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You should watch 'Story of Minglan'.

Sunday, 20 December 2020

 

Story of Minglan



 This series took me all but 30 episodes to really get into, fortunately it was worth it! 

I mean when it was released last year (2019) it generated 400 million views in just three days....

The first few episodes were muddled. I just didn't know who's story we were following; Minglan, Gu Tingye or Qi Heng?  Either the title is misleading or the scriptwriter didn't do a good enough job of establishing the connection between all the characters in the beginning. We desperately needed it, because it would have helped convince us(mainly me) that the main characters background and 'build up' stories are worth watching. I was strictly watching for Minglan.... and that was wrong.

 I spent the early episodes wondering why I needed to follow Gu's story. Why should I feel sorry for a man who stubbornly refuses to fight for himself? I even skipped important parts and only to run back and re-watch them once his significance became clear.
 
Was it because the producers and the director were lazily depending on the fact that their core audience would have read the book? But what about the rest of us who were drawn to this series by the lovely black hole that is the You Tube algorithm?

Story of Minglan grew on me like an arranged marriage or a blind date. The look and feel... the costumes and conversations seemed very realistic. I could believe that this was how things must have looked waaaaaaaaaay back then. Even the Emperor's palace and crowns were not over done....all very convincing. 

In this series we fall for our adorable pigtailed protagonist easily. 

It's clear that at such a young age, she has a good sense of justice.

She fights for the people she loves most, her mother Wei Shuyi and her mother's servant Xiaodie. 
Her mother is the third concubine of a middle class government official, in the first scene the wives' servants are passively aggressively  fighting over allocations of  charcoal. Naturally Minglan's mother is the most disrespected, gaining barely any despite being heavily pregnant during the winter season. 







Apart from all but two characters which I'll talk about later, the rest of the Sheng household are trash! Sorry not sorry to say... 

There is a strange family dynamic that lasts through all the episodes. The father, Sheng Hong (Liu Jun), who is clearly the head of the family in a traditional sense has no backbone and is so easily manipulated by all the women around him. There is no love or friendship between him and his first wife, Wang Ruofu. Theirs seems to have been purely a marriage that was convenient for both families.  As for his second wife/ Concubine Lin(Gao Lu) theirs is a relationship full of lust, despite him getting along best with her.  There is no depth to their conversations. She simply uses her persuasiveness to get from him what she needs for herself and for her two children Molan (Kira Shi) and Changfeng (Zhang Xiao Qian). The whole household depends on Hong, yet truly deep down not one person cares about him, they just care about pushing their agendas ahead. 

Hong's  relationship with his six children is soooo lacking. He pretend dotes on them but never spends any time with any of them and is always surprised at their talents.  I feel like the writers  spent more time developing the wives' characters and their relationships with their children. Never the less it is still an interesting household to watch.

Most comical scenes involve Wang Ruofu (Liu Lin), calling her fellow co-wives 'whore' every chance she gets, and looking for opportunities to punish Concubine Lin.    









Grandmother, Old Mrs Sheng ( Cao Cui Shen) and Sixth sister, Rulan (Karlina Zhang), 
are the only characters that stick up for Minglan because no one else will. 
A clever and very observant learner,  Minglan grows up 
being afraid to stand out amongst her siblings, 
least it get her in trouble. 
She is only her real self in front of these two and her personal servants. 
They are the only characters in the family that I consider not trash...






Things to look forward too....the evil character's meltdown in episode 60  is a classic!
Lady Qin (Wang Yi Nan) was magnificent.... shouting at her marital ancestors,
 calling for death and only death to satisfy her!!



Honorable mention goes  to Manniang(Li Yi Xiao), Gu Tingye's illegal  mistress that's put under the care of his former nanny  Granny Chang.  Manninag is the quintessential  'Crazy-Ex' , with a capital C and E.  Just when you think there is no where else her character can take the story, she will prove you wrong every time! 




Now let's briefly discuss the handsome male leads.... As I said earlier, Gu Tingye grows on you, once you realize his purpose in the story. My favorite scenes with him come towards the end of the series. I feel like I finally understood his character, and when I did he became one of my favorites. 

Then there's Minglan's first crush Qi Heng( Zhu Yi Long), who does his best to purse the doomed relationship, until his royal-blood-palace-raised-duchess-mother firmly shuts down all possibilities. 
Then he does the whole brooding and pining of lost love for the rest of the series till the very last ten minutes of the final episode where he finally falls in love with his chosen wife...lol...perfect....just perfect.  



Second honorable mention goes to Emperor, Zhao Zongquan (Feng Hui), who likes to farm in his palace. He has a rice farm which he cultivates to help him relax.... very endearing. 



There is A LOT of  eating, tea making and ink stirring scenes. 
Important things happen.
 Gossip is shared, poison is made etc.... 
In one episode we learn that the best food is cooked in brothels...lol....speechless!
A groom even leaves the house on his wedding night to collect food from one for his hungry wife.
Here's a really interesting explanation behind the ancient art of tea making by You Tuber, AvenueX.






BIG SPOILER ALERT!
BIG SPOILER ALERT!





The great love story!

 I really didn't see it coming but once it arrived, I whole heartedly agreed with it. They are perfect for each other.  There is nothing you can say to change my mind. He is exactly what Minglan needed and vice versa. I want a season two for no other reason than to see what happens to them afterwards!













Extensive and proper reviews of the c-drama series can be found here, here, here and here.




You can watch the full series here

Can we please say a novena for a well written series two? Pretty please.....

P.S: 'Story of  Minglan' stars Zhao Liying and Feng Shaofeng, a real life couple... no wonder the chemistry was sooooo evident! That poor Qi character never had a chance...

Photo Credit: Drama Mlky, BBC, DramaPanda, Dramapearls, JasmineDramaBlog, OneTrueDramaBlog, Viki, You Tube, 
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Feeling Lost?

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

 

Feeling lost

Truthfully the older I get  the more my zest and enthusiasm for life wanes. I remember a time when I had so many dreams and ambitions,  I couldn't wait to get out from under my parent's protective autocratic-but-loving- blanket bubble. 


Now...years later... I feel a feeling  that is very hard to describe...  I feel a little mentally numb, battered, tired and perturbed all at the same time.  Is that possible? Is that normal? 


Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for all that I have, and grateful for all that I have worked hard for, but that little girl in me who had so much passion for this earthly journey well.... she's lost. 


Inspired by Lavendaire's You Tube video, I am candidly answering the six questions below, in hopes that they will help me find the younger me again. Even if I find her with only  50% of the energy from before, we can still achieve something together with my new life-learned-wisdom. 

Anyways...here's to answering and  hoping...


1. What did I want to do as child? What about life excited me? 

I wanted to be some one! I was quiet and shy outside of the home, and mostly moved around unseen, unremarkable and unnoticed. I was the type of child the teacher had to call on to speak in class, never the star pupil. But I always hoped that I would be something, that my purpose would be clear. I dreamt of  being so many things from a singer all the way to a lawyer and stock broker. My dreams were limitless, no boundaries, no stiff brick walls. 

2. What am I curious about? What about life excites me?
I am really curious about content creation now. Storytelling is my new fixation, especially the visual aspect. How do people consume it and how does it influence them afterwards? What makes something a hit? What makes something memorable? I would like  to learn how to tell them well. Just deciding which medium is best for me is my struggle at the moment, but I loooove experimenting. I feel I am in my element when I am being creative. I close off the world for a few minutes and it feels like blissful eons, cause my soul is humming like a humming bird collecting honey. 

3. Who do I admire and why?
People who have been able to make careers outside of the normal check boxes. I am admiring content creators who have amassed financial independence based on their social media presence.  I want a side gig that works and makes money not attached to my normal 9 to 5 professional career.
 One that  allows other aspects of my creativity to flourish. 

4. What life skills do I wish I had?
Well I am not wishing, rather working on emotional maturity and leadership skills. I need to grow in my career, the technical bit is secured,  people and interpersonal skills are the new direction I am moving in.

5.In what ways have I been settling in life?
Many, but I am not resentful about it. I chose to sit back to learn. I love learning so this was  a  personal joy for me. I also chose to settle and  take care of my parents plus spend time with my family. I don't regret it, they are the people I love most in this world. 
Fortunately, now I think I can be a little bit selfish. 

6. Do I just need a break?  
If only I could  take a break and travel and write for three years. Perfectammo ! I need an Eat- Pray-and-Love-situation but without the romantic love bit ...lol. A total reset and freedom to live.


I am done! How about you? Comment below with some of your answers. 

Thanks for dropping by.



Photo Credit: Unsplash 

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Dear Mum: Outside in the Sun.

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

 



Dear Mum,

I pick pretty pictures of flowers to post here.
I know how much you liked them.

Today finds me on the back verandah, enjoying your friend the sun.
I have not done this in years.
Just sat outside for hours. 
It felt uncomfortable at first.
Like someone was trying to pick at a crusty old wound still healing on the inside. 
Too much space makes me feel too vulnerable.
Dad used to complain that I never went outside in the garden.
He once remarked that I spent too much time inside the house,
locked away to myself and my thoughts.

This moment of quiet has been nice.
Very refreshing.
Listening to the neighborhood on  a Tuesday mid morning is reassuring.
Birds I cannot  recognize are chirping and squaking.
A  light breeze is busy tickling the leaves on the many trees.
A baby is crying and being comforted somewhere.
The sun is shining with just the right amount of heat to warm the body and not burn it.

I needed this quiet. 
I needed this calm.
I needed this anchor.

As a little girl, I remember sitting by you on the balcony,
as you took your afternoon siestas.
Is that what you would experience too?
You would neatly  roll out your pink and purple mukeka on the warm light grey stone. 
Using you arm as a pillow, and your virgin mary lesu as a blanket,
 it never took you long to drift off. 

I would sit there with you,
knowing not to disturb.
Just to be with you, 
listening to the sounds of outside around me.




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You need to watch Story of Yanxi Palace!

Wednesday, 25 November 2020

 



A Chinese period drama series that had me hooked from the start... English subtitles and all! Story of Yanxi Palace , written by Zhou Mo and co-produced by IQiyi and Huanyu Entertainment,  was apparently the most googled show in 2018. An average of 130 million views per episode when it was first released ... that is really impressive! I was a year late to the party since I watched it in 2019 but I can totally understand why.  I have watched it twice now, episode by episode. 

BIG disclaimer here...I am not an expert on Chinese culture or history so I watched as a naïve newbie to this genre... I am purely here to share my delight over the storytelling and entertainment, so if my comments and opinions appear shallow and unlearned, that's because they just are. If you are interested in more in-depth reviews you can start here, here and here.

So first things first,  the main character is endearing , comical and fun. She's a heroine who fearlessly and stubbornly takes charge of her destiny and opportunities. Avoiding the cliché of looking for love, she is focused on revenging her elder sister's death, the main storyline centers around the misfortunes and triumphs of her antics. Wei Yinglou (Wu Jinyan) begins her journey as a talented embroidery palace maid and climbs her way into the audience's hearts and up the ladders of power 
within the internal court of the forbidden city  








All the evil characters pull out all the stops in humiliating, poisoning, burning , whipping and crushing  their victims; they will stop at nothing even attempting to kill their co-wives unborn or living children just to be 'most favoured' by the Emperor. 

Then episodes later they go pull off the most magnificent dramatic downfalls with violin music and Oscar worthy confessions. We must give a standing ovation to Nobel Consort Gao (Tan Zhuo) , Nobel Consort Chun (Wang Yuanke), Nobel Lady Jia (Pan Shiqi) and Concubine Shun(Jenny Zhang). You love and hate them at once.  










The rise of Empress Hoifa Nara Shushen (Charmaine Sheh) is a plot line to relish. I underestimated Consort Xian from the beginning so it was an intriguing surprise to watch her quietly manipulate and maneuver her way to the top position in the harem. A character arc I didn't see coming but that was needed, imagine committing ALL THE crimes while keeping your hands clean....eh!  
  








Li Yu, the Head Eunuch (Liu Enshang) who is always by Emperor Qianlong's side as his most loyal servant and subject is fantastic. I promise he will make you laugh in every episode he appears in, you will look forward to seeing him. His commitment to serving the emperor is under appreciated. I spent most of the episodes wondering when does he get to sleep? Even when the emperor is sleeping he is standing outside the door waiting to be called and requested for anything. 



The accessories worn by the ladies will make you marvel. I mean a lot is never enough...it's like they wear all the items in their jewelry box every time. Everything, everytime!  I love it!















Even the palace maids wear flowers in their hair too...



And yes the emperor (Nie Yuan) is handsome... and yes he is one of or if not the best actor in the series. He is charming, jealous and vulnerable all the things we expect in such characters...but that's nothing new... and yes he's character is very problematic and flawed because these women are plotting and killing just to be with him and there is not much he does to elevate the situation. In fact most times in perfect 'Danielle Steel fashion' he makes the whole thing worse... how else will they get us to keep watching though?






Is it weird that I want parts of my home to look like these photos below ?
The series has inspired  me.








I haven't dived deep into the plot and storylines because I want you to have many reasons to go and watch all 80 episodes! Make yourself some good food, grab some tea or coffee and get comfortable. 




 Here's a link to the series. 

Comment below with your thoughts on the series. Did you have a favorite scene, character or episode? Would love to hear from you....

P.S: Netflix is making a sequel called 'Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures', watch the trailer here


Photo Credit: IQIYI, Chinaattlia, steemit, the straittimes, story of yanxi palace, south china morning post, China Film Insider, the world of chinese, ph.news.yahoo


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