A fighter (part one)

Some viewers in their reviews on MyDramaList call the drama The Legend of Hao Lan a dark story. And what did you expect? It's a true story, not the glamorous fairy tales you're used to watching. I have titled my review of this drama after its protagonist, Li Hao Lan. She is a fighter, just like me. She and I are very similar. Like Hao Lan, I don't want fame and fortune, I want a good family. I have always been a homely and family-orientated person. That's who I am now. That's who Hao Lan is too. The King Solomon also asked God for wisdom, not glory and riches. As a result, God gave him wisdom, wealth and glory. I like the female characters that are performed by Wu Jin Yan. They are similar to me. I guess she is like that in real life, as are her characters. That's what I like most about her.

The Legend of Hao Lan is the second drama after Legend of Mi Yue about the Warring States period that I have watched. In fact, it is a continuation of the story shown in Legend of Mi Yue. However, Legend of Mi Yue cannot be compared to The Legend of Hao Lan. Most of the plot of the drama Legend of Mi Yue is about women fighting in a harem for one man. If it wasn't for Liu Tao's outstanding acting in that series, it would be impossible to watch. The Legend of Hao Lan is a much higher level drama with an integral plot and an interesting story.

I saw interesting scenes in The Legend of Hao Lan. For example, the Queen of Zhao was caught doing a VERY INTERESTING (!!!) activity with another man. :):):) Also, in the twenty-seventh episode, the maid has shown Hao Lan an interesting statuette of a man and a woman, but it is better for children under eighteen not to look at this statuette. :):):) And there are many more such things in the series. The Chinese censorship has clearly rested on this drama. :) And thank God. It is immediately obvious that The Legend of Hao Lan is a serious, adult drama, where not only “the hands” are shown.

Now I will elaborate on the things that have interested me or appealed to me in the drama. In the first episode of the drama, a pearl called the Mermaid's Tear was sold on the bazaar. And in the series Song of Youth, Sun Xun gifted Liu San Jue with a pearl, which meant mermaid tears. That big pearl in The Legend of Hao Lan reminded me of the palantíri from The Lord of the Rings. In His sermon, Jesus Christ compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a precious pearl (the Gospel of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 13, verses 45-46).

In the sixth episode of the drama, the high oracle says that Heaven will try to warn the kings by sending portents to earth. Indeed, this has always been so: God has always sent His prophets and apostles to warn people. You can find out about this in the Bible. God still sends them now. I am one of those portents.

It is important for you to take heed of what I am writing to you, especially given recent events, namely the 2024 USA presidential election. If you think, Chinese, that Trump's election victory is a good outcome for you, you are deeply mistaken. On the contrary, the escalation between the USA and the PRC will become even more acute and the risk of a huge war will increase. Back in the spring of this year, when the USA election campaign has just begun, one of my acquaintances has asked me who I think will win the presidential election. I answered without hesitation that it would be Trump. My words turned out to be prophetic. God reveals to me what is actually happening and what will happen in the future.

I'm not going to run after the Chinese like Hermione Granger after the elves and prove to them that freedom and democracy are good. Perhaps when the big war will start, when China will be bombed, just as Ukraine is being bombed now, you, Chinese, will remember my words, but then it may be too late. I criticise the Chinese not because I don't like them. Not at all. In my previous review of Song of Youth, I have already written that I love China and the Chinese. But that doesn't mean I have to like everything in China. Don't be children. Grow up at last. I don't like everything even in Ukraine, but I do love my country very much. I just don't want the Chinese to walk around with tonnes of noodles on their ears, put on by the Chinese Communist Party.

In the seventh episode of the drama, Hao Lan was saved from the fire. That was not a miracle, but in real life such miracles happened when Jews who were faithful to the true God were saved by Him from fire or wild animals. You can read about those cases in the Bible. In the eighth episode, one of the characters says that dreams contain prophecies. It's true. I have had many prophetic dreams. I still have them now. You can read about many such dreams in the Bible. In The Legend of Hao Lan, some characters interpret the meaning of dreams. God really did give some people the talent to interpret prophetic dreams. Such people were, for example, Joseph, the son of Jacob, and the prophet Daniel.

In the ninth episode of the drama, Hao Lan said that out of the twenty patients in the Sun Rising Palace, four had died. The Lord has put a certain meaning in these words, namely, it alludes to the four apostles who have written the four Gospels of God. In the twelfth episode, Lu Bu Wei said that the Qin State had been attacking the Han State for four years. The drama also featured four kites and four notes. It is also God's allusion to the four Gospels and the four apostles who have written them. In the twentieth episode, Ying Yi Ren said that he had allowed Lu Bu Wei to defeat him only three times. And in those words God hid Himself, i.e. the Holy Trinity. Remember that not everything is as it seems at first glance. God has always liked to speak in parables and metaphors.

In the drama generally, the numbers “3”, “4”, “12”, “25”, “30” and “33” are encountered very often. In the thirty-second episode, the twelve generals are mentioned, and in the twenty-ninth and thirty-first episodes — twelve years. This means the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel. The twenty-eighth episode mentions thirty-three years, and the fifty-eighth episode mentions thirty-three cities, which signify the age of Christ. The number “30” refers to the thirty pieces of silver for which Judas has betrayed Christ, and the number “25” is the date on which most Christians celebrate Christmas (December 25). Most often in the series, the number “3” was heard. I would add that just as the prophet Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so Christ remained buried in the ground for three days and three nights.

The scene in the ninth episode with the sword featuring Hao Lan, the maid of honour Xiao, the maidservant Bai He and the Princess Ya reminded me of the episode in the Bible in which the King Solomon resolved a dispute between two women over a child. Read about this episode in the Bible. It contains great wisdom that God granted to Solomon. The Princess Ya did wisely in that scene too.

In the tenth episode, the physician Yin gave Hao Lan two bottles of medicine, one of which was blue and the other — red. It reminded me of the scene in The Matrix where Morpheus offered Neo a choice of two pills, one of which was blue and the other — red. By the way, Neo in The Matrix is the prototype of Jesus Christ. Morpheus was also the captain of the ship Nebuchadnezzar, named after the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. You can also read about this king in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament. And the main heroine in The Matrix was named Trinity in honour of the Holy Trinity. Yi Ren handed Hao Lan the red bottle of medicine, just as Neo chose the red pill.

In the thirty-second episode of the drama it was said that the King of Zhao forcibly took away the wife of his official by killing him. The King David did the same to Bathsheba and her husband. For that sin, David lost one of his children. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that in all the Chinese historical dramas I have watched, people who were tortured were tied to a large cross. Jesus Christ was also crucified on a cross.

In the fifty-second episode, Ying Zheng stabbed his horse to death. In Chinese and South Korean historical films and TV series, dictators and tyrants often beat their horses to death, although horses are noble animals. Thus, Wang So did it in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and Yi Bang Won in Empire of Lust. In addition, bad male characters in Chinese and Korean historical dramas wear similar face masks. Such a mask was worn by the Prince Yu in The Legend of Hao Lan, Wang So in Moon Lovers and Chi Yun Nan in The Princess Wei Young. Let me remind you that Gerard Butler's character wears a similar mask in the 2004 musical film by Joel Schumacher, The Phantom of the Opera.

In this way, the Lord shows that such men are very dangerous in real life, and women should stay away from them. However, Ying Zheng should be commended for protecting his mother. I have never thought that I would say this, but Di Li, the King of Yiqu, correctly has said in Legend of Mi Yue that a man should protect a woman when she is in trouble, not discuss philosophical topics with her.

The female character Huayang in the drama was born in the year of the Snake. I was also born in the year of the Snake. The next year, 2025, will also be the year of the Snake. Jesus Christ commanded that we should be wise as snakes. As you can see, there is a lot of Christian wisdom in The Legend of Hao Lan. I could comment on every Christian statement in the series, but I am still writing a review, not a dissertation. :) If you have ever read the Bible, I think you will find relevant phrases in this drama. Most of the Christian phrases come from Ying Yi Ren's mouth. Pay attention to what he says while watching the show.

In The Legend of Hao Lan, unlike other Chinese dramas I've watched, there was more moon than sun. Even in the drama songs the moon is sung about. The sun gave way to the moon to make the moon shine brighter. Let me tell you something funny. I had passed by one cafe not far from my house many times, but I never paid attention to its title, and it was only while watching The Legend of Hao Lan that I noticed it. And the title of the cafe is MOON CAFE. :) 

In the opening song of the drama, there are words about a kite. While watching the drama, I saw children flying kites on the lake. In the drama, kites were also flown. The opening credits of the series show yellow and red leaves falling. I watched the drama at a time when we in Ukraine also had a lot of fallen yellow and red leaves on the streets. I also saw butterflies in the opening credits. While watching the drama, I again met two Mormon butterflies (Papilio rumanzovia) on the lake, one of which was large and the other was small. The big one even tried to sit on me, but I didn't let him :) (he clung to me so much that I could barely get away from him :):):). Again, the passion came to me from Asia, or rather two passions. :):):) Those were probably the two lions I dreamed about at the end of last year. 

You know, I am similar to two characters from The Lord of the Rings. By my mind, I'm like Gandalf. He and I think the same way. We are both architects by personality type. However, I have always been like Éowyn of Rohan in terms of my character and willpower. She could do what even Gandalf could not. In Éowyn's life, there were also two lions, the first of which was Aragorn, and the second was Faramir. While watching the drama, I dreamed of Éowyn and Faramir, as well as a huge lion that looked like Aslan. So, did you understand the hint in that dream? I understood.

In the drama The Legend of Hao Lan, I also saw statues of lions. I continue to see lions everywhere in my life, including in advertising. After watching the series Song of Youth, I once again watched the movie Escape Plan, which I advised you to watch in my previous review, and even in it I saw a lion (hint: it hid behind the dragon). During the period of watching The Legend of Hao Lan, I saw in a YouTube video about Singapore the main symbol of that city — a lion with a fish torso. The lion is a symbol of Christ, and the fish is a symbol of Christianity. This is the symbol of Singapore.

Some characters in the drama have the surname “Gao”. The final song of the series is sung by actress Gao Yu Er. The city of Gaodu is mentioned in the drama. I also saw patterns that looked like a capital English letter “G”. There is a character in the series named Zhao Gao. In the thirty-second episode, another Zhao Gao is mentioned. That “Gao” haunts me. In Twisted Fate of Love, there was also the eunuch Gao. The Chinese got it all wrong. It wasn't the eunuch Gao who was supposed to be there, but the eunuch Xiao. :):):) If you don't understand what I mean, read my review of Game of Wisdom. 

The drama features a prostitute named Tao Yao. Song of Youth also has a female character Tao Yao. She is also not much different from a prostitute. :):):) There is a character in the drama called Fang Cao. Jun Jiu Ling and Story of Yanxi Palace also have characters with such a name and surname. The drama features the character Hu Po, just like The Sword and the Brocade and Story of Yanxi Palace. Again in the series, I heard the name “Ruyi”. I wonder what this word means.

In the series, like in Song of Youth, a dog was used to find the culprit. In both dramas, they were German shepherds. This doesn't correspond to history, because this breed of dog has been bred by the Germans only at the end of the nineteenth century, namely in 1899. So there could not have been these dogs in ancient China. But what is obvious is that the Chinese are very fond of German Shepherds, because they appear in many Chinese dramas. In addition to the two dramas mentioned above, I saw those dogs in such dramas as Legend of Mi Yue and Love in Flames of War. Especially for the Chinese, I give a link to the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8esJFoP7vRM.

In the sixth episode of The Legend of Hao Lan, a white deer appears. The name of the Chinese actress Bai Lu also means “white deer” in Chinese. In the drama, Hao Lan, Yi Ren's mother, the Princess Ya and Bai Ling'er wear tiaras with a deer on top of them. Hao Lan in the series also has hairpins with a deer head on them. The King of Zhao in the drama loved to eat venison. Well, no one doubts that the King of Zhao is a deer. :):):)

In the eleventh episode, Hao Lan says that the heart of a doctor is like the heart of a parent. I've already heard this phrase in Song of Youth. Unfortunately, it's not always true. There are doctors who are worse than wolves. Today, medicine has been turned into a business in the world. In that episode, Hao Lan also mentioned turquoise jewellery. I also have turquoise jewellery. I bought it a long time ago in Turkey. The word ‘turquoise’ sounds very beautiful in Persian and Turkish — firuze. In Turkey, Firuze is also a female name. I wore turquoise jewellery while watching the drama. I really love this my jewellery. At the end of the forty-fifth episode, Bai Ling'er mentioned pearls. I have pearl jewellery too. I love them too, and I also have worn them while watching the drama.

Recently, I was washing a flower pot and noticed another pattern on it, one of those I've seen in Chinese TV shows. I also saw it in The Legend of Hao Lan. In the eleventh episode, at 20:08, it is depicted on the stairs behind Hao Lan. I discovered that pattern on the flower pot on the same day I watched that episode. The Legend of Hao Lan also shows the beginning of the Qin Dynasty. When I started watching the drama, I saw ancient coins of the Qin Dynasty in a YouTube video.

In the drama, I have heard again the phrase that the sun rises in the west, which I have heard in such Chinese series as Dr. Tang and Story of Yanxi Palace. The drama mentioned dark soy sauce. I also like to eat dishes with dark soy sauce. Although I have been born and lived all my life in Ukraine, I like many of the things that the Chinese like. For example, I don't like to eat bread, dairy products and buckwheat, but I like to eat rice, noodles and shrimp. :)

In the thirty-second episode of the drama, the general Lian Po complained that the King of Zhao had replaced the army commander just before the battle with another, who in turn dismissed twelve generals loyal to Lian Po from their posts, which led to the almost complete destruction of Zhao's army. Zelenskyy did the same thing, removing Zaluzhnyi from the post of commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, and with him the generals loyal to him. Horses are not changed at the crossing. Everyone knows this, except for the King of Zhao and Zelenskyy. The clowns are the clowns. О_о

In The Legend of Hao Lan, like in Song of Youth, they wanted to do a blood test on the child to determine paternity. However, I don't believe that during the Warring States period and the Ming Dynasty in China, they could determine the paternity of children. These are rather Chinese fantasies about themselves. Although the Chinese could have become pioneers in that field of medicine if Cao Cao had not executed Hua Tuo. In this series, as in Story of Yanxi Palace, sage is mentioned. In my childhood and youth, I drank a lot and rinsed my mouth with sage tincture because I often had sore throats. Based on the logic of Story of Yanxi Palace, I, like Wei Ying Luo, will always look young. :):):)