[Current Mainland WebDrama 2019] The Legend of Hao Lan / Beauty Hao Lan 皓镧传

[ForgottenSoulx]

10 hours ago, kyoko22 said:

http://p.weibo.com/show/channerWbH5/1034:4341025255411668

From the last scene(boat scene) i guess we can pretty much conclude that the writer doesn't follow the history. 

From the synopsis in Baidu, Zhenger get more restless on LBW's power and think his father's death got something to do with LBW. I think this is also the time he know his mother's affair. So he confronts HL and wants to kill LBW but HL begs him. So he exiles LBW to Laoyang and HL follows LBW. Base on some bts photos and the video above, it is pretty consistent with the synopsis

 

I mean that is a mix of history and fiction from what i know? instead of exiled LBW is killed right ?? but HL does not get killed , not much of a difference really. Wont he question who his father is based on knowing about this affair? 

 

I could still think its following that route and would end up there. 

[danielassny]

18 minutes ago, ForgottenSoulx said:

 

I mean that is a mix of history and fiction from what i know? instead of exiled LBW is killed right ?? but HL does not get killed , not much of a difference really. Wont he question who his father is based on knowing about this affair? 

 

I could still think its following that route and would end up there. 

Don't know whether it will be a sad ending or a happy one since this drama was marketed under the reunion of the Yanxi couple. At weibo, the shippers are hoping for an open ending which is silly in my book. No, just no. 

 

The boating scene could be just an illusion. Perhaps something that LBW dreams about but never materialized, who knows? 

 

So far, there has been no affair between HL and LBW unless you count the one before she married YR. Based on the way HL view and treats LBW, i doubt she will entertain his pursuit even after YR death. Then again, there's Lao Ai and i am curious how they will spin the two infamous illegitimate children. Heh. 

 

Accordingly, LBW should be exiled but eventually commited suicide. HL should be imprisoned by the son but not likely this will happen to her. WJY said that all characters have sad ending.

 

At this rate, I hope LBW will die of self-destruction. The writers been dishonoring him with crappy writings. 

[SailBeneteau]

11 hours ago, lyserose said:

@SailBeneteau To each of its own. It's good that you can enjoy this creativity but I was expecting a different kind of creativity. While I do understand the lack of actual historical records, this being a drama and not a documentary, and that nobody wants to watch an immoral heroine, I would expect a better twist than the exhausting drama troupe. 

 

I still enjoy this drama but ofc, having come from Yanxi, I definitely have to lower down my expectation. 

 

I again agree with @danielassny No matter how I view it, I couldn't find YR's action justifiable regardless that he is a king or what. I have been in this kind of situation placed by my own father. I was robbed into making a decision on our family and life's matters and no matter whatever good intention that he had, I still couldn't accept that I was robbed of my rights. Again, why should I be grateful when I was never asked if this is what I wanted? The one who outlive the other is the one who has to go through the aftermath - either you consented it or not. Tell you, this is not acceptable. Noble idiocy is never acceptable. 

 

@kyoko22 @therewillbeddl As much as I like LBW and HL together but this is really veering way off history. 

 

Oh, based on the video.... it seems like this LBW will pursue HL. Since WJY keeps rehearsing the lines to call in guards to take away LBW., he must have sneaked into her bedroom. God, why are they making him into a pervert?

 

@lyserose

 

I'm sincerely surprised that you seem to prefer Yanxi's story line over Hao Lan's story.  And, of course, I respect your preference as an audience member. 

 

In terms of production timeline, I read somewhere that Hao Lan was actually filmed months before Yanxi started. 

 

@kyoko22

@therewillbeddl

 

Let's wait and see how the plot develops. I've been "tricked" by the preview clips too many times with this drama! LOL 

 

 

[insertusernamehere]

@SailBeneteau Hao Lan was filmed from December 2017 to April 2018, and Yanxi aired July 2018, so I think Yanxi was definitely filmed before that. WJY lost 8kg for Yanxi and it shows; in Hao Lan she looks much less frail and closer to her current appearance. 

[SailBeneteau]

17 hours ago, SailBeneteau said:

 

@peanutbutterjellytime I agree with you that the stories (politics and love) are tied together pretty well. If you watch interviews with the actors, you'd see that they agree with you -- script is really good and costumes/settings/etc help them get "in character".

 

 

@peanutbutterjellytime

@therewillbeddl

@insertusernamehere

 

Can we discuss other non-main characters?

 

1) Are you surprised by how YR's mother's character (Dowager Xia) turned out after YR became King? Dowager Xia is not what I imagined she would be at all. From the Zhao period, I imagined the dowager to be a wise, smart, and worldly person. From the Qin story so far (I'm on Episode 48), she seems to be harboring all the bitterness from her own past (mistreatments by her late-husband/king) and taking them out on HL and HL's son. She shows a lot of fear and resentment, as if HL were the same person as Huayang (Dowager). I suspect her character will turn out to become even more bitter...

 

2) How do you like Huayang (Dowager)? I like the scene from the episode (45 or 46) when she took off her robe to show LBW and YR her scars. Unlike what everyone thought, she has also lived in torment (despite the outward appearances of being controlling, possessive, arrogant, spoiled, etc etc etc). Also, she explained what her late-husband/King was really like....(the audience never got to see that side of him...)

 

3) What are your thoughts on XiaoChun? I look forward to seeing her story unfold...

 

4) What are your thoughts on Han QiongHua? I found her character fascinating...and her story line was so sad (just like her singing)...

 

[SailBeneteau]

12 minutes ago, insertusernamehere said:

@SailBeneteau Hao Lan was filmed from December 2017 to April 2018, and Yanxi aired July 2018, so I think Yanxi was definitely filmed before that. WJY lost 8kg for Yanxi and it shows; in Hao Lan she looks much less frail and closer to her current appearance. 

 

@insertusernamehere

 

Thanks for your correction! I appreciate it.

 

I would like to emphasize here that I think the production/actors/creatives/etc team would appreciate it if we --the audience-- look at Yanxi and Hao Lan as two separate and independent works, though some of the actors overlap.  My two cents!

[SailBeneteau]

15 hours ago, danielassny said:

It was all an act but still noble idiocy is the biggest crime in any drama. I still reiterate my opinion that he robbed her from her rights in making decision. It's like how I always get annoyed with my colleagues. making decision all on her own and claiming credits for it, so will appear like she is the clever one or in this case, YR will emerge as the noble one. What the heck? Secondly, I will consider that person as downgrading my intellect to think that I cannot be trusted in any of life decision or that my mouth is so big that I will leak all his grand planning and finally, he is so full of himself to want her to thank him for his so-called selfless action and lives in regret for how she misunderstood him. Again triple what the heck?????

 

No. Not really. The way I see it, HL always have a prejudice towards LBW that he loves power more than anything which is partially true. She always thought that he schemed everything.

 

@danielassny

@kyoko22

@lyserose

 

Historical and cultural circumstances considered, the so-called "noble idiocy" is very human (aka not really black-and-white). We, in modern times, may or may not agree with the actions/decisions. As a period drama, the actions/decisions reflect the story's timeline and backdrop. And, each member in the audience (now = modern time) will interpret the actions/decisions differently --most likely, according our own life and experiences. Actually, this is what any artistic work should do for its audience! My two cents.

[therewillbeddl]

A lot of minor characters impressed me:

Ning Jing did fantastic with her role of Queen of Zhao, Han Qionghua’s was surprisingly good for a rookie actress, but I really enjoyed the actor who played Lord Anguo...very charismatic and funny. The fake YR behaved more like his father than the real one lol. And as dumb as the King of Zhao typically was, he had his moments where he could think with his head, so I wasn’t completely let down by him. 

Unrelated, but princess Ya is one of the most pathetic character I’ve ever seen. She could’ve had a decent life with YR’s brother (good performance by Wang Yu too, he was great in Painted Skin 2), but she has no self-love and I don’t feel bad for her fate at all since she’s been given many chances and warnings/advices by HL.

[SailBeneteau]

14 minutes ago, therewillbeddl said:

A lot of minor characters impressed me:

Ning Jing did fantastic with her role of Queen of Zhao, Han Qionghua’s was surprisingly good for a rookie actress, but I really enjoyed the actor who played Lord Anguo...very charismatic and funny. The fake YR behaved more like his father than the real one lol. And as dumb as the King of Zhao typically was, he had his moments where he could think with his head, so I wasn’t completely let down by him. 

Unrelated, but princess Ya is one of the most pathetic character I’ve ever seen. She could’ve had a decent life with YR’s brother (good performance by Wang Yu too, he was great in Painted Skin 2), but she has no self-love and I don’t feel bad for her fate at all. 

 

@therewillbeddl

 

Totally agree with you on the Queen of Zhao and Lord Anguo! Excellent. That's why I find that Huayang (Dowager) shows a different side of Lord Anguo to be so fascinating and surprising. Also, the King of Zhao's character is in direct contrast to his wife.  I'm reminded of the scene from the early parts, where the King and Queen of Zhao were witnessing the sacrificial burning of Hao Lan and they were stunned when she walked out unharmed. And they reacted differently to Hao Lan afterwards...(very nuanced). 

 

QiongHua's character is very memorable. Her costumes/hair-pieces help her character tell the character's story. (I didn't know the actress is relatively unknown. Good for her!)

 

[SailBeneteau]

@therewillbeddl

 

Princess Ya: hmm....

Her character is so possessive, petulant, and extreme. As arrogant as she seems, she actually lacks basic self-respect/self-love and is quite self-destructive so far. 

[lyserose]

6 hours ago, SailBeneteau said:

I'm sincerely surprised that you seem to prefer Yanxi's story line over Hao Lan's story.  And, of course, I respect your preference as an audience member. 

 

In terms of production timeline, I read somewhere that Hao Lan was actually filmed months before Yanxi started.

It's ok. Different people, different taste. But as always, coming with an expectation from something that you love so much prior to that, the letdowns are unavoidable. I could have enjoyed Haolan so much more if only I have not watched Yanxi and loving it so much.

 

BTW Yanxi was filmed earlier. Yanxi was between July/August 2017 - October 2017. Hoalan was filmed from December 2017 - April 2018. Initially, Haolan was slated for 48 eps but extended to 63 eps because of Yanxi's popularity. 

 

 

[lyserose]

6 hours ago, SailBeneteau said:

 

@danielassny

@kyoko22

@lyserose

 

Historical and cultural circumstances considered, the so-called "noble idiocy" is very human (aka not really black-and-white). We, in modern times, may or may not agree with the actions/decisions. As a period drama, the actions/decisions reflect the story's timeline and backdrop. And, each member in the audience (now = modern time) will interpret the actions/decisions differently --most likely, according our own life and experiences. Actually, this is what any artistic work should do for its audience! My two cents.

This is hard to explain.

 

On one hand, the writers put a modern twist to this drama by giving strong female characters in general. Do women during those time conducted themselves the way the female characters are in this drama did? Maybe but definitely not so stretched up. And there goes the noble idiocy plot. So, as a viewer, it's frustrating to switch lenses to justify certain action. I just feel like a lot of justification coming from the fondness towards Yingren as a whole. I can understand that. As a whole, the writings are inconsistent with some characters going OOC and this is really frustrating.

 

 

[SailBeneteau]

1 hour ago, lyserose said:

This is hard to explain.

 

On one hand, the writers put a modern twist to this drama by giving strong female characters in general. Do women during those time conducted themselves the way the female characters are in this drama did? Maybe but definitely not so stretched up. And there goes the noble idiocy plot. So, as a viewer, it's frustrating to switch lenses to justify certain action. I just feel like a lot of justification coming from the fondness towards Yingren as a whole. I can understand that. As a whole, the writings are inconsistent with some characters going OOC and this is really frustrating.

 

 

 

@lyserose

 

Legend of Hao Lan so far: the most intriguing character for me is Ying Yiren, and his transformation from hostage-prince to the King of Qin is captivating to watch. 

 

Originally, I expected to like Hao Lan the most. But, in reality ( >47 episodes into the drama w/o skipping/skimming), there is something about HaoLan's character...

 

RE: inconsistencies with characters

I am starting to understand your point of view. And, I can see that some of the plot twists have modern-vs-ancient "issues". But, it is hard to say what women around ~300BC-230BC were like. Right? Very few were recorded in history.

 

Have you watched the "Legend of Mi Yue"? It is the story of Qin Shi Huang's Great-Grandmother.

(Highly recommend it!)

[lyserose]

21 minutes ago, SailBeneteau said:

 

@lyserose

 

Hao Lan's story so far: the most interesting character for me is Ying Yiren and his transformation from hostage-prince to the King of Qin.

It is surprising b/c I originally expected to like HaoLan's character the most.

 

I am starting to understand your point of view. And, I can see that some of the plot twists have modern-vs-ancient "issues". But, it is hard to say what women around ~300BC-230BC were like. Right? Very few were recorded in history.

 

Have you watched the "Legend of Mi Yue"? It is the story of Qin Shi Huang's Great-Grandmother. (Highly recommend it!)

Yes. I did. Because of Sun Li. Lol. Somehow, my preference tends to incline towards dramas within Qing Dynasty. I find the more established system during that period more intriguing. And really, I have no issue with the men's hairstyles. LOL. Haolan went OTT with the women's hairstyles, though.  

 

My fave characters in this drama are LBW and Xiaochun. In LBW, while I couldn't agree with some of his actions, I could understand where they come from. Under that manipulative demeanor, there's still that sincerity and the values that he still hold firmly to. And I like that he is smart and resourceful with that little sense of humour. Except in this later half, they over-romanticized him and even worse, turning him into a disrespectful pervert (*SIgh*). Xiaochun is feisty and smart and compares to Haolan, she is the more level-headed one which is why I like her.

 

 

[SailBeneteau]

20 minutes ago, lyserose said:

Yes. I did. Because of Sun Li. Lol. Somehow, my preference tends to incline towards dramas within Qing Dynasty. I find the more established system during that period more intriguing.

 

@lyserose

 

Have you seen "Nothing Gold Can Stay"? Starring Sun Li. And, it is from the late-Qing Dynasty period. (Again, highly recommend it!)

[insertusernamehere]

12 hours ago, SailBeneteau said:

 

@peanutbutterjellytime

@therewillbeddl

@insertusernamehere

 

Can we discuss other non-main characters?

 

1) Are you surprised by how YR's mother's character (Dowager Xia) turned out after YR became King? Dowager Xia is not what I imagined she would be at all. From the Zhao period, I imagined the dowager to be a wise, smart, and worldly person. From the Qin story so far (I'm on Episode 48), she seems to be harboring all the bitterness from her own past (mistreatments by her late-husband/king) and taking them out on HL and HL's son. She shows a lot of fear and resentment, as if HL were the same person as Huayang (Dowager). I suspect her character will turn out to become even more bitter...

 

2) How do you like Huayang (Dowager)? I like the scene from the episode (45 or 46) when she took off her robe to show LBW and YR her scars. Unlike what everyone thought, she has also lived in torment (despite the outward appearances of being controlling, possessive, arrogant, spoiled, etc etc etc). Also, she explained what her late-husband/King was really like....(the audience never got to see that side of him...)

 

3) What are your thoughts on XiaoChun? I look forward to seeing her story unfold...

 

4) What are your thoughts on Han QiongHua? I found her character fascinating...and her story line was so sad (just like her singing)...

 

 

Yeah of course! I think they're all fun to talk about in their own way.

1) Dowager Xia: I agree, she's very biased by her own misery in the past. I think she relates to Siluo because she herself used to be the underdog, and in her eyes Hao Lan is just like Huayang. It makes sense in a way...I think in the end she's also not very smart, and thus put her trust in the wrong person. In this show, the most evil people are the smarter ones lol Huayang is much much smarter than Xia. The queen of Zhao, evil as she was, knew right away that Hao Lan was someone that she could trust (even if she tried to kill Hao Lan a few times for her own agenda), because she was the smartest in that palace. I'd attribute Dowager Xia's actions to being biased by her own experience, and being not very smart.

 

2) I'm guessing you haven't seen the next scene (I forgot if it was ep 47 or before), but she showed them her scars for a purpose. She is at once a victim, and an instigator. That's what I love about a lot of the female characters here - you can't characterize them in one way or another. They are victims of the era, of men, of each other, but they are also trying their hardest to drive their fate the ways each of them knows how to(Huayang will discuss how she uses her own weapons with Hao Lan right after the scene where she showed them her scars, it's an interesting debate!)

 

3) Xiaochun is equally complex! I honestly cannot care less about that boring prince she used to love in Zhao, but by ep 58 you will see her very interesting development when she's in Qin. I love her friendship with Hao Lan. Even though she did betray Hao Lan (unwillingly) that one time in Zhao, I think the person Hao Lan can trust the most to always be on her side is not LBW, nor Yiren, but Xiaochun. It paints a really strong message of female friendship against all these love triangles!

 

4) I really like her character! She's not a simple concubine trying to win favors, but a princess in her own right trying to do what she can for her country. I remember Yiren in a previous ep (and HL too in some other ep) told Princess Ya that she as a princess has never tried to do anything for her country, and it's really true. QioungHua, in her own ways afforded to her by her circumstances, wants to have her own purposes and impact, and I like that a lot.

 

@lyserose Now that I'm caught up, I don't think what Yiren did was noble idiocy at all, it was through and through a manipulative move lol (I already know his character is like this from the start, so it doesn't surprise me). Like LBW explains, it's not that YR doesn't trust her; it's definitely not because he thinks she'd be put in danger. I also don't think he wants her to feel guilty. He wants her to *hate* him LOL this guy....seriously! Remember how Yiren saw Hao Lan cry when LBW failed his promise with her? He said he had never seen her cry before, she must be really heartbroken, but she said no, she was angry! Hao Lan can get angry like no other, so he knows the surefire way to him to "win" over LBW is to make her even angrier than LBW made her. Like Xichuan said, it's been 5 years after Yiren died, and Hao Lan was still angry with him every day, he must be dancing in his grave knowing that she misses him even in this way! It's no doubt a twisted manipulative move, but it really conveys all the complexity of these characters.

[danielassny]

1 hour ago, insertusernamehere said:

 

@lyserose Now that I'm caught up, I don't think what Yiren did was noble idiocy at all, it was through and through a manipulative move lol (I already know his character is like this from the start, so it doesn't surprise me). Like LBW explains, it's not that YR doesn't trust her; it's definitely not because he thinks she'd be put in danger. I also don't think he wants her to feel guilty. He wants her to *hate* him LOL this guy....seriously! Remember how Yiren saw Hao Lan cry when LBW failed his promise with her? He said he had never seen her cry before, she must be really heartbroken, but she said no, she was angry! Hao Lan can get angry like no other, so he knows the surefire way to him to "win" over LBW is to make her even angrier than LBW made her. Like Xichuan said, it's been 5 years after Yiren died, and Hao Lan was still angry with him every day, he must be dancing in his grave knowing that she misses him even in this way! It's no doubt a twisted manipulative move, but it really conveys all the complexity of these characters.

What's his purpose of making her hate him? So he wanted her to hate him for his noble reasons? And he wants to "win" over LBW by leaving a deeper impact but still the bottomline is, he made use of her? I don't know how to brain this but no matter how I put these two and two together, the action is unjustified. He wanted her to think of him by making her so angry that she was denied every chances to understand his action that is actually meant for her benefit due to his deep love and devotion for her. That is plain selfish. If a guy ever do that to me, I would stomp all over his grave because he's been a selfish manipulative jerk till his last breath. 

[danielassny]

6 hours ago, lyserose said:

This is hard to explain.

 

On one hand, the writers put a modern twist to this drama by giving strong female characters in general. Do women during those time conducted themselves the way the female characters are in this drama did? Maybe but definitely not so stretched up. And there goes the noble idiocy plot. So, as a viewer, it's frustrating to switch lenses to justify certain action. I just feel like a lot of justification coming from the fondness towards Yingren as a whole. I can understand that. As a whole, the writings are inconsistent with some characters going OOC and this is really frustrating.

 

 

LBW suffered injustice the most and his char arc been destroyed by this later half. Most of his actions towards HL are in fact out of his char. When he could pulled himself out from holding HL's hand (the scene he rescued her where she revealed her pregnancy) and then glancing at her only from afar before he left for Qin, i so don't understand how he could suddenly simply pursue and be all touchy with her when she's no longer just any man's wife but a queen and now the mother of a king. What a crap load of writings. Now all he does is becoming HL's skirt chaser. 

[kyoko22]

N/a

[insertusernamehere]

35 minutes ago, danielassny said:

If a guy ever do that to me, I would stomp all over his grave because he's been a selfish manipulative jerk till his last breath. 

Lol then he achieved his goal by making you mad I think this was precisely the point: he made her mad. Like LBW said during their last meeting, until the end, YR wanted to have it all. It's not noble idiocy, it's manipulation. I'm not defending him in any way, just want to clarify the difference between noble idiocy ("I did it for your own good", misguided but arguably with good intentions) vs. manipulation ("I did it so you will have to remember me forever", misguided but with knowingly bad intentions). I don't think anyone here disagrees with you on this point; where we differ is his action makes him an interesting character that I enjoyed watching, whereas his action makes you hate his character, which makes perfect sense as well (I'm pretty sure the writer didn't write him to be sympathetic, they almost present him as is, with all his dark sides.)

 

I love Hao Lan and Princess Ya's last chat, where HL admitted that both of her options in the past were crappy: LBW loves power too much and YR loves the throne/country too much. I appreciate that the writer never tries to make us believe that either of them is "the right one" for her. It's all about timing: LBW was the one for her when she needed a partner for revenge, and YR was the one for her when she needed to survive (and take revenge for LBW). Neither of them was right for her forever, and that's ok (with her and me!)