my moral standing is lying down

A Dream of Splendor

A 40-episode historical drama from 2022.

The premise

Pan'er (played by Liu Yifei) is a woman in her mid-20s who owns a teashop she co-runs with her friend Sanniang (played by Liu Yan). Pan'er prepares and serves the tea, Sanniang bakes all of the yummy pastries.

One day, some bandits show up at the teashop and start up some trouble. Pan'er and Sanniang defend themselves. Also present is Gu Qianfan (played by Chen Xiao) who is the commander of a kind of elite force that only answers to the emperor. He's been ordered to find an item that's supposedly in the village Pan'er's teashop is at. They make a really bad impression on each other.

A short time later, Qianfan asks Pan'er for her help as the two head off to the Eastern Capital...


This is a pretty cool story (for the most part. I'll try to be vague when I mention what didn't work me) It's v. different in a lot of aspects.

Liu Yifei is amazing as Pan'er. This is a character who is warm, compassionate, clever without being too precious abt it, and has a mature personality that I thought was neat to see onscreen. Fun fact: Liu Yifei also goes by Crystal Liu. She snagged the role of Mulan for the live action version of the animated film. I don't remember much of the movie, but there we are.

So Pan'er's background is quite dark. (Because this is discussed front and center in Episode 1, I don't consider this next thing a spoiler.)

OK so, when she was 9 y.o., her father had (allegedly) incurred some heavy debts and so he sold her to a brothel. (I say "allegedly" because things are a bit more complicated.) While there, she was trained alongside other little girls to dance, sing, and have other skills (of the non-sexual variety) in order to entertain the male patrons. The emperor granted a general amnesty to folks under the "pariah" status (such as sex workers and folks adjascent to sex work) when Pan'er turned 16. She was then able to leave the brothel, get her name taken off the national register of sex workers, and try to find a way to live.

Per the drama, Pan'er never engaged in actual sex work during those 7 yrs she lived and worked at the brothel. Personally, I find it quite unbelievable given the environment she was at for almost a decade. Both her and Song Yinzhang (played by Lin Yun) state time and time again that they are (or were in Pan'er's case) registered musicians ONLY. Per the cultural norms of the time (I've heard this drama's set during the Song dynasty), they're both considered at a similar lower class like that of merchants.

Anyways, early in the show, there's a moment where (for plot reasons), Pan'er HAS to slip into her musician/entertainer role to set someone up. The scene continues all the way to the aftermath. Where she's shown frantically rubbing her hands and face, disgusted at having to pretend to be a sex worker. IDK, I thought it is a really interesting moment that says a lot abt her and her inner world without using much dialogue.

Chen Xiao is really good. In the show, Gu Qianfan is nicknamed the Living Devil for a good reason. As the show progresses, though, he does softens up whenever he's around Pan'er, heheh.

As for the CP…hmm. I love that they have an actual Meet Ugly. And then, as the episodes continue, the bluntness with which they interact with each other not only makes a lot of sense BUT it's kinda cute? IDK.

Once they get into the romantic mode… OOOOOH, I WAS ON THE FLOOR AND SWOONING!

Both actors have an exquisite kind of chemistry. They're two ppl who are adults, have complicated backgrounds, and respect each other. For him, it's abt being able to unwind while for her it's abt finding someone she can trust. When they're together, they don't quite achieve Power Couple status, but they get quite close. (I do have a :| abt the CP that I'll mention in my criticisms.)

Chi Pan (played by Dai Xu) is my Chaotic Baby. I adored his OTTness. He made me cackle whenever he threw yet one more tantrum. I loved him from the first scene where he had a nasty fight with Pan'er all the way to the end of the drama.

ANOTHER THING THAT KEPT ME WATCHING is that I like how the focus is ALSO on female friendships. Both within the main trio AND each female character's relationships with other women. There are moments when one of them will meet another female who, in another drama, would be an enemy and yet they become friends too.

Speaking of, one thing that legit SHOCKED ME was a moment that I've NEVER SEEN in any Chinese drama before. At some point, a female character is searching for Pan'er. Suddenly, she doubles up in pain right in front of Pan'er's home. Pan'er happens to be leaving, she sees the female character practically on hands and knees, and so she asks her to come into her home. Neither character knows who the other one is, btw.

The female character mentions that she's got really bad cramps.

Me: DID SHE JUST SAY CRAMPS? DID SHE MEAN THE KIND PPL GET WHEN THEY'RE ON THEIR PERIOD?

The scene continues with the two of them talking abt PERIODS. Pan'er asks the female character which day is she on. The female character replies that it's the first day and how that's the worst one. Pan'er then makes her a PERIOD TEA!!!!

And before that convo, the female character is shown walking out of Pan'er's bedroom wearing Pan'er's clothes…which IMPLIES THAT THE FEMALE CHARACTER HAD STAINED HER DRESS.

ME: 😲😲😲 but also \o\ \o/ /o/!!!

Not only cuz they were talking abt People Getting Their Period, how much it sucked, etc WITHOUT using any euphemisms, but also because the TONE (from the beginning of their meeting to the end) was v. "this is a NORMAL thing."

Which made me curious abt the production team…

It turns out that Yang Yang (the drama's director) and Zhang Wei (the screenwriter) are both women who are in their v. late 40s. And THAT explains why this show has a different, women-first kind of vibe that aaaalmost toes the line into preachy but doesn't overwhelm either.

The cinematography is SUPERB, bTW. The costume and set designs are excellent as well.


Do I have any criticisms?

I do. 😥

- Some of the humor really doesn't work for me. Especially cuz there are moments featuring two characters (a woman who shows up in two episodes and a recurring male character) who are fat. The "jokes" abt the man have to do with his body size. As for the woman, it's all centered on how gluttonous she is.

- There's a character who is set up to be a villain and I just never cared for them even as an evil character. Especially toward the end where the character goes off the rails. The actor (and the role) reminded me a ton of Shen Yurong (the husband and one of the main villains of The Double.)

- I have a v. strong criticism abt the CP (I know. I KNOW!) in something of a spoiler (I'll TRY to not be super specific) but let me go

what upset me abt the CP

As per the Drama Gods, they have a temporary breakup right before the last 10 episodes of the show. Up until then, I was a giggly mess whenever they appeared together onscreen.

HOWEVER, I 🙄 at the reason why they separated had to do with one character GHOSTING the other for a truly stupid reason. It leaves the relationship in limbo cuz then one character is trying to do a noble sacrifice (that made ZERO SENSE) while the other character is truly hurting and wanting to know WHAT HAPPENED.

The entire breakup goes on for abt EIGHT episodes. Before they make up for good, the character who is hurting does get caught up on everything that the other character has been doing. The character also gets actual, solid proof that the character who disappeared had tried their best even at the risk of their literal life.

Anyway, when they finally get back together, the character who ghosted NEVER APOLOGIZES. Rather than remorseful, that character CONTINUES TO TRY TO DO THE NOBLE SACRIFICE THING. Which was annoying the first time around and INFURIATING during that scene.

It's not until the Character who got ghosted pretty much SHOCKS the other character that they make up. IMO, all of that could've been handled way, way better.

- Consequently, I was disappointed with the way that the last 4-5 eps turned away from the romance and the female friendships to address the whole imperial court stuff. Even though I was Muppet Facing one half of the CP, I wanted some more syrupy, ridic lovey-dovey moments between them and the show instead focused on everything and everyone BUT the CP.

- Then there's the ending. *sigh*.

FTR, it's a happy one for sure. During the LAST episode and now that everything had been solved, I was like

Me: OKAY, SHOW, YOU PULLED MY LEG THAT ONE TIME A COUPLE OF EPS AGO AND DIDN'T SHOW ME A LOT OF THE CP. BUT YOU'RE GONNA GIVE ME ALL OF THE ROMANCE YOU OWE ME, RIGHT? I WANNA SEE THE CP IN THEIR NEW HOME BEING ALL RIDIC WITH EACH OTHER.

At this point, I think there were, like, 3 minutes to go. I was SEATED for the CP's wedding and/or seeing them married in the future with lots of kids....

The Drama

HOW ABT I USE THESE LAST THREE MINUTES TO GIVE YOU A 3-MINUTE MONTAGE OF ALL OF THE CUTE CP MOMENTS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY WATCHED?

THE END

🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ TO THE MAX


What's the FMC's plot armor level?

Low.

Not only did she spend part of her childhood and most of her teenage years working at a brothel (again, allegedly NOT involved in actual!sex work but still!), she has to deal with a lot of misogyny. I mean, all of the female characters do, but y'all know what I mean.

She also goes thru some true financial hardships, homelessness, and (at one point) she tries to endure corporal punishment that almost leaves her in a coma. So she does suffer a ton. There's a moment she tells another character that she's so sad that she can't even cry. FTR, she does bounces back and her ending is a happy one.


How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

It's presented in an interest way than I'd expected it to be.

The emperor (played by Bao Jianfeng) has an unspecified chronic illness that leads him to have really bad migraines. Funnily enough, Bao Jianfeng had also played the emperor role in Love Like the Galaxy. This time around, he's playing the emperor with a more serious angle vs. LLTG where he was goofy for the most part.


Do I recommend it?

Yes.

SO, taking into account everything good AND bad (the CP before the last 10 eps, Chi Pan (who brought in the laughs when they were most needed), the many female friendships and mutual support, the bullshittery abt the court thing taking over the ending, certain plot holes not being tied up, and that FUCKING FINALE), I give this drama a 3.5 out of 5. All of the eps are on YouTube.


Queerness level

Lowish.

There's a secondary male character who, due to plot reasons, does drag. It's not explained why, but everyone (in the show) is A-OK with that.


Le Trailer

Watch on YouTube

It's pretty solid AND pushes the romance to the forefront.

Blossom

Not even gonna hide the lede: THIS IS MY FAVE CDRAMA OF THE PAST 2 YEARS. It first aired in December 2024.


The premise

The story is abt Dou Zhao (played by Meng Ziyi). She's in her early 30s and has been married for over a decade to a guy she'd entered into an arranged marriage with. It's been a good life for the most part. The marriage isn't a passionate one, BUT Dou Zhao takes her role as wife v. seriously (including administrating the home AND some of her husband's business.) The first episode is set a year after she had a miscarriage (this is, IIRC, only mentioned in the first episode.) However, the loss affected her health to the point that she knows she's dying. (It's not explained what it is, but whenever she coughs and covers her mouth with a handkerchief, there's blood on it.)

ANYWAYS, one day, Dou Zhao finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with her OWN SISTER. It leads to a really bad confrontation (which includes an accusation from her sister to Dou Zhao abt their mother's death.) Betrayed and heartbroken (she might've not loved the guy, but she did cared abt him), Dou Zhao makes a public announcement that she's getting a divorce and leaves with her personal maid.

Because there's an actual coup happening in the capital (where one of the princes is deposing the emperor with the help of General Song Mo ((Li Yunri), the best general in the entire army), Dou Zhao has to go to her hometown to file the divorce. Along the way, an accident happens. She's rescued by Song Mo (!!!)--who is now at odds with the rebel prince-cum-new-emperor.

A monk named Yi Jong (played Xia Zhiguang) shows up and invites Dou Zhao and everyone else to his temple cuz a snowstorm is imminent. While there, Dou Zhao and Song Mo have a conversation that goes on until daybreak. Yi Jong comments something abt how the two of them are connected (cuz he saw it in the heavens.)

In the morning, when everyone starts to get ready to leave the temple, who shows up but Wang Ge (played by Du Yiheng) who is the head eunuch AND Wei Tingyu (played by Li Xinze) who is Dou Zhao's husband. They ACCUSE HER AND SONG MO OF BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP which the new emperor says is treason. So they have to be executed. They've brought a few soldier squads with them.

Song Mo's like "Bitch, what are y'all even talking abt?" And calls his own regiments to action.

A battle begins.

In the middle of all that, Yi Jong leads Dou Zhao, her maid, and Song Mo in the the direction of a secret passage out of the temple. Along the way, Dou Zhao's maid is killed and Yi Jong is mortally wounded. Before he dies, he repeats that he'd seen how there was a huge calamity happening, but within it there was a miracle. Also that Dou Zhao and Song Mo's destinies are connected. Then he hands Dou Zhao a v. special book, telling her that the book is a key to fix everything that has gone wrong. After that, he's dunzo.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo are running away when someone shoots an arrow that's so powerful it goes thru Song Mo AND Dou Zhao. The momentum is such that it pulls them into a chasm!

As the two of them fall and are dying, Dou Zhao thinks abt what her life had been like and wishing things had been different. She holds onto the book. Suddenly, instead of falling, she starts to float up. A drop of Song Mo's blood floats out of his body and embeds itself in the back of Dou Zhao's right ear. It becomes a red beauty mark.

She then wakes up in a new life, TWENTY YEARS IN THE PAST, with full memories of her first life AND her awareness as a 30-something year old. BUT NOW SHE'S IN HER OWN BODY WHEN SHE WAS 10 YEARS OLD!!!

Talk abt a record scratch moment! (and it's all filmed super exquisitely too.)


I first heard abt this drama toward the end of last year. The buzz was THAT strong. Fast-forward to early January this year when I decided to give it a try. IIRC, I ended watching all 34 episodes in A WEEK!!! XD

There's a TON I like abt this series. The plot, pacing, cinematography, casting, and acting were great. Motivations for the good characters AND the villains mostly made sense (there's one villain character I'll talk abt in my criticisms).

Another thing I dug abt this show was seen how Dou Zhao's meddling in her second life affected everyone else's life. Frex, some characters who had been good ppl in the first life become villains in the second one and vice versa. Because she's the viewers' touchstone in terms of this new life, it's fairly easy to side with her and, as a result, be suspicious of others' motivations. And also be shocked when a villain in Life 1 becomes an ally in Life 2.

The show has a fantastic balance of angst and humor too! Plus at least 2 extra layers of 💜GOOD ROMANCE, Y'ALL.💜

THE CP, Y'ALL. FUCKING *CHEF'S KISS* . Like, even before they get together, they have AN INCANDESCENT kind of chemistry. It's IMPOSSIBLE to not cheer for them. Theirs is a FREAK4FREAKLOVER relationship (with Dou Zhao being the FREAK (affectionately) and Song Mo being v. happy as the FREAKLOVER.)

They're also a bona fide, certified, and feared POWER COUPLE. Like, there's a moment in the story when they two of them are truly, 100% just chilling out at home…and yet some of the villains are STRESSING THE FUCK OUT cuz they're sure that Dou Zhao and Song Mo are planning stuff to bring them down, hahah. Then the scene cuts to a sweet moment between the CP.

This isn't exactly a spoiler, BUT I'm sure there are ppl who don't want to know anything abt the CP, so I'm gonna be considerate and throw in a

SPOILER WARNING

I really, really liked how the show reversed the expectations w/r/t the roles within the relationship. Because, once they get together, Dou Zhao slides into a soft femdome role. She takes care of Song Mo (bathing him in one scene) in a way that's not subservient at all. He's a leader in his own right yet he's a total softie with his wife. She's strong for him even when there doesn't seem to be any hope in the horizon.

One thing I really, really fancied abt this CP is that there's no misunderstanding OR hints of cheating or actual cheating in their romance. They hold each other's hearts thru this life, the previous one, and the many other ones to come. This show makes that v. fucking clear. One final thing I like abt this CP is that they most deffo fuck (not, like, onscreen cuz, LOL, it's a C Drama and so it had to pass censorship). However, there's a carnal aspect to the relationship that's part of their bond. Though it's technically true that Dou Zhao is a virgin in Life 2, she's playfully sensual with Song Mo (to the point of teasing him aaaalmost without meaning to, heheh) here and there.


Do I have any criticisms?

The last ONE FOURTH of the drama has a character having a v. random heel turn. For which I do blame the otherwise amazing script. As I understand it, there are a lot of hints throughout the novel (this drama is based on) of the character either being morally gray (if not 100% evil.) However, in the show, the character becomes a monster for a reason that doesn't convince me at all. I get that there wasn't enough time, but there we are.

IMO, eps. 24-27 the show gets a bit weird cuz the character's heel turn occurs and you're literally like ?????. IJS

There were also two secondary couples I didn't care abt at all. However, the show focused a bit too much on them.


What's the FMC's plot armor level?

Low-Medium.

Bad things DO happen to Dou Zhao, stuff she has to recover from (mainly physically). Occasionally, she does get outsmarted by the villains and, sometimes, her memories from Life 1 do mess her up in LIfe 2 (assuming a character is good or evil, frex) from time to time.

IMO, the show didn't exactly protected her (the way I saw with Fangfei in The Double and Niaoniao in Love Like the Galaxy.) Her knowledge and training (via the combination of her memories and the book Yi Jong gave her) explain why she's able to weasel her way out of most predicaments. Though, again, she' s not infallible either.


How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

It's fine. The bulk of the struggle kicks off around ep. 25, but the story keeps things even between that and the CP's romance. I didn't feel one way or another abt the emperor in this drama. There are both external and internal reasons why he is the way he is. Tan Kai as the emperor did a good turn in the role.


How does it address/works with the trope?

IT'S ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF THE WOMAN SET ON REVENGE/COLD GENERAL. Hits every point from Dou Zhao's initial disinterest in Song Mo, her revenge plans, Song Mo being mesmerized by her everything, him having a strong presence and being a fierce fighter, etc.

In a scale of Somewhat Threatening (1) to Having MURDER FACE 24/7/365 (10), I'm placing Song Mo at 8, i.e. Expect A Painful Death If You Ever Cross Him. Although he softens up a ton once he and Dou Zhou are an official couple.


Do I recommend it?

OFC, I DO!! It's a show that gives you action, angst, romance, and a v. entertaining journey. The HEA ending is a delight (including the quick epilogue/stinger at the end of ep. 34.) I'm giving it a 4.7 out of 5. Watched it on YouTube at least twice now. #NoRegrets


Queerness level

It's low. There's one (1) instance of a platonic soulmates dynamic that could be read as queerplatonic, maybe? Though that depends a lot on whether or not one would see one half of the ship as asexual. IDK. I did read it as such, YMMV. Interestingly enough, there's another dynamic that could be perceived as a one-sided queer crush between another character and that same male (and possibly asexual) character.


Le Trailer

Watch on YouTube

This is a teaser clip from when the show was being filmed. IMO, the official trailer gives way too much away. I chose to share this video instead cuz it showcases the cinematography and overall LOVEY-DOVEY (but in an an ADULT WAY) vibes.