NOTE
I wrote a follow up on this series after a gap of about 12 years from the first time I watched the series, which you can read here.
Which Is : Basically a reunion kinda story with a twist,which examines the relationship
between a father,and a daughter,a man and his wife,a king and his subjects,and a son and his father.I would not term this as a love story but rather a story about family,in the Forbidden City,China during the reaign of Qian Lung.
How Long : 24 epsiodes.
Who : Ruby Lin,Vicky Zhao,Zhou Jie,Su You Peng,Fan Bing Bing and plenty of other names that I do not know about.
Remember : I saw the original version,meaning all names will be in mandarin,Han Yu Ping Yin,and some of the characters as set out below.
Xiao Yan Zhi (Little Swallow)-False Gege
Xia Zhi Wei-Real Gege
Wu Ah Ger/Yong Qi-5th prince,half brother of Zhi Wei,BF of Little Swallow
Fu Er Kang -Eldest son of Fu Lun,the PM of the King,BF of Zhi Wei
Fu Er Tai -youngest son of Fu Lun,and overall buddy and gang of the Famous 5,plus him and all the characters named above.
AND THEY ALL MAKE WHAT I WOULD TERM THEM AS IN THEREVIEW BELOW..THE FAMOUS FIVE.
Jin Suo-loyal maid of Zhi Wei since 8 years old.
Lou Hung/Lou Ching-brothers and sisters,adopted kind of Little Swallow
Qian Lung/Wang Ah Ma/Wang Shang-Emperor of China,the father of Zhi Wei,adopted father of Little Swallow
Wang Hou Liang Liang/Queen-Empress,wife of Qian Lung,nemesis of the Famous Five
Ling Fei Liang Liang-favourite concubine of the King,nemesis of the Queen,adopted mom of some sort of Yong Qi,Xiao Yan Zi and ultimately Zhi Wei
Rung Muo Muo -faithful sidekick of the Queen,nemesis of the Famous Five
Xia Yu Her-the real reason why all this confusion started in the first place,the dead mother of Zhi Wei and probably the only woman that the King ever loved.
The Plot : Plenty of plot,but little to tell which was why only 24 episodes long which is very very rare for a Taiwanse serial,and especially a Chung Yao serial.
Zhi Wei and her faithfull sidekick,Jin Suo finally arrived in Beijing,and everyday they would stand in front of the Forbidden City(the King's residence) and hoped to get in.They tried many many ways,begging corrupted officials and they failed,until they met a small time thief,Little Swallow and their friends at the orphanage.After a long long time of friendship,Zhi Wei trusted Little Swallow enough to tell her why she was in Beijing in the first place,and produced a fan and a painting,painted by her father for her dead mother,Xia Yu Her.It turned out that her real father is the Emperor of China himself,Emperor Qian Lung whom I shall call King.Little Swallow believed her and told her the way to meet the King.You see annual hunting season for the nobilities were here and the only way to reach the King at the hunting ground is to climb the high mountain,which Little Swallow can do so because she knew Kung Fu whereas Zhi Wei and Jin Suo didn't,so they couldn't climb over.Zhi Wei entrusted the whole secret,the fan and the painting to Little Swallow and when Little Swallow was about to climb out of the trees ,Yong Qi's arrow quite accidentally hit her right into her heart and before she fainted she said the name of Xia Yue Her to the King.The King saw the fan,and the painting and realised that this would be his daughter,and because little Swallow was to hurt to move and when she could, she felt for the first time in her life parental love she never had,she decided to delay telling the truth for a few days and this kinda started the whole drama.
Anyway,why I am I bothered with the story anyway?You probably would have seen it a thousand times,but for the benefit of those that didn't,any unanswered questions will be in the How Come category.
So What About The Others?Just Ke-Le-Fe? : Yes,plenty of standing ke-le-fes here,whose duties were to take the lanterns ,walk left,walk right,walk everywhere.
How Come...: Plenty of how comes in here.I am sure you would want to know,how come Huan Zhu Ge Ge and not Zhen Zhu Ge Ge and whatever tiny details,all will be answered below.
THe King could have mistaken a stranger as his daughter : Simply because that stranger didn't tell him and based on the strength of evidence,such as the fan and the painting,and some info provided by Little Swallow,he believed her.And maybe he wanted to because after all,he left that woman pregnant,and waited for a man that never returned.Probably the driving force was guilt,which was why he didn't question any further about that girl and just accepted as she was.
Why didn't he return for Yu Her : He wanted to and then he was delayed because of war or something.And then thereafter why he didn't return for her is anybody's guess.
Little Swallow didn't tell him : She was an orphan,and suddenly you have this man in yellow feeding you your medicine,how can you not be so touched as to wish this man to be your father?She wanted to enjoy the wealth and luxury for a few days because as some of the tiny details given by Little Swallow all over these 24 episodes,she must have had a terrible childhood,hungry,abused and degraded because she was poor and uneducated.
Huan Zhu Ge Ge and not other titles : The King wanted some other title but the Minister reminded the King that that title can only be given to a high ranking concubine's daughter,which Xia Yu Her weren't.I think the title was Her Sho Ge Ge but I am not sure.Anyway,wanting to avoid a scandal,the King announced to the world that he adopted Xiao Yan Zhi,like a godfather and bestowed upon her the title of Huan Zhu Ge Ge meaning Princess Of Returned Pearl.Pearl in chinese would connote a treasure.
That everybody knew,except the King for now : The King was so proud of finding his daughter back that he paraded her on the streets and Zhi Wei who was sick with worry that something must have happened to Little Swallow saw her in GeGe outfit,waving happily ,and upon Jin Suo's statement that she had cheated them and her missus title,Zhi Wei rushed forward,and was instead hit by Er Kang,the man in charge of the King';s safety,was brought home to the Fu family and they believed her story that she was the real one because she could paint,write,sing,play,talk,whatever like a gege with the right training could and Little Swallow couldn't,so it seemed more logical that she's THE ONE.So they told Yong Qi,and they asked Little Swallow and she never denied that fact,in fact she was sick with guilt of taking Zhi Wei's title,so they all knew except the King.
They didn't tell the King then : However much they loved the King and knew the King was a good King,you might never know he might have had a bad hair day.Anyway,they didn't because they were afraid that Little Swallow will be chopped of her head for lying to the King,which was treason back then.So after much persuasion and thinking and much to the disappointment of Jin Suo,Zhi Wei decided to relinquish her title for the greater good,and to avoid evil for Little Swallow.
She didn't leave then : If you mean Little Swallow,why she didn't leave the palace,the palace ain't your ordinary residential area you know.You can't just walk in,walk out.And moreover,Little Swallow knew how much the King liked her so in a way I guess she didn't want to hurt the King by just leaving.
If you mean Zhi Wei leaving the Fu family,she wanted to but Er Kang stopped her by confessing his love.So she stayed on for the guy.
Then this drama would happen : Er Kang's fault actually.All would be great and happy but you see,Er Kang wanted to marry Zhi Wei,but he couldn't.The King liked him so much that the King gave one of his favourite daughter to be his wife some years back but unfortunately,the girl died.So that's why he's not married yet.He has got to have the King's permission and the King ain't gonna let his favourite would-be -son in law marry an unknown and without title of a girl.So since that girl is his daughter actually,he made Zhi Wei posed as a maid,together with Jin Suo to enter the palace to serve Little Swallow,and along the way tried to win the King's heart and trust so that when the truth comes out,the King will only feel joy that he has not one but two daughters,so that the King will not chop everybody's head off.All this so that Er Kang can marry Zhi Wei.And then Yong Qi fell for Little Swallow.Now,they are supposed to be brothers and sisters so they can't marry.So in a way,this is also to help Yong Qi and his "bird" or his "vegetable" if you prefer.
THe Queen would torture Zhi Wei,and hate Little Swallow : The Queen was brought up to believe in pedigree.I guess she didn't really hate them for hating them.She hates them all because she didn't like the idea of the King adopting any strangers to be his child,and I guess she was worried for the King's safety.And Little Swallow said the wrong thing,like "Before you beat the dog,you must realise who is the dog's master" meaning before the Queen can lay a finger on Little Swallow,she must realise that her father is her husband.So this is like a direct challenge to her authority,and her ego,and being the Queen,this would diminish her authority and power in the Palace.And she never believed Little Swallow's story,so she hated this girl and whoever is her croonies,meaning Zhi Wei as well.She couldn't hit the princess so she lashed out on Zhi Wei,the weakest of them all.
And she hated Yong Qi because all of this people are with the Ling Fei Liang Liang gang,and since she lost her man to Ling Fei Liang Liang,she might as well hold on to whatever that's left.She didn't like Yong Qi because he is a threat to her own 12th prince's chance to the throne,since Yong Qi is the King's favourite son.Plenty of ego here actually.
The King knew the truth : The King wanted Er Kang for Little Swallow but then in came spoilt Tibetan princess,Princess Sai-Yah.And this girl wanted Er Kang so the King bethroed him to Sai-Yah.The thing was that Er Kang was madly in love with Zhi Wei.But the King,impressed with Zhi Wei's beauty,intelligence,grace and bravery(for saving his life in an attack by the anti-government sectors by blocking the knife with her body and she almost died),and urged by some really impressed ministers as well,he wanted to give Zhi Wei a title,as his concubine.Before he could do so,and everybody knew he would do so,Little Swallow begged him and told him the truth in front of EVERYBODY.So that's how he knew the truth.
Then the drama continues on and there has yet to be an ending : Because the King was so pissed off(probably because he wanted Zhi Wei for himself and darn!She is his daughter),and because the Queen urged him to,and also a bruise to his ego and love and trust for Little Swallow,feeling cheated and betrayed,he ordered for those three girls to be imprisoned and almost beheaded the Fu brothers and blamed his son as well.But he didn't.
He didn't then : Because after much thought,he realised it was his fault that all this happened.If he didn't go South and met Zhi Wei's mom,made her pregnant(which he didn't know),and made that poor woman suffer all her life by waiting for a man that will never come back,all this wouldn't have happened.Moreover,Little Swallow did make him laugh,and he truly loved that girl.So he didn't harm them.
Then he wanted to punish them again : He wanted to release them and then came the shocking news.The idiot BFs and buddy,Er Tai forged the King's order,killed a couple of guards,and escaped with those three girls.Really stupid of them to do so,so the King became so angry and ordered for them to be captured.Fu Lun volunteered and he said he would kill them himself,those unfillial sons.
Then he didn't punish them after all and gave them their titles back : Because then he saw their wounds,which was severe and they were punisehed under orders that he never gave.His heart forgave them already.Moreover,they came back on their own accord.
There were false orders by someone else to torture them : It was actually given by the Queen to make them confess that they had evil intentions to hurt the King.
Er Kang was after all bethroed to Zhi Wei : Because Sai-yah realised she loved Er Tai after all,so a very happy ending.
The Best Scenes : Plenty.
The torture scene of Zhi Wei where she was almost tortured to death.RUng Muo Muo kept sticking pins and kicking her to know why is Little Swallow in the palace and their real identities.All Zhi Wei could say was "How can you do this?We are all maids,we are all servants.have you no compassion for your own kind?",quite tearfully and Rung muo Muo stuck more pins into her.
Yong Qi confessing his love to Little Swallow who never thought it was possible to be with him and she kept asking herself,how come a prince like him would fall for someone like her?
Everytime the Queen hissing next to the King's ear.
The scene where the King told Ling Fei Liang Liang about his intentions to make Zhi Wei the concubine.With his back facing her,Ling Fei was talking in a calm voice that perhaps she should talk to the girl but actually,she was crying very softly.A very good scene to illustrate that he IS the King and he could do what he wanted to do.
Every scene that has the King and Little Swallow together,especialy when he was checking her homework,one of the funniest.How he screamed at her but actually,his eyes shone with warmth for this girl that can't even spell right.
When they all escaped ,Er Tai told the two girls to take good care of his two best friends in life and told them not to worry and he would go back and take care of Fu Lun,his father and his mother.But we all know there is a possibility he could be punished.But he very bravely walked away alone and the Famous five,now only famous four couldn't let this one man taking all the responsiblities and they just run.So they went back with him,to face the music.Very touching scene.
The scene where the Tibetan highly skilled Kung -Fu experts fighting the Chinese experts in a friendly match,except for those two really noisy spectators,Sai Yah and Little Swallow.They could give you a headeach then.
The scene where almost ending,the King,after a very emotional reunion,told Zhi Wei to call him Wang Ah Ma(meaning father) but Zhi Wei didn't dare to.But the King told her ,after she asked him would he want her as his daughter that he was a lucky father to have such an intelligent,giving daughter and he was the one who was blessed.Very touching scene.
The scene where the King told Er Kang that though Zhi wei loved him,a promise is a promise,he must marry Sai-Yah unless Sai-Yah chooses another husband.And what is Er TAi,the loyal brother to do?He went forward and wooedSai-Yah with his Kung Fu and at last,a very happy ending indeed.
The scene where Yong Qi told Little Swallow that he wouldn't mind running away and letting go of his title and Little Swallow telling him that she can't take away Wang Ah Ma's favourite son and Yong Qi said he didn't care as long as he is with her and Little Swallow told him,based on these words she believed him.very short,sweet and kinda romantic,all in 2 seconds conversation.
Everytime Zhi Wei sings with her piano.Very chinese and very sad song.
Everytime the King Looked at Zhi Wei and seemed confused with his feelings.It is love or is it some other love higher than love?Never lust though.Such confusion is some of the best thing about this serial.
The scene where the KIng,Little Swallow,Zhi Wei,Fu brothers,Yong Qi and some ministers on their visit to the South.
The view of the palace,very majestic,very spacious,very regal,and great cinematography as well,and some great China sceneries.
The Ultimate Classic Scene : This scene in my opinion is the best scene of all.
The King confronted the Queen as to the false orders to torture the three girls and she didnt' deny it.She said it was her right as the Queen and the QUeen looked at him in the eye and asked him,are you going to behead me,or something like that and the king said he would surrender her to the authorities to be tried by the judges.The queen tried to tell him that these girls could still be cheating him and he stopped listening.Out of great frustration,all of a sudden she ran to the table,toko a scissors ,and everybody shielded the King but she didn't want to kill him.She took of her hat and started to cut off her hair.Yong Qi stopped her and he was the one who begged,together with Rung Muo Muo for the King to forgive the Queen,and whilst the Queen cried softly on the floor and the King looking confused and didn't know what to say,Zhi Wei walked to the Queen,sat beside her and comb her hair and said,"Hair for a woman is very important and for you to cut your hair would mean how unhappy you are and how angry you are.I know you hate me but I am convince there will come a day you will be able to accept me,",and the Queen turned to Zhi Wei looked at her for a split second and hugged Zhi Wei and cried.At last there was acceptance and forgiveness and this was the scene that almost made me cry.It was very touching,because it showed that the Queen truly believed that they were up to no good and that she was concerned that the King would be hurt.It also showed that however much Yong Qi disliked her and however much The Queen may have ignored him,Yong Qi was the one who begged the King to forgive her.Rung Muo Muo however mean she may be,she is forever loyal to the Queen like Jin Suo is to Zhi Wei.It also shows how givng and forgiving Zhi Wei is.And it also shows how angry the Queen was at the King's attitude.And it also shows,in my opinion,how useless of a husband the King was and how much he favoured one side and not the other.And on top of it all,it is the ultimate finale of this serial to show to us acceptance through forgiveness.The Queen accepted them,by forgiving them,and the same goes for Zhi Wei.I absolutely loved this scene and it was indeed very touching.
The Most Hated Character : I almost hated Rung Muo Muo but then she was only a servant carrying out the orders.I almost hated the Queen when I thought she was unreasonable in her treatment of the Famous Five but actually she has her reasons.So in the end,I could say there is no one single most hated character.There is no villian here either,in the ordinary meaning of a villian.Just a lot of unreasonable people,that's all.
The Most Favourite Characters : Meaning the characters I liked best.It doesn't mean that that character must be a good person,could be the almost villians.
Definately the Queen.Her chararacter is the most complex of all.And saddest in a way because the King mentioned about how giving and understadning she was when he married her and now she became a person consumed with hate.Not jealousy but actually hate.It just shows that how much the King must've ignored this wife of his since he is forever at Ling fei's place and whenever they do meet,they always talked about the Famous Five.Actually,it is always the King warning her to be gentle with them.I mean as a woman I sympathise with her.No more youth,no more beauty,got only one son,no friends,no family,and no more her MAN.So what is she to do?hold on to her position then.
I didn't like Er Tai at first.I mean Er Kang got all the glory and this brother always second to him.But after a while,in my opinion,he is the most level-headed character.He was the one who thinks with his mind,rather than with his heart which would be like his brother and ultimately spells trouble.He is calm,cool and quite cute.Not good looking but his character is very sincere and very un-egoish that I liked him towards the end.He reminds me of a sacrificial goat.He is forever the one to be sacrificed.He liked Little Swallow but well,you can't fight Yong Qi right?When they eloped he was the one who volunteered to go home to a possible death sentence.And when Er Kang had to honour the King's promise of marriage to Sai-Yah,what is a good brother like him to do?He wooed Sai-Yah.Very giving character.
In HZGG II,I mentioned Yong Qi didn't do much in both parts.True.I didn't like him at first,I mean nothing much to like but towards the end,he is like Er Tai,calm,cool and level headed.And vey forgiving and an overall good son and friend.I liked him then because he is a prince,and yet he does not pull rank,he is a prince and yet he is the most understndning prince.If I were Little Swallow,how can i not fall for this man?
For a female character,other than the Queen,my most favourite character is Zhi Wei.The most giving character,such real poise,such politeness,such a giving heart,she is indeed an example of what a woman should be.Though she is ruled by her heart,but there are times she would weigh the consequences and comes out with the best decision.If there is such a woman existing in this world,I think she would be rather busy because guys will be taking numbers just to see her.
The Not So Favourite Character s : Those that I have nothing much to say would be the King,Rung Muo Muo,Ling Fei.
As for Little Swallow,she is ok but there are times she is too noisy.But she is under control in here and she is fiercely loyal to Zhi Wei and the King.I can see why the King loved her like his own but I still could not say that she is my favourite character because she isn't.
Er Kang.I liked him at first,but towards the end I would say he is my least favourite character.Whenever something happens to Zhi Wei,he is over board with his worries whereas Zhi Wei herself is still cool about whatever disaster they were facing.He gets too emotional and at times disregard the safety of others and the feelings of his parents.I don't like him that way and in my opinion,Er Tai is a better man.If I have a guard like him guarding my safety,I would be very afraid because this guy is too emotional.This kind of guys are not destined for greater things.People like Er Tai is because you can never predict them.He would make a very good businessman.
I don't like Ling Fei Liang Liang and Jin Suo.
Most Favourite Quote : I can remember this,when they all came back after running away and they were kneeling before the King and the King said something like "Why should I not punish you",and Zhi Wei said " When we came back we knew we would be punished,but what I am hoping for is for the greatness of your heart to forgive us".Very nicely said.
The Best Stuff : The camera angle,that shows the grandness of the palace,the misty air,the cinematography.Seeing this part I and being reminded of Part II,I couldn't help but wonder did the producers forgot to call the cinematographer for Part II?
Sceneries outside the palace which was sorely lacking in Part II.
Lots of people.
The dresses.Amazing.
All in 24 episodes!But then,it could've been 2 episodes shorter,but compared to Part II,it is not as slow and draggy and with a storyline to touch our hearts.
The Cantonse version,though good did not justcie to the voices of the actors in here.From the King's booming and powerful voice to the Queen's great hissing voice to Rung muo muo's torture voice to Er Kang's nice voice to Little Swallow's accent(my favourite because her voice is just too nice and her accent as well,only if she does not shout and scream),I love this original copy.
Some complaints : Give us a real villian.I mean I could not see why the queen had to act the way she did.She has a son,which Ling Fei does not have one and she is the Queen.She has power and authority.The one to lose will be Ling Fei actually.So why not make Ling Fei the villian?Her behaviour seemed bad enough for me.I mean the most dangerous kinda people are those that approach you first everytime when you first enter into a particular place,and treats you extra nice.Ling Fei was the first to treat Little Swallow like her own,voluntereed to talk to Zhi Wei about the King's affection for her,first for everything.I mean Ling fei ain't the queen so in real life such a Ling Fei could have been trying to consolidate her power and streghten her position.So it does not make sense to make her so bloody nice whereas the queen who has everything so bloody bad.Moreover being the King's favourite would also mean that she has special privileges.It would have been great if Ling Fei was the bad one and the Queen for all her actions,was just a scapegoat.Then i can say it could be 10 episodes longer and much more drama.
The music is way too loud.Everytime some grave situation or some shocking news revealed,that music of "ahhhhhhhhh...ah..ahhhhhhhh....ah.ahhhhhh..ah.ah.ahhhhhh" is played and my eardrums nearly exploded.
Everytime they go for a break,and then they come back to that scene,and repeating the last 5 seconds.5 seconds is short but not when you are waiting for some solution to their drama before you.It irritates the hell out of me.
I saw Yong Qi kissed Little Swallow but no kissing between Er Kang And Zhi Wei which was strange because in part II,they couldn't get their hands off one another.Not the bad way but they just kept hugging and hugging in Part II like they had no legs and had to lean on one another for support.Not really a complaint in here.Just a disattisfaction.
Why dubbed Zhi Wei,Yong Qi and Er Tai's voice?Not soft enough?Not manly enough?Perhaps but voices are what makes a character the actor's own so it is a great pity.
The make-up in here is a bit lacking in the creativity department.Very bland and too much mascara.
The Kung Fu fighting scenes are great but the flying around is pure silliness.Learn from TVB,pleaseeee!
Most Favourite Pair : Can't say because like one and not the other.So I would conclude Famous Five then,Er Kang,Er Tai,Little Swallow,Zhi wei and Yong Qi as a gang.
Best Performances : Everybody was good in here.Vicki Zhao was amazing,(and I still feel she should have played that young girl character in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon).You may not like her behaviour nor her antics but after a while her Little Swallow charms you like she charmed the King.So I guess it was because of this actress' performance.
Special mention to the King and especially the woman who played the Queen.
Zhou Jie was fine though irritating sometimes.
Worst Performances : They're still good but could be better.Ruby Lin could be better but she moves her head too much when she talks that she gave me a headeach.Moreover her voice was dubbed,so I cant' judge her as to her real acting,voice and all.Overall,she is good,and when she cries,it was not too excessive,and nicely done but somehow something was lacking.
Su You Peng's facial expression is either smiling or looking worried.Again he moves his head too much.But he is ok overall.
The guy that played Er Tai.Ok but not great.I like his character,and his interpretation of it but it could've been better.
Fan Bing Bing as Jin Suo.Sometimes good sometimes over acting.But can;t say much because her role is very very limited in here.
Is it worth Renting : Those who saw Part II but missed this one should watch this one.A classic in my opinion because it has plenty of charm.I know why now people love the characters so much that they're willing to forgive the disastrous Part II,because of this Part I.There are boring moments and some really idiotic moments and also some really slow and dull moments.Most of these scenes concerned those scene with slow-mo whilst fighting.That is not necessary and after awhile,it's like taking forever to end.But the story itself is compelling,though you can't help but think shouldn't they give the King more credit than was given?Very few repetitions and an overall enjoyable serial that all ages would love to watch,though English educated people may not,like my sisters who found it silly,as in ALL taiwanese serials.They are biased.Believe me,watch this one and do not miss the almost last episode for that Ultimate Classic Scene.That scene makes all the slow-mo torture worthwhile,a sense of closure. And the direction is the best of all,as explained above.So do not miss this one.
Why there should not be a HZGG II : HZGG II is the worst sequal to any prequels I have ever seen.Everything about the direction,the story,the plot is too wrong.And after watching this show,HZGG I,there are some more details that I must add why Part II is just a mistake to make.
Like I said in HZGG II review,all the characters' objectives and purpose changed,except for Er Kang.In HZGG I,you can see they have so much respect for the King.I am convinced that if Zhi Wei is to choose between Er Kang and her father,I would dare say she would ditch Er kang in a second,because her love for her father is stronger.Her respect for him is undiminished even when he punished them.Little Swallow blamed him a bit but at almost the end,she didn't.In a way those two girls and Yong Qi never blamed the King for their situation.In Part II,they openly said bad stuff about him.
Everybody is so forgiving and giving in here,and it is all about sacrifice for the greater good.In Part II,everybody is selfish,that their problems are the biggest of all and disregards the safety of others.Little Swallow's character in HZGG II is the prime example of such a drastic departure.
HZGG I ended with the Queen accepting Zhi Wei,crying on her shoulders and everybody realised that the Queen ain't that bad.In a way,the king forgave her.Then what I don't get is Part II.There is in a way a closure to the hatred of the Queen for Famous Five and yet in Part II,she is back to her deceiftul ways.I mean,EXCUSE ME?!In here,the queen's actions was mainly because of her concern for the King and when she realised that these girls are of no threat to him and her,it was touching to see such a great reunion kinda scene.But then came HZGG II and the whole hatred this time is mainly jealousy which does not make sense at all.At least in Part I face was given to the Queen but in Part II,the King totally had no repsect for her and so is everybody else.In Part I you can see her influence on the King.Then what I don't get is Part II itself.Such a nice touching closure to all the pain and hatred and the writer had to destroy the sanctity of such a moving scene and make the queen bad all over again.It is almost a sin to do so and is the worst piece of writing i have ever seen in any TV serial, definately no sense of continuity to a serial in a proper way.
To me,the biggest disappointemnet of Part II is how much the writer had destroyed the charm of Part I,just to please the demand for a sequal without proper regards to the simplicity and the wonderful feelings of Part I.They should never have made the sequal at all and should have left the adventures of HZGG as it is.
HZGG II shoud have been called Fan Zhu Ge Ge..meaning Princess of the Opposite Pearl.If Fan is not the right word due to my inadequate grasps of the Mandarin language,then anything to mean the above was what i meant.
Interesting Fiction : I was told there was a Huan Zhu Ge Ge but different era and different King and no such fictional fairy tale.
Emperor Qian Lung love his empress very much actually,not like in here.
Yong Qi,being the 5th prince never became King.I checked and remember in Part II Ling Fei gave birth to 15th prince?That was the one who succeded Qiang Lung in a crumbling empire.
In here,the King was very angry when he heard that the Queen had tortured the maids and he forbade such actions.I read in a book and true enough,the real Qian Lung forbade such actions.His concubine tortured a maid to death and he punished her by demoting her and imposing a very heavy fine for her to pay.However,a few months later,he restored her rank and gave her more money.What this means,you decide.
Well known fact,if such a Queen with bad intentions exists,that is far worse than the Queen depicted in here,if the King were to die,the first one to suffer is Ling Fei and her gang.There was a story about the Old Buddha who even kicked her son,the king's very pregnant favourite concubine.There was another evil queen,way before Qian Lung I think who after the death of the King and her son became King,she chopped off the hands and legs of the her husband's favourite concubie,put her in a big black jar,imprisoned her,cut out her tounge and made her eat human wastes(meaning shit),until the day she died.The son,the new King of this evil queen mother couldn't stand his own mother and I think he killed her or something.That I am not sure.
What I am trying to say is this serial,especially HZGG II is pure fiction.In real life,the Queen would have come from a powerful family that the King may not want to offend her that much.It just shows that being a King doesn't mean he can do everything.A well known fact that palace fights can be ugly.
Interesting Comparison : Who is the prettiest of them all?For guys,everybody looks like your typical man,not too ugly and not too handsome.
But the girls.The first scene where Zhao Wei lifted that red cloth and revealed her big big eyes,that was a very attractive scene.Definitely she is the most beautiful in here,absolutely breath taking and unique.
Some people call her "Bulat Blulat Mata" meaning big round eyes.Her eyes are the most impressive,next to her accent which is not too Beijing-ish.
Ruby Lin is pretty but in here she is bland pretty,meaning not that exceptional in the beauty department.In fact,she looked chubby,with baby fat and towards the end,she became thinner and now,she is too thin.
Another pretty one would be Fan Bing Bing.Big eyes,button nose,small lips,an example of a China Doll look.Very beautiful.but when it comes to uniqueness of the looks,Vicki would be the one.
The rest all have beautifully big eyes,very amazing.
Interesting Observation : Did you know that in Malaysia,Kuala Lumpur to be precise there is a street named after Zhou Jie?In cantonese that is,Jalan Chow Kit,that is Chow Kit Road. Nahhhh!I am kidding you.There is such a street but not named after Zhou jie lar!
A Note : Vicki Zhao can sing very well,unfortunately not Ruby and Zhou Jie.
0 comments:
Post a Comment