Xiang83

She'll annoy a lot of viewers. Until meeting Xia Jingshi, she has always had her way, been told everything she wants to hear, and never truly encountered hardship. Being over-coddled does that.

That is why this princess is so realistic in this drama ie Princess Xiyang has such a romanticised unrealistic vision of love and people, thinking she can get what she wants if she gives others what she assumes they want. Bad match with Xia Jingshi, who has been humiliated, bullied and endured worse while spending many years as a seasoned veteran of battles with a different woman that matches what he hopes for.

The bad guys will naturally out themselves in different ways across numerous episodes, by episode 19.

Are you the kind who wants spoilers before episodes?

As two formidable enemies who should be killing each other given their personal allegiances of national interests, it is the only natural language for them to start honestly communicating in, when one-on-one XD

I would have wanted this drama to be two episodes longer, in order to flesh out certain things but I believe the budget for this drama is even less than "Fated Hearts", so 36 episodes is what it is.

I don't know if Republican-era espionage thrillers are up your alley (the cast is usually fairly strong including the leads), so I won't rec those.

Since you like "Dream of Golden Years", consider checking out "Twelve Letters", "The Miracles" (a compilation of short stories related to Shenzhen's development), and perhaps "Beloved" (if you are curious about crime-thrillers with psychological themes). The acting for those options are definitely of a certain standard at the very least similar to this drama, the scripts are fairly tight, and the directing is professionally engaging in a realistic manner while reflecting an understanding of the screenwriter(s) visions.

"Dream of Golden Years" is well-executed, for more than 95% of the drama. Why this drama stands out is not because it is time travel enabling FL to change her future, but because FL no longer remains as a passive fence-sitter of issues assuming personal success is sufficient self-protection for a sole person ie herself. FL followed all the rules and squashed her own dreams as a people-pleaser in her original timeline but gets framed for being a people-pleasing team player, so she decisively transforms to become an active go-getter willing to use all her modern skills to tackle the challenges of the reform era and protect her loved ones, and also wanting people to succeed with her.

Hark work and having the initiative to create opportunities and tackle obstacles head-on is the key, rather than avoiding unpleasant people and giving in to them just to keep a peace that is dependent on them. FL seizes the reins in a graceful observant manner, and learns to also open up to people and have close friends. This is how FL enabled horrible misogynistic traditions to be confronted and altered, such as empowering her mother and other women to have a modern mindset of feminine independence still mindful of a supportive team being necessary to succeed. And not being afraid to start over or think big, because all along, the strength you need is always inside you.

All this is because the primary screenwriter is consistent from start to end while able to utilise her writing strengths ie specific emphasis on women empowerment plus general inspirational stories, and the director also understands the vision of the screenwriter, plus they clearly grasped the source material and actively considered individual characters of the ensemble cast carefully while still enabling FL to stand out. FL is almost twice the age of the ML from an emotional and mental perspective at the beginning, and the carefully-technical screenplay plus post-production editing allows for ML to become her equal in a natural manner through different events and sharing perspectives.

They also clearly had at least two options for an ending, knowing the first preferred option likely would not pass censorship.

Everybody picks dramas for different reasons. Some will pick based on cast members or specific artists. A few of us pick dramas primarily because we can vet the crew combo of director(s) and screenwriter(s) and supporting cast members, and not just because of one screenwriter or director (that is how I picked this drama to watch).

What type of main characters (ML and/or FL) do you want to watch? Any specific genre?

Definitely! Everytime she became teary, I became teary XD

And that ending of two possibilities was an uplifting inspiring finish promising another wonderful start and continuation!

I have watched 31 episodes. Her first pair of earrings in episode 11 are my favourite earrings of hers, this far. Maybe somebody should make an MDL quiz about personalities based on her earrings XD

Express package now available for IQiyi VIP members, for episodes 32 to 36! Looking forward to binging everything this weekend!

Finished the novel. Since it is only 24 episodes, I definitely believe there will be some changes from the novel. But I also believe the main gist of the storyline will be retained plus certain other details, judging by the BTS including Esther Yu's costume changes. Very much looking forward to the final outcome :)

There are plenty of other contributors. Some are on hiatus. Others have health issues or other offline issues (whereby they no longer have time to write). All contributions as per those I have communicated with (we don't post everyday) are solely voluntary, in our own time.

As to the internal politics of MDL's inner circles, I am not privy to it.

There is a publishing process to adhere to, which I was informed about by more than one editor. I have a suitable writing background, otherwise I wouldn't qualify. Without sufficient fluency in mandarin and English (Google Translate won't cut it and neither can Chat GPT) , many details in the "Blades of The Guardians" article would not be available as the article I put together.

I don't like the comment the other poster added after sharing my profile with you, because their two comments come across as targeting me and fellow MDL users in writing such as CryssyAnne because of their own agenda. MDL will let anyone write anything these days? No.

The other poster obviously has an axe to grind with the Lily Alice account? That is their prerogative. That is not for me to judge.

The other poster will not be able to qualify for the publishing process (their style of writing definitely disqualifies them), plus it is the level of unrecyclable sewage to snipe behind the backs of others who can do what they cannot.

Decent to good Op-Eds for MDL, IMHO:

Op-Ed: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/my-appreciation-of-thai-lakorns-011013125

Op-Ed: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/jeana-s-unpopular-opinion-infuriating-drama-heroines-011013509

Op-Ed: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/top-10-most-popular-loved-chinese-bromances

Op-Ed: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/if-outlander-was-adapted-to-korean-drama-011015139

Op-Ed: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/stages-of-dropping-dramas-011015145

This is a collaborative article of at least seven editors and writers: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/ask-mdl-action-011013313

I find this to be an awesome article:

https://news.mydramalist.com/article/blast-from-the-past-a-guide-to-girls-with-guns-genre-011013194

Enjoy your time on MDL :)

And be careful of accounts that give you overly-selective views, for their own agenda.

His answer: Waiting for you to rewatch XD

Don't cry! There's always someone to talk to on MDL, about a drama :)

Just make sure you get enough sleep, even if you choose to binge.

I put this possibility under a spoiler tag, after watching episode 27:

https://mydramalist.com/776939-again-my-life#comment-25590578

I really hope once she gets on her feet and can be comfortable, maybe Bai Zhenzhu and Xiaolan can help her further improve herself.

Frost_edelweiss has created a wonderful thread of detailed information for music used throughout the drama including which episode, and I heartily recommend her efforts:

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/776939-again-my-life/149650-1983-dream-of-golden-years-ost-music

When you get to episodes 26 and 27, things will become clearer.

I don't like Ji Ya and she isn't a good person in how she behaves towards her ex, and how she also ends up making her brother and sister-in-law clean her messes. However, given how divorces can make some people crazier even if they are the one at fault, I hope she goes to America, loves George as he deserves to be loved, and becomes a decent person.

It's almost tempting to kidnap Zhou Cheng, but doing so would be useless. His heart is full of Xia Xiaolan. Best for me to find my blend of Zhou Cheng-Mayor Tang!

I usually don't melt completely with dialogues, but the dialogue between Zhou Cheng and Xiaolan in episode 26 was sososososojustright!

He knows that neither of them can change anything, and he can hear Xiaolan's fears which she is voicing out clearly (good for her! She's really come a long way to be so bravely open with emotional vulnerability)... So the best logical approach is to grasp today, not fear tomorrow, and be there for each other. Having such empathetic support is wonderful.

In episode 27, she believes she doesn't exist in the current timeline as she does now, while in 2026 when she is 36, she also believes he doesn't exist there as well.

I like how he says "I will find a way". Does the alarm clock have anything to do with it? Wait, he read her diary and if she returns to the future, can he go to the future with the alarm clock that he bought for her, find her, and bring them both back?