Blossoms in Adversity (2024)

I never thought I would be able to complete a 40-episode drama but here I am, thoroughly enjoying and loving all the episodes.
it is such a beautiful show and Hua Zhi is one of the best female characters I have ever seen. the story of a group of women abandoned in a conservative and misogynistic society but they trample it all and rise.
Hua Zhi was one of the least-liked members of the family but she proved reliable and led everyone to success. all the women in the family unlearning all the internalized misogyny and classism. zhi also remained kind to every person she met throughout the series. even certain male characters who are not 'heroes' are empowered. this a feminist show if u ask me.
the romance was nice between all the couples even though it was not a focal point of the show. some plotlines and couples were rushed at the last few episodes.
the only complaint i would have is that the main lead was a bit too expressionless. the show would have been way better and the romance could have hit harder if he was expressive at certain parts.
I'm very happy that in the end the women continued what they were doing before and didn't go back to their old ways. it's also quite sweet and smart how 'hua' means flower and its connection with the title

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Uplifting women's voices and how they don't need no man

Women-oriented show that highlights how past a wife, concubine, and servant's title are mothers, sisters, and daughters who have their own talents, aspirations, and goals.

BLOSSOMS IN ADVERSITY has this theme at its forefront from the initial scene, where a young Hua Zhi saves a ship in a storm by bravely climbing up the mast and letting the sail down. If you're a fan of:
- Wholesome family dynamics
- Cute and angst-free romances
- Intelligent, business-minded FL
- Seeing main characters starting from the bottom and working their way up,
Then this drama is for you!

PROS
❀ Family at that heart of the show
While this show has many other plot points going on (some palace dealings, several romantic lines, etc), at its heart is the Hua family women and their relationships. I thought I would get bored with the family drama, but I think the show did an excellent job in highlighting all the different characters' strengths and weaknesses. I especially appreciated the growth we see in all the women from when they first get kicked out of the capital to when they come back, stronger than ever. At first, they only wanted a man to rely on. With the guidance of Hua Zhi and the Hua matriarch (grandmother), the women started to stand on their own two feet - no men needed. Hua Zhi (FL) leads to family to success by starting various business ventures and gaining allies (and enemies) along the way.
While I was worried all the different characters would be confusing, the family is not that complex and quite easy to follow. They were also quite likeable and thus I didn't find myself fast forwarding past any of their scenes. I feel like it takes great writing to get me invested in heavy family dynamics, and BLOSSOMS IN ADVERSITY hit the mark.

❀ Highlighting the strength of women in different situations
Whether it's with an abusive husband, stuck in a trap of six other concubines, or marrying into a treacherous family, I enjoyed how the show was still able to highlight the perils and obstacles of the various Hua women. While this doesn't mean that everyone has a glorious comeback and comes out victorious (in fact, there are some tragedies that happen), I still appreciated how the show explored the different plights of women during the time period.

❀ Mature(?) romance that is straightforward and sweet
I put mature with a question mark because I'm a bit conflicted in my analysis of the overall romance. At face value, it's very sweet and to-the-point. Gu Yan Xi (ML) encounters the FL after traveling back from the North and is impressed by her lack of fear towards him and intelligent dialogue. He gives her good advice while she navigates her family drama and is a solid shoulder to lean on. The only issue is that his other identity is the Commander of the Security Bureau, which has a deadly reputation. Between the couple, this is *actually* a non-issue as the FL is quite understanding of his double identity and even his confession to his identity (at the ep 20 mark) is met with a calm response (as she had a feeling already). With this regard, I feel like the romance is mature and steady.
The plot point that gives me pause is how the ML handled his inner conflict of choosing the FL vs choosing the emperor (who he sees as a father figure). I feel like we never really get resolution on this from his character, but rather the resolution is forced on us via plot. See, throughout the entire show the ML is the backbone of the emperor's Security Bureau and rooting out rebels, but he's also the FL's companion and supporter. Towards the end the emperor kind of makes him choose between the two by giving the FL a hard time which becomes the core of the break-up (happens at ep 33, but they get back together in ep 36 also it was a soft break-up anyway lol). I never felt like the ML took a solid stance in this regard which makes me hesitate to say this is a *mature* romance - rather, the writing makes it so there aren't huge conflicts between the leads.
HOWEVER, I did like the candid dialogue that Hua Zhi and Gu Yan Xi had about not having misunderstandings/miscommunications. So that is certainly a point towards the maturity. (And every drama should have that convo!!) I guess I'm just flip-flopping in my analysis lol.

❀ Awesome fight scenes
One of the reviewers said the ML had fists of fury and they weren't wrong!! Lol while there weren't many action-dominated scenes, the few that were there were all stellar. Especially the choreo for the ML - his punches got me cheering him on. Of note, I thought the assassin x cooking competition scene in ep 28 had fire filming and execution.

❀ Rare moment where I LOVED the music
The opening theme immediately got me HOOKED. It's so triumphant, adventurous, and catchy. Whenever that theme came on I knew something good was gonna happen in the story, lol. I also like the reprise they made of the theme that's purely instrumental. It was giving Bridgerton vibes and just added to the overall atmosphere.

❀ The way everyone started coupling up around the ep 30ish mark
It was so cute what the heck!! Everyone was so easy to root for and it made the overall happy ending very satisfying to see.

CONS
✕ Weak palace drama
While I enjoyed how the palace drama gave us a chance to see more of the ML's backstory and ACTION(!!), the overall plotline was weak and felt nonsensical. At some point I was just waiting for the emperor to d*e so that anyone(!!) could take the throne after him. For real. I feel like this weak palace plot exacerbated my side-eye at the ML because I wasn't convinced he had to be as loyal to the throne as he was. The final conflict wasn't even instigated by our leads, they just had a (helping) hand in it. Because of the ML x emperor loyalty though, I didn't feel as if the ML had time to grow. Like, he "made his own decisions" in certain scenes towards the end but it wasn't as resolute as it could have been, since he was still juggling both sides (his lover aka the FL vs the emperor aka his father figure) towards the very end.

✕ ML frozen face
I expected this going in but it's actually so noticeable it's funny. The ML actor (Hu Yi Tian) is TALL and HAWT, don't get me wrong. Major eye candy. And his smiles make everything worth it. The only problem is his stoic face for 97% of his screen time. I *feel* like the actor was trying to do some micro-expressions with his eyes, but I wasn't really seeing it. Will eye candiness (I mean come on, he looks SO good with that curly flowing hair) make up for frozen face syndrome? It will for me. I feel like the writers did well with making his actions speak for themselves.

✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10
ML has hidden identity but it wasn't a huge misunderstanding or major issue.

OVERALL
This drama will leave you with all the warm, fuzzy feelings. ALL the characters (except the emperor who is shown to be cowardly from the get-go) are immensely likeable and fun to watch. You'll fall in love with not only the main couple and their stalwart support of one another, but also the beautiful female relationships that blossom in this drama. I feel like Zhang Jing Yi (FL actress) always does a great job with strong FLs and this historical piece was no different. I guess she does step into Mary Sue territory at times, but she also learned from her elders quite a bit (especially towards the beginning) to get her foundation set up. Nonetheless, BLOSSOMS IN ADVERSITY truly highlights the power of family when worst comes to worst, and how one can utilize that love and power to climb back from adversity.

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What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

On a surface level, "Blossoms in Adversity" tells the story of a young, strong-willed and adventurous woman called Hua Zhi, whose family falls into peril when her grandfather, the infamous scholar and Imperial Censor Hua Yi Zheng, draws His Imperial Majesty's ire on himself during court session, and her blossoming romance with the Emperor's nephew and Commander of the Security Bureau, Gu Yan Xi. On a deeper level, however, this story is more than just a love story. It's about a family that grows together through adversity, including important lessons about kindness, resilience and karma.

The intriguing premise of an official's family falling from grace is what drew me into watching this drama in the first place. I'm always in for some well-executed "riches to rags and back to riches" story and this one does not disappoint, though there are some elements I wish would have been better developed.

The drama starts out strong with the main plot immediately being pushed forward right at the end of the first episode. The property is confiscated by the Emperor's Security Bureau, the men gathered and sent into prison, and then the women and children younger than ten are suddenly all on their own, forced to retreat from the captial with what little belongings they managed to gather in the little time that was so gracously given to them. Thanks to Old Madame Hua's connections (no spoilers here), they find a charming, though rather desolate and run down little farmstead not far from the capital to settle down - and that's when the real struggle starts for these pampered noble women who have never worked a day in their lives. Heads and flared tempers butt quite a lot in these early episodes as the women learn to come to terms with their new living conditions and the social stigma of being members of a "sinnful" family.

Hua Zhi is the only one who doesn't need much time to adapt and immediately takes the reigns to make the best out of their seemingly hopeless situation - be it by helping the few remaining loyal maids to clean up the property, hunting down a scammer, or saving the family from perishing in their sleep due to fume poisoning. Her efforts don't exactly get rewarded with much gratitude in the beginning, but that soon changes when she starts raking in money with her business ideas, leading them to eventually return to the capital.

The pace starts to flare out and drag a bit towards the second half, picks up again when one major villain makes its final nerve-wracking move, falls once again afterwards and then rises into an exciting, if not quite predictable conclusion. I definitely think they could have added in some more obstacles into the Hua family's rise to prosperity to make it a bit more realistic, but I understand that there is only so much one can do with a 40 Episodes per Drama-limit.

Watching the Hua women go from spoiled, fearful noble women to hard-working, strong individuals no longer dependent on men is probably one of the best aspects of this drama. Each and everyone of the them (with the execption of Hua Zhi - more to that later), grows so much throughout the course of the story, that you'll hardly recognize them again in the end. It's truly inspiring and touching to see them growing into a family that sticks together and supports each other throughout all the adversities they are facing. And all of this in a time period in which women are told from birth that they are nothing without the "stronger" sex. The amount of wealth the Hua family accumulates over such a short period of time definitely has to be taken with a grain of salt, though.

The men are barely present in the drama, so it's not surprising we don't see all that much growth on their part (though one could certainly argue that two to three years spent in exile mining and transporting heavy rocks at freezing temperatures should have taught them a thing or two). Same goes to Hua Zhi. The lack of growth on her part, however, is not attributed to her "Mary Sue" status. In fact, she does have quite a few flaws, her most prominent one probably being her self-righteousness and inability to remain silent in the face of injustice, even to her own detriment. The problem here is that the writers barely gave her room to overcome her character flaws (probably to avoid her becoming "too perfect"). Though it's not really a deal breaker, I would have loved to see some growth on her part, even if it meant adding in more flaws at the start of her journey.
Zhang Jing Yi, however, does a solid job portraying the young, kind-hearted, smart, business-savy and confident head of the Hua family.

The male lead, Gu Yan Xi, faces similiar issues. The biggest let-down on his part though is probably the lack of depth in Hu Yi Tian's acting when it comes to Gu Yan Xi's complicated relationship to his Emperor Uncle. Hai Yi Tian does such a wonderful job portraying a paranoid Emperor, who though cruel in nature still very much trusts and loves his nephew. Hu Yi Tian does not quite live up to that expectionally complex character portayal in his character's responses in certain situations, which makes the Emperor's love for him seem more oppressive and one-sided than it actually is.
Hu Yi Tian's fight scenes, however, are absolutely phenomenal, though as always, you'll have to take the realism of some of those with a grain of salt.

The main characters' relationship was quite decent. It was overall very mature and solid and not making use of too much well-established cdrama tropes such as misunderstandings due to lack of communication that drag on for episodes. Though one could argue that Hua Zhi lets Gu Yan Xi off too easily for lying to her and keeping his true identity hidden for the entire first half of the drama. Their love and trust in each other has to be commended, and I certainly loved seeing them respecting each other's jobs and freedom.

Another noteworthy character portayal is Lu Yu Xiao's Shao Yao, Gu Yan Xi's little sister, who has been isolated in her courtyard for years and thus lacks the social and communication skills "normal" people possess. Portraying such a character convincingly in such an endearing way certainly isn't easy, but Lu Yu Xiao more than nailed it.

The body count has been kept rather low compared to other dramas of the same genre, though there are some character demises that are really sad, if not a bit unnecessary (especially a certain one towards the end).

The OST was, as always, very solid. The mix of modern electro tunes and classic instruments added a nice layer to some scenes, though the background music was rather loud and thus more often than not, drowned out the on-going conversation a bit.

In conclusion this drama is best enjoyed for what it is: Not a master work by any means, but rather a soild and inspiring story that will entertain you for many, many hours.

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Blooming romance and character growth!

I love this story so much! The outline of the plot is a basic one. The female lead's (Hua Zhi) family (The Hua Family) falls from grace- basically, the emperor doesn't favor their family and exiled the men to a Northern Border and the women and youth of the family are left in the capital. They no longer have their property because it is confiscated by the emperor. So they must make a living to survive.

Hua Zhi is a curious learner, and a brilliant business (young) woman. Hua Zhi is played by Zhang Jingyi, who does an excellent job of emulating the natural brilliance of a young woman pursuing business endeavors to support her family single-handedly. The male lead Gu Yanxi is played by Hu Yitian who did a decent job. I didn't like him a lot because there wasn't depth to his character. I can't really tell how much Gu Yanxi loves Hua Zhi. I don't really see the conflicted character go between being a loyal emperor subject to a man in love. He doesn't offer a more complex insight on his character. It seems as if he read the novel and gave us a surface presentation on the actor. The other casting who played the supporting roles did a phenomenal job at offering their character some dimension.

The production of this drama is also pretty good. There isn't much to nitpick. The only one is lighting. You'll notice it if you're a person with sensitive eyes. But other than that, this drama is smooth, enjoyable, and fun.

I feel like there are some playful parts and sweet moments that will hold dear to you.

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love a good jing yi drama!

YAY i finished. this was a cutesy drama- i loved the character development in all the aunts and characters at the end. loved the independent and smart FL, my FAVV!! she can hold up her own fort and family and i LOVE her for that. hyt also very hot. but emperor was so annoying… like using him. BUT I LOVE A GOOD SHE-DOESNT-KNOW-WHO-I-AM DRAMA BRUH. i wish they extended that part longer. i love the chase!!! chemistry was ok- i felt it a LOT on hyts side but not huazhis. idk. it was cute thooooo i liked them. esp their flirting stage. and when he was the martial arts teacher AW. overall pretty good drama to not binge but watch every so often. romance could be better but yea. plot was follow-able.

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Best couple and empowered female lead

One of the best dramas to come out of China. The way it tackles multiple issues and topics while also balancing the comeback story is superb. The cast of Zhang Jing Yi , Hu Yi Tian , Lu Yu Xiao is brilliant and was able to portray their characters beautifully.
If you enjoy a love story that has a subtle growth and the angst is to the minimum then this drama is for you.
If you enjoy an empowering female lead who fights for herself this drama is for you.
If you want a story about power and fight for the crown and how greed corrupts a person, this is for you.

RECOMMENDED!!!

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Not bad, but could be better

The drama definitely would've done a lot better with some plot and episode trimming. There were too many side characters with minor story arcs that were irrelevant fillers. I couldn't care less about every auntie's personal problems. That didn't add anything and only deviated from the story and dragged the plot.

In the last ten episodes, it became apparent that the writers completely ran out of ideas and just wrote whatever to finish the 40 episodes. The spy/envoy arc had nothing to do with the main plot. It felt like a filler and was completely uninteresting. The main story was about the FL saving her family from poverty and bringing the male relatives back and ML dealing with the royal family drama. The envoy arc had nothing to do with either.

FL also felt a little too perfect. There was no character development to show achievement through trial and error. At the beginning, she was a teenager from a privileged family who never had to struggle with anything and didn't have good relations with any of her family members. After the exile, she magically got her act together and had all the answers without having to overcome or learn anything. Even the mishaps were not due to her mistakes but mistakes of her aunties. Everything that she achieved was completely undeserved because she never had to struggle. She went from zero to hero overnight.

The acting was mostly ok. Hu Yitian's had his usual frozen face that took away from his chemistry with FL. But, he got better later on and started showing a little bit of emotion. Zhang Jing Yi was ok, but unconvincing as a historical character. It felt like a modern woman playing dress-up.

The chemistry was ok, but FL's Mary Sue personality made secondary couples a lot more interesting. Shen Huan and Shaoyao were a lot more fun because there was actual character growth and the couple looked like they really couldn't wait to be together while ML and FL just hanged out without taking any steps to move their relationship forward.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Hu Yitian's is definitely an eye candy and the fighting scenes were entertaining.

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Woman independence & Communication in a relationship

There are 2 main theme in this drama: surviving from adversity and romance

Excellent writing regarding the romance between the two leads. No BS between the both of them. Communication 10/10. Level of Maturity of the two leads 10/10. A romance story which will not kill your brain cells. (YAYYYYY)

I love how many character eventually grew stronger & mature over time. The plot was engaging and I liked how the Hua Family member became more independent and eventually had a ability to survive. Other than surviving, they also grew confidence and accepted their life.

Generally great acting. (Some ppl r saying the main leads acting could be better, but I think its fine. On the other hand, I find the actress who acted Shao Yao acting kindda off. I have seen her in My Journey to You and she was great there. Maybe she wasn't in her best condition here). The actor who acted as the emperor did a good job. Boiled my blood multiple times :)

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Blossoms in Adversity: A Triumph of Female Empowerment and Drama

I am so glad I didn’t skip watching Blossoms in Adversity—it’s truly one of the best dramas to air in 2024. The star of the show is our female lead, Hua Zhi (played by Zhang JingYi), who embodies female empowerment. In times of need, she stepped up and took on the role of head of the family, managing to make a living despite being faced with a dead end. Hua Zhi led her family’s prosperity and survival, making a significant impact.

The side characters also played notable roles. All of Hua Zhi’s family members contributed to restoring the Hua family’s reputation through hard work and dedication, overcoming their adversaries. The main couple, Hua Zhi and Gu YanXi, had a strong relationship based on mutual trust and belief in one another, despite the obstacles between them.

The supporting cast, including Caesar Wu (Shen Qi), Lu YuXiao (Shao Yao), and Bian Cheng (Shen Huan), was memorable. I felt Caesar Wu should have had more screen time, but the second couple was sweet, and I liked how they ended up. I also appreciate the OSTs, especially the powerful opening song, which represents the drama well.

At times, I did feel like Hua Zhi was being very unreasonable, especially considering her family’s situation and the temperament of the emperor, which she is aware of. I feel like she did bring some of the misfortune onto her family by not being able to keep her mouth shut in the name of 'justice'.

The drama never dragged, and the arcs were well-planned and spaced out. The ending wasn’t rushed, and I am very satisfied with it. Overall, this was a great drama, and I definitely recommend watching it. I rate it 9/10.

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this is wht i think after watching the drama

ok so the drama overall is good
the best thing is that there is no female character who is envious of the FL and no stupid kinda drama
and the cutest thing is the side character couples in the drama
FL and ML character writing and development is pretty good
the reason i rated the story 8.5 is cuz of its abrupt ending
also due to the lack of a main villain, the story feels kinda different
but i love the development of all the members of her family
overall this is a nice light-hearted drama to watch
even if it isn't that involving it will surely keep engaging

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Touching Story With Sweet Romance

Friends, this is easily the most bingeable watch this year. I could not stop pressing play and impatiently waited for episodes once I caught up with the live release schedule. Not only was the story interesting, it was incredibly touching the way this family came together to solve their issues. The story revolves around the ladies of this family - both the family members and their servants. I really enjoyed the intricacies of these various relationships. Their shifting dynamics created genuine character growth for many of the women. There are lots of #ladiessupportingladies as well as #ladiesLEARNINGtosupportladies in this drama, which felt really refreshing.

The main couple had a sweet and slow romance built over the course of the story. A bit more passion from them would have been nice, but I understand these dramas typically are on the tamer side. They did have some great hugs! The main leads did a good job portraying the characters and had decent chemstry together. I'm not sure their performance was as memorable as the overall story, but I will probably remember them fondly. I wonder how I would have felt about their romance with different actors in the roles. Overall, a great and touching story paired with a sweet and steady romance made this one of my favorites this year (so far).

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