A rich tapestry of Song dynasty life
From the writers that brought Battle of Changsha, you can expect a tightly-woven, authentic slice of life story. Each character and plot line, even the minor ones, have been written with so much raw detail that you feel every undercurrent of emotion simmering within. It is for viewers to sip and savour like fine wine - the longer it takes to ferment, the more intoxicating the fragrance. The subtle nuances, layered plot lines and complex characters...they all come together to paint a picture of quiet beauty, like our MC Ming Lan. Some viewers complain the pace is slow, but you'll be surprised how quickly you get drunk.The acting is top-notch, delivered by a superb cast of veterans and not just pretty faces, lending justice to the well-written characters. These are not characters to fawn over, but you can imagine every flawed individual in the flesh, because that's how good and how real the acting is. There are no caricatures of stereotypical villains or dumb self-sacrificial heroes. The covert glances, slight hand gestures, undulating voices and variable facial expressions are all on point to hit right in the feels. Even the maids and servants can have their own unique charisma.
Not to mention, other aspects like the music is simple but sophisticated without the usual lyrical overtures of historical dramas. The instrumental scores are effective in supporting rather than outshining the storyline. The costumes and sets are a feast for the eyes. The cinematography is exquisite. I personally love the soft sepia tones created by lots of warm natural light. There is a lot of effort spent on shooting every scene to maximize the visual impact.
Ming Lan is the definite, must-watch family drama! Watch it if you love period dramas of depth and complexity.
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The Flower That Blooms In Adversity Is the Rarest One of All
The Legend of Ming Lan is a very complex and meaningful slice of life drama. My review is split into two parts: a summary and analysis.I. Summary
The synopsis is misleading. ‘Mistreatment’ is a very general statement. That can mean anything. The titular character suffers from neglect from her family; her grandmother fills that need: she loves her and cherishes her. The titular character is both sensible and practical: she acknowledges the reality of her situation and the world she lives in and chooses to be smart about it instead of letting it define her. The titular character makes the deliberate choice to blend into obscurity: her mission is to avoid attention because she learned at a very young age that standing out can invite danger and I think this is a way of taking back her control of her life in the best way she can. She presents herself as a submissive, dreamy person never interested in the things that make others scheme. As a result people think she is nonthreatening and even foolish for not wanting more i.e. 'ambitious'. Thus, about half of the drama instead focuses on her family and the personal actions of her relatives. Like a sponge she absorbs everything, learning about peoples behaviors, tricks, motivations and good/bad choices. On the other hand Gu Ting Ye (future husband) experiences a lot of abuse from his family, but his gender means he can’t take Ming Lan’s route—there are different expectations on him—and as a male, physical punishment is far more common. The second half then follows Ming Lan after she begins married life and how she works very hard to protect her family, support her husband, and finally step into the limelight as a formidable person who will fiercely protect the people around her and is unafraid to seek justice in an eye-for-an eye kind of way (for extreme crimes) instead of burying them. The second act really steps up the ante as Ming Lan has much bigger fires to put out and the stakes and risks are bigger, especially since her husband becomes important to emperor, and that carries a risk all on its own (i.e. the higher you rise, the harder you fall).
II. Analysis
I do not think everyone would agree with me that this drama is perfect because I strongly believe that whether you love, like, or hate it boils down to personal preference. For example, I did not like the drama Love 020 because it was not my style—too light—but it succeeded in what it intended to deliver very well so I ranked it an 8. In contrast, Perfect Couple was not only not my type but I think poorly executed so I gave it a low rating. This drama more than succeeds in what it wants to do and I loved it. With these examples I want the reader to know I am trying to be frank and fair with my review but I truly enjoyed the show so there may be some bias.
For you, the reader, I think there are some important things you may wish to know before making this 70+ episode commitment:
1) The titular character does not receive the majority of screen time in the first half (in my opinion). The titular character does not receive the majority of lines. The titular character is the focus of the show though.
2)The drama uses the rigid moral rules of the day as a source for conflict regularly. Filial piety, virtue, family reputation, and roles (being a good/bad daughter; good/bad wife; good/bad son; good/bad citizen)
3)The writers/directors (I think) attempt to tell a strongly character driven drama, meaning conflict is resolved through dialogue. Characters are consistent. Events don’t disappear from the story line, they stay with people for the rest of the show. Just like people, characters remember. Characters are impacted by choices other people make, sometimes in a life changing way. The last ten episodes are more action based as big end games begin to unravel and play out.
Conclusion:
I have a deep appreciation for this story. I think the acting was amazing, the writing and presentation, down to where people stand in a given scene, was done with remarkable attention to detail. Characters are intelligent and not easy to trick. The acting was extremely believable.
If you want a love story told on a grand scale (Ashes of Love, Eternal Love) this may not be for you because romance is just one of many aspects of this drama. In addition, if you want something light, I would steer clear. But this is not a palace drama (Empress of China) because the plotting is not anywhere near that level, and throughout all 70+ episodes, only a couple of people die—people are not dropping like flies.
For those looking for romance, I cans say that an important aspect of Ming Lan's character is she never wants to inconvenience anyone or rely on others. The male lead prove through his actions that he is someone she can inconvenience and rely on so their love story is sweet.
I think potential viewers should consider these points because often people start a drama and are frustrated with plot and speed. Others may call it a slow burner but it never felt that way to me. I eagerly await(ed) each new episode and the episodes flew by. I never fast forwarded. I don't know what to watch after this!
Finally,
I am making a project to review every episode, so if you have questions about plot you can find them there but just be warned these episode summaries contain massive spoilers. Because of a bug that has not been fixed yet, I can't have paragraph breaks so I have used the (.............) method to delineate breaks.
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1A cacophony of crows.
The Story of Minglan is a leisurely and meandering account of how with patience and cunning, Sheng Minglan, the low born daughter of a concubine triumphs over many challenges to achieve both personal and social success. Minglan's father is a middling court official who over indulges his favorite concubine and allows her to turn his household upside down. The petty tyranny of harem rivalry leads to tragedy and Minglan ends up being raised under her grandmother's wing. Minglan's great misfortune has a giant silver lining because this formidable old lady is a force to be reckoned with. She sees to it that Minglan is well schooled and helps her navigate the many pitfalls of harem politics. Minglan blossoms into a quietly underestimated young lady who catches the eye of the most eligible bachelors despite her low status.This drama digs deep into what lurks beneath the genteel façade of Confucian propriety among the status conscious Song dynasty nobility. The deceptively sedate, mundane, humdrum of women living lives of quiet desperation, occasionally broken by shrill outbursts that crescendo horrifyingly in a cacophony of crows. My eardrums barely survived the assault of this panoply of nasty, caterwauling women. The early arcs on Minglan's childhood and coming of age are the best, most empowering ones. The drama climaxes at her vengeance arc, where I found her quiet scheming and utter ruthlessness chilling and impressive. After that the domestic bliss arcs drag on far too long with the couple dealing with repetitive villains with all too similar modus operandi. We really did not need to see version 2.0, 3.0 etc of essentially the same not very smart wicked women archetypes that are too handily dealt with by our power couple.
Zhao Liying delivers a credible portrayal of a docile, Song dynasty noblewoman with hidden depths. The way she digs into you with her eyes, the fleeting cunning smirk and brief flash of fury in her placid gaze foreshadows her evolution into a full-on temper tantrum throwing wife! That said, Zhao Liying is still best at fierce roles rather than as a docile still waters run deep kind of character. Zhao Liying and Feng Shaofeng paint the perfect picture of domestic bliss.Their chemistry is that of a long married couple in harmony and less of the sizzling kind that flared up between her and Lin Gengxin in Princess Agents. It is rare to see Zhu Yilong in a costume drama and I felt real sorry for his Qi Heng who unlike both Gu Tengye and Sheng Minglan, has no free will as he is unable to free himself from the social strictures of his time. The cast overall is very strong with many veteran actors that deliver comical parodies of the ridiculous pretensions of the Song aristocracy.
I am afraid I did not enjoy this very well made drama as much as many other people did. The 70+ episode narrative goes on for too long, conveying an unnecessarily realistic impression of how suffocating it was to be a Song dynasty woman. Considering Gu Tingye's incredibly modern attitudes with respect to polygamy and empowering his wife, I am convinced it was impossible to be a Sheng Minglan in those times. Some of the early arcs are worth 8.5 but the story climaxes too early and is bogged down by repetitive plots in the latter half. This weighs my overall rating down to 8.0. This is a drama that patient viewers with robust eardrums will enjoy more.
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I won’t talk about the excellent casting & acting, or amazing production quality, of how well they included authentic traditions and customs of that period, because these are 10/10, and other reviewers have already attested to that.
No, what I’ll talk about is something much deeper, lessons that one might never even get in a lifetime.
This drama is a lesson about kindness. Her kindness saved a nation, and you’ll understand what I mean when you watch it. Her kindness was inspiring, encouraging, nurturing, and selfless, and so the history of an empire changed its course. She was able to recognise when she should be grateful to somebody from a very young age. She was also able to forgive when forgiveness was to be given, because in her heart she found the ability to love somebody, who had never been properly loved before. She hadn’t experienced proper familial love as a child, but when she finally did, she defended it with her entire being. She’d go the extra mile for those she loved, without fear and without expecting something in return.
She has done some crazy scheming, and she wasn’t always a saint, but she knew when to stop, or at least learnt to do so. She was able to find peace in her heart, and it’s that light that so attracted other people, just like sunflowers to the sun.
This story is also about devotion. His devotion, something he never received in his family home, was so great that it made him fearless, ready to jump even into fire, defend under a rainfall of arrows, and charge ahead with determination. His devotion was his saving grace and so he was rewarded by destiny with her kindness. Her kindness saved him, just like his devotion saved her, and it saved a country.
To forgive is really hard, but the both of them were able to do so, to let go of the hate and anger, and instead open their arms to welcome those who have not been lucky enough to know true kindness and devotion. It resonated with me, because I once had to forgive as well, and I know how hard it is, and so I cried. For an entire hour I was sobbing, reminiscing not the bad memories, but the good ones. The finale of the drama, reminded me that in this world, it is love, kindness, devotion, steadfastness, patience, and being able to go through the ups and downs of life with dignity that will make or break you.
There were of course many other lessons, that are likely to touch your heart. Truth be told even when some of the not-so-good characters were in pain, I also teared up for them. In this world who is faultless, who is perfect...
May you watch this drama and learn from it. Learn about kindness and devotion and how the love of two people united & created a family. Not just a clan, but a family.
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Such a Masterpiece!!
I haven’t watched such a good historical drama for a long time after Nirvana in Fire. I feel like I would have regretted if I didn’t watch it. Here are the reasons why I like Story of Ming Lan1. Strong Chemistry
Though I know that Feng Xiao Feng and Zhao Liying are husband and wife in real life , I never thought that they would have such strong Chemistry. I love to see Gu Tingye teasing Ming Lan everytime.This strong chemistry between the two main leads is what took me from the beginning to the end.
2.Casts
As a C-drama addict, I saw so many familiar faces in this drama. Like Zhu Yilong from Guardians, Xiao Tao (Wang Zi Wei) from A Love so Beautiful, Gu Si Ye from Battle of Changsha and Surgeons, the new emperor from Nirvana in Fire and even Gu Tingye’s step-mom is from Surgeons. All of these supporting casts portray their characters very beautifully.
3.Cinematography
If u love the best cinematography, this is the right drama for you.The costumes and manors are very beautiful, Action scenes are done very carefully, and even the polo scenes are done with less CGI. Among the series I have watched ,Story of Ming lan is said to be the one of the few dramas with such great cinematography.
4.Strong Female Lead
I have always been a fan of Strong Female Lead and Ming Lan is one of them. Ming Lan is intelligent but had to hide her talents in order to survive. She is normally calm and pleasant but she will attack fiercely when one of her friend faces injustice. Zhao Liying portrays the character of Shen Ming Lan amazingly and as a fan of Zhao Liying, I would say that this is probably her best work since her debut.
5.Director
I was impressed with Zhang Kai Zhou in Battle of Changsha, Ode to Joy 2 and Love Me if You Dare, he did even a better work in Story of Ming Lan.
6.Strong Plot
A strong, tight- woven plot is everything that matters in a drama. This drama not only has a strong but also realistic plot. Unlike other typical dramas, the two leads didn’t fall in love at first sight. I love that their affections for each other grow with time, Ming Lan firstly calls Gu Tingye as second uncle, then Husband and Er Lang. There are also many funny scenes, like Tingye doing the make up on Ming Lan’s face.
7.Moral lessons
We want to gain something after watching a drama,right? I liked a quote that Ming Lan said “Being Moral is in itself a privilege”. She also taught us to be strong, brave and love your family.
8.Music and Rewatch value
I notice only one song by Yisa Yu and Hu Xia but it is not bad.I’d definitely rewatch after some time and enjoy it again.
Most importantly, you need to have patience while watching Story of Ming Lan. This is not a usual drama that will reach climax after 6 or 7 episodes and the character build-up indeed takes some time, but never drop this drama halfway, or you would definitely regret.
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There is a care to the staging of each shot that I miss in many dramas, but most especially historical ones with their sumptuous costumes and often heightened palace drama and I am glad to have found it here. For once you can tell that someone took great care to tell a story not only through dialogue but also through the power of the visual medium.
This is enhanced by the across the board fantastic acting of every main and side-character. It truly felt like these characters lived the life they were protraying and that each character had their own motivations and goals, completely separate from the titular main character and her goals.
Even, or maybe especially the main antagonists (possibly with the exception of Manniang, I still have to think about how I feel about her) were all intelligent, crafty and worthy foes for our main characters.
It also helps there is a multitude of great female characters in this, so many complicated women who desired power, fought for their place in this world by all kinds of means, some who truly just were good and dependable, some who were weak and easily manipulated, but not evil at heart.
That is one thing I will definitely take away from this drama, an appreciation to all the varied and interesting female characters who had their own journey in this story, who got the opportunity to learn and grow, or return to their roots.
I was very appreciative of the fact that the actors could use their own voices, which is not to disparage the Chinese Voice Actors, but the actors being able to fully use their bodies to act really came across, especially from the Qin Stepmother. She was a tour de fource and a half and I tip my hat to her.
Lastly I would say that this is not a drama that will be for everyone, the pacing ebbs and flows at times and timejumps can be a bit disorienting, sometimes very slow and then suddenly a lot happens and we move on without getting much time to digest, but I think overall this show more than delivered on what it promised to be at the beginning: a sojourn through a young woman's life from her early childhood to her adulthood as she navigates her world around her and all the challenges that come with that.
It's not a great sweeping romance, nor is it a heartpounding thriller, but that doesnt mean it can't deliver on these aspects, they just arent the focus.
If you're looking for something gorgeous, intricate and don't mind a slow pace at times I would heartily recommend this to any drama watcher!
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The overall story is about two people who encountered hardship in their youth uniting to establish their own sense of love, justice and peace. I am so thrilled that the leads were both charming and smart. There were no senseless games or fights just pure witty and authentic commitment, love and determination.
I would put this series up there with ten miles of peach blossoms and the lengend of fuyao. No cliffhangers, just clean and clear and amazing ending.
Hats off to the young female actress who played “Rong’er” she has some skills. I’ll definitely look for her in future films.
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Two thumbs up. Strongly recommended!
Finally, I completed watching this drama, almost 6 months after its airing. My delay in completing this drama was not only because it’s a long drama of over 70 episodes, but also for other reasons. This is a drama that is totally different from most other historical dramas – in visuals, sound effects, costumes, etiquettes, how people speak, how real families lived more than 1,000 years ago, to name a few. Unlike most historical Chinese dramas which emphasize on its beautiful eye-catching costumes, unreal politics and dramatic effects, “The Story of Ming Lan” tries to depict how the Chinese society was like more than 1,000 years ago. The producers even used the sepia tone effect to capture the mood, making it even more so authentic. How accurate such depiction is to actual life in that era perhaps only historians can tell.The real reason for my delay was how much I relished this drama that I didn’t want to simply skimp through the episodes without truly understanding and appreciating every nuance of the story. I researched into Chinese history of the Song Dynasty, in particular during that era, and tried to understand its social ethics and geo-politics.
The period depicted in this drama is a very interesting one, with political turmoil and constant worries of foreign invasion from the north. All these political upheaval and socio-cultural scenes were captured realistically in the drama.
I love the OST of this drama, sung at the end of the episodes. The lyrics (also the Chinese title of this drama) was from a poem by a very famous female poet, Li Qingzhao, during that era. She was a rare breed, not only living in a suppressive environment in the Chinese society, also in the world. Her poems were mostly very free-spirited or of care-free style, something unthinkable from a woman of that era in that society.
It is painful to see how women were oppressed and suppressed in the orthodox conservative Chinese society, and such treatment of women is still prevalent in many modern societies. The glaring injustice in gender inequality is so entrenched in most cultures that it is literally an uphill battle if one wants to change it. Sadly, a lot of the enhancers for the inequality are also women themselves. On the brighter side, the current trend in women liberty is very encouraging especially in the western world. I hope, we will one day, truly achieve equality for all.
This drama is truly a gem, and one deserved to be watched and relished by all.
Two thumbs up. Strongly recommended!
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A Bright Historical! Instant classic
This is an Incredible Historical C-Drama!The pacing of the story is indeed slow, because there is the
introduction period to the world and the characters.
The story is not fully focused on Ming Lan only also,
other characters are given the necessary screen times.
The first 30 episodes were slow, so if you find it difficult watch it in 1.5x speed etc. That helped me.
73 Episodes are definitely tough to watch all at once.
The story is about Ming Lan and the characters around her, how they affect each other.
There is also some elements of politics and palace intrigue in this Drama.
Both the leads did a fantastic job. I was happy to find they were married in real life.
I really liked the way Ming Lan and Gu Tingye both developed.
From being distant to being a loving happy couple.
Both leads had a really good chemistry. And were a great match!
How Gu Tingye was patient and loyal to Ming Lang.
How Ming Lan was strong, sensible and observent of people and events.
They worked on their trust and fought for each other and their values.
They both became a intimidating team together.
The acting was great by everyone. I also liked the villians roles.
They acted well enough to sympathise and be irritated with them.
The music is Great! The ending song is good.
But what is more amazing is the instrumental OST this drama has.
From the great opening one and the themes played throughout the drama.
Listen to the Instrumental playlist!
Overall this is an Incredible Chinese Historical
With memorable characters and a bright plot.
That teaches about the importance of family and forgiveness!
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Almost a good drama
The 73 episodes of The Story of Minglan is too draggy.... IF they had made into a 40 episodes series it would have been perfect! They have a lot of scenes which are totally unnecessary and doing it for the sake of making the series a long one is just waste of time and money. IF you are wise you just fast forward some of the episodes or skipped them entirely.Minglan supposedly a very intelligent person who can predict and foresee what's going to happen and can find a way out of predicament she is in.. at the same time she can be the most stupid person in all of Sung Dynasty. When she is stupid there is just no way of describing it except verging on idiotic.
I blame it on the writer/ writers who wrote the script! What could have been a really good drama turned out some of the most stupid scene in dreamland. I would keep an eye up for the name of the writer for future avoidance. IF you want to make someone smart and intelligent, you make sure the character is consistent all the way. It only shows the lack of understanding of the what the main character demeanour. You don't write a scene just because you have to... IF Minglan were in the real world and behave the way the writer led us to believe, she would have died in episode 20 if I feel generous,
I know China is turning out more than 500 dramas a year and even though there are plenty of stories to tell out there, but one thing for sure, is the lack of really good script writers. Minglan could have been a really entertaining to watch, but all it take is a few badly senselessly bad and stupid scenes to bring the series down... Its like you got passed the first bad one dn then it picked up again and then it just pushed you over the cliff with another bad one and gets better and then presented you with another bad one. If you want to write about a intelligent and smart person, then I suggest the writer should read Langya Bang and finds out how brilliant story are told and how smart character should be.
What I do love about the Story of Minglan, is the loving interactions between Minglan and Gu Tingye, the best couple I have seen in Chinese Dreamland, which almost always filled with virgins right til the end. Thank god Minglan isn't a she virgin after her marriage.. Love the main couple.
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Overall, it is very interesting, complex, intriguing, heart-warming but can also be heart-wrenching, slow burning but ended up giving long-lasting warmth and good-feeling; this drama series is full of subtle and thrilling actions, lots of angst and affections - where the battles are not just out in the fields or Palace but also in the hearts, minds and homes of every characters. This drama may not be for everyone, but I totally love it. I even re-watched several episodes whenever I don't have other interesting dramas to watch.
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