Finally, I completed watching this drama, almost 6 months after its airing. My delay in completing this drama was not only because it’s a long drama of over 70 episodes, but also for other reasons. This is a drama that is totally different from most other historical dramas – in visuals, sound effects, costumes, etiquettes, how people speak, how real families lived more than 1,000 years ago, to name a few. Unlike most historical Chinese dramas which emphasize on its beautiful eye-catching costumes, unreal politics and dramatic effects, “The Story of Ming Lan” tries to depict how the Chinese society was like more than 1,000 years ago. The producers even used the sepia tone effect to capture the mood, making it even more so authentic. How accurate such depiction is to actual life in that era perhaps only historians can tell.

The real reason for my delay was how much I relished this drama that I didn’t want to simply skimp through the episodes without truly understanding and appreciating every nuance of the story. I researched into Chinese history of the Song Dynasty, in particular during that era, and tried to understand its social ethics and geo-politics.

The period depicted in this drama is a very interesting one, with political turmoil and constant worries of foreign invasion from the north. All these political upheaval and socio-cultural scenes were captured realistically in the drama.

I love the OST of this drama, sung at the end of the episodes. The lyrics (also the Chinese title of this drama) was from a poem by a very famous female poet, Li Qingzhao, during that era. She was a rare breed, not only living in a suppressive environment in the Chinese society, also in the world. Her poems were mostly very free-spirited or of care-free style, something unthinkable from a woman of that era in that society.

It is painful to see how women were oppressed and suppressed in the orthodox conservative Chinese society, and such treatment of women is still prevalent in many modern societies. The glaring injustice in gender inequality is so entrenched in most cultures that it is literally an uphill battle if one wants to change it. Sadly, a lot of the enhancers for the inequality are also women themselves. On the brighter side, the current trend in women liberty is very encouraging especially in the western world. I hope, we will one day, truly achieve equality for all.

This drama is truly a gem, and one deserved to be watched and relished by all.

Two thumbs up. Strongly recommended!