The Story of Hua Zhi (2024)

The power of goodwill

After the men of the Hua family are forced into exile and the women and children left to fend for themselves, Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter and our indomitable female lead, takes charge and seeks to bring the family back together against all odds. Her family and her story become entwined with that of Gu Yanxi, nephew to the emperor with his own share of family troubles, albeit of a very different nature being born into the royal bloodline.

There is a lot of story to cover in 40 episodes, and what we are left with in the drama is a bit uneven in pacing and tone. A lot of the first half of the story follows the Hua family's ups and downs in their endeavors to recover from the disaster forced upon them by the paranoid Emperor. Some of the most moving and heartbreaking moments for me occur in the quieter moments within the Hua family household as they learn to brave their hardships and share their triumphs with each other. The latter half features more of the palace/political story. If given enough time, this part of the story may have been able to develop its themes and antagonists better. Instead, things are taken care of far too neatly and swiftly before anything really resonates. Hai Yitian as the complicated Emperor of Daqing makes an impression, but with his arc in the story as a whole and his relationship with Yanxi not fully explored, it is a bit of a shame how it all ends for him.

All in all, this is a heartwarming story worth watching for some great performances from all the cast, including Zhang Jingyi as Hua Zhi and Hu Yitian as Yanxi. I wish they had more to do with their roles as far as range of emotions (we get a little bit towards the end), and I hope to see more of them in period/costume dramas in the future.

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A DRAMA THAT BROKE MANY STEREOTYPES !

I acknowledged beforehand ,the drama might not be good enough as its the fl's 1st costume drama. but to my utter surprise,i loved it much more than i thought. the drama somehow reflects the background story of many great entrepreneurs who started from the scratch. HUAZHI is smart,intellegent,untamed yet calm and modest.I loved the way she dealt with people, earned their trust and support which is a must quality for every businessman(well woman here).
it shows the significance of people from any class, no matter how inferior they are by rank ,they can contribute a lot. huazhi has a calculative brain,she got wits but without fudong, nothing could have been done. Here also huazhi depicts as an ideal employer.
The drama has no unnecessary misunderstanding between the leads, showed a refreshing healthy mature relationship.
Many questioned the chemistry, they did have good chem,might be not worthy shipping hard but definitely wasnt an absolute mismatch.
The villains didnt have excessive screentime or none was inhumanly brutal to loathe. indeed they were vicious but their consequences were extremely satisfying and deserving. It is not a perfectly perfect drama ofc, it had a few plot holes but easily ignorable because the story pacing was well organized and the storyline itself was highly engaging.the fighting scenes were literally treat to the eyes,just superb, appreciate the ml for his efforts.
Must mention to the fl ,the 2nd fl ,the ones who played maids and each every cast who did exceptionally well portraying their respective roles..overall it was an enjoyable watch !

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Don’t Frighten the Horses

Well I got what I was wanting, something totally unchallenging. Yes I just wanted to veg out for a few days and this met the bill exactly. It also provided a good number of unscripted lmao moments as the ludicrousness - if that’s even a real word, it has the ring of a non-aural onomatopoeia - unfolded shamelessly before my eyes. It’s no Ming Lan, which is a pity because taken a bit more seriously it had all the ingredients. So how can I really get stuck into something that managed to keep me watching for all 40 episodes. There has got to be some good stuff there even though it undermined itself at every opportunity.

The storylines had interest and they offered good opportunity for character development and showcasing contrasting character traits. This is mainly what kept me engaged for the duration, although even this wore a bit thin at the end. They were a series of set pieces rather than one long twisting narrative twisting and these varied scenarios were paced well and showcased different characters.

But the time taken to achieve remarkable results was drastically foreshortened. Things that should have taken at least two years were achieved in six months. In doing this, all sense of realism and difficulty was undermined and the whole drama, and particularly the characters, were coated with a gloss of immature fantasy. The script didn’t help by reducing the business conversations to a mockery. Simply by lengthening the time-frames and writing more credible business dealings the characters could have achieved so much more depth and been offered space to reveal determination, grit and courage which were not really evident in the easy-success-piled-on-easy-success procession. It was episode 32 before there was any bite and real consequences were more fully explored. Unfortunately, before and to some extent, after that, any nasty unpleasantness had a feel-good blanket pulled over it.

Although lip service was paid, the opportunity was mainly missed as there was no real exploration of the cost or difficulty. Things happened and slid by without much of the proverbial s**t sticking to the protagonists. In fact they glided through the whole thing with serene, wrinkleless (another impossible word) faces. I was less than impressed by Hu Yi Tian (Gu Yan Xi) who managed to get through virtually the whole thing with one facial expression, except for the odd occasion where the director requested him to open his eyes in surprise. Which he did, to mirthful effect. Zhang Jing Yi (Hua Zhi) was a little more expressive, but remained far too calm to be convincing. The chemistry between them was placid rather than fizzing without that visible excitement you get when you’re bang slap in love.

I was more invested in some of the minor characters who had more life and animation. It was a large cast and showcased female actors and the story was predominantly shown from the women’s perspective, particularly early on.

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strong start, boring conventional finish

I think Hu YiTian should stick to costume dramas. I've not seen him put in a decent performance in any modern drama since A Love So Beautiful (& his role in that was not very challenging). However, he seems quite at home in a period piece with an engaging story (Handsome Siblings). Blossoms in Adversity, however, does not expand his limited range.

Zhang JingYi plays Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter in an artistocratic family very reminiscent of the classic Red Chamber Jia's. But rather than studing Lessons for Women, she is a devoted STEM student, spending her time inventing & planning her own business, inspired by her grandfather who took her traveling on sea adventures as a child.

The Hua family's downfall comes when all of their property is seized by the govt in an act of vengence against the outspoken court minister & family patriarch. All male family members over the age of 10 are arrested & exiled to the North, horrifically tearing the family apart. When your whole existance previously revolved on the support of men, Hua Zhi's independent character blasts through her mother's lament that she can't live without her disgraced husband: "Which woman isn't living by herself?" refering to how women have had near total control of managing a household full of staff while neglected by their husbands working outside the home.

And manage the household is what Hua Zhi does, taking over from an aunt who was too entrenched in old-school management & selling off the maids for quick cash. Likewise, Gu YanXi (Hu YiTian) takes a new position as chief of the Imperial Security Bureau, & whose uncle, the Emperor, equates job success with body count, encouraging YanXi to kill people merely as a show of authority. Even though YanXi was ordered to physically depose the Hua Family, he tries to mitigate the effects & ensure the safety of the clan.

The story develops with the relationship of Zhi & YanXi as she continues to fight for the livelihood of the Hua family, not only for the women & children remaining in the capital, but also for the banished men. Palace intrigue deepens as YanXi fights to protect the emperor.

Although the drama started well it lost momentum after the half way mark. Zhi & YanXi aren't able to spend much time together but their two storylines frequently intersected each other. They manage to solve a mystery from YanXi's past & battle corruption that threatened the Hua women's newfound success. However, the character developments came to a standstill. We don't get to understand the emperor's motivations much better & the political conflicts remain very superficial. Plus, I didn't think it was possible, but Hua Zhi's character started to annoy me; her self-righteousness was becoming unbelievable & there was no depth to her struggle. And what's with all the hysterical wailing? The crying anguish scenes of secondary characters are nothing but cringey. I'd have to say I was actually becoming disinterested as the story got more & more conventional & predictable, right to the end.

Overall, the drama started off strong & impressive, but unfortunately quickly fizzled to a mediocre end. It had all the elements of a complex storyline but was very superficial with no grit or edge to the storytelling. Performances were average to over-the-top; none were standouts.

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Unraveling Narratives and Character Flaws in the Realm of Deception

I might be the only one, but I'm baffled by the 8.7 rating this show has received. I'd generously give it an 8, but even that feels too lenient. Initially promising, I'm now on episode 38 and finding it increasingly unreasonable and frustratingly dumb. The once-intelligent and capable female lead seems to have lost her discernment, openly criticizing the king despite knowing the risks involved. Considering her past experiences with both her family's downfall and her ex-fiancee's family trouble, one would expect her to exercise caution, especially with such an incompetent and manipulative ruler. I mean ...while honesty is commendable when confronted with an evil and irrational king, it's prudent for those who are smart to seek alternative approaches.

Similarly, the male lead, initially portrayed as competent, now appears to be nothing more than a tool, failing to take meaningful action despite realizing his insignificance.

As for the king, his erratic behavior swings between unreasonableness and outright evil, yet when directly challenged, he inexplicably retreats into passivity when the male lead directly disobeys his command to help the female lead... It's utterly bewildering and frustrating to witness this decline in quality and coherence.

There are just a few episodes remaining, and I might stick it out to see if it improves. While undeniably entertaining, this show falls short of being a masterpiece. The acting is passable, with nothing particularly remarkable about the performances of the male and female leads. Additionally, their outward appearances are rather ordinary. Though the story showed promise initially, it has become increasingly ludicrous. I've found myself fast-forwarding through numerous scenes as a result. DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO REWATCH THIS!

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What It Takes to Keep Living Life after a Huge Misfortune

Watching BIA was somehow a typical type story of idol drama where the female lead is trying to survive and break norms and here comes the male lead as someone important in palace that fell in love with the FL in first sight.

They don't really offer you an exclusive type of story and cinematography with lots of twist BUT the writings of each character and scripts with the perfectly presentation by the cast made this drama EXTRAORDINARY.

Female Lead - Huazhi by Zhang Jing Yi
- A somehow ignored/disliked by her family relatives due to her wild demeanour and out of the norm from how the women of the time should be.
- Loves how she wanted to leave them at first when the misfortune hits just shows how human and genuine her feelings when she thinks her relatives couldn't be 'saved' and still in their own bubbles but changed her mind when she found out that theyre concerned when shes abducted and realized that they're 'hate' are nothing that she think it was but simply a generations of woman 'brainwashed' to be that of what required of the time.
- Hugely rational and reasonable. Her craftmanship are showcased/aligned well with her thinking and logics.
- Beautifully presented both by stylings and acting. ZJY needs a prop for this istg. Esp her voice 🤌 Her way of presenting each lines are simply beautiful 🤌🤌 (this is one of my first watching ZJY's work and im absolutely going to tune in more of her)
- Young female lead: They totally slayed casting her fr. The demeanour fits very well with her character and both interpretation by her and ZJY are perfectly blends.

Male Lead - Gu Yanxi by Hu Yi Tian
- A Prince from the Grand Duke that is favored by the Emperor yet are used by him.
- A typical type of story with sad background aka mom d*ed when he's young and he tryna seek for justice etc
- I got a majored irks of him that EFFECTED my whole perception of the drama in the first few episodes. I was ????? the whole (1-3) eps when he shows up with those hairstyles and dressings like bruh its a major turn off for me glad i decide to push trough and glad i did. Dude looks soooo much better now when he in his prince attire and hairstyle eps that styling is way better for him.
- Acting is ok. Felt replaceble as i could imagine anyone else of 90/95🥜 as him but the chemistry are still chemistry-ing slowly but surely and maturely.

Supporting Characters - Characters that are Flawed, yet Flawed Beautifully because after all, they're still human ❤️
- Hua Yi Zheng : The Respected Scholar that willingly to do what it takes to make sure the dynasty are governed well eventho the price might be he and his whole clan's life and dignity. Beautifully acted and exuded this 'empathy' and 'respect' aura from him and his character that truly adores his first granddaughter, huazhi. Always believed in her and respected her not just as a woman, but as a human with its own mind and brain. Beautiful bonds i almost sobbed when the camera pans to him in split seconds when he's waiting for her to come to the first time in sanbai city in ep 25. The shots might be only 1 seconds yet with the slow windy type of settings, him sitting anxiously anticipating and believing his granddaughter has came just shows how longed for him of her and thats just - sad. The old man just good at it fr 🤧
- Old Madame Hua: Just realized she didnt even introduced to her full name??? 😭 A character of Nobelty and Dignity. Simply the dignified old madame like how else can i explained about her? The casting team really did a great job in casting LiuJia as her like the tones and the aura just perfectly made for her. Sad that her character ended midway but i understand that's its crucial for the development of Huazhi. I truly cried when the empress dowager came to visit her like the way i gasped GASPED when i realized who came to visit the funeral when it pans to the phoenix's emblem. 🤌
- Shaoyao : Props to Lu Yu Xiao the traumatic character with a genius brain in medicine. The way she acted are very amazing -not dumb but not 'sane'. Loves the small detail of she - unkept before meeting the hua family -> tidied and hair are styled when they first lived together -> hair accessories on her during them living together in the first few months -> her with a complete hairstyles + hair accessories and earrings. It shows the growth of their earnings very well.
- The Residents/Relatives of the Hua Family : Characters with each of its flaw yet are just beautifully flawed with reasonable type of settings and reasons. I just loved it but if i keep explaining its gonna be a lot longer but felt like each of them actually really carry a whole bunch of their own story instead of a plot armor/buffs for the main leads an i am absolutely down for it
- From the Aunties aka the Daughter-In-Laws, to the concubines to their own daughters (esp Hua Ling the girl with the mole besides her eyes that became one of the teacher in the Hua's school are so beautiful 😭🤧) to the maids and guards. All are flawedly beautifully written.

So what makes me keep watching this eventho i felt its just somehow an another type of idol costume drama?
My answer would be because of the writings of each character and the amazingly presentation of each character by each actors and actresses.

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I'm only leaving a review because while I can see why this drama is so popular, I don't believe it deserves the high rating it got. I remember reading the summary of the plot before it aired and feeling very excited. But from the first episodes I noticed something that became a pattern in every single episode from then on, and basically ruined this drama for me. I felt the potential as well as the hard work the actors put in. However, our protagonist --who is played by an actress I really love by the way-- is a very badly written character to put it plainly. She reacts to every situation in the best way possible. Whenever the viewer senses a typical annoying drama moment coming on, she "surprises" everyone by being unbelievably understanding and exceptionally smart. She never overreacts or makes any serious mistakes. She basically barely has a character of her own. As Hua Zhi, some of her traits really sticked, I'll give the writers that, like her forward way of thinking, her wit, her love for her grandfather. But she didn't feel like an actual leal. Same goes for ML. Just two very dull characters. I swear, I thought this drama had so much it could have done with that storyline. But even if they wanted a non-typical FL, she didn't have to turn out this robotic. Basically, for me the leads just didn't feel human enough. Other characters in this drama were written so much better. I was shocked when I saw the rating because compared to so many other great shows, this got a 8.7 which feels very undeserved for me. Having said that, I enjoyed many of the episodes and I do understand if not many are bothered by the things I mentioned.

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