits to. Maggie Jiang’s empress is beautiful and elegant. Highly intelligent not second to the Emperor, the Empress unfortunately lives a very resigned life. I cry in my heart for her in every episode. Her longing for the Emperor is not being reciprocated openly though he has strongly wanted to, but each time, the turn of events just prevents them showing their love and admiration for each other. That’s perhaps the most frustrating part for me, seeing both love but missing the chance to show their affection time and time again.
But my favorite character of all is Huirou the Princess, although in the drama, she's only a side character. Many viewers feel she's spoiled and has behaved badly. To me, she's ahead of her time. Had she been born in today's world 1,000 years later, she would have been a world leader loved and respected by all. She is very filial pious and kind. She loves her people. Never once has she thrown a tantrum towards her palace maids nor hurt anyone, unlike the other spoiled princesses we're so accustomed to. However, she's the type who can't stand bullies and stands up against them, either for herself or for others, and that's unacceptable in that society when the bullies are the elders (in status or age). Unlike girls in those days, she has her own mind and doesn't want her life to be arranged and controlled like a puppet. Unfortunately, being a princess, she doesn't have the luxury to do what she wants; she's a state own property. And that's a disaster for a character such as hers. Had she been a man, she would have been revered for her courage and upstandingness, but for a girl in a male chauvinistic society, poor Huirou is called spoiled, selfish, stupid, and uncouth. In the later episodes, every time when she comes on screen, I can feel her screaming silently, "Live free or die". My heart aches for her. Nobody but Liang Huaiji understands her and knows she's suffocating under the system. That's why she has such a strong bond with him. As what Huaiji has said, he's her "floating timber" [in the ocean].
I’m so amazed by the acting of all the child actors. They are adorable and very good with their respective roles. I’m most impressed by Bian Cheng who portrays the Liang Huaiji character. Extremely good looking at 15, Bian Cheng’s acting is one of the best, and he has a promising acting career ahead of him. I’m eagerly waiting for his next drama playing a main role.
Eunuchs are normally loathed characters and I’m usually weary of them, but this drama produces 2 well loved eunuchs in Zhang Maoze (Ye Zuxin) and Liang Huaiji (Bian Cheng). I even secretly wish they were not in those positions so that they can love and find happiness in marriages.
Seeing a moral standard the historical figures have set for themselves, I often wonder if our modern day’s standard even comes anywhere matches that of the ancient time. While the western nations were still groping in the Dark Ages, China was already so advance in art, science and technology. It's a nice surprise to realize that golf, among many other sports, was an ancient game played by the Chinese.
If you want a heart-wrenching love story, wuxia actions, scheming palace politics, or bitching harem, no, this drama doesn't have these. But if you love authentic Chinese history and like close to real life historical experiences, this one is a very great watch. Having said that, Huirou's and Huaiji's love story is heart-wrenching, albeit just for a few episodes towards the end.
TWO THUMBS UP!
For viewers who understand Mandarin, these videos provide valuable information on the drama and its real historical characters:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1OYepyRtv6CTutyZDa7SGhqESI4pWITB
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The fictional storyline (the Liang merchant family in specific) and the historical framework are brilliantly woven together; at first they seem to be two different stories, but eventually are brought together for sublime, and emotionally devastating effect.
Viewers who like the easy emotional shortcuts of romances, the popular BL stories especially (where the plot illogic wrenches the characters, and all sense, into alignment with maximum angst and hurt/comfort). Angst there is here, and also hurt/comfort, but these elements don't bend the story, but arise out of it, interspersed with insight, comic moments, intellectually exciting threads as we watch the politicians striving to invent, and better, their land.
The cultural differences between then and now add their interest, but the film never loses sight of the fact that we are all human beings, a thousand years ago and now, and we have roughly the same emotional needs, faults, frailties, and strengths.
Even the characters I strongly disliked had their agency, their reasons for what they did, and their human moments, even positive moments of creating beauty, or heroic action, or emotional faltering. The resolution of one long arc was amazing in its redemptive quality, taking me by surprise--I expected (even relished the thought of) the usual bloody end. But the way this was carried out was just so much better than the usual tropey story arcs.
I see myself rewatching the entire series again, probably soon, something I have only done with NIRVANA IN FIRE, this time to relish the brilliant character moments and the way they are expertly woven together.
I have watched all Daylight's shows. I think this is their best yet.
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This review may contain spoilers
Based on Emperor Renzong of Song's real life and historical events, the storyline describes imperial court and harem, political issues and emperor's personnal feelings, values and dilemmas.The emperor's philosophy is to rule its empire, the court and his personal life following the path of virtue (understanding what is right and what is wrong and acting accordingly) : virtue is supposed to bring prosperity.
This emperor is an intellectual who really cares for his Nation and his people. He tries to promote skilled scholars in order to reform the country. But ancestor rules and taboos are to be considered in politics. Reforming a country is a hard task and any move you make has to follow long term strategies and compromises in order to avoid rebellions and ministers censurship. The Emperor's aim is to bring people peace and serenity. He struggles against poverty and natural disasters. What the emperor will achieve is quite well described in this drama but, to me, it's not the interesting part of it.
What makes this drama a really very good one is how Emperor's Renzong's of Song's is portrayed as a man (Zhao Zhen), as a lover and as a father. In here you get the addictive part of the drama ! Mainly because of Wang Kay's acting ? We really get in understanding Zhao Zhen, his feelings, love interactions and sufferings which are all related to the fact that he became Emperor at 12 years old and had to submit to his mother who ruled the country on his behalf (that was last emperor edict).
At a very young age Zhao Zhen had to act as an emperor following court rules, rites and studying hardly. His teacher was a high scholar with modern political points of view but he was also a Confusius adept. As a child, the Emperor didn't get much love. When, teenager, he was told that the Empress Dowager was not his biological mother, his inner world became a mess but still he had to act as if he was not hurt showing filial pity to the one who was untrue and never show any affection to him. The Emperess never allowed Zhao Zhen to meet his biological mother and this is certainly a key point to his interactions with women.
As a man, Zhao Zhen neglected the only woman, Emperess Cao (Maggie Wang) whith whom he could have had a long lasting happiness... To appoint an Empress is a state matter : she rules the harem and is the Nation's Mother. The best candidate was chosen for him by his Ministers... The Emperor was said that Emperess Cao was ugly, so on the wedding nigth he didn't show up to accomplish his royal husband's duty ! When he first saw Empress Cao, he was very much impressed with her beauty, wisdom and intellectual skills. But she was cold and showed him no affection (she was hurt because of the wedding night...). For 15 years, they had so many misunderstandings and couldn't meet as husband and wife but only as Empror and Empress, hidind their true selves and feelings behind their status. She was so straight and so perfect as an Empress that Zhao Zhen couldn't consider her as his wife, somehow she reminded him of Empress Dowager so much. Finally, events made them speak true to each other and they would become real wife and husband sharing deep love, respect and admiration. The Emperor used to think that she was a much better ruler for the harem than he was for the Empire.
The emperor will get many concubines and a royal consort (his favourite who was quite the Empress opposite, knowing nothing about rules, showing openly her love and acting childishly).
This emperor was really ill-fated as a father. He loved his children, unfortunately most of them died at a very young age. He had many daughters and 2 sons who both died. The emperor thought that her dead biological mother was taking his children to her as a revenge because he didn't show her any filial pity. This culpability of being unfilial made him think that Heavens were punishing him bringing to his country natural disasters, diseases and taking his children away from him. Giving the Nation a Prince became a state affaire.
His oldest and beloved daughter Princess Fukang (Huirou) gives this drama an amazing storyline. This character is not related to historical events but she definitely gives this drama a terrific scheme. Her relationship with the eunuque Hauiji is so beautiful when she is a child and just thrilling afterwards. The last 10 episodes of this drama focuses on these two characters and are among the best parts of this drama. Hauiji is a rare and valuable character and the actor (Bian Cheng) is just perfect.
You may learn a lot while watching this drama as long as you are interested in chinese history and Renzong of Song's achievements. Photogrophy is really nice and scenes are filmed in a very acurate way. But aesthetic can't replace action, nor good actors can replace the slow pace and dragging progression of the whole story. You may find this drama is kind of intellectual with too many political moves reviewed and argued... I admit that I felt like sleeping on some episodes ! But after episode 6, you really want to know more about this Emperor and how he deals with women. Wang Kai and Maggie Yang are terrific actors and honestly I kept on watching this drama mainly because of them and later because of Hauiji character. Finally, this drama is very good. I bet that if you watch it you will also shed a tear before the very last episode. I highly recommand this drama.
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A true look at humanity and sacrifice --a quality show that is layered and poetic
People have different tastes. Some people like dramas with action-packed plot, heavy romance, sweet male leads who are out of storybooks, and females who are bubbly and innocent. Others might enjoy deep, emotional, character driven dramas that grabs at the heart and present characters like real people who make mistakes, are not perfect, and whose actions have consequences--a drama with imperfect people. If you are looking for a show that will make you think, reflect, and examine yourself and the characters deeply, then this show is for you.I almost didn't watch this because of the criticism, but I am glad I ignored the negative reviews as I was immediately hooked, and my obsession did not die out as the episodes progressed, but instead my interest grew.
I can understand how this drama might not suit everyone, it is not an action-packed, romantic drama, it is not a fairy tale--this is a real story, with real authentic characters who act like humans with faults and virtues. They are likable at times and you hate them at times. Just like real people. I like how this show presents the characters as truly human, faults and all. I can't help but love this series for showing the human psych so well.
Maybe I just like shows that break my heart. Maybe because they evoke emotion and tears, which mean the actors did a wonderful job conveying their characters. Who knows, but this show is right up my alley and I think it's so well done, the costumes are beautiful, the sets, etc.
Whether you like this show will depend on your expectations.
I enjoyed watching this show so much and did not find it to have filler moments, every scene had a purpose. Every action had a consequence. Although there is a lot of talk about politics, you knows the ministers lives and follow those side characters from adolescence to adulthood and see how they grow and change. You meet so many characters, and you become interested in their lives. I cared about all the side characters the ministers, maids, eunuchs, villagers, city folk, etc. You feel an attachment to them, as you follow their lives.
SOUNDTRACK: If you liked the vibe of The Story of Ming Lan, then this is right up your alley. Some of the background tracks sounds identical to Ming Lan, they are subtle and you're not really listening for the music, but paying attention to the dialogue. It brings your attention to the characters, and does not have fanciful overpowering tracks. deep digging examinations of what drives people, good and bad. The emotional tracks that do play come at the right moment, and are artful and poetic.
REWATCHABILITY: I have already gone back to rewatch scenes.
ACTING: Everyone's performance is top tier. Zhao Zhen, the Empress, the child versions of all these characters, Hui Rou, Huaiji...Wang Kai does an amazing job portraying Zhao Zhen as he ages. His mannerisms change in the later episodes, his demeanor, and if I hadn't seen him in early episodes looking so young I'd think he was actually an older gentleman (lol!) Incredible job by all members of the cast.
I can safely say this is my new favorite cdrama, in addition to Story of Ming Lan and Story of Yanxi Palace. There are my spoiler-free thoughts. I just wanted to share and maybe urge people to give this drama a chance. I do not find it to be a waste of time, I like the setting, the politics, just watching the daily lives of these people.
**Spoilers after this point**
Throughout this show, I kept thinking that I could write a thorough character literary analysis for so many of these people. Below is my attempt to explain some of the actions of the emperor and empress, and share some additional feelings.
Regarding the Emperor Zhao Zhen, I can understand that maybe people were angry at him and hence rated the show lower because of the decisions he made. But this is based on a historical figure who made these decisions (example: deciding Huirou's marriage, ignoring the the empress, favoring Concubine Bihan.) The thing about how they portrayed the emperor though made me understand why he behaved the way he did; it linked back to his childhood traumas, his relationship with his "mother," showing us that the emperor is intimidated by strong women because they remind him of the Empress Dowager who overpowered him as emperor and mandated everything; he is shown to be weak-minded because of this, and easily manipulated/attracted to the women who resemble adolescence/are not as strong and who express their love toward him since he craves for that attention. That is why he and the empress have such discord, since she is an incredibly strong, (amazing), smart, capable, confident woman who does not need a man to protect her, but he himself is intimidated by that (like an idiot!) and there is that gap between them. She does not go to him to protect her, and he seems to only like women who need his power to "save" them. This is shown throughout by his relationship with He'er and Bihan, both girls who needed his help at some point or have outwardly shown their care for him. It makes him so unlikable as a character sometimes, but I never hated completely him since he is shown to be a generally kind, caring, benevolent emperor and father (in the majority of the drama, but after episode 55 we kinda see his lacking as a father...your heart aches for the empress, and you cuss out the emperor in your head. Their relationship is emotionally abusive, and I respect this show for not romanticizing such a toxic relationship (unlike some shows...cough cough Goodbye My Princess cough cough). The way this show portrays these people makes you analyze their thought processes and ache for them.
It has too many layers for me to capture in a summary, but here's just a tidbit of my thoughts.
Also, I can't end this review without talking about Huaiji and Huirou. These two truly broke my heart. Their love was so sincere and beautiful, and they are soulmates, but due to their circumstances nothing can come of it. There is this line said between with Huaiji and Huirou where she says she wants to be a lotus flower in her next life, to which Huaiji responds that he will be the wave beneath it so they can be together. My heart just ACHED for these two. I shed tears. Such a beautiful friendship and love story they shared.
Also, if interested here are two fan videos for Serenade of Peaceful Joy:
Huaiji/Huirou : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_w9N6oz88Q
Zhao Zhen/Danshu : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwEhpxtJFhE
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This review may contain spoilers
Writing is still the most important thing to a drama
First, the good things. The production quality of this drama is absolutely amazing. From the hairstyles to the dresses to the sets, it's so painstakingly accurate while being astonishingly beautiful. A goldmine for the history buffs to look through and gush over. The acting is also extremely good. Everyone uses their own voice and not a single one of them drops the ball. They all deserve a pay raise for that.Then, the bad things. Which is mostly everything else. Which is mostly the story. It's, really really hard to get an audience of ordinary people to get behind on the "it's so hard to be king and have all that power and money and no freedom" storyline when you want to tell a story about royalty. It's really hard to be sympathetic on that line of Woe Is Me rhetoric. So it's up to the screenwriters to do the work and show the hardships when it comes to ruling and holding the position of emperor. Show how Song Ren Zong had to stop showing emotions as a young child, abandoning his hobbies and his favorite foods, holding back his own opinions to be a benevolent ruler and let others advise him, marrying someone he doesn't like and doesn't like him back just to bolster his position, can't even cry over his dead children because no weakness can be shown.
And do we get that from this drama? Not really. There's a lot of telling of how hard it is for the emperor of all lands under heaven, and not a lot of showing. Most of the screentime is focused on cramming as many historical persona references in there and have them gush about how perfect an emperor Zhao Zhen is. Which, as there are three different floods that caused three different famines during his reign, is undisputed by anyone. There's no complexity to his character that would be there for any state leader, present or past.
And the most egregious thing was, on the road further down to "Song Ren Zong Is Perfect And Has Done Nothing Wrong Ever", the writers veers into the "Woman Only Gets Abused By Husband Because She Did Something To Deserve It" road with the Princess Hui Rou storyline. Her entire life is a tragedy brought on by her father's need to give glory and good name to his birth mother, she is forced to marry someone she hates, her husband attempts to drug and rape her and ultimately hits her; and when she runs home crying, her father blames her for her abuse, offers no sympathy, and wants her to go back to the man who treated her so horribly. And because the story was so full on Song Ren Zong Can Never Make A Mistake, we are asked to be on the emperor's side, because he is always right. And that's some high class bullshit right there.
If they had just adapted straight from the novel and focused just on Princess Hui Rou, we could've had a story about how women in historical China, no matter how privileged and treasured they were, are still subject to the whims and wishes of the patriarchy (in this case the literal patriarch of all of China), which will always lead them into tragedy. But no, that story is apparently too small and we need a historical epic.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm a newbie in cdramaland. For me actually, period cdrama has a unique point that kdrama or jdrama doesn't have. When I watched The Longest Day in Chang'an and Joy of Life, I thought how could they made such a beautiful cinematography and costumes? How could they have well casted, well written and well directed drama? It's a period drama why it's really enjoyable to watch? Something like that. Then I tried to watch other cdrama like Goodbye My Princess. The couple was have good chemistry but the script was "meh". I did also watch Rise of Phoenixes, they have very beautiful cinematography and props also potential actors but in the middle of dramas, why the plot became nonsense and ridiculously disorganized. Why don't I try watching Held in the Lonely Castle, maybe they are a little different?
I had same thoughts with pammo1949 "I have developed a love-hate relationship with but will not give up."
Qing Ping Le or I usually called it "Held in the Lonely Castle" instead of "Serenade of Peaceful Joy" it started stronger, engaging and powerful with Empress Dowager appearance and a will of young boy who wanted a justice for his biological mom but suddenly those expectations are fading and left with tragic love and life story.
As he grown up, Zhao Zhen his name. He had grudges to the Empress Dowager and fell in love with Zhou clan woman who accidentally he met but officials who thought they were "gentlemen", they want their Emperor married with graceful, morally responsible, good attitude and educated. She was a noble woman who her uncle was a warrior general and her name was Cao Danshu.
Zhao Zhen accepted their offering and he got trapped by malicious rumor which led him missed his wedding night with her.
He becomes very benevolent, wise and has a good foresight but he has a weakness, he fancied woman, he loves liquor, he leads everything from his head and not his heart.
Cao Danshu who truly loves her as she had crush with him and willingly married him without knowing what kind of person he is. When he missed the wedding night, she keeps blaming herself that he didn't like her because he didn't choose her as Empress and wife. She keeps getting hurts by time she lives in Palace. She knew she couldn't win his heart and He had been cold to her for fifteen years
The most heartbreaking point he has is he loves his Empress, his legal woman, his love but he hides the feeling of loving her and he is safeguarding her quietly. He wanted her to be safe. He also didnt know her love is bigger than his worried to the nation and people.
He loves her but he cannot stop himself from getting jealous or suspecting her. He was very untrusting of her, and there was rumors to impeach the Empress.
Until later on when he gets older, he really appreciates her but by then The Empress cares and loves him but not the romantic way. He just wants a balance between imperial harem and imperial court.
The lackness of communication they have, create so many misunderstanding and untrusting towards each other. In the end Zhao Zhen realised that He also loves her very deeply and told her before he died in her arms.
Zhao zhen is such a stubborn man also. He wants her daughter to be happy by pampered and spoilt her. He doesn't realise that her daughter is a human, a human has feeling which is different from his feeling. Huirou her name, acted the way she did, also because she was spoilt by her father and she was just trying to rebel against the marriage she did not want. She just wants a life for herself in a justice. Ended up hurting herself mentally. But Zhao zhen didn't realise that he was as stubborn as her daughter
When Zhao Zhen said "I was the one that caused all of this" was really heartbreaking. That's a father feeling that maybe son/daughter doesn't have those thing. A lion never kills or eats his own child. Both Emperor and Empress also Huirou have sad and tragic story. He was worried about the empress and his daughter huirou will suffer too... thats why i can only blame him for being too mature.
Qing Ping Le has very beautiful costumes details, very oldish and vintage props, historical set, beautiful cinematography, very sad and deep soundtrack. They have draggy, mess and dull script though if we look it generally, it's really smooth and the plot kept on track. The real problem here is they are wasting all potential cast's talents and skills. There are so much opportunity to make this drama looks incredible thrilling with the actor skills. The editing was very terrible. They jumped in to the other unrelated scenes which looks unnatural. It was like watching a drama made by student who just barely use video editing. The executions most of them look ridiculous for me and not strong enough to engage the audience to understand the meaning of them.
Very honestly, I personally think that this drama is too much focused on Zhang Bihan and her people. I think they could summarize Zhang Bihan and the gang into 5 episodes but they deliberately did this for 20 episodes even more. Maybe, because the investor or other things that influenced the original broadcast into less then 50 episodes. Even, Jiang Shuying as a lead (Empress) only had few scenes. If you read the novel or history, the Empress story is more interesting and impressive because her bleak and tragic life but she still respects and loves Zhao Zhen instead of mentally ill Zhang Bihan who wanted as a legal wife(Empress) with the gang who eagerly did a power struggle.
Despite all those things , they have advantages too and I really appreciate to all actors. Personally, i enjoyed watching every scenes. I learned a lot about Chinese literature, art, poetry, Confucius morality, and lesson of life. I found myself got convinced and interested by them.
Nonetheless, the drama is quite enjoyable and interesting for me. I was really impressive by their acting especially The Emperor and Empress. Their nonverbal, mannerism, knowledge and interpersonal communication between them even their monologue performances and the body language are communicated very well also so we can tell that they care and love to each other. The acting between officials court and Emperor are quite like how they represented in that year. Schemes, self-presenting, power struggling, etc..
The problem why people look down this drama because they want to see cat fights and the inner imperial harem fighting. the novel perspective its interesting and impressive to see life from the eyes of a worker in the palace, so it is fun to read.
But if we execute into drama, it would be confused the audience.
For me so far, if it is a novel adaptation, the drama completely ruins the original story but the scriptwriter wants to pleased investor& government and to look more historical than what in novel does but its ended up a failure to convince the audience
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This review may contain spoilers
When I say this was unentertaining I honestly mean it was unentertaining. Maybe it’s just me but I was expecting so much more than what I got from the series. Initially I got a positive vibe from this series based on episode one. The first episode was very upbeat. Our female lead was outgoing , somewhat adventurous and most certainly smart. Our male lead of course was a younger individual as well and had not yet come into his full character yet. I decided to give it a go and I somewhat wish I had not. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t awful, it just wasn’t fun or fun to watch. I will admit that the scenery, wardrobe as well as the music was perfect. I did pick up on some of the harmonic sounds from the story of Ming lan and I got a little bit excited however this is not the type to series. There was nothing witty about this series. No genius moves made. No outwitting anyone intellectually took place. There is nothing heartfelt about this series. There was nothing remotely romantic. That being said our two leads had zero chemistry. I can only assume that this has something to do with the writers attempting to depict real life events.
Well anyway there was zero chemistry. That had about as much chemistry as oil in water. There was no bickering but there was a sense of camaraderie. And what I mean by that is they each maintain their independent role. The female lead was honestly seen and treated as a colleague for the majority of the series. Truthfully speaking the emperor made an attempt to connect with our female lead in the beginning however for whatever reasons she did not appear inviting. So he merely gave up after a few tries and just honestly treated her like a coworker the entire series. I honestly am not exaggerating.
I waited so long for the Episode that somewhat reflected the synopsis of the series however I am currently at episode 45 in the series and I have yet to see our young princess meet her supposed future husband. At this point I’m not even sure if that’s going to show in the series. With all that said I think that they totally need to redo the synopsis of this series because it is absolutely misleading.
My honest synopsis about this series: it is about a man who became emperor and the empress that was chosen for him.
It most certainly reflects how they function as individuals because there was nothing remotely reflecting a power couple or team effort from them at all. What I saw was the empress making wise choices and the emperor making what he believe we’re wise choices. I no there were many comments about how he disregarded the empress and how she really cared for him but after watching 45 episodes and I honestly can’t see any of it. It’s more like two people accepted their fate and just chose to continue on how they were going. And that’s exactly what they did. I do believe that the series can actually cast without one of the leads and it will still be exactly the same.
If you’re looking for historical drama to watch you may like this one. However if you’re looking for something stimulating you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for something slightly romantic, you won’t find it here if you’re looking for something that is upbeat you will not find it here. If you’re looking for something heartfelt look someplace else you will not find it here. With that being said I understand it is so easy to get sucked in by the image that is portrayed with the series and also the cast members but be warned there is no chemistry between our leads, no warmth, heartfelt moments, no witty things, no genius plotting. FYI, there is one crazy concubine who is generally allowed to act the way she likes but that too is not cute. Not in the least. Also I am convinced that empress will live her life as a virgin empress, no kiss, no real hug. Nothing. Just so sad.
Completed the series, something happened but it was still sad. The last 10 episodes are more entertaining but sad too.
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Serenade of Peaceful Joy is an odd title for a drama that deals primarily with an emperor and the reforms he attempts during the Song dynasty. I like the emperor when he is governing but hate him when he’s dealing with his personal life, including the way he treats his empress and concubines. He’s not mean to them but he unintentionally hurts them because he’s basically clueless. It’s especially crushing to see the empress change from a cheerful, smart, opinionated girl trained in martial arts and swordfighting to a repressed, uptight, and infinitely sad woman. Not much joy there. Not very peaceful either. It should have been called Elegy of Endless Melancholy. Was this review helpful to you?
Tragically beautiful love story paired with the most brilliant cinematography
If I could rate it more than 10 I would. This drama has impacted me the most. It's just so morbidly beautiful. The love between a princess and her eunuch, it's extremely tragic and painfully innocent. I loved the emperor too, he was kind and benevolent to his people but that didn't mean he was flawless, afterall the heaven's son is still human. The empress is such a strong character, she loved but her love was never reciprocated. At the end she could only do her duty to get the emperor's attention and this made her so strict. The emperor's one true love the concubine is also tragic, she truly loved the emperor but was forced to be a demon by the ruthless harem politics. While the concubine (Huirou's mother) she only wanted her daughter to be happy by at the end couldn't protect her. The novel that this story is inspired from is by far the most tragically beautiful novel I've ever read and the drama is befitting too. I just wish they paid more attention towards the love story.Was this review helpful to you?
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Poor pacing, bad screenwriting
I never bother to write reviews, unless when a wasted potential pisses me off so much that I wished I was the screenwriter instead.First, I must praise:
The production quality is just breathtaking. You will astonished by the beauty of Song philosophy, literature, and clothing. And you will be touched by carefully-picked cast and the actors' efforts to showing the emotions of their complex characters. Well- ignoring the fact that Huaiji looks too young to be 30 and Li Wei looks too old to be 16.
Then, I will criticize:
This drama is nearly perfect in every single aspect EXCEPT for the plot. The screenwriter and director turned what was originally a story focused on the Eunuch and the Princess's romance into a COMPLETE biography of the Emperor. The Emperor was glorified into a perfect figure who never makes mistakes. We are forced to justify his actions and believe he is always right no matter how crazy and unreasonable. An anti-feudal, anti-ethics satire turned into poetry written solely to praise the Emperor?? That is so disrespectful when it comes to adapting somebody else's works.
I will admit, this drama tells a very interesting story. Interesting BUT exhausting. It's insane how they tried to cram what could have been three individual dramas into one: The emperor and politics, the empress and the harem, the princess and the eunuch. The audience alternates between multiple people's perspectives in a single episode alone, which causes information to become scattered and lose focus. From a family perspective, we see a selfish father who gets any women he wants, but married off his daughter to someone she doesn't love as compensation for his birth mother's family. However, if this was broken down into different dramas, we will get a proper, political side to the story- how the arranged marriage was actually protection for the Princess from the next Emperor-in-line.
So where is the climax? THERE IS NONE. Things just happen and we're forced to move on quickly. All the meaningful foreshadow scenes (from Huaiji's childhood) which were supposed to lead to powerful realizations were all but watered down. The climax in the novel occurs when the Princess breaks the law. But this doesn't happen in the drama until a sudden change of focus near the end of the show, with a very rushed open ending that left us in confusion. The drama ends with the Emperor's death, when there is actually more to the story.
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In particular because of the amazing script of this series, and the reference to so many beautiful classical poems and quotes, it is indeed regrettable that unlike the first episodes of the series, there was an option to cover the chinese dialogues with the eng translation.
This increases the readability of the eng translation, however it forbids the access to the original Chinese language dialogues. Other, better solutions can be found to avoid losing the Chinese dialogues while keeping the eng translation. When making any cultural treasure available, we should care to exhibit it in the best possible way. Just imagine going to the Louvre and only being able to see Leonardo da Vinci‘s (达芬奇）”La Gioconda” wrapped in plastic. We can still see it but...
Please do reconsider your options regarding how to make the translations available to us all, as the Chinese language is also a treasure per itself, and it is great when we can appreciate and have the opportunity to enjoy both the dialogues in Chinese as their translation into eng and other languages. Again thank you for the translation in eng, but please do let us have access to the chinese dialogues. ?
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