The Legend of Xiao Chuo (2020)

One step forward for mankind and two giant steps backwards for womankind.

This romanticized account of the life story of Xiao Yanyan, the accomplished Khitan Empress Chengtian (953-1009), gives voice to folk or unofficial history of her relationship with Han Derang. Wild history of their love affair survived over a thousand years and continues to fire the imagination of Chinese historians today.

Please be aware of mild spoilers ahead (unless you already know the history).

It is known that Xiao Yanyan, was once engaged to Han Derang, who was from an elite Han Chinese family loyal to the Khitan rulers. According to the drama (which is based on a novel), her father chancellor Xiao Siwen and Han Derang help Mingyi (Emperor Jingzong) ascend the throne. Mingyi is sickly and his hold onto power is thus unstable;  many branches of the royal family vie for the throne. Mingyi insists on marrying Yanyan so that like both his main rivals who married Yanyan's older sisters, his wife is also of royal bloodline. This kind of ill fated romance has limited appeal to most romance watchers and is an unnecessary digression for most historical or political drama buffs.

Although I was primarily interested in the history, Tang Yan and Dou Xiao's portrayal of the young lovebirds captured my heart and I was devastated by their forced separation. But alas their chemistry fizzles out later on in the drama and leaves me unconvinced that they are soul mates whose love is as deep or as epic as folk history suggests. At face, the bare facts are tantalizing - he shores up her regency over her young son Emperor Shengzong; is her trusted confidante and is highly ranked in her court;  they may even have married and had a child together and; he was likely buried besides her.  But in their more mature personas, both characters just seem sad, tired and lonely and not long lost soul mates who finally have their moment in the sun. It does not help that Tang Yan appears to have an easier, more natural chemistry with Jing Chao's Mingyi.  To make matters worse, there are no nuances or subtleties in Yanyan's interactions with Mingyi and Derang that suggests they mean different things to her, that her relationship with and affection for each of them is not the same.

Mingyi is the most layered, complex and interesting character in this drama and probably one of the best grey characters I have seen this year. Although I resent his manipulation, his selfishness, his obscene sense of entitlement  and his disingenuous excuses for doing terrible things, I also grudgingly empathized with him and the monumental task in front of him. Jing Chao really delivers one of the most convincing portrayals of a sociopath emperor who has the audacity to steal his best friend's fiancé and yet demands and expects them to protect his legacy. Unfortunately although she delivers a few good scenes, Tang Yan fails to evoke a strong and powerful empress who can rule alongside and then after the emperor. She cannot hold onto her strong moments, just defaults back to her comfort zone of a very beautiful and feminine woman that is to be rescued and protected. Her attempts at gravitas just results in a cold, aloof empress that doesn't allow any sparks to fly; even when she is free to be with the alleged love of her life. To be fair Tang Yan was pregnant during the shooting and that put limits on her ability to do the more physically challenging scenes but she still did not have to be written to be so mopey and passive aggressive.

The other magnificently and effortless acted role is Sheh Szeman's Xiao Hunian who is everything and more of what I imagined Yanyan would be. Her portrayal of a strong, yet feminine woman who bows to duty without wallowing in self pity; who is a fierce, strategic warrior that stands up to the menacing Yansage; who does as she pleases and shows her displeasure as effectively in words as in action puts Tang Yan's meek and insipid performance to shame. When Hunian tells Han Derang that it was just a twist of fate, else she would be just as great an empress, that resonates because art imitates life; a younger Sheh Szeman would have conveyed an unforgettable Xiao Yanyan. I did not approve of how the writing undermines Hunian in the final arc - even though Sheh Szeman got more airtime and had some awesome scenes, it was just not the right thing to do to the character.

While this drama as a whole does not live up to my expectations, I found many parts of it to be riveting. The power struggles and the battle for the throne are well written and shot but the story peaks at the Yansage arc. The battle footage and strategies used to route the enemy in this arc are bloodthirsty and exciting but is too early for the climax of the drama. To some extent that cannot be helped as it is the correct sequence historically. That said, after the Yansage arc, the focus of the story should shift from internal strife to external strife rather than focus on a series of much weaker, rather pathetic attempts at coups by the least interesting characters in the drama. It does little more than to drive home how hard it is for a widowed empress to hold on to the throne as regent without a strong military backer. It does highlight Han Derang's contributions and achievements as the unsung hero and the true power behind the Liao throne.

To me this is a 7.5/8.0 but I am going with 7.5 because I expected to watch a drama about a woman warrior who chose her country over her true love and then went on to make Liao great so that her sacrifice would be worth something. Instead, I may as well have watched her get her revenge on Mingyi by doing nothing besides get fat on sweet cakes and having flings with stable boys. But I learned many things about Liao/Khitan culture, including that Khitan women were very equal and progressive - they can get divorced, remarry if widowed, lead armies, hold positions and even rule in court. Which is really ironic because Mingyi's legacy Han reforms that were among Yanyan and Han Derang's greatest achievements basically Sinicized the nomadic Liao people to their vast benefit in terms of agriculture, language, culture and administrative and legal systems. But it also set Liao women back thousands of years in terms of the status and freedom. So what our warrior empress really achieved was one step forwards for mankind and two giant steps backwards for womankind. Maybe Tang Yan's portrayal wasn't that far off...

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Could have been good. . .

At first glance: there's a great cast, an interesting story that's based off a preexisting work, actual historical persons who were legendary in their own rights, and a good quality budget. . .what could possibly go wrong, right??

WARNING: Major Spoilers Ahead!!

I only give this story 3 stars because the cast tries really hard with a crap script. It wasn't horrific, it's just that as a viewer, there's definitely a need to suspend logic and intelligence.
The Legend of Xiao Chuo centers around the lives of the three Xiao sisters whose fates result in them eventually fighting against each other. The three are unfortunately married into the three controlling branches of the Liao Kingdom which equates to these three sisters becoming enemies since all their husbands want the crown. So. . .why exactly are these sisters so coveted??
Beats the hell out of me. Except for being descendants of the Empress' Xiao clan there's nothing remotely remarkable about any of the 3 sisters.

Eldest sister, Hu Nian (played by the wonderful Charmaine Sheh) is perhaps originally the best out of the three. She understands the political turmoil and tries to maintain neutrality because she knows getting involved could spell the death of her family. Second sister, Wuguli is materialistic and shallow, and despite being from a prominent political family, she is completely ignorant to everything that doesn't involve her. Lastly is our main lead: youngest sister, Yan Yan. Undoubtably the father's favorite (she gets away with everything she does), she apparently has the "destiny" of empress. She's the typical naive free spirit who's suppose to be clever, brave, and has a strong sense of justice. Unfortunately, this all falls really flat and she just comes off as super stubborn and reckless...she actually endangers her family in front of their psychotic and unstable monarch within the first 2 episodes of the show.

Her sisters are both claimed by 2 of the 3 branches while Yan Yan finds her own love interest in Han De Rang (Dou Xiao). Coincidentally, Han De Rang is a strong supporter of the 3rd power branch: Ming Yi, the son of the former emperor. Han De Rang and Ming Yi grew up together like brothers so the former pledges himself to Ming Yi's cause. As for Ming Yi, his father was killed by the reigning emperor therefore, he has a personal vendetta against the latter. When shit hits the fan and Ming Yi has the reigning emperor assassinated, he is crowned emperor and his first order of business?? . . .steal his best friend's girl! It totally makes sense to him. Knowing he's going to die "soon" (he survives until episode 42 of 48), he reasons that he needs a strong empress to fill his shoes with all the reforms he plans on enacting as ruler, it's just "pure coincidence" that he also has a thing for Yan Yan. Damn anyone he betrays or whose feelings are hurt by his decision, after all. . .as emperor, he has the right to do whatever.

Despite resisting initially, Yan Yan and De Rang eventually come to terms with their ill-fate and instead turn their attention towards bettering Liao Kingdom. Oh. . . but let's not forget the other 2 branches. Both are pissed off with their new ruler because each believe they are better suited to the position despite having no clear goals on how to help their people or how to make their kingdom flourish. . .it's all simply: "I'm entitled to the crown, so it must be mine"

The character-thin men aside, I really wish I could say the women were better. . . but no. I think the most frustrating part of this drama is: the characters do stupid things but they don't ever think they are wrong, and their reasons for justifying their actions? . . .just because. That's it.
Hu Nian and Wuguli's husbands rebel and plot against Ming Yi and Yan Yan ALL THE TIME, to the point of trying to hurt Yan Yan while she's heavily pregnant. Hu Nian and Wuguli are also ALWAYS preaching about the importance of their sisterhood. . .but those words only hold weight when it's Yan Yan who's striking back. When their husbands go after Yan Yan; they turn a blind eye, they don't even consider that she will die despite standing literally right next to Yan Yan when some of these events occur. But the minute Yan Yan tries to dole out justice/punishments for treason, both sisters are on their knees beseeching Yan Yan to show mercy...which she does continuously (for the sake of their sisterhood) only for the same results to happen AGAIN AND AGAIN. But because Yan Yan doesn't pardon the crimes the way her sisters want her to, it ignites a ridiculous antagonism
Hu Nian and Wuguli develop towards Yan Yan.

If there's something this drama does do well, it's victim-blaming and how it makes its characters despicable because they are all masters at emotional manipulation. Example: after Ming Yi succeeds in stealing Yan Yan, he implies to Yan Yan that her misery is her own fault and she could be happy if she accepted her destiny of being his empress early on..uh what?!
Ming Yi emotionally manipulates Yan Yan into staying married to him. Yan Yan and Ming Yi manipulate De Rang into not leaving them because without him, they both would've died many times over. Wuguli and Hu Nian manipulate and guilt Yan Yan into constantly forgiving treasonous crimes. Example: Wuguli tries to poison Yan Yan to avenge the deserved death of her idiot husband and son...only to be outed by De Rang. She takes her own life and as a result. . .Hu Nian blames Yan Yan and De Rang for not forgiving Wuguli's assassination attempt....which then causes Yan Yan to feel guilty about not letting her vile sister succeed in killing her. . . .what the what?! Where is this logic??

As I said above, Hu Nian was originally the best of the 3. Unfortunately, her character takes a turn for the worse and she became as bad as Wuguli. Her lover attempts to assassinate their emperor (aka her nephew) and not only does she spring him out of prison, she blames Yan Yan's thirst for power as the reason for his death ... huh? The sisters have such tunnel vision that they quite literally can't see anything beyond themselves. Everything that goes wrong in their lives is automatically Yan Yan's fault regardless of the treacherous nature of their lovers/husbands.

What should've portrayed the brilliance of women who led their kingdom to new heights devolved into a series with love-sick girls acting no better than children; who were also married to narrow-minded men. Despite the supposed message of feminism, this drama was anything but.
Such a waste in production value and a good cast.

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Enjoyable drama that could have been better with better pacing

I was drawn to this drama because of its cast - Tiffany, Shawn, and Charamaine are some of my favourite actors.

The good:
- Unique historical period and culture showcased. I have rarely seen a drama from the perspective of Liao Dynasty rulers so it was a very unique story.
- Costumes!!! I'm not sure how historically accurate they are, but the costumes in this drama are outstanding!! The headpieces worn are amazing.
- Visually stunning drama with a lot of colour and beautiful landscapes.
- Shawn really surprised me with his acting in this drama (ep. 17 especially), Charamaine is fantastic as usual. I think Tiffany's performance was solid but at certain times she could have been more expressive.
- I actually really liked the conflict between the sisters and Yanyan's lack of assertiveness towards them. She was too forgiving perhaps, but I think that made her character more appealing to me. I would have not empathized with her at all if she was ruthless towards them later in life. I think her character dealt well with balancing the good of the country and trying to keep her family together even as her sisters tried to kill her. She's a very strong woman in spite of her flaws.
- Han De Rang and Yanyan's story was so sweet. This drama focuses less on the romance between them than the very deep respect and support they have for each other. Even when they were forcibly separated or people tried to pit them against each other, they still cared for and supported each other. They are truly lifelong partners and very dedicated to each other. The chemistry is less noticeable as their relationship is more about unwavering trust and loyalty. It's a very refreshing portrayal.
- King Taiping is a great antagonist. I wouldn't even call him that because he's a very fleshed-out character and his relationship with Hunian is very complex - you root for them and yet you think Hunian deserves better too
- Good action scenes that were really the highlight of the drama (ep. 33, 35), but there should have been some more.

The not so good:
- The pacing for this drama was off. I felt that the ending was rushed and Hunian's story was not fleshed out. We needed more to understand the change in her beliefs/motivations. It should have been 50 episodes. Also, some episodes in 20s/30s were really a bore and could have been cut. I fast-forwarded through some episodes that felt like filler episodes.
- Xiyin and Wuguli are so unbearable, a bit too one-dimensional.
- Slightly predictable? You don't get a bunch of twists and turns; though since it's meant to be a historical drama, I think that is reasonable since they have to stick to the history, and the plots were quite predictable. Since it's based on Yanyan's life, I think it is fair that the drama did not have that many twists and turns.
- Main OST is underwhelming, but there are some beautiful instrumental in the drama.

Note: I think the target demographic is slightly older as it focuses on politics/duties/family as opposed to love. I think one should keep that in mind. Personally, I do not like idol dramas and gravitate towards other types of dramas, so this one was one that I enjoyed.

Overall: I think this drama is worth a watch. I enjoyed learning about Yanyan's life, her relationship with Han De Rang, her family, and her commitment to being a capable leader. It's a visually stunning drama that focuses on balancing duty, love, and family. It could be improved by resolving some of the pacing issues.

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I was really discouraged to watch this but...

Last year I didn't have the time.to watch this series but I've been excited about this since September last year knowing that Tiffany Tang and many great actors and actresses are casted. I was also intrigued by the previously released sneak peak. However, before I watched it, I read some of the reviews here and got discouraged as they say the plot isn't good and that it is not worth rewatching and such. Still, I watched it out of curiosity. And I can say it is very different to what I have been seeing from some of the reviews. I have cried, laugh, and smile with the characters as I've watch this movie. All in all I can say that this is definitely a good watch and I will rewatch it again. It is true that the plot is not the best of them of all but you will still enjoy it. The actors gave color to these drama. I reallg love it.

If you are new to historical chinese drama,then this is for you.

If you are looking for powerful woman protagonist, then this is for you.

If you are looking for a chinese drama that will not make you cringe, then this is for you.

If you are looking for a simple plotted drama but still have substance, then this is for you.

But if you are looking for a complex and super detailed historical drama with many side stories, then this may not be for you.


I just want to say that this historical drama is for beginners who only started to love chinese dramas. I highly recommend. This is all based on my personal preference. P.S. I love the ending and the story between the two main characters.

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The best of 2020 and first quarter of 2021 - with a refreshing difference.

This drama is grossly and sadly underrated in Mydramalist. I think mainly because it was influenced by the earlier viewers of the drama who wrote extremely unfavorable bias reviews of the drama. But in my opinion, it is the best among the dramas released in 2020 and first quarter of 2021 - and I had watched a lot of good ones. To enjoy this drama, do not watch any trailers or reviews with spoilers, otherwise it spoils the suspense in the story. This is a high budget production; high budget productions do not always produce excellent dramas, but for this, it did.

This is a 'historical' epic based on the Liao dynasty which controlled North East China, East Mongolia, East Russia and North Korea about a thousand years ago. Many of the characters actually existed in history and some parts of the story were true , based on what is written in Wikipedia, provided it had not been doctored to suit.

The story centred around the 3 daughters of the Prime Minister who were married to 3 different branches of the Yelu clan, the imperial family. They were very close when young but the rivalry of the 3 families for the throne eventually led them to pit against each other. The story covered the rise to power and rule of Emperor Jingzong, and his life.

I watched this drama a second time before I decided to rate it and I really appreciated it more the second time. This is a high tension drama with a lot of scenes making you really nervous for the characters. It would hold you in suspense wondering what would be the outcome of each conspiracy - both the good and the bad had their share of instigating these - whether the good would be hurt by the bad, and yes, some times they were.

The lead cast was outstanding and the acting was great. The male lead Shawn Dou was the second lead from the Princess Agent; the lead actress Tiffany Tang was the female lead in a number of well-known dramas, one of which is Princess WeiYang. The second male lead Jing Chao was the second male lead in Princess Silver. And the second female lead, HK Charmaine Sheh needs no further introduction. The rest of the main cast acting the Prime Minister, Wuguli, XiYin, Yansage was equally outstanding. Li Jing, acting the drunken, paranoid, tyrannical and homicidal Emperor Muzong, was really convincingly hateful.

This drama evoked a whole load of emotions - glee when planks were successfully played on the annoying and tears at the heart rendering moments. When the 2 elder sisters were leaving the home during the wedding, it actually made me tearful - I am very immune to crying over dramas - so it is rare any drama managed to do that.

The scale of the production was impressive with Khitan costumes, architecture, and mode of transport, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of that period and culture. Khitan women were also way more liberal than the stuffy Han women. Historically, Khitan women were trained to hunt, took care of family matters and even court matters. The Liao dynasty was known to have several capable Empress Dowagers (unlike the Empress Dowagers of the late Qing dynasty) including the one in this story. It makes a refreshing difference.

The opening and closing theme songs are nostalgic and very suited to the historical setting.

So overall, I rated it a 10 - one of the very few that I had done - I had done this only for Nirvana in Fire, The Untamed and Ten Mile Peach Blossom.

But I really do not like the title of the drama - legend again? Such a lazy and uncreative translation - translators need to work a bit harder and think a bit more. Something along the lines of 'YanYun Tower', 'Xiao-Yelu Dynasty', 'Yelu Feuding', 'Xiao YanYan' or simply 'Xiao Chuo', 'Emperor JingZong of Liao'. 'Women in Power' or something more creative would be better.

If you are able to appreciate a different culture, women in power and a second chance in love, you would enjoy this drama.

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Beautiful Costumes/Excellent Acting

Speaking from one who doesn't know the novel for this drama or history behind it, I did enjoy the drama and think it's very entertaining.

Story: The writer did a good job building the storylines to show how the relationship between the three sisters fell apart. Perfect balance of wins and losses between the main characters and the villains, kept the story interesting to the end. Some of the plots, like the second sister who kept trying to hurt her little sister without any guilt were annoying.

Acting: Excellent acting all around, to name a few: Jing Chao delivered a great performance when his brother got castrated and I believed through out as well. We could tell from the fact that a lot of viewers wanted to slap him or really hated him for cheating on his Empress. Shawn Dou acted very well especially when his fiance was taken away. This was the first time I saw Charmaine and I was impressed with her performance. Tiffany's acting was good at the beginning but it could be stronger especially towards the end. All in all, everyone did an excellent job! The costumes for Ming Yi and Tiffany were so beautiful!

Music: nothing to write home about...

Rewatch: maybe on some episodes where the costumes were so beautiful and elegant.

Overall: This drama won't make you depressed after you finish watching it like some other dramas. I did enjoy it and highly recommend it!

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Great History-Based Drama

I really like this drama although I wasn't impressed on first episode. This drama give choices to viewers to choose different point of view about what is the most important in life: family or country. Ideally, this should be happy ending. But it was written in history that the reality is not always as good as we wish to.

The story tell about 3 sisters which had very good relationship, who had to accept their destiny to marry ruler's descendants.
Unfortunately, each of their husbands hold a grudge against each other, involved in power struggle, and consequently faced death penalty. Their husband's death made these 3 sisters hate each other, ignoring their promise to their father before his death to have sisterhood trust forever. The ending of their relationship is quite a tragedy. Again, this is a historical based, so you couldn't expect different story.

I like all of the actors/actresses, their are excellent portraying their role. But there are few details that bother me.
1. Han Derang know Xiao Siwen's daughters since childhood. But when he met Yan Yan at the first time, why they don't know each other?
2. Han Derang's mother has already arranged her son to Li Si. And Li Si is her favorite prospective daughter-in-law. Why did she suddenly turn around to support Han Derang's marriage with Yan Yan?
At this point, I feel sorry to Li Si.

The following plot is most about politics, intrigue, and how Mingyi, Yan Yan, and Han Derang solved the problems.

What I like from this drama is there is a loyal person like Han Derang. Even though his love (Yan Yan) was stolen, but he remain faithful for life, both to Mingyi and Yan Yan. For me, this drama succeed to play audience's emotion. Hate, love, passion, anxious. Everything is mixed with a musical composition that is just right to arouse emotions.

All lead males and females get my two thumbs up. Also for supporting roles. As Meng Zi Yi fans, I little disappointed she only had small portion in this serial. But it is ok because her acting is good as expected. Perhaps someday I re-watch this serial but not in near future.

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Watch this whole drama seemed like i watched 60 episodes lol... this type of drama honestly isnt me cup of tea.. Very strong on politics and power

The Xiao family has three daughters, the Xiao father is a chancellor to the Liao king. The current Liao king is violent and always thinks people are trying to kill him. He killed the previous king? and now the two princes have grown up. Ming yi ( the second male lead) wants to upthrone the currrent kind, but he is weak/sick. He has his good friend/brother Han de rang and his father help him out. The female lead is the third daughter of Xiao and is in love with Han de Rang, their love doesnt last too long before the prince takes a liking for himself. He does what he can to make the female lead his empress, eventually even queen. But with him his body is deteriorating because he has a sickness, so she trains the Queen to help him rule/reign/ maintain the court. the female lead is very smart and is able to do so.

Female lead played by Tang Yan - sassy, loveable, smart, impulsive, but had to take on a greater responsibility when she married the king. Kinda felt sorry for her character because she couldnt be with her loved one and had to take on for the country of Liao . Eventually she became queen , but she lost all her freedom which she wanted from her youth :( And had to be a bird stuck in a cage.
Male lead played by Shawn Dou, is a general, who is brave, loyal , faithful ,kind. He was loyal to the prince who turned king. He is faithful and loyal to the queen aka his lover from when he was young. To me one of the better characters in the story.
King- an sick ( literally) ass. He claims to be in love with the female lead, and every betrays and uses his power to get the female lead to marry him. Also later on he fathers a child with another woman, and not even telling the queen at all ? Like seriously want to punch him.

Eldest sister of the Xiao- she is very faithful and will stand up for her sisters. She only wanted to be love and have freedom. her husband dies and her lover dies, so sad on her part... sighs

Eldest sister husband- aka Tai ping wang was the brother of the current Liao. He supported his brother and even tried to fight back , when his brother died. He died trying to over throw but wasnt successful. He wanted the power too..

2nd sister of the Xiao- likes the evil guy who was initially using her but then he actually fell in love with her. She is easily swayed by smooth words.

2nd sister husband- was also thirsty for the throne and tried many times to , but failed. sad that his son died with him....

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From a huge fan of costume dramas

Like a lot of other dramatized historical Chinese drama, this drama should only be watched while turning a blind eye to accuracy. I haven't done much research into the actual historical figures during these times so I was merely watching this for the cast and the production.

The story of the entire drama pretty much centered around the downfall of the sisterhood between Wuguli, Hunian, and Yan Yan, with a focus on Yan Yan's plight to become the Empress Dowager of Liao. If you're looking for a more romantic drama, you would be slightly disappointed. The writers planted such a great relationship for the viewers in the beginning only to have them be ripped away because of the fight for power between the 3 branches of Taizu. You get a few episodes near the end where they have their uwu moments (except they are now probably in their 40's I believe). There was much frustration on my part with the 2nd sister in particular. The writers literally gave her such a sh**** role. She was constantly pissing me off to no end. Then we have the older sister whole was extremely "virtuous" and seemed to understand both sisters. I quite enjoyed her character up until she, like Wuguli, fell in love with a boy and rebelled against the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. It totally ruined her character for me because I couldn't understand how someone like her could be so fickle. I've been an avid fan of Tiffany Tang for years and quite enjoyed her in The Princess Weiyoung. I just wished this could've been a little different than that. Basically, if you don't enjoy the whole "innocent and naive in the beginning and through a turn of events turns into cold, powerful" troupe, then you probably would be a little bit more frustrated than I was. Overall, it was quite a good watch and I would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys these types of dramas. There are also a lot of hotties in this drama. Not only Shawn Dou, but even some of the ministers *ahem* Yelu Xiuge and Yelu Xiezhen caught my eyes a few times throughout this drama.

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7.75 Stars...so close to 8 Stars!

There are so many mixed reviews and opinions of The Legend of Xiao Chuo. Despite all of the mixed reviews (there are some seriously strong *negative* reviews/comments), I decided to give this one a shot - there was something about the OST MVs that just had me tantalized - I had to know the whole story behind those snapshots in the MVs in detail. And while The Legend of Xiao Chuo isn't 100% perfect, I found that I was thinking about it when I went to bed and when I woke up and I wasn't bored while watching the 48, 45 minute episodes!

I remember when I was a child that I would wish that TV shows would just skip to the important stuff so we would fast-forward the boring stuff and get to the stuff that matters. Well, The Legend of Xiao Chuo does just this! It was odd, I will admit, because most dramas (excluding family and longer, war-themed dramas) only span a couple months, tops. TLOXC really covers 20+ years in pretty decent detail with a good epilogue in the final episode, documenting the final chapter (deaths) of our MCs. So, yes, odd that the pacing of this drama utilized time-jumps often, but I appreciated that the plot wasn't dragged out or bored with trivial details. Which brings me to my next point...

TLOXC really isn't a *romantic* romance. Yes, the story starts out with sweet(-ish) romances, but by the time episode 25 rolls around, the story is all about politics. Plain and simple. It's about duty, responsibility, conflicts, alliances. I personally found it riveting and couldn't stop watching. It was like watching juicy gossip acted out. Now, I grew up in a Puerto Rican household, so I am no stranger to *chisme* or telenovelas, so to clarify: it's not on *that* level of drama and politics, but I found it interesting to watch an ancient culture play out with the beautiful costumes and decent acting (it was way more engaging and enjoyable than watching a documentary, that is!).
Anyways, I say all this to warn: if you are considering TLOXC because of the romance, you will likely find yourself bored and/or infuriated by the way our MCs are broken apart. It is truly heartbreaking...

Which leads into my next point: There is nothing wrong with being infuriated on behalf of people (*ahem* characters) who are slighted or wronged. BUT, it is not appropriate to apply your own ideals from the society we currently live in today with our current privileges (especially when looking at women's status) to that of ancient times. Don't get me wrong - some of the events that take place in the story are absolutely wrong! BUT, you cannot fault the storywriters for writing the story "wrong" when in reality, that *is* reality from those times.
For example, aside from the obvious splitting up of Yanyan and Han Derang, Mingyi falls in-love near the end of his life AND GETS TO BE HAPPY WITH HER. That really upset me considering what he did to his brother-like-bestfriend. BUT, I had to keep reminding myself that that's how it was in those days - emperor's could be with whomever they wanted, whenever they wanted because *they were* the law (and men, but I digress LOL).
It's very sobering, but also humbling to come to this realization. Once I had this conversation with myself, I was able to move past the tragedies our MCs endured to appreciate the story being told and reflect on the privileges and safeties we are afforded in our modern society.


Now to move onto the characters:
While Yanyan and Han Derang were the main romantic pairing in TLOXC whom I was happy for in the end, my favorite pairing was actually Hunian and Yansage. Hunian was actually my favorite character (aside from Han Derang's amazing mother - she called it how it was and I loved every second of it!). Hunian was someone I could identify with in the sense that being the eldest sibling, you have this sense of responsibility to your parents, to your siblings, to your "clan", that outweighs your own desires and comforts. And as most eldest siblings will likely also identify with, Hunian did not begrudge her place and role in her family. She accepted her responsibility and got through it. Her relationship with Yansage was the most interesting and intriguing dynamic in the entire drama for me. Yansage was my favorite antagonist in the entire drama because he was so multilayered! He wasn't strictly black-and-white; he adored Hunian and was truly in agony when they lost their baby and the risk to Hunian's life (the only true moment of despair we ever really see in Yansage), but he was also extremely intelligent and always scheming for the throne. His character was so complex. I truly could not get enough of Hunian and Yansage as a couple. Even after reading spoilers, I HAD to see how things played out for myself.

What made me sad was the conclusion to Hunian in the end of the drama. So many horrible things happened to Hunian throughout the entire drama, but she always got herself back up, dusted herself off, and kept going. I was so happy that even after Yansage's death (and other tragedies in the plot) that Hunian was able to finally find happiness. But it was short-lived. Her ending just leaves me so sad for her. She is bitter and angry and it hurts to see her that way. I wish, as the viewer who adored her character, that Hunian had had a truly happy ending.

I have read a lot of hate against Xiyin and Wuguli. While they were my least favorite couple in the entire drama, they went well together. The character progression for both Xiyin and Wuguli are logical, even if it *is* distasteful for us viewers.


Some things that really stood out to me that I appreciated:
--I really liked how the death scenes were captured. The acting, music, angles, and lines were impactful, specifically in regard to Yansage's and Xiyin's deaths. The way these death scenes were captured and executed really elevated the entire moment.

--I really appreciated the way the final conversation was handled between Mingyi, Yanyan, their eldest son (the future emperor), and Han Derang. It settled something in my heart. Even though I had logically come to terms with Mingyi's treachery against Yanyan and Han Derang nearly 20 years prior, Mingyi acknowledging that he betrayed their brotherhood and trust settled me. The way he rested their hands on top of each other in his final breathes was poetic irony and foreshadowing. Well done!

--I also LOVED that Mingyi's Minor Consort was just the woman he loved with not extra dramatics or malicious intents to distract or spoil the plot. That was so very refreshing!
--Additionally, on the same note, I was super worried that Mingyi's younger (biological) brother would try to plot against his own brother, which would have been a tough pill to swallow, but again, refreshing - HE DOESN'T! He actually sincerely protects Mingyi in the end! A much welcomed deviation from expected tropes.

--I loved how Yanyan's son, the new emperor, and Han Derang's mother both encouraged Yanyan and Han Derang, respectively, to satisfy their hearts and be with their chosen love after they have been widowed. There was something in the dynamics between mother and son in those conversations that just made my heart mush.

Acting:
Meh. It wasn't bad acting, but....don't hate me....but I just don't feel that Chinese acting compares to Korean actors. I think it might have something to do with the voiceovers (dubbing) that throws it off for me. The dubbing wasn't terribly distracting, which is a win! And the acting was good for a majority of the drama. Really, you just need to get to know the characters to get invested to look past the awkward misalignment of sound vs. lip movement. Trust me, the acting was decent enough for me to stick with the entire drama - the story really makes up for it by keeping you interested the whole time!

So - after finishing all 48 episodes, overall, I am left feeling kind of crestfallen, but satisfied at the same time. TLOXC was just one of those dramas I had to watch for myself, regardless of the negative feedback I was reading. It really wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as many negative comments portray it. It was actually quite good and I think deserves some more recognition as a *historical* story. I am glad to have watched it to be able to witness the above mentioned wins with this drama. I wouldn't recommend TLOXC, but I would definitely defend it!

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This is What i've been looking for

I reall like this drama !! Genuine story.
This drama is different with other harem drama which at the end obviously women hunger of king's love & attention. Woman's characters in this drama are so strong. Especially Xiao Yan Yan /Xiao Chuo, I really like her character. She is really a logic thinker, strict, outspoken, but she also can be a flirty and spoiled in good way, only to the person that she loves, reflects she is a loyal, not cheap & not easy person. She knows when too act and when to silent. I never get frustated about this woman during episodes.

Han Derang. I understand why some women crazy about him. He is an upright man with logic thinker, smart, calculative, tough character and cool in natural way. He is not cool with ruthless way, but cool with good manner, highly educated & thoughtful way.
So I really understand why Xiao Yan Yan needs to be agressive and always make first move toward this passive man !! LOL

The king Ming yi! He is rather manipulative & tricky but he is a likeable person. He is humorous & smart guy. I often smile and laughing at his scenes. The actor really fit with this character ! Good job!

Xiao Hu Nian.
I cannot hate her. She is so responsible and has kind heart. She is weak but well....she is just too kind. It's not easy to be her anyway.

I give two thumbs up for cinematography , costume designer, make up artist, it's extra ordinary beautiful & eye's candy.

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