The Story of Ming Lan (2018)

Suspenseful but slow-moving

Hmm... what should I say about this drama? This is largely an internal family rivalry story with politics at the court as backdrop. Generally very good but did not create not much of an impression. The story is full of suspense but a slow-moving start made me impatient and I went on to watch the last episode before I decide to continue. By then, it had spoiled the suspense. But for the viewers who have not done this, I am sure the suspense would have been quite worth the while.

Overall the story is good but there were too many convenient moments when the hero appeared suddenly and saved the heroine. I thought some of the saving the damsel in distress could have been done by the rival lover giving it a bit more bite and contention.

With my experience, only a few dramas managed to hit 70 episodes without draggy moments. 50 episodes are usually the best to cover sufficient depth. This drama is full of draggy slow moments.

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I understand the appeal but it just wasn't for me

There was such a dissonance between the story and the actors. Did the director and casting unit not read their own script before congregating 40-year-old actors to play the role of boys on the cusp of manhood? I could forgive most things but this one issue completely drew me out of the story. To compound that, wardrobe choices in the first half had the men in ill-fitting clothing and atrocious hair pieces. Again, that diluted the authenticity of the story.

The best part about this was watching the family dynamic, especially Minglan's relationship with her grandmother. So precious. Likewise, Ming's sizzling relationship with Gu Tingye in the second half. So hot. Yet, even these couldn't offset the evil that permeated the entire story. It was too much and it dragged on for far too long. Yes I know, the villain is very villainy but did we need to see her repeat the same playacting over the course of 40 or more episodes?

Did we need all that back and forth at the Gu mansions? Did we need to see the minutiae of their daily lives, especially the ubiquitous eating? Did the characters in the Sheng family have to speak obliquely when they all could have benefitted from some showdowns and home truths? Minglan's father was such a waste of space and to think three women were actually fighting over him. Why would Tingye risk the lives of Minglan and his children just to save the Emperor? Have the heavens fallen?

Seventy-three episodes is a lot no matter how lovely or compelling the story and sadly this drama was unconvincing.

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Downton Abbey set in Traditional China... but better!

This is a literary romance soap opera for adults. Not for young adults, like most mainstream Chinese romances are, but for adults. With a Male Lead who is realistically flawed and not some dreamy perfect blank slate female fantasy. (Although the second Male Lead gives us that, for the inner teenage girls in us who want it – and it doesn't hurt that he resembles a young Tony Leung and is very easy on the eyes!)

I also appreciate that Ming Lan isn't a complete unabashed Mary Sue who excels at everything, with every male character admiring and falling for her. Ming Lan is frequently berated and punished for her perceived wrongdoings, some people think she's incapable, and she doesn't win every single conflict she's in (unlike Liu Yifei's Zhao Pan'er in A Dream of Splendor, whom everyone thought was formidable and always got the last word against her detractors – though I loved Zhao Pan'er too, it did seem a little annoying / unrealistic).

The other supporting characters too are believably flawed, like Ming Lan's sisters and their legal mother, and contribute to a rich story world.

I'm 20 episodes in and I haven't spotted any flaws (other than maybe a few too many hysterical-threatening-suicide scenes from the excellently manipulative villains and I completely feel the other reviewer who wrote that she fast-forwards through those scenes; and the unrealistic fight scene on boat early on). I already know this is going to be the best Chinese serial I've ever watched – yes, above Nirvana in Fire, A Dream of Splendor, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which all didn't even break 9.0 for me even though I enjoyed them tremendously for the most part. What elevates The Story of Ming Lan above is that for our main leads, their battles consistently feel hard-won and nobody just gives them a free pass, which is what bothers me in many of the shows above – after a certain point it feels like the writers gave up and started solving their problems a bit more lazily.

To elaborate a bit on my comparison to Downton Abbey – another reason I think is the deliberate distortion of the peerage system used in The Story of Ming Lan. In the Song Dynasty, aristocratic titles (like the earls 伯爵, marquises 侯爵 and dukes 公爵 used here) were not hereditary. The system in this drama, where the male heir will automatically inherit the title, is actually more similar to the aristocratic system in Britain, hence my nod towards Downton Abbey and other historical British romances like Bridgerton, et al. I don't mind that the creators made that choice because it certainly makes the stakes higher for a good elitist romance story, but just be aware that it's historically inaccurate.

Note: I haven't finished watching the series yet but already had several thoughts about it so I wanted to write them down. Will update when I finish all episodes.

Update: I finished the series and found lots more to love since my original review. I loved the slowly developing intimacy between the leads, which feels hard-earned after their initial struggles and miscommunication early in their marriage, which feels like relationships in real life where you have to learn to adapt to another person's communication style and emotional needs. Other than a few quibbles about repetitive tropes of how villains plotted against our main characters, it was pretty much a perfect series for me and I'd rewatch most episodes in a heartbeat, which is not something I could say about any other Asian drama I've watched.

Themes explored in this drama:
1. Evil concubines
You could argue that main wives can be equally evil in this show. But I feel like every time a concubine has an devious scheme to undermine a main wife, we see it onscreen – whereas every time a main wife (outside of Sheng family) oppresses a concubine, it happens offscreen... shows where the true perspective of this show lies.

2. TBC

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10-rating won't do any justice to this masterpiece

The Story of Ming Lan is an exquisite C-costume drama.

It doesn't suffer from actors who overact their roles and viewers won't find annoying cutie acts from the female leads. It's a drama for viewers who appreciate a good drama after a day's work.

The story evolves around the protaganist, Ming Lan, who lost her mother and unborn sibling due to the mechanism of her father's favourite concubine, Little Madam Ling. She was eventually raised by her official grandmother who had no blood relationship with her family apart from the old lady's position as the official mother of ML's father.

As the story progresses, it shows ML experiences her first romance with Qi Heng, her first revenge against Madam Ling and her eventual marriage to Gu Ting Yue.

The drama is well paced and the script is well written. Scenes for plots are well shot and acted by the cast.

The chemistry between the FL and ML is excellent which makes this drama entertaining. Viewers see the first meeting of ML and GTY where the latter lost the shooting arrow game to ML when both were aged 8 and 12. The development of their romance touches the heart of the viewers.

Overall, this drama is a classic master piece.

Watch it.

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True intelligence is knowing when to hide it and when to use it.

• Contains spoilers, read at your own risk. You can skip to the bullet points if you want a more general review. •

The Story of Ming Lan is a pretty well done drama but truthfully it is not worth the hype that everyone is putting towards it. When it first came out in 2018, I had tried to watch it twice and both times, I ended up dropping it for how dragged out it was. I still stick to that despite finally finishing it. I believe the drama would've been just as successful as a 40-50 episode drama rather than a 78 episode drama. Some scenes were just not needed but I did enjoy the story this time around despite that. The atmosphere in this drama was quite interesting. It's different from most dramas similar to this. It gave a more dark and calm atmosphere as opposed to other dramas with similar scheming plots where a lively and intense atmosphere is displayed. Gives me a Royal Nirvana kind of vibe lol. Unfortunately for me, I feel like while this is trying to highlight the era and storyline for the drama, I found it to be uncomfortable and in scenes where power was intended to be shown, the atmosphere took away from the feeling of empowerment. An example being when Minglan threw her chopsticks at the table when Molan suggested something about her mother, I couldn't feel Minglan's "power" that she was supposedly displaying in that scene. I did find all the scheming to be incredibly well done from Minglan's mother's death to Manniang's entire plan to get to live a wealthy life. It was fascinating to see how they displayed Minglan's clear intelligence as a child but after the scheme against her mother in her early childhood, she had to be cautious with how she used her intelligence even after marrying Tingye. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her use her intelligence in schemes against her and Tingye AND then going back to Sheng Family to kick ass there. One of the biggest things I do have to knock this drama for and many users for would have to be the chemistry between ZLY and FSF. I understand that this was probably the drama where their romance started which led to them having a real life relationship but no matter what, I could not see the chemistry between our two leads. No matter what romantic scenes were shown between them, their chemistry just seemed uncomfortable and I still don't quite understand how their romance developed to the point where he was only serious about her and no one else. Overall the drama was just a bit too dragged out for my liking but still, I do believe the storywriters did an incredible job with the direction they wanted to take the drama. I do seeing someone who enjoys longer dramas with schemes and intelligent clever female leads to be interested in this.

To sum it up in bullet points:
• Dark and intense atmosphere; different atmosphere from other dramas with similar plots.
• Some scenes were not necessary and the drama was a bit too dragged out.
• Atmosphere overshadowing the scenes where power was intended to be displayed.
• Schemes were well done and enjoyable.
• FL's intelligence and how she used it was basically the highlight of the drama.
• Really didn't see the chemistry between our two leads.
• Storywriters did an incredible job with the direction they wanted to take the drama.
• Would recommend to someone who enjoys longer dramas with schemes & an intelligent FL.

OST: All I really remember is the opening theme and I thought that it was suitable for the drama.

Acting: Most of the acting was incredibly well done however the acting in some scenes seemed too unnatural. I think ZLY was chosen well for the role of Minglan however it seemed like she still struggled to make her scenes feel natural and emotional. FSF was an ok choice for the role of Tingye but I do believe it also could've been someone different because FSF's acting in this came off to me as forced and unable to blend into the scene.

Ending: The ending was overall what it should've been and I'm glad it was a happy ending. It was really nice being able to see everyone be happy together and finally away from all the negativity that has plagued their entire lives.

Rewatch Value: I do believe it was worth the watch but I don't know if I have any plans to revisit it in the near future because it was quite a long drama and too dragged for my liking. It unfortunately also took me almost 4 years after it was released to finally get into it and finish it so.. maybe it'll stay in the archives until the far future.

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Compelling, Riveting, Moving Historical Drama

I would say that this is one of the only historical dramas that I have watched that is truly character driven. There are plenty of those long, high production dramas that star a female lead and follow her life (and whose name is the title of the drama), but they often become side-tracked by palace intrigue, wars, blood-shed and tyranny, etc., and their tone changes dramatically. That, or they are about revenge.

From the beginning, the pacing and tone of this show is just totally different from most other dramas. The focus is on the households and the injustice and strife occurring within families. In that way, it reminds me a little of Jane Austen, if she cared more about politics. The pacing is very slow but the more I rewatch it the more I enjoy it, and although there are perhaps some episodes that drag later on, it doesn't really bother me because I think the actual scenes are so well-crafted. There is so much subtlety, double meaning, and silence in these conversations between characters. So much is said with so few words. I think that's partly why it is such a rewarding rewatch: there are plenty of details I didn't catch the first, second, or even third time around.

Our female lead is unique in that she is smart and careful, not recklessly bold and 'spunky'. She has had to learn to take care of herself, blend in and curb her talents so that she isn't destroyed by her own family and the society around her. However, underneath her well crafted demure mask she is quick-witted, sharp-tongued, brave and fierce. Watching her grow into a woman and come into her own and use her abilities to protect herself and those she loves was so fulfilling and satisfying to watch. That's what I mean when I say that this is one of the few dramas that is truly CENTRED on the female lead: the story is about her development and how that affects the plot, not on how the outside world shuffles her from place to place and ups the drama.

Now, I know that the Story of Minglan does (mild spoiler alert!) feature palace politics, especially in the latter half of the drama, but I think it's handled in a much more personal and realistic way than in other dramas. Minglan at no point sets her sights on becoming the empress or taking over the kingdom, she never discovers her hidden royal parentage, nor does she end up with a man who secretly wants to overthrow the kingdom. Sure, her husband ends up being a very significant figure in the political/military world, but it feels realistic and in general not over dramatized. This show usurps the usual tropes by showing how their position in society is stressful, by focusing on taxes, fraud, the duties of the household, the actual topic of concubines, etc.

I think the greatest difficulties when getting into this drama are the number of characters and their connections to one another, the pacing and understanding the rules of the world (something that was totally foreign to me, like the topics of second and third wives and the standing of their children, the actual relationship of parents to their daughters after they get married off, the intricacies of social standing and what was socially acceptable for women vs. men to do, the way that people courted each other, what was deemed a good match, etc.). I also think that there is no drama that needs to be above 50 episodes. At 78 episodes long, I think there are definitely things in The Story of Ming Lan that could have been cut. But honestly, even when the pacing is slow or the writing could have been tighter, I still found the story to be engaging. I didn't use the fast-forward button, even during more meandering storylines. Once you've gotten used to the drama I think this is one of the most satisfying and rewarding dramas I have ever seen.

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A drama as superior as Yangxi Palace

This drama is really excellent in all aspects. It reminds me of Yangxi Palace.

The first episodes dont really focus on the main character (Minglan) so I wasn't so hook up with those episodes until, there is more screentime for the main character then i'm loving it already. Also, i was confused who is Gu Tingye whether he is the young master who helped Minglan or not since the first time they met again, there is no shock reaction or expression or whatsoever. But later on, the show highlighted him and that was the time I was able to know.

The casts really did their roles splendidly. Of course, Sheng Minglan & Gu Tingye really did their part very well, they're unbeatable couple when it comes to wittiness and skills. They're so good with schemes.

This drama is really amazing. Hope, i can find another drama as good as this!

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Complex family drama with good payoff

Lots of complicated family relationships in the families of both main characters and some imperial intrigue to keep things exciting. It's a nice slow burn that spends time setting up things and establishing the characters, so when you get to a moment of payoff, it's really satisfying. It's surprisingly funny at times, but it never feels like the humour is undercutting the show or bringing it down. I really appreciated how they would sometimes spend an entire episode (or more) on what's essentially one conversation or issue.

I also really appreciate Ming Lan picking up that sword and walking across the house to go get the doctor because she was like "I couldn't do anything last time, but I can and I WILL now."

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BEST OF THE BEST❤️❤️❤️

Finished 20 June 2024. A great historical Romance series that I enjoyed very much❤️

Really enjoyed this and can honestly say this was the best historical romance series I've seen thus far, even with it being a 2018 production. I delayed watching this due to the number of episodes and very glad that I decided to watch it as lessor episodes would have been a great disservice to this story.

All the actors did really really well and made the whole story come to life and made it feel very real.

Production, Visual FX, OST and sound effects were excellent for a 2018 production and brought everything together to contribute to the success of this series.

The reason for not giving full score is due to a few plot holes, why certain individual was murdered (shown but nothing further), unsuccessful assassin shown but also nothing further, poisoning discovered but nothing further, etcetera.

Rewatch value : Very high - will definitely rewatch this when I can't find anything to my liking or, like this year where a lot of shows are only releasing at the end of the year.

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I've rewatched it about 20 times I would say

I'm currently on spring break, so I have to do my usual rewatch of this drama. Anytime I have a break from school, I rewatch this drama. First of all it's 78 episodes so I need a good couple days free that I can enjoy it lol. But really, this is such a great drama. The plot is *chefs kiss* no matter how many times I watch it, i notice new things that I haven't previously noticed and I'm awestruck each and every time. I felt like not only will you fall in love with the main characters, but the side characters and their stories will draw you in. You will not regret watching this drama. I promise you.

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niche slice of life from mostly woman viewpoint in ancient china

__*The Story of Ming Lan (2018)*__ -8,5/10 cdrama

good but sadly its just too long.
first part of drama was very good and niche in style :slice of life from noble female courtyards in ancient china:
sadly second part of drama went to quite classic fight for throne fight for power in noble houses and intrigues.
[this theme is used too many times in historical dramas and in this drama it was quite averagely done].

Still this drama did quite good job on character development .. at least for some characters.

__*plot*__ - FL is kid of third unfavored concubine from noble house. Sadly her mother is pregnant and falls dead due to intrigues of other wife. FL ends up being raised by paternal grandmother. Growing up, she learns to hide her true self and use cunning methods in order to survive in family where members are plotting against each other and where no actual familial love exists.

ML is second son of marquis household who is supposed to inherit, but falls victim to tricks of his family members to lose all.
Story is about FL and ML growing up from kids to adults and going through their first love and all kind of different troubles just to meet each other and form complete pair.

__*genre*__ - historical, romance

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Most Intelligent and Satisfying Drama

I’ll break this into non-spoiler and spoiler.

Non-spoiler:
I’m very amazed how such a lengthy and slow-paced show turned out to be not boring at all.

I went in expecting to fast forward through every non-Ming Lan scene but to my surprised I wanted to actually sit through all the scenes with the other characters!

For me, apart from the star-studded acting from Zhao Li Ying, Zhu Yi Long, Feng Shaofeng and the old folks, the story itself is beautiful. You don’t have the repeated lame schemes amongst the sisters, concubines, brothers that other shows do. The script and plot were very well written, well paced and pleasant to watch. There’s also a lot of subtle humour in this especially with the mothers and grandmothers.

I may be a little biased because I’m a Zhao Li Ying fan but every scene with her were great. She pulled off this innocent yet highly intelligent character very well. I particularly enjoyed watching all her conversations with her grandmother.

I personally learn a lot from the script. Very applicable to real life. :)


-Spoilers ahead-

Minglan is so very intelligent. She has a lot of devils trying to take her down, but she also has a lot of supporters. Grandma, cousins from Youyang, Shen family, Yanran. You could see how supportive they were when she was at her lowest. 90% of the time she is very calm, composed and smart but touch her grandmother and husband, and she will claw you without caring about the consequences.

Every 20 episodes or so, you’re introduced to a new villain. Each, more cunning than the last. Gu stepmother was the one character I never thought I could hate so much (what a good actress!)

I fully understand why everyone was raving about the main couple. They are so sweet. I’m amazed how a playboy like Gu Tingye could be so caring, sweet and somewhat attention-seeking childish when it comes to Minglan.

Yet at the same time I felt his childishness were a bit prolonged. Just arguing with Minglan for getting him a concubine lasted 5 episodes. I understand the premise, but again was abit too much of a filler. His childishness was very hot and cold. This part was the only part I didn’t like in the whole series.

The ending was satisfying. Very, very satisfying. Whilst I expected Gu Tingye to rise again for winning the war, I didn’t expect that the Emperor was behind it all along. Very well played. I was wondering why this Emperor would turn so ungrateful to his saviours.

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