In Northern Song Dynasty
Female view
Female rights and powers
Movie-like visual quality
The story follows Sheng Ming Lan, an unfavored concubine-born 6th daughter of an official. After losing her mother at a young age, Ming Lan is raised by her paternal grandmother. Growing up, she learns to hide her true genius self and use crafty and cunning methods in order to survive the tough conditions where family members are plotting against each other and where no actual familial love exists.
She then meets Gu Ting Ye, the second son of a rich marquis household, who is supposed to inherit wealth from both the parents and a noble title. Unlike Ming Lan, Gu Ting Ye is straightforward with his actions and never hides his true self, causing him to fall victim to all the planning and plotting against him, where he ends up losing everything.
Ming Lan and Ting Ye join forces, and through cunning schemes and daring endeavours, they both rise in position and work to obtain justice from those that have wronged them.
Female view
Female rights and powers
Movie-like visual quality
The story follows Sheng Ming Lan, an unfavored concubine-born 6th daughter of an official. After losing her mother at a young age, Ming Lan is raised by her paternal grandmother. Growing up, she learns to hide her true genius self and use crafty and cunning methods in order to survive the tough conditions where family members are plotting against each other and where no actual familial love exists.
She then meets Gu Ting Ye, the second son of a rich marquis household, who is supposed to inherit wealth from both the parents and a noble title. Unlike Ming Lan, Gu Ting Ye is straightforward with his actions and never hides his true self, causing him to fall victim to all the planning and plotting against him, where he ends up losing everything.
Ming Lan and Ting Ye join forces, and through cunning schemes and daring endeavours, they both rise in position and work to obtain justice from those that have wronged them.
A story with a strong female who start a buisiness and be strong in adversity. But, she fell in love with a strong male who work at capital defence.
Similarities:
-Both leads are equal to each other and their love and bond is strong.
-Great sisterhoods in both series which is not typical in c-dramas.
-Both sets open up a restaurant and other businesses and count on each other's strengths to carry them through.
-Great comedy in both.
-Both leads are equal to each other and their love and bond is strong.
-Great sisterhoods in both series which is not typical in c-dramas.
-Both sets open up a restaurant and other businesses and count on each other's strengths to carry them through.
-Great comedy in both.
Same type of energy and chemistry between the leads. In both dramas both leads are smart and have deductive reasoning and work together to resolve problems.
They have a bickering type relationship and the FL is engaged to someone else and becomes a social pariah while ML is affiliated with officers etc.
They have a bickering type relationship and the FL is engaged to someone else and becomes a social pariah while ML is affiliated with officers etc.
Both prominently feature feminist themes of independence and self-empowerment in a historical setting, as well as relationships between women who are put in similar circumstances. The cinematography/music gives both dramas a very scenic and almost dreamlike/folktale feel which works well to immerse the viewer in the story, despite the liberties that had to be taken in order to tell a more modern story.
A Dream of Splendor leans much more heavily into the relationships between the three women. The women run a business, so much of the drama is spent on the life of business owners in the capital city.
Rookie Historian tells the tale of female palace historians, therefore, most of the drama centers around the life in the inner and outer palace, and it features political intrigue and plots more heavily. The romance is also more youthful than the mature romance of the main leads in A Dream of Splendor as it ties closely to the coming of age arc of the male lead.
A Dream of Splendor leans much more heavily into the relationships between the three women. The women run a business, so much of the drama is spent on the life of business owners in the capital city.
Rookie Historian tells the tale of female palace historians, therefore, most of the drama centers around the life in the inner and outer palace, and it features political intrigue and plots more heavily. The romance is also more youthful than the mature romance of the main leads in A Dream of Splendor as it ties closely to the coming of age arc of the male lead.
