Guo Bao Yao Shi (2025)

Excellent drama about archeology fieldwork

This drama is a highly worthwhile watch. Its a deep dive into archeology. And, spanning 36 episodes, it is keeps up its its momentum, entertaining and interesting all the way. The whole drama spans some 10+ years, in which the main characters, 3 archeology students, become professionals and experts in their field. The mystery that launches the narrative involves a murder of sorts, the murder of history, as previously unseen and unresearched historical figurines are auctioned in a foreign country. The police and archeologists manage to salvage and bring back the artefacts, and start delving into the mystery of their origin.

We are following 3 groups of people: archeologists doing their work in the field, tombraiders stealing the treasures and selling them for the highest bidder, and a police special unit hunting the tombraiders. All three groups have their main characters, but surprisingly, the most in-depth and interesting characters are the main villains in the tombraiding group: Mu Jianhui and his companion in crime, Guang. Mu Jianhui is highly intelligent and fights and plots his way from poverty into respectable collector and benefactor status. He is perhaps the least black and white villain I've ever had a chance to see; we see a whole human being with strengts and flaws. We see him being a very good supportive man to Guang, and the people around, whilst involved in criminal activity. Their friendship and the family they build together offer the most emotional and heartbreaking scenes of the drama.

The 3 archeologist friends are less multidimensional characters although their camaderie is also fun and interesting to watch. I didn't much care about the romance plot between Fan Kung and Luo Qing, it was half-hearted at best and childish at worst. The police group's leader is also a less interesting character, we get to know very little about his background or family. He goes around tirelessly but I didn't learn much of his personality, except that he perseveres.

The police are always one step behind the tomb raiders, underresourced and facing dangerous situations. They face competing tombraider groups, infighting and murders, during the duration of the drama. In the end they manage to track down the main robber barons (thus, happy ending).

What to me is the most pleasurable aspect of the drama is that we are always there, in the villages where the archeology fieldwork takes place. We learn about how archeologists study the environment, measuring and observing how densely packed the groud is, in trying to deduce where tombs could be situated. We meet a lot of village people with their own concerns. All portrayed in a sympathetic light, both those aiding the tombraiders and those who engage in hunting them and protecting the tombs. The Lost National Treasure a very rich and colourful drama.

There's a lot to say but: great drama!

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