First Episode Recap: Chronicle of Life

The opening scenes of Chronicle of Life evoke a sense of nostalgia befitting the pervasive theme of unspoken melancholy that was apparent from its promotional stills and music accompaniment. 

Episode 1&2 starts with an aged Emperor Kangxi (Hawick Lau) basking in all his glorious achievements yet not without a wave of sentiment as he looks back to a time when he fell in love. 

Flashback to a teenage Kangxi who he sets in motion an elaborate plan to defeat Ao Bai, a veteran official greedy for power after serving three generations of Qing Dynasty emperors. Undeterred by several close calls, Kangxi succeeds and issues an edict to capture or kill any of Ao Bai's followers that attempt to resist.

The traitor in question is none other than Liang Er's father and her entire family is slaughtered by the imperial guards on her tenth birthday. As the sole survivor, Liang Er wanders the streets and gets captured by conmen. This is also the moment when she meets Kangxi who also happens to be on the run from a group of assassins. They escape on a horse and become close confidants oblivious to their tragic connection.

In order to lure the pursuers away, the two part ways and Liang Er arrives at the Na La residence where her childhood friend Na La Rong Ruo vows to protect her despite his father's objections over harboring a fugitive.

To help Rong Ruo's father, Na Lan Yi tries to kill Liang Er if not for Rong Ruo who stops him in the nick of time. However, the damage is done and Liang Er has lost all recollection of her past. In a way, the circumstances helped her case as she can now thrive as a palace maid under the name Wei Lin Lang (Zheng Shuang).

First Impressions: The Kangxi versus Ao Bai storyline has been retold time and again and it's an exciting moment for Kangxi's reign as emperor. However, I wasn't expecting that the epic takedown will be handled by a bunch of kids. Sure, the mini me versions of the adult cast are cute and their performance solid but it feels odd to say the least especially with the not-so-subtle hints of childhood romance for a ten year old Liang Er. I mean - the horse scene - they're just kids!

The stage has been set in just two episodes and it's not hard to guess where the story is heading especially since the drama never fails to remind us with its indiscriminate use of flashbacks and rose petals. I definitely see the makings of a melodrama and I'm not sure if I have the bandwidth to watch it unfold. Given that two episodes are posted everyday on LeTV, it should be done in no time. 

For more synopsis, cast and ratings, see my 2016 Chinese historical drama listing. 

Chronicle of Life (2016)

Chronicle of Life 寂寞空庭春欲晚 is just four days away and uncannily similar to the Imperial Doctress, another Chinese drama coming this Feb. The former is in the Qing dynasty while the latter is set during the Ming dynasty. It is based on a novel by Fei Wo Si Cun 匪我思存 who also penned the novel behind popular drama Sealed With a Kiss that was top billed by Hawick Lau .

This time around, Hawick Lau plays Emperor Kangxi, a historical figure that has graced our television sets every so often in dramas like The Deer and the Cauldron 鹿鼎记 and Scarlet Heart (Bu Bu Jing Xin 步步惊心). 

The story revolves around Kang Xi's ill-fated romance with Wei Lin Lang as the two get entangled in a love triangle made even more convoluted by drama tropes that include memory loss and a revenge plot. The series also stars Zheng Shuang and Zhang Bin Bin who were both in Just One Smile is Very Alluring.

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2016

For more 2016 c-drama recommendations, click here. 

Source: Sina

Dating News: Crystal Liu, Yang Mi and Liu Shi Shi, the ladies of Chinese Paladin

I must have been living under a rock because I just found out that Yang Mi is a new mom.

Crystal Liu, Yang Mi, Liu Shi Shi and Tang Yan all of which had a starring role in Chinese Paladin are four of the most beautiful faces dominating today's wuxia films and the most recent one to be in a relationship is Chinese actress Crystal Liu Yi Fei (born 1987) and Korean actor Song Seung Heon (born 1976). Both admitted to dating since May 2015 when they met during the filming of the movie called The Third Way of Love.

Song Seung Heon rose to international stardom due to the 2000 k-drama Autumn In My Heart, which grew in popularity all over Asia spearheading what has become the Korean wave. He briefly dated Korean actress Sung Yuri but the two split up in 2003. Twelve years later and he finally found romance in Crystal Liu who is 11 years his junior.

I seriously don't judge but I know 11 years might be quite substantial for some people. Yet lo and behold, there is another such example in Yang Mi (born 1986) and Hawick Lau (born 1974). I have never seen any of Hawick Lau's dramas but because he is playing the lead in one of my favorite wuxias The Legend of Flying Daggers, he is now on my radar. After dating for a few years, the couple tied the knot at a Bali wedding in 2014 and welcomed their baby girl in the same year. In case you didn't notice, Tang Yan was the maid of honor.

Last but not the least is Liu Shi Shi (born 1987) who has been dating Nicky Wu (born 1970) since their popular TV series Startling By Each Step (Bu Bu Jing Xin) ended five years ago. Bu Bu Jing Xin was definitely a force to be reckoned with, garnering such a large viewership that it is going to be remade into a k-drama called Moon River starring none other than IU.

As an avid fan, it is quite endearing to see the couple you root for actually get together in real life. The story of Si Ye (4th Prince) and Ruo Xi continues to this day as the power couple held a civil wedding back in 2015 and are preparing for the actual ceremony some time this year. They trump everyone else with a whopping 17-year difference, which goes to show that love knows no boundaries - neither language nor age. 

Sources: CNHubei1, CNHubei2, Xilu

The Legend of Flying Daggers (2016)

A mainstay in my top wuxia listings, the 2016 version of The Legend of Flying Daggers 飞刀又见飞刀 is a TV adaptation based on the novel written by Gu Long.

Hawick Lau stars as the protagonist Li Huai who is a kind-hearted misfit roaming the streets. In the previous adaptation that I saw, he was the neglected illegitimate son of the Li family, a revered martial arts clan known for the Flying Daggers technique.  He falls in love with Yang Rong's character Xue Cai Yue, a cold-hearted assassin yet the pair are fated to be star-crossed lovers.

Flying Daggers 飞刀又见飞刀 is brought to us through the combined efforts of three production companies as it seeks to come out with yet another fantasy wuxia due to the genre's immense popularity with the younger crowd. After 3 months of arduous filming, the drama is now in its final stages of editing and is slated for a summer release. 

I am getting serious xianxia vibes and considering the fact that there are no monsters or demons in the martial arts world of Gu Long, I am not sure how well a fantasy wuxia adaptation will play out. Sure hope they don't ruin a good thing.

For 2016 chinese drama recommendations, click here.

Sources: 3Lian, Sina