The Story of Pearl Girl (2024)

A Masterpiece of 2024

"The Story of Pearl Girl" is a drama that will pull you in from the start! It’s a brilliantly crafted tale where every moment feels meaningful and visually stunning.

Set against a rich historical backdrop, this is more than just a love story—it’s a journey of resilience, self-discovery, and personal growth. From the opening scene where Zhao Lusi’s character, Duan Wu, dives into the sea for pearls, the breathtaking cinematography transports you into her world with unforgettable visuals.

Zhao Lusi shines as Duan Wu, bringing incredible emotional depth and expression to her role. Her eye acting alone speaks volumes, making her character’s ups and downs feel real and raw. Every tear she sheds pulls you in; you’ll feel her joy and heartbreak as if they were your own. Zhao beautifully captures both the inner strength and vulnerability of Duan Wu, making her journey powerful and inspiring.

Liu Yuning’s portrayal of Yan Zi Jing is equally captivating, bringing a layered intensity to his role. His chemistry with Zhao Lusi feels genuine, making their characters’ growth and struggles deeply relatable and real. Together, they create on-screen magic!

With unforgettable acting, mesmerizing visuals, a fast-paced and heartwarming storyline, "The Story of Pearl Girl" is a drama you won’t want to miss. It captures the beauty of life’s highs and lows, delivering a tale that’s as uplifting as it is heartfelt. This is a must-watch for anyone looking for a story about strength, purpose, and the courage to grow.

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A good show

I just finished watching it and I loved everything about it except for the ending. they give us this heartfelt journey where we watch duanwu escape from the pearl farm and become her own person and an outstanding businesswoman by none other then our male lead Yan zijan. I have watched every episode with full interest. It does not leave you bored whatsoever.

The story has a few interesting twists, some betrayals that you did not see coming. The only thing I didn't like in particular was the ending. It leaves you with an open ending where you just know Yan Zijan died and Duanwu is out travelling the world for over 40 years. we only see her convoy travelling.

Despite the ending however it is worth a watch. the chemistry between the two leads was on point from the very beginning. Zhao Lusi her performance was top tier and her character portrayal was on point. It's nothing like her usual characters that she plays but she did an excellent job. She plays a strong, arrogant (in the beginning) independent woman, with a clever mind and isn't afraid to take risks no matter what. I love watching her acting but this one was by far one of her best performances in my opinion.

The male lead also did not disappoint either. He portrayed Yan Zijan with grace and ease. I know there was many controversy around him being cast but I think it was the perfect fit. He did it as a favour to the producer and he did not disappoint in the slightest. He brought his character to life in the best way possible.

The romance between the two felt so natural and so real. it didn't feel forced and it was very enjoyable to watch. of course we should not ignore the other actors who did their very best in bringing there characters to life.

in short this drama is an absolute must watch. you won't feel bored and you'll immediately get dragged into it fully invested by the end of episode 1!

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my two cents

honestly i have not been so active in dropping my reviews on MDL but i had to pen down my thoughts on this one. I did a short review in my X account but i will elaborate here on my objective thoughts of this production

disclaimer though, as a haoyan fan, i had been waiting for this collab since 2021. altho the drama production was surrounded by many skeptical comments and slanders, it still came out as a drama that was worth it and even rising to be global sensation with the international results it has achieved.

i shall not elaborate on the synopsis but i will pen what i liked and disliked about the drama:

- character development. i love that while this was a female centric drama, the development was parallel for both the male lead and female lead.
> For Zijing, no doubt he was a tragic character, carrying the burden of his family's massacre and tainted reputation and also traumatic childhood being imprisoned by his enemy for 8 years!!! suffering an incurable poison at that. his ending was bound to be a tragic one from the get go but it didnt matter to him until duanwu appeared. he lived only for revenge and was determined to die for it too. but duanwu made him rethink his decision ... from having no longing in this world, to having a reason to live... but by the time he realizes this his days were numbered. however, the ending while they didnt show him explicity dying, it was a realistic one. we all know he died in the end... but its just tragic he chooses to die away from his loved ones and perhaps no one will know where he was buried.
> For Duanwu, she was a consistent character. her spirit is to never give in to fate because she believed that everything is possible with one's will and she proved it from escaping the pearl farm, working her way up the yan trade convoy, becoming su muzhe and making a name of her own in yangzhou. she has a painful childhood, and witness time and again her loved ones leaving her ... but she didnt made revenge her only purpose in life. instead, she used it as a driving force to become better and stronger because as i said, she isnt one to surrender to fate. but what really crushed me was, despite her successes in the end, she lost everyone that were dear to her. especially losing zijing... their love enough wasnt enough to withstand the tragic fate that beholds them. like she said, their ending would have been very much different if they werent born into their respective families.
> as a couple: no doubt the chemistry was perfect! second collaboration always work for me because there's already tacit understanding between the two. also no doubts lusi has chemistry with every male lead she had worked with. plus despite the negative comments on the cnet, she recommended yuning to be her costar for this production. and they are serving both visuals, and chemistry way more than my expectations. i love that their love also grew to withstand time, from puppy love at the start, their fateful separation and getting back together where they live a simple life together... it was SOOO GOOD.
> bonus shoutout to jinran because he was such a good second male lead! he was quite forward with his feelings. but i did felt he confessed at the wrong time. he confessed at the time when he didnt understand duanwu like zijing did and perhaps like how duanwu felt, his affections perhaps to duanwu was only a form of protection, which isnt what she wants. she craves for freedom in her way. but jinran does grow to understand that, and was supportive of her and zijing till the end. rendering help to them as a couple and as individuals and telling duanwu he will remain a brother to her. then wanting to release a prisoner so that zijing can get the antidote.... PLUS PLUS POINTS TO THIS SML!!!
- acting wise : for leads acting were stunning. comparing to their previous works, both acting have improved! especially the microexpressions and using eyes to express their emotions. also, thankful they allow lusi and yuning to use their original voices here. it made their emotional scenes 100000x more relatable. the best & most memorable scene for me was their last scene together. even with the minimal dialogue it worked because they the drama allowed us to see their growth, and how their love went through hardships but they still they could not fulfil a simple promise of being with each other everyday in the end. the part where duanwu was drinking the longevity porridge and fed the first mouth to zijing because that was her wish to him. she fulfilled everything she wanted to but she knows she is losing him and he know his departure will mean forever ... she was begging and my heart was breaking. and for zijing, you could tell he really want to said yes to staying by her side, it was just a simple "ok" but... he knew he could not say it because he was about to die. and that hug was so painful because he achieved his lifelong dream and completed his revenge but he wasnt as fearless as before. he has a reason to live now but its all too late.....
- story wise: i liked that the story was rich and they set a strong foundation right from the start. all the choices made were logical given the circumstances the characters were in that we cant even blame them for it. we are moving with the plot as they moved to different cities. it was a good mixture of comedy, tragedy, familial, scheming, i think the emotions were also well balanced throughout the plot.

on the negatives which i could mostly overlooked but i had to point out:
- i felt the pacing in first 20 eps were better. it seems that the writing & pacing had changed after ep 20. i felt more detached. ..perhaps it was also because they killed off the yan's caravan people which we had grown to like in the first 20 eps. it was quite detaching for me as i couldnt had the same intensity of affections to the new family at Clear Mind.
- i couldnt vibe with the second couple (shijiu and zheng zhiheng), their romance didn't seem necessary to the plot. but the scene where zhiheng sacrificed for shijiu did made me tear a little. but still i think we didnt needed their sub love plot here
- too idealistic successes: this is very apparent if you compared the guangzhou and yangzhou days. when still in the caravan, duanwu had so much setbacks in making it to the business troop. but when she just stepped foot into yangzhou, she was almost able to succeed in opening clear mind immediately by making a bet on huanlang... although she did face problems after opening the business but the way she founded clear mind seem to idealistic to me
- duanwu's relationship with shijiu: i really hoped they remained as frenemies. the whole plot of them becoming besties at the end seems too forced...and awkward for me. but perhaps thats the whole intention of a female centric drama...

all in love, the second collab didnt fail me and exceeded my expectations in terms of the storyline and execution. even though the ending was regrettable, it was the most reasonable and realistic ending given the circumstances and situation that we cant even blame the writer for making this ending! that's very satisfactory for me as there are so many bad endings in cdramas that are uncalled for nowadays. it almost seems like they write BE for the sake of it.

my only wish is for yuning to take on happier roles like haodu, he has been dying too much in his dramas (7/9 of his main character dramas that are not cameos ends up dead) that him acting in pain/ poisoned felt so real. also if possible (chances are slim) i wish lusi and yuning can have a third collab in romcom modern please...........I AM WILLING TO INVEST

p.s i rated lower for the rewatch because the pain was too much for me yet i cant blame anyone for it

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This Drama is a Glass Pearl

This drama is a glass pearl. It's almost the real thing, but not exactly. Pretty to watch and is unique in it's way, but not memorable enough. The story follows Danwu (Zhao Lusi) as she journeys through life from being a slave pearl diver to a respected and successful business women. Along her journey, Danwu meets Yan Zijing (Liu Yuning), an established merchant who mentors and paves her way into the business world.
The first few episode was great, but as the story progresses, it became a little stale. It was watchable, but not enough for me to go "oh, what's going to happen next?". Now, the story line did not grab me, but the characters as an individual did. A perfect example of great actors, but bad story writing and/or directing. Danwu is a lovely character. She is strong, willing to push through any obstacle and learns quickly to adapt to situations around her. It was not love at first sight with Yan Zijing, but he grows on me. Like most ML, he looks bad and cold on the outside but really he's a charmer after a few episodes. I especially like that he does not overshadow Danwu despite all the "power and riches" he already had. He didn't just hand them to her, she physically and mentally worked for her own. Zhang Jinran (Tang Xiaotian) was a character made to like in the very first episode to the end. He have justice, loves and care for the FL, and serves as a good love triangle. Cui Shijiu (Chole Xie) is an interesting character as a whole. I like her character set up, but her arc falls short because she never really learns from any of the tragic events that happens to her (except towards the end of the drama she finally "wakes up"). Unlike Danwu, she's hell-bent on vengeance. And unlike Yan Zijing, the writer made her vengeance scheming not so smart.
I would recommend this drama if you are a big Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning fan. I enjoyed watching every scene between Danwu and Yan Zijing, especially the sweet romantic interactions between them. However, if you're looking for good storyline to awe you, this drama will leave you luke warm. You won't necessarily dislike it, but at the same time clicking on the next episode won't be as tempting. Will I rewatch it again? Only if I want fan service of Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning in a drama, then maybe.

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A Must Watch…

The Story of Pearl Girl is a must watch…a well developed storyline, amazing acting, beautiful cinematography, excellent cast, and overall, top notch production.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the plot. But after watching the first few episodes, the series is much more than I imagined and now I’m hooked. I’m half way through the series and am so glad they were approved for the 40 episodes - allows for a well developed storyline.

Zhao Lusi is an amazing actress. I have enjoyed watching her in other dramas , but her skills in this one is next level. Her ability to tell the story of her struggles and resilience through all her different emotions is incredible. The underwater scenes with her diving for pearls is exquisite. Liu Yuning’s acting as the ML is also impressive. His imposing stature and strong overall presence make him suitable for the role. The chemistry between the two leads is overflowing. They are very comfortable acting with each other. The cast are all great actors.

The cinematography from the underwater images to the desert scenes are mesmerizing. The costumes are captivating. The OST beautifully matches to the production. This series has been top tier so far…

I’m looking forward to the 2nd half of the series…

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