Qing Qing Zi Jin (2020)

Poetry in motion.

This is a really fun and adorable school romance drama that will steal your heart. It carries the underlying message that education should be a universal right but it does not necessarily produce a moral person.

Wen Renjuan is swept off her feet by a seemingly wicked man from a different world in a brief but unforgettable encounter.  They reunite at the prestigious Zhuxiu Academy after Luo Qiuchi wins a place in a national poetry competition. Of course it is impossible back then for even elite young women to be formally educated, in a co-ed academy no less! But since the setting is so much fun and it avoids the muss and fuss of the cross dressing trope, let's let that one slide. This is mostly a coming of age character drama that explores class conflict and how different students of Zhuxiu Academy respond to competition, envy and disappointment in academics and relationships.

The best thing about this drama is  watching the character and relationship development of the two main couples - it is literally poetry in motion. Both couples are lovable and so convincingly "belong together" I have a hard time picking a favorite. Renjuan is the character that grows the most in the drama - she blossoms from a timid girl into a feisty, clever and simply irresistible young beauty who fights fiercely for her beliefs.  Lu Xiaolu is simply a joy to watch in this role; she has the cutest, most natural facial expressions and gestures that convincingly conveys the innate goodness of Renyuan's nature. The way initial attraction turns into love and how Qiuchi and Renjuan grow together as a couple as they get to know and understand each other is just breathtaking.  I particularly enjoyed watching Qiuchi temper his natural possessiveness and protectiveness towards Renjuan to give her room to make her own decisions and judgements even when he knows she is not on the right track. With quiet, gentle but unyielding insistence, Wenjuan bends Qiuchi to her will and helps him accept and let go of the bitterness of  his childhood losses. This is one of the best, most realistic couples I have seen in terms of how their relationship grows from strength to strength.

In sharp contrast to Qiuchi and Renjuan, Hang Ruxue and Qing He are a much more reserved, less demonstrative couple. But it is clear their feelings for each other are conveyed less with words and more with deep soulful glances and actions. It is just as moving to watch the skittish, love struck Qing He's confidence grow as she wins the heart of her strong and silent general. Xie Binbin's Ruxue is so intimidatingly endearing I hope to see him in many more lead roles from now. I also love the camaraderie between both couples and how they support each other. My favorite character however has to be the boy emperor - he cracks me up every time!

Where this drama falls down is in the plot and the pacing. It opens really strongly with a fresh and exciting initial meeting between the leads. We get a lot of great action and thrilling twists in the first 10-15 episodes of the drama and the plot unfolds at an engaging pace. However, the overarching plot peaks too early and then lapses into a series of charmingly heartwarming but bland school related short plots that lack complexity and are easily resolved. It helps that it hones in on the dynamic between the couples and is so well done that I didn't mind that the plot threads water. However, both relationships peak shortly thereafter and while the lovey dovey couples are adorable, the pace is slow from then.

The main problem is that the villains are revealed very early on but they hang around until the bitter end. It does not help that the writing gets sloppy and illogical things happen in the ending arcs. For example, Renjuan's hard won martial arts skills evaporate in thin air so that she can be helpless and easily overcome by the villains as is required by the plot. The villains are also repetitive and unimaginative with shallow and tropey motives. The final (usually best) villain could not get any sympathy from me, I just rolled my eyes at his boring histrionics. It is not a lot to ask that the most complex villain in the story does better than that! At least two of the villains could have been tackled together and this could have been a much better drama with about 10 episodes fewer.

I consider this a heartwarming and good character and relationship drama with some truly entertaining moments. And I am sure you will watch one of my favorite and most hot, squeal-worthy hilarious a moments at end E5/beginning E6 at least two times... I rate this a very enjoyable 7.5 but I had it at 8.0 until about the last 10 episodes.

Leia Mais

What is Equality / Inequality?

This drama has a very inspiring theme: What is equality/inequality? It is a satire criticizing the system for enabling the aristocrats for their wickedness and insatiable appetite for power and wealth in the expense of the poor and the weak by suppressing them in every possible way. The main male character of this story, together with the help of his beloved, fights to change the system to make it a more equitable one.

The title of this drama, Qing Qing Zi Jin, is taken from the first line of a famous love poem, appropriately as this story is using poems as its backdrop, though poems are not the main features here.

The Story
Wenren Juan (Lu Xiaoyu aka Rain Lu) is a daughter of a prominent government official studying in the prestigious Zhuxiu Academy. One day during an outing, she and her female school mates are kidnapped by a group of bandits for ransom. Wenren Juan is selfless and she sacrifices herself to save her friends. This act of selflessness impresses the leader of the bandits, Zuo Qiuchi (Fan Shiqi aka Kris Fan) who later falls in love with her. He releases her and gets himself into the prestigious academy through a special selection by the Emperor. In the academy, he finds out why he is being rejected in a state exam many years ago, and being hunted down to be killed. Together with Wenren Juan, they uncover mysteries, corruptions, malpractices, injustices, and they vow to bring justice to the system together with their school friends.

The plot is not complex. Academic lessons are taught in poems through wisdom by ancient wise men. Although some of the logic is rather simplistic and elementary, certain scenes can be quite heart wrenching and thought provoking; their dialogues and words are inspiring. Many scenes also cover refined artistry in the fine arts, dances, chess, martial arts, poems, among others. I’m particularly impressed by the polo sports competition scene with students on horsebacks riding and fighting over the control of the ball. The cinematography is breath taking and convincing.

The Characters and The Acting
Zuo Qiuchi (Fan Shiqi) is a self-taught genius. He is the leader of the bandits hiding away in the mountains. They make their living through demanding ransom payments from the wealthy and distributing to the poor and needy. He is talented in every field – academic work, painting, chess, archery, fighting etc. He becomes a legend when he passes a special exam to enter the prestigious Zhuxiu Academy with his lowly background. Fan Shiqi’s acting is very convincing as the actor looks equally believable as a bandit or as a scholar.

Wenren Juan (Lu Xiaoyu) is from an aristocratic family with a low self-esteem because she thinks she's unwanted by her father after the death of her birth mother. She is selfless and volunteers in every given opportunity. After she realizes her father’s hidden love for her, she is determined to help clear the misunderstanding between Zuo Qiuchi with her father. Lu Xiaoyu has amazing acrobatic talents. As Wenren Juan, she showcases her trained talents in the beginning episodes. All her moves are so beautiful and elegant.

Zuo Qiuchi’s and Wenren Juan’s romance starts from the first episode of the story. Throughout the drama, they are by each other’s side constantly, solving crimes and mysteries together. Their relationship is cute and at the same time, not unlike a parent/child dynamic as Zuo Qiuchi is obviously the more mature character since he’s gone through more ups and downs in life, whereas Wenren Juan is a well-sheltered girl in a wealthy family. Zuo Qiuchi is protective of her and teaches her with great patience and helps her grow.

The acting by other cast members is equally convincing in particular the Fu Yuan Zhi (Huang Xuan Wen) character. He is tormented at the same time wicked. The actor really brings out all the traits and emotions in the character, making the viewers despise and empathize with him.

I have also enjoyed watching a baby emperor who is ultra-intelligent and is not controlled by anyone as a puppet. This is very refreshing and I love the moments whenever the Emperor comes on screen. This drama also brings us a very loved and inspiring second couple, Hang Ru Xue (Xie Bin Bin) and Qing He (Yan Yi Yi). Together with our OTP, they form the most solid friendship that can be trusted with their own lives.

My Verdict
The dialogues are simplistic and idealistic. The plot is not complex. There are a few tropes and a evil sister. Despite some insignificant flaws, this is an enjoyable light series. The sword fighting choreography is amazing and usually found only in great wuxia dramas. The cinematography exceeds many of similar genre, with quite a few intelligent and inspiring scenes. It also brings out the typical parenting in Asian families – pressures the youngsters get and not being rewarded with comforting words from their parents. Most of all, it focuses on the inequality and morality of the society we still live in.

Don’t let this drama go unnoticed. This is a great watch!

Leia Mais

I think this drama is really good, I have never watched the actors in toher drama , so for me they are new actors, but they did a really good job.

STORY- the story was really simple but it was developed really good which made it really interesitng, at first I didn't like it (by the way everyone says the FL sister is prettier than the FL but for me the Fl sister has lots of makeup compared to the fl , the makeup of the FL is more natural), but after watching more ep I started to like it, the romance starts really fast which I liked alot, because other dramas take ages for the romane, Also liked that the ML was the one taht ooved the FL first.

PLOT-The plot doesn't really take the main focus of the dram, but it is interesting to see how the ML tries slowly to cacth his enemy, apart from that their is alot of romance, and the chemsitry is amazing, they act really natural ,but they don't kiss alot but still they act really natural when they are together.

charcaters- For me the ML is okay I actually like him, he is funny , clever and always protect the Fl, the FL for me at the begginig I didn't really like her mostly because I thought she was just usless and pointless, but after the ep she lerants how to fight which I liked it alot, now I love her , and aswell now she nows that her sister is evil , which now he puts limits to her sister and doesn't let her do everything she doesn, The fl sister for me she is really annoying nothing much to say, the seocnd coupple- honestly I really like them, FOR ME I HAV WATCHED SO MANY DRAMAS THAT THE SECOND COUPLE ARE SO BORING BUT IN THIS ONE THE SCOUPLE IS NOT BAD, AND I LIKED QUITE ALOT, for me the best character developed is the FL.

ACTING- nothing much to say, all of them act really natural and good.

OVERALL-now I think the person which reads it might think why didn't you give it a 9 or 10, well I think the story is good, calm, interesting, not draggy, stable and amazing, but is not the best one FOR me I had to skip some scenes which were abit boring, for me this is not the best 2020 drama , for example maiden holmes or love and redemption(this ones are the best 2020 drama for me), this drama is like if you have school, homework or job and you want to watch something good and some action just wacth this.(by the way the rewatch for me is low, because I normally never watch a drama twice, I only watch them again if they are really good), I also was disapointed because the fL leraned martial arts and the lastfew ep she couldn't portect her self or even fight, so it like seriosuly!!(this was really stupid to be honest)

EDIT:Finnished this drama , and I thinkit goes too boring the the ending is good, the villain recieved all the bad things he did, I recomend this drama.but I expected something else, so 8(I would of gave it a 7.5 but the chemistry between the lead it's just amazing)

Leia Mais

This is a must watch

This drama is sooo underrated. I planned on watching it, but kept putting it off. In the end I started it and it was not what I expected. It was way better than what I thought. Just one thing I didn't really like about this was ep 38, but other than that everything was amazing. The two main couples and their chemistry were superb. Especially the main couple, from the beginning they just clicked. Another thing about this series was the OST, AMAZING AF. The OST itself just made the ratings for me go off the charts. This is a short review, but I just want to say it is worth the watch. Don't worry about MDL Ratings just go for it.

Leia Mais

Female lead was the only reason to continue watching

This series has a weak plot overall for me. Watch only if there is really nothing else in this genre. However the story flows well throughout this series. Very few frustration levels too.

The saving grace is the female lead Rain lu, she kept this series watchable while the male lead acting and looks are acceptable at times but its not the best couple romance and pairing that's out there.

The villain is also played well, with his beady eyes and irritating looks which i felt he acted and carried it out well.

The costumes, hairstyles and music for this series is also above average with very few day and night mismatches thru out the story.

Leia Mais

Too long but still a gem

I immediately fell in love with this gem of a drama and if asked I'll rename this as 'The Bandit who Loved Me'. I've been on their ship from episode 1.
If it's just the two of them I would probably have rated this a 10/10. The fact that there was no big misunderstanding between them for all 40 episodes makes me love it more. The main goal of the drama seems to be equality for all.

The FL was a timid little mouse because she's a concubine's daughter. But being with the ML even just for a night made her stand up for herself. I liked that she wasn't truly scared of the ML even when she knows he's a bandit. She was even amazed by him during his battle with the scholars. As the story goes on, with his love, she began to have a backbone and became confident that she deserved to be loved.

The ML was too good to be real. His talents and leadership skill just can't be hidden. His back story was so heart wrenching and his efforts to move forward was amazing. Of course the tenderhearted FL can't do anything but feel moved. I'm glad that he loved the FL so much that he can even let go of revenge. In a sense, she tempers him. And he had a lot of patience. Imagine they were married but not really lived as husband and wife until about 2 years after. But still there were a lot of sweet scenes in between.

My favorite character in this whole series aside from the leads is actually the little emperor. He was just too cute reciting all those mature lines in his obviously childish voice.

I think a lot of people will also love this drama.

Leia Mais

I'm in love.

From the first episode, I knew I would love this drama. 3 things I loved, the acting, the costumes and the music.

I have never watched any of the cast in anything else, but I think this was the perfect introduction to their acting skills. Kris Fan (KF) and Rain Lu (RL) are so adorable together (*＾3＾)/～♡ Whenever they are on are on screen, I cannot get enough of them. Xie Bin Bin (XBB) and Yan Yi Yi (3Y) are the 2nd best couple in this drama. They give me all the feels. Honorable mentions include
Fortuna Yu (FY) as Wen Ren Shu.*Slow clap* She is playing her character well. I hate her. She sucks and it's all because of FY. Huang Xuan Wen's character, Fu Yuan Zhi, should be pitied more than hated. The more you watch the drama, the more you learn about him and the more it becomes clear that FYZ needs ********* (｡•́︿•̀｡)

All of their costumes seemed baggy and awkward, but as time went on I grew to like them. They look comfortable and beautiful. I especially love their training consumes and its colours. Thank goodness the opening credits do not give much away, I can enjoy the future costumes I haven't seen yet. **********

And the music? I already have the entire soundtrack downloaded and on repeat.

Leia Mais

To unravel the mystery behind the male's lead past, also a cute love story

A fairly decent watch , but I always have my doubts when a drama is 40 episodes long, it usually tends to get draggy and have plot holes ( which it did)

Storyline- The male lead is a leader of a a group of "bandits", in that town they he rules and protects the people there. It starts off with him kidnapping the female students of the well known academy in the city ( i forgot the school name) Basically all the wealthy/well known official's daughter and sons goes to that school to study. Our male lead is a genius, he is good at all things like painting, poetry, archery, chinese chess etc. He challenges the male students to an area of study they are good at in order for them to save the girls. There he meets the female lead who is the daughter of the Wen family.( an illegitimate daughter). She was the only person that didnt get saved, because it was 1 male could bring back one female who was kidnapped. They end up spending sometime together and she realizes that he isnt as bad as he seems. The " senior" brother goes back with a general and tries to save the female lead. The male leads jumps off the cliff......... Fast forward, to the setting of the school. A new schoolmate is accepted to the school because he has the talent, turns out to be the male lead. Only the female lead recognizes him. She shows him around the school. The male lead's motive for going to that academy was to figure out why someone wanted to kill him , when her was young. This caused him to miss the last time to see his dying mother. The male lead eventually becomes friends with the people that bully him. He of course slowly falls for the female lead. The female lead learns some martial arts/ qing gong from this dude ( turns out it was her mother's senior brother.

Here comes the plot holes-
if the female lead knows kung fu/ has qing gong how come she doesnt use it all the time? certain times in the drama she gets caught... but im like you know how "to fly/drift"

How they randomly save some teen, and that teen turns out to be of royal family from what looks like Korea lol ( just to stretch/ make longer this drama?)

2) I didnt like how near the end how the evil guy got the upper hand. It was quite dumb lol. Like you gonna throw the principal/ teachers into a locked room just because they believe the male lead is not a bad guy? Also the evil dude forces them to be burned alive? At this point, how come the female lead doesnt break away from the people holding her down to use her kung fu/qing gong?


Romance- they definitely were on the cute couple list, They had really cute interactions and moments. It felt like a real relationship because you can see the things they've been through. For the kisses nothing super special, mostly just pecks on the lips. Also they were not in a relationship till like half the drama( which is considered long) but i mean in a ancient drama , theres no part saying will you be my gf >_<, They liked each other pretty early on.

Characters I couldnt stand

Evil mom of the Wen family. She didnt like the female lead one bit!

Evil stupid sister. Initially she showed like she cared for her but that was all a front. She showed her true colors very soon. She was jealous of the female lead, because the person she likes , likes the female lead. Always trying to make her sister look bad/fail.

Evil senior brother- who claims he loves the female lead. He is just a whimp, who has been pushed too far by his mom. His mom gives him pressure to be the best and pursue the beset, Telling him he cant like the female lead, he should like the sister instead. All that hate , pressure and jealousy made him cray!

I give it a 7.5 because of the ridiculous plot at the end and the annoying evil characters. Those characters shouldnt get too much limelight or it becomes a nuisance to watch ! Both got what they deserved!!!!!!

Leia Mais

Icky and forgettable

This drama sucks you in with a promise of an engaging story and interesting characters. But, after a few episodes, the whole thing devolves into a cesspool of boring cliches, plot holes, and bland story arcs.

The story started off with Renjuan and Qiuchi having an incredible first encounter just to be separated and reunited again at school. They had some of the best chemistry I've seen in Chinese drama with cute interactions and beautifully written romance. The fun lasted for about 15 episodes until the story switched up to a series of very bland and skippable short arcs with very quick resolutions. It would've been fine if these stories somehow fit into the plot. But after one ended, none of the minor characters and plot ever resurfaced again.

One of the major issues was the main couple getting together too early and leaving no room for future romantic development. This became apparent when the writers force fed us every possible jealous lover trope to manufacture tension and destroy their own story. Brave Renjuan regressed into a spineless turd who couldn't be bothered to fight for her love. Instead of thinking of a clever way to avoid marriage between Qiuchi and Princess Yeying, she ended her relationship with Qiuchi in a screaming match. Ironically, a very timid Qinghe exchanged hair pins with Hang Ruxue, then both strolled off leaving the princess to pout on her own. Not only did the writers completely destroy Renjuan's character making her look weak, they also showed that she couldn't handle adversity or fight for what was important to her.

The villains were reduced to scorned lover caricatures devoid of any complexity. Wen Renshu started out as a jealous schemer only to regress to a complete idiot who acted against her self-interest because of her deranged obsession with Fu Yuanzhi. Instead of rubbing her two brain cells together, she went out of her way to help Yuanzhi get rid of Qiuchi without realizing that she was helping the object of her affection dispose of his love rival. Yuanzhi went from being clever and calculating to a complete psycho trying to burn his classmates alive. The quality of storytelling felt laughably arbitrary like nobody on the writing team communicated or even understood their own plot.

And then there were plot holes everywhere. Evil step mother promised to be a force to be reckoned when she threatened to destroy Renjuan's future and marry her off to some loser. That storyline was quickly abandoned and the stuttering loser just fell off the plot. Renjuan's martial arts training evaporated in favor of the damsel-in-distress trope where she forgot how to fight and now needed to be constantly rescued.

Even the best thing about the drama - the love story between Renjuan and Qiuchi - eventually became boring and repetitive. The plot felt like the writers ran out of ideas at episode 15 and decided to wing it moving forward. I was so excited when I started watching it, and now I want all the hours I wasted back.

Leia Mais

AND THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS…

Acceptance and Equality… no matter your background, status or situation. A decent drama that did not disappoint. Personally, it takes me a while to watch most C-Dramas because there are SO MANY episodes. This had a good story and overall message to relay throughout. However, if a show steers off course even just a little bit, I’ll loose interest and unfortunately, find myself skipping ahead a few scenes. Although, this one had it’s “moments” I still enjoyed the backstory of the ML, the academy setting, and the little emperor himself was a fun character to watch. I also couldn’t get over how tall General Hang (actor Xie Bin Bin) is, it took me awhile to realize he was also in Prince of Tennis. Of course, the martial arts is always a plus for me to watch. Even the villains were pretty “crazy” I couldn’t believe half the things they were getting away with… Geeeeez!

Leia Mais

Brain numbing

This was a solid 7 stars until episode 36 when our formerly strong female lead who was proficient in martial arts became a damsel in distress who couldn't even save herself from 2 guards when previously she'd fought off over a dozen bandits simultaneously. It's as if the writers took a hiatus and came back with amnesia and decided 'What the heck, no one will know that we've made her stupid(er)'. Secondly, the baby voice and random infantilizing of the FL were so gaddamn nauseating and idiotic. 🙄🔫I implore C drama writers to please stop with the stupid female characters.
Lastly, the romance was toxic af but because the male lead was hot we're supposed to forget he kidnapped the FL and effectively ruined her reputation. Then there was the obsessive and unrequited love quadrangle that basically turned supposed teenagers into psycho killers.
Anyway, it's watchable but maybe turn off your brain and just take it as it comes.

Leia Mais