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Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
The Legend of Fei is an intriguing drama.
This is a show that has been highly anticipated since early 2020, and for good reasons too. It is headlined by two of the biggest stars in the Chinese entertainment industry today, Zhao Li Ying and Wang Yi Bo. This is also ZLY’s comeback project since her leave of absence due to her maternity. The drama is an adaptation of the novel Bandits by renowned and award winning fiction novelist, Priest who will be having several more of her novels adapted to dramas in the coming year.
In addition to that, the involvement of a highly experienced production team led by director Ng Gam Yuen who had previously directed Princess Agents (also with ZLY) and, somewhat surprisingly although not uncommon, a team of nine screenwriters were engaged to write the screenplay based on the critically acclaimed source material which had won the Network Literature Biennial Award in 2017. All of this points to a potentially successful blockbuster drama in the making, right? Apparently, as it turns out, not many would agree.
Within the first few weeks of airing, this drama ended up becoming extremely maligned and divided opinions of viewers not only in China but also among international audience, so much so that even on the drama’s MDL page, debates and differing opinions were intensely magnified in the comments board. Personally, I feel that although the drama certainly is imperfect, there are redeeming aspects that warrant folks to cut it some slack and maybe shower some love instead.
In a nutshell, this is a wuxia drama that tells the story of Zhou Fei (ZLY), who hails from a renowned family of pugilists and the 3rd-generation heir of the Snow-Breaking Blade technique created by her grandfather, as she leaves her home in the mountains known as Fortress of the 48 to explore the Jianghu world. She meets Xie Yun (WYB) who joins her on her adventures as they encounter colourful characters, both good and evil and from various sects and affiliations.
This is essentially a coming of age tale typical of the wuxia genre where Zhou Fei, as the FL, meets many martial arts masters who help improve her skills to become stronger and finally battle the villains. Along the way, she finds love but also experiences the tragedy of losing loved ones. Themes of chivalry, heroism, brotherhood and loyalty are interwoven with the underlying romance, overarching mystery and, of course, the climax of the story - the epic final showdown. I’m not an avid reader of the recent wuxia novels but I notice the trend of late where the ML of the genre appears to be physically weaker and less of a fighter compared to the FL, as is the case in this show and another similar one, The Moon Brightens for You. But, I’m not complaining and I think female empowerment is a positive trend for a change.
Production
The production values displayed somehow does not seem to reflect the rumoured big budget of the show, with certain set designs that appeared inferior in quality and even obviously fake. For instance the settings of the forest where majority of the action takes place, the setting of the Spinning Wire Formation of the Ximo River (specifically the “rock boulders” which do not seem all that “solid”), and various other scenes, where the lack of authenticity is visibly apparent.
Probably the biggest gripe of all is on the direction, screenplay and editing for this drama. Contrary to most criticisms that are directed at the acting especially of the leads, I think the directing of the interactions between the characters as well as the pacing of the storytelling should take the most blame. Actors can only work with what they are given and how they are directed to act their scenes. Furthermore, how it is that so much fillers and dragging out of the plot were shoehorned into the story seems rather surprising considering the quality of the production crew. Additionally, the transitions between scenes and framing of certain sequences did come across as somewhat disjointed, which is attributed to the editing department. A mitigating factor was mentioned where principal filming had to be halted midway through due to the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020. However, this is where the final editing and post production process should come in to make the necessary adjustments.
Choreography
The martial arts choreography is not the finest of the genre, it has to be said. A number of the action sequences do not flow smoothly in terms of the swordsmanship, acrobatics, and overall movements. When it works, it can be spellbinding but when it doesn’t, it becomes painfully obvious to see. Granted, there were reports referencing ZLY’s lack of fitness while performing her own stunts and other physical exertions, having just recovered following her maternity confinement. Perhaps, this being the first time a blade/ sabre (dao) is wielded by ZLY’s character instead of the usual sword (jian) resulted in the execution of a different and more challenging fighting technique, the Snow-Breaking Blade.
The same observation applies to all other cast members involved where at times the fighting appeared contrived rather than naturally free-flowing. The awkwardness is exemplified in other techniques such as the Taoist Tao Teh Ching Mayfly formation, Guanxi Yellow and Green Palm, Floating Palm, and Water-Cutting technique. On the other hand, the Lotus Palm, Cloud Impelling Palm and Mountain Sword technique do at least appear more believable and convincing.
Characters
The action stunts aside, I have no complaints with either ZLY or WYB as far as their acting is concerned, and both characters I thought were well written. The issues as I mentioned earlier relate more to the direction rather than the cast themselves. The quality of ZLY’s acting and character portrayals are never in question while WYB possesses much potential to soar even higher through his upcoming projects. I like FLs that are written to be consistently strong not just in terms of physical strength and martial arts prowess but also in mental resilience and fortitude in the face of adversity and tragedy. Zhou Fei is a character that I enjoy watching and she does not succumb to the usual tropes of losing her sense and sensibility or transforming into a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. Likewise the character of Xie Yun as the happy-go-lucky charming and supportive sidekick who hides a traumatic past behind the facade.
There were grievances regarding the perceived poor dubbing particularly that of ZLY and I have to agree. The voice is provided by Liu Rui whose previous works focused mainly on modern dramas like Flash Girl/ Our Shining Days, which sadly lacked the authority and depth needed to elevate the character of Zhou Fei to more imposing levels. WYB’s voice dubbing is provided by Hu Liangwei, whose works include Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua, which is marginally better and probably matches the playful tone of the character Xie Yun.
Regarding the chemistry between the two leads, so many viewers complained about 2 things - that they are incompatible due to the 10-year age gap (ZLY is 33 while WYB is 23) and hence lacks the natural chemistry, and that the FL looked so much older than the actual age of her character who is supposedly a 16-year old teenager. Personally for me, there is no such thing as age gaps when it comes to romance, and therefore I’ll take this as a variation of noona romance which works fine for me. 10 years isn’t a lot even if the female is older and from what I can see, particularly towards the tail-end of the show, the chemistry is apparent to be seen and throughout the entire story progression, the development of their relationship has been slow burn but no less resolute.
As for the second argument, I have to agree somewhat. No matter how much make up applied or soft filters used, it is what it is and there is no escaping that. But look, this is not something that is shockingly unexpected or unprecedented. Tang Yan (37) played a teenage Xiao Yan Yan in Legend of Xiao Chuo, Zhang Lu Yi (40) depicted a 13 year old boy in Qin Dynasty Epic, Tang Wei (38) acted the role of a teenage Sun Ruo Wei in Ming Dynasty, Tan Song Yun (30) played a teenage Li Jian Man in Go Ahead, while Zhang Zi Yi (41) is currently portraying a teenage Wang Xuan in the airing Rebel Princess. For me, good acting with seasoned actors should be the benchmark and that is acceptable to me.
The supporting cast of Zhang Hui Wen, Chen Ruo Xuan, Zhou Jie Qiong, and Zhang Xin Yu gives a decent account of their respective portrayals of Zhou Fei and Xie Yun’s band of friends. In particular, the character development of Wu Chu Chu and her romance with Li Sheng is quite remarkably depicted. Li Yan, however, represented everything I dislike about the annoying females in historicals but fortunately her role isn’t significant. She and the character Yang Jin are truly made for each other, as part of the 3 romantic couples in the show.
It has to be said that a number of villains do not appear all that imposing and intimidating. I’m fine with the colour coordinated costumes and scary masks used to distinguish the bad guys but the respective leaders of the evil clans are simply not all that villainous, in form or substance. Case in point, the Demon Manor’s section chiefs comprising Blessed Dog, Giant Leopard, and Sparrow. The Four Guardians of the Mountain’s Dragon and Tortoise masters are more hilarious and comical than menacing. On the other hand, I do appreciate the Timber Wolf Shen Tian Shu as the leader of the Demons, played by Geng Le who does possess the gravitas for this role. Guo Xin’s Mu Xiao Qiao, the Phoenix master, is one of my favourite (semi)villains in the show and brilliantly gives off Dong Fang Bu Bai vibes. Other villains such as the Snow Wolf and the evil Eunuch are very interesting characters but unfortunately only had limited screen time.
As far as good guys go, I actually enjoyed watching Che Xiao’s compelling portrayal of Li Jin Rong, Zhou Fei’s mother, as a strong woman and competent leader of the Fortress of 48. Dong Xuan’s Duan Jiu Niang is a very likeable character and I suspect she had as much fun playing the slightly deranged role as viewers did watching her albeit for a short portion of the show. Hu Bing, who usually plays the villain, delivers a very charismatic depiction of the legendary grandfather, Li Zheng. I’m a big fan of Zong Feng Yan, who plays Zhou Fei’s father Zhou Yi Tang. This seasoned veteran never disappoints and he seems to excel particularly in historical dramas.
Music
The OSTs for this drama is probably the only aspect done to perfection. Each track seamlessly captures the essence of the story and the scenes throughout. The opening theme truly sets the tone of the show while WYB’s rendition (with accompaniment by the Dizi, which brought memories of The Untamed…) evokes feelings of a dreamy ethereal romance.
1. 《逐浪 Chasing the waves》by 尚雯婕 Shang Wenjie (Opening theme)
2. 《无华 Unadorned》by 张靓颖 & 刘宇宁 Jane Zhang & Liu Yuning (Ending theme)
3. 《熹微 Weak rays of sunlight》by 王一博 Wang Yibo
4. 《如翡 Like Fei》by 王晰 & 赖美云 Wang Xi & Lai Meiyun
5. 《结 Knot》by 胡夏 Hu Xia
6. 《红尘莫欺我年少 Don't deceive me when I was young》by 希林娜依 高 Curly Gao
7. 《采莲曲 Picking Lotus song》by 陈珏 Chen Jue
Overall
Despite the numerous drawbacks, The Legend of Fei does manage to get certain aspects done well enough that even things out and, in my humble opinion, ultimately redeems the entire production. How the drama starts off may leave much to be desired but the improvement towards the second half and the strong finish at the end, with the HEA ending where all that’s well ends well, gave me the satisfaction of completing this drama. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but I did enjoy myself by looking past the flaws only to discover a rainbow after the rain.
This is a show that has been highly anticipated since early 2020, and for good reasons too. It is headlined by two of the biggest stars in the Chinese entertainment industry today, Zhao Li Ying and Wang Yi Bo. This is also ZLY’s comeback project since her leave of absence due to her maternity. The drama is an adaptation of the novel Bandits by renowned and award winning fiction novelist, Priest who will be having several more of her novels adapted to dramas in the coming year.
In addition to that, the involvement of a highly experienced production team led by director Ng Gam Yuen who had previously directed Princess Agents (also with ZLY) and, somewhat surprisingly although not uncommon, a team of nine screenwriters were engaged to write the screenplay based on the critically acclaimed source material which had won the Network Literature Biennial Award in 2017. All of this points to a potentially successful blockbuster drama in the making, right? Apparently, as it turns out, not many would agree.
Within the first few weeks of airing, this drama ended up becoming extremely maligned and divided opinions of viewers not only in China but also among international audience, so much so that even on the drama’s MDL page, debates and differing opinions were intensely magnified in the comments board. Personally, I feel that although the drama certainly is imperfect, there are redeeming aspects that warrant folks to cut it some slack and maybe shower some love instead.
In a nutshell, this is a wuxia drama that tells the story of Zhou Fei (ZLY), who hails from a renowned family of pugilists and the 3rd-generation heir of the Snow-Breaking Blade technique created by her grandfather, as she leaves her home in the mountains known as Fortress of the 48 to explore the Jianghu world. She meets Xie Yun (WYB) who joins her on her adventures as they encounter colourful characters, both good and evil and from various sects and affiliations.
This is essentially a coming of age tale typical of the wuxia genre where Zhou Fei, as the FL, meets many martial arts masters who help improve her skills to become stronger and finally battle the villains. Along the way, she finds love but also experiences the tragedy of losing loved ones. Themes of chivalry, heroism, brotherhood and loyalty are interwoven with the underlying romance, overarching mystery and, of course, the climax of the story - the epic final showdown. I’m not an avid reader of the recent wuxia novels but I notice the trend of late where the ML of the genre appears to be physically weaker and less of a fighter compared to the FL, as is the case in this show and another similar one, The Moon Brightens for You. But, I’m not complaining and I think female empowerment is a positive trend for a change.
Production
The production values displayed somehow does not seem to reflect the rumoured big budget of the show, with certain set designs that appeared inferior in quality and even obviously fake. For instance the settings of the forest where majority of the action takes place, the setting of the Spinning Wire Formation of the Ximo River (specifically the “rock boulders” which do not seem all that “solid”), and various other scenes, where the lack of authenticity is visibly apparent.
Probably the biggest gripe of all is on the direction, screenplay and editing for this drama. Contrary to most criticisms that are directed at the acting especially of the leads, I think the directing of the interactions between the characters as well as the pacing of the storytelling should take the most blame. Actors can only work with what they are given and how they are directed to act their scenes. Furthermore, how it is that so much fillers and dragging out of the plot were shoehorned into the story seems rather surprising considering the quality of the production crew. Additionally, the transitions between scenes and framing of certain sequences did come across as somewhat disjointed, which is attributed to the editing department. A mitigating factor was mentioned where principal filming had to be halted midway through due to the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020. However, this is where the final editing and post production process should come in to make the necessary adjustments.
Choreography
The martial arts choreography is not the finest of the genre, it has to be said. A number of the action sequences do not flow smoothly in terms of the swordsmanship, acrobatics, and overall movements. When it works, it can be spellbinding but when it doesn’t, it becomes painfully obvious to see. Granted, there were reports referencing ZLY’s lack of fitness while performing her own stunts and other physical exertions, having just recovered following her maternity confinement. Perhaps, this being the first time a blade/ sabre (dao) is wielded by ZLY’s character instead of the usual sword (jian) resulted in the execution of a different and more challenging fighting technique, the Snow-Breaking Blade.
The same observation applies to all other cast members involved where at times the fighting appeared contrived rather than naturally free-flowing. The awkwardness is exemplified in other techniques such as the Taoist Tao Teh Ching Mayfly formation, Guanxi Yellow and Green Palm, Floating Palm, and Water-Cutting technique. On the other hand, the Lotus Palm, Cloud Impelling Palm and Mountain Sword technique do at least appear more believable and convincing.
Characters
The action stunts aside, I have no complaints with either ZLY or WYB as far as their acting is concerned, and both characters I thought were well written. The issues as I mentioned earlier relate more to the direction rather than the cast themselves. The quality of ZLY’s acting and character portrayals are never in question while WYB possesses much potential to soar even higher through his upcoming projects. I like FLs that are written to be consistently strong not just in terms of physical strength and martial arts prowess but also in mental resilience and fortitude in the face of adversity and tragedy. Zhou Fei is a character that I enjoy watching and she does not succumb to the usual tropes of losing her sense and sensibility or transforming into a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. Likewise the character of Xie Yun as the happy-go-lucky charming and supportive sidekick who hides a traumatic past behind the facade.
There were grievances regarding the perceived poor dubbing particularly that of ZLY and I have to agree. The voice is provided by Liu Rui whose previous works focused mainly on modern dramas like Flash Girl/ Our Shining Days, which sadly lacked the authority and depth needed to elevate the character of Zhou Fei to more imposing levels. WYB’s voice dubbing is provided by Hu Liangwei, whose works include Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua, which is marginally better and probably matches the playful tone of the character Xie Yun.
Regarding the chemistry between the two leads, so many viewers complained about 2 things - that they are incompatible due to the 10-year age gap (ZLY is 33 while WYB is 23) and hence lacks the natural chemistry, and that the FL looked so much older than the actual age of her character who is supposedly a 16-year old teenager. Personally for me, there is no such thing as age gaps when it comes to romance, and therefore I’ll take this as a variation of noona romance which works fine for me. 10 years isn’t a lot even if the female is older and from what I can see, particularly towards the tail-end of the show, the chemistry is apparent to be seen and throughout the entire story progression, the development of their relationship has been slow burn but no less resolute.
As for the second argument, I have to agree somewhat. No matter how much make up applied or soft filters used, it is what it is and there is no escaping that. But look, this is not something that is shockingly unexpected or unprecedented. Tang Yan (37) played a teenage Xiao Yan Yan in Legend of Xiao Chuo, Zhang Lu Yi (40) depicted a 13 year old boy in Qin Dynasty Epic, Tang Wei (38) acted the role of a teenage Sun Ruo Wei in Ming Dynasty, Tan Song Yun (30) played a teenage Li Jian Man in Go Ahead, while Zhang Zi Yi (41) is currently portraying a teenage Wang Xuan in the airing Rebel Princess. For me, good acting with seasoned actors should be the benchmark and that is acceptable to me.
The supporting cast of Zhang Hui Wen, Chen Ruo Xuan, Zhou Jie Qiong, and Zhang Xin Yu gives a decent account of their respective portrayals of Zhou Fei and Xie Yun’s band of friends. In particular, the character development of Wu Chu Chu and her romance with Li Sheng is quite remarkably depicted. Li Yan, however, represented everything I dislike about the annoying females in historicals but fortunately her role isn’t significant. She and the character Yang Jin are truly made for each other, as part of the 3 romantic couples in the show.
It has to be said that a number of villains do not appear all that imposing and intimidating. I’m fine with the colour coordinated costumes and scary masks used to distinguish the bad guys but the respective leaders of the evil clans are simply not all that villainous, in form or substance. Case in point, the Demon Manor’s section chiefs comprising Blessed Dog, Giant Leopard, and Sparrow. The Four Guardians of the Mountain’s Dragon and Tortoise masters are more hilarious and comical than menacing. On the other hand, I do appreciate the Timber Wolf Shen Tian Shu as the leader of the Demons, played by Geng Le who does possess the gravitas for this role. Guo Xin’s Mu Xiao Qiao, the Phoenix master, is one of my favourite (semi)villains in the show and brilliantly gives off Dong Fang Bu Bai vibes. Other villains such as the Snow Wolf and the evil Eunuch are very interesting characters but unfortunately only had limited screen time.
As far as good guys go, I actually enjoyed watching Che Xiao’s compelling portrayal of Li Jin Rong, Zhou Fei’s mother, as a strong woman and competent leader of the Fortress of 48. Dong Xuan’s Duan Jiu Niang is a very likeable character and I suspect she had as much fun playing the slightly deranged role as viewers did watching her albeit for a short portion of the show. Hu Bing, who usually plays the villain, delivers a very charismatic depiction of the legendary grandfather, Li Zheng. I’m a big fan of Zong Feng Yan, who plays Zhou Fei’s father Zhou Yi Tang. This seasoned veteran never disappoints and he seems to excel particularly in historical dramas.
Music
The OSTs for this drama is probably the only aspect done to perfection. Each track seamlessly captures the essence of the story and the scenes throughout. The opening theme truly sets the tone of the show while WYB’s rendition (with accompaniment by the Dizi, which brought memories of The Untamed…) evokes feelings of a dreamy ethereal romance.
1. 《逐浪 Chasing the waves》by 尚雯婕 Shang Wenjie (Opening theme)
2. 《无华 Unadorned》by 张靓颖 & 刘宇宁 Jane Zhang & Liu Yuning (Ending theme)
3. 《熹微 Weak rays of sunlight》by 王一博 Wang Yibo
4. 《如翡 Like Fei》by 王晰 & 赖美云 Wang Xi & Lai Meiyun
5. 《结 Knot》by 胡夏 Hu Xia
6. 《红尘莫欺我年少 Don't deceive me when I was young》by 希林娜依 高 Curly Gao
7. 《采莲曲 Picking Lotus song》by 陈珏 Chen Jue
Overall
Despite the numerous drawbacks, The Legend of Fei does manage to get certain aspects done well enough that even things out and, in my humble opinion, ultimately redeems the entire production. How the drama starts off may leave much to be desired but the improvement towards the second half and the strong finish at the end, with the HEA ending where all that’s well ends well, gave me the satisfaction of completing this drama. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but I did enjoy myself by looking past the flaws only to discover a rainbow after the rain.
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