Nothing Gold Can Stay (2017)

I've thoroughly enjoyed this drama but really did not foresee that ending. It's safe to say I don't usually watch many historical dramas (especially chinese ones) as I can't usually get into them but after watching only one episode of Nothing Gold Can Stay I was hooked and eagerly staying up till 2am awaiting the next 2 episode's release. I also don't watch Chinese dramas due to their lengths, I'm the type of person who usually has to finish the whole show unless it's really unbearable to watch and 60+ episodes can be daunting. Long dramas can also be a little dragged out in some parts due to the need to produce a large number of episodes but with Nothing Gold Can Stay I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of each episode and the plot, in this sense it was a much better drama than the widely popular, Eternal Love.
Overall, after watching the final episode and not realising it was actually the final episode (changed from listed 75 eps to 74) I have to say I wasn't too happy with the ending but the drama is for sure extremely well made and in my top 5 dramas of all time. If you're looking for a drama with more depth, a little romance and a smart, independent heroine I definitely recommend this one!

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This is a very well crafted drama. the directing, the costumes, the casts, the quality, the characters are all executed excellently.

what won me over:

Characters:
Honestly, after Wu Pin i cant see anyone that can compare to him. he is too perfect that i dont know how shen xing yi is going to surpass Wu Pin's love for zhou ying. but i was wrong. i hated SXY, i hated him so much, i was annoyed by him initially but over time his character develops and u can see he loves ZY just as much as WP loves for her. he mature up, and try his hardest to win her over and he won. the process of winning her over was what won me over with this drama. he was a spoilt, childish, self-centred brat who only knows how to have fun. after a big blow between him and ZY, he decided to change. i was really blown away by his changes. he became a more responsible, diligent, hardworking, loving and ultimately patient man.

and then, theres zhao bai shi. he is such a true gentleman. even after wu yi has slandered him, even after him finding out the truth never once he mistreated her. even when he was forced into it, he respected her oh god what a guy! and despite his close relationship with ZY he still oblige his duty.

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Oh Chinese dramas that last for 70+ episodes...you make me work for it, don't you!

I embarked on this journey after completing "Empresses of the Palace" with the same female lead, Sun Li. I love her. She's amazing. So I figured this would be no different, right?

Well, it's different and better! Not that I saw huge flaws in EOTP but this one made me "feel" stuff. The story here was more compelling and the acting was exemplary. There is tragedy and heartbreak a-plenty (I see a trend in Chinese historical dramas) so prepare your heart. There is one scene when Shen Xingyi (played by the amazing Chen Xiao) is heartbroken by a decision made by Zhou Ying and it broke me. I cried real tears that flowed like Niagara falls! Sooooo sad.

There are many slow episodes (at 70 episodes there are bound to be more than a few that drag) and the back and forth of the romance between (SX and ZY) gets a little repetitive. The side romances are ok if trite. But the bad guy, Du Mingli...LOVE him!!! What a great character. Well acted and so complicated. You both love him and hate him all at the same time. I guess the same can be said of Shen Xingyi. He grows up and becomes someone you fall in love with.

I've watched three long Chinese history dramas but this one is the only one I'd watch again the next time I have 70+ hours to kill. :D

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An Epic. Nothing more to say

"Nothing Gold can Stay"

I have no clue what that means.

I always loved to watch Chinese Movies.
There is much to learn from China's Rich Culture. I wanted to watch a Chinese story from a common person perspective. Majority of the movies/series that comes out are related to their dynasties or some warrior movies and their politics. I wanted to see how a common person lived in that period. This series depicted that so well. I was lucky to stumble up on this series. Wonderfully put together. They took their time to develop the characters in the story. The actors and actress were simply superb.

Warning: This series is very addictive and you may not sleep for days until finish the series.

Around the world power corrupts, china is no exception. You see some of that weaved in to the story. Last three or 4 episodes, I could clearly see things were rushed to complete this epic series. Cast were reduced to few main characters except for few scenes. The story was also moved along quickly. Having said that, this is a fantastic series and you should watch it.
I have re-watched some of the episodes to get a better understanding of the story.

This show was free via Amazon Prime, not any more. It is available in youtube, quality and subtitles are not up to par.

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Initially the story was interesting and some subtle comedy was involved.  Hence decided to continue watching the movie. However as it goes on it starts to get boring as the story is like a merry go round with "pei le ye" keep coming back. The whole story then gets in circle and more ridiculousness creeps in. I think yhr writer must be out of good idea to drag the story. Overall the story is just average but the acting by Sun Li good. Seriously a total of 74 episodes is just too long. In my opinion, 50 episode is more realistic as many irrelevant story can be just removed.

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Beautiful cinematography, wonderful cast, stellar acting, amazing story

I watched this drama on TV, waiting for it every day, 2 episodes, and rewatched it again when it was re-broadcasted on TV. From the first episode, I could tell that it was a great drama. When I started watching I didn't know how many episodes it would be, thus it didn't matter that it was 74-75 episodes. Just felt a kind of lost when it ended.

Story
It was supposed to base on a real person, though the story was modified, it is a great story altogether. I could really feel the despair whenever the Wu family face a particularly difficult time and amazed at Zhou Ying's way to overcome each difficulty.

Acting/cast
Sun Li as the protagonist is amazing, but basically, every actor/actress did their job very well, even though their role was just the maid or the bodyguard.

Music
The music was wonderful. It keeps playing in my head long after I finished watching.

I didn't feel bored after rewatching it a few times, as each time I notice something I didn't realise before.

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first ~20 episodes are almost perfect

I only picked this up because of Sun Li, but I thought the premise wasn't too interesting. I certainly wouldn't have expected that this work would turn out to exceed Zhen Huan. Her acting in this one is just impeccable.

Although it starts slowly, the first twenty-ish episodes of Nothing Gold can Stay are the most tightly plotted I have seen yet in any cdrama. The intelligent villains act intelligent, the plot devices are realistic, and the characters for the most part act rationally and reasonably and have an interesting personality without becoming cliche (which is one weakness of Zhen Huan, being that there were so many concubines in the story). The core mystery of the plot is Wu Ping's death, and this is unravelled in a very slow and satisfying manner while Zhou Ying's character is built up into someone we can respect and cheer for. Another bright spot is that this drama has a relatively good portrayal of the early manufacturing and trades in China (with admittedly a tendency towards simplifying and glorifying things).

Towards the end, the storytelling becomes a little looser, but in general it is satisfying. I do have a couple of important points I didn't like. Firstly, I think the risks Zhou Ying takes on early in her business are unrealistically large for the amount of capital she has. Most of the time she takes on her competitors by offering a completely crazy deal or encountering a really big coincidence. It requires some suspension of belief, e.g. the crazy trade deal with Tu Er Dan (also... does every male have to fall for the protagonist?). Secondly, Shen Xing Yi's story was not resolved in a satisfying way for someone who was so important throughout the entire story, and his actions towards the end were not logical. Lastly, the main villain Du Mingli (directed by the Prince) planned his work so carefully at risk of death, but somehow made major blunders near the end. The Prince really treated Zhao Bai Shi so much more leniently.

Despite these nitpicks there are so many good parts in this drama. The ill fated love between Du Mingli and Hu YongMei, the genuine relationship between Zhou Ying and Shen Xing Yi which actually makes true progress from irritation to love, and the wonderful characterization of Zhou Ying's reliable yet unreliable father were highlights for me.

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Fans of Ming Lan, Yanxi Palace, Scarlet Heart, and Empresses in the Palace Will LOVE This

This has to be one of the least mentioned series in comparison to the ones above, and that’s just a crying shame. Understated, elegantly written and superbly brought to life by a stellar cast, this is a magnificent show that brings to life the turbulent days during the declining years and fall of imperialism, and the rise of one of the first female Chinese entrepreneurs.

There are, as far as I can see halfway in, no fillers in this 74 episode drama. For reals. Everything that happens is part of an intricately plotted tale that moves like a chess game (or, I suppose, a weiqi game would be more apt). Just when you think you hit the point where a Chinese drama almost inevitably gets dull and repetitive, someone makes a move and everything just hits the fan. Just when you think it’s going dark and serious, something will happen to make you shout with laughter. It is a little melo sometimes, but with this many episodes it has to keep your attention. Some things you can see coming a mile away, but there were still things that startled me when they happened.

Sun Li, as the MFL, has a talent for getting rare jewels of complex characters and making them shine. She takes the dynamic character of Zhao Ying and evolves her like watching a diamond developing facets and shine. Zhao Ying is a catalyst for change in everyone she interacts with. She isn’t a particularly good person, but she is strong, and real.

This isn’t purely a romance, though it has plenty of romantic relationships in it. It isn’t purely slice-of-life, because there is lots of drama, and it will keep you on your toes for most of it. It isn’t perfect, but it’s engaging and it just seems to keep getting better and better. Most 70+ episode shows you need to have patience, and occasionally something else to do as it plays in the background. With this one, I have a hard time doing that. Every time I tried to multitask I found I missed something important. >.<

Honestly I absolutely love how she thumbs her nose at the misogynists in the show. There’s a neat yin-yang sort of balance between Zhao Ying and the Magistrate Zhao, who she keeps butting heads with.

Sets, costumes, and cinematography are all gorgeous. I wouldn’t change a thing. The soundtrack is reminiscent of Yanxi Palace and Ming Lan, lovely but nothing particularly catchy or distracting. In all, everything blends in a lovely way without one thing overpowering the rest. And for those who need the eye candy- well. There are certainly gorgeous men in this. :) XingYi is sooooo easy on the eyes, and a great actor as well. (Not even the weird hairstyles can make him unattractive. How crazy is that.)

I haven’t even finished it, but I kind of wanted to point others that like C-dramas in this direction asap. I’m totally binge watching it- like 7+ episodes a day, and if there are any updates I need to make I’ll do it when I’m finished. It's available on Amazon Prime right now. (June 2020) Only saying this because sometimes it's hard to find the shows you want to watch easily. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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I loved Zhou Ying’s business acumen!!

I loved it even more when I found out that most of her business dealings and strategies were based on real life. She was truly ahead of her time as she not only lead the Wu family business to greater heights but also gave back to society, particularly the poor and underprivileged.

The romance was mainly fiction though parts of it followed history. I was drawn to the FL and the men who loved her - such bittersweet romances which tugged at my heart strings. The storyline for these romances was engaging and I was constantly hoping for a happy ending which never came. There were some sweet moments throughout and I did wish it would have lasted a little longer before the story moved on to another plot. Bravo to the FL and the MLs who really brought their characters to live.

Costumes for the ladies were gorgeous with beautiful embroidery and stunning colours. A surprising attention to detail was a short little snippet of the banquet preparations which showed lots of real food - made me want to see more of it! One thing I didn’t enjoy was having to turn away from the screen on a few touching scenes as the camera was going around in circles which could have triggered my vertigo.

Although this was a long drama, there were many different plots and endings so you didn’t have to wait till the last episode for it all to come together. Lots of life lessons along the way and nicely written characters made this a simple joy to watch.

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It had an okay storyline but it surely was long. Thank God it was on YouTube! Let me start with the cast of Chen Xiao who played Shen Xing Yi, he played this part very well! I believe he deserved a 10 and should've been given a nomination or an award. I understand this drama had so many characters and they all played their part very well. There was a lot of mystery and you have to guess who did what and when. I wished they had more martial arts Kung Fu but they didn't. I didn't feel the chemistry in the romance, um, well it was just one-sided with Shen Xingyi I felt that he had chemistry with his character. I didn't like the sad ending. I wished it was a Happy Ending for him. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I want to know more about Chen Xiao.

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