My review
I am a huge Jerry Yan fan, so I will try my best to be unbiased.
Jerry Yan did a great job in portraying the character of Xiao Han. His character here is so different from the usual rich, spoiled brat he portrayed in his other dramas. I like that he is "evolving" into more mature roles and as always, he never disappoints.
Xu Ruo Han was excellent. She did justice to the character of He Ren. The giddy, girly antics were so cute. Even during times when the plot was supposed to be sad, she was able to let real tears flow. Mark of a good actress!
I love the onscreen chemistry of Jerry Yan and Xu Ruo Han. Honestly, I did not even think about the age gap - in both the drama and in real life. The difference in age is not an issue when it comes to love, right? Some people reacted negatively to this age gap thing. It was the same when Jerry Yan partnered with Shen Yue in the series Count Your Lucky Stars. They also had a 20 year age gap then.
Another thing that sets this series apart from the other Jerry Yan series I have watched is the musical scoring. Perfect choice of songs to use to enhance the scenes. My favorite of all the songs in this drama is Wo de ni (My You) by Kathy Wang. Beautiful melody! Check out the OST
here.
The cinematography is perfect! I searched online to find out where this was filmed and I learned that most scenes where filmed in Hainan, hence the tropical scenery. Xiao Han's hometown (Chuanxi) was probably filmed in Sichuan, where the Qiang people live. (Feel free to correct me if I am wrong) I read about the Qiang people and there was one interesting fact about them - there is a hearth in the house with a metal tripod over it and that the fire in the hearth is never extinguished. That same thing was in the series. How realistic can you get?
The famous Dao Ming Si line was also used in this series - "If apologies are accepted, why do we need the police?" If I am not mistaken, this line has been present in most of Jerry Yan's dramas. I guess I should expect this line in his future drama series.
My Questions
I have questions about some scenes in the series. Feel free to leave a comment if you know the answer.
1. Jerry Yan had different hairstyles in what was supposed to be one day in the story. He'd have straight tousled hair in one scene and short curly hair in the next. Was he in the process of filming an advert or something at the same time this series was being shot?
2. In Episode 18, Xiao Han appears in He Ren's front door. How did he get in if the gate to He Ren's house is password protected?
3. The painting of African daisies (or Gerberas) in Xiao Han's house. How did he acquire it? In the series he said he bought it a long time ago. Was it a replica or the real thing? In Episode 8, He Ren opened the safe containing her father's paintings. She takes out the painting, the original work of her father, just like the one hanging on the wall in Xiao Han's house. Succeeding episodes would show Qin Zao stealing the painting in Xiao Han's house and attempting to sell it to Mr. Han. Mr. Han's assistant takes the painting to be "authenticated by an expert" and then returns saying Qin Zao only has a replica of the original. Was it at this time that the swap happened? In the final episode, a man asks Xiao Han if he would be interested in selling the painting. So the original painting was the one that Qin Zao actually returned in Xiao Han's house? In that scene, Mr. Han's assistant was hiding behind some trees watching Qin Zao return the painting. He calls Mr. Han and says, "It is done."
4. Why wasn't Xiao Han wearing the traditional Qiang costume during his wedding to He Ren?
5. I noticed that there were different terms used for the flower in the paintings. African daisies, Gerberas, Chrysanthemums. Which one is which? I did some research and I found out that Gerberas and African daisies refer to the same flower and are native to South Africa. Chrysanthemums are in the same family (
Asteraceae) as Gerberas, but they are native to East Asia. Maybe it is just a lapse in translation. But anyway, one nice thing that came out of my research is that generally,
Gerberas symbolize innocence, purity, cheerfulness and loyal love.
6. The Epiphyllum flower is commonly called "Queen of the Night" because it only blooms at night and wilts before dawn. In Episode 24, why did the epiphyllum bloom during the daytime?
My take on the ending
So now I will discuss about the ending.
This series has an open ending. It leaves the viewers to interpret for themselves how the story ended. The clues can be found in previous episodes.
Version 1:
At the 28th minute mark in Episode 24, He Ren's hand goes limp and she says, "Xiao Han, I'm a bit tired. I want to sleep for a while," to which Xiao Han's reply was "Let me sleep with you." Both characters where laying on a snow field and it starts snowing heavily. Did both of them die? Maybe yes, maybe not.
Version 2:
Next scene was supposed to happen one year later. Zhang Yuanqi and Qiu Jia Rong accidentally meet in a restaurant. Qiu Jia Rong was eating fried chicken. She does that when she is stressed. When Zhang Yuanqi asked when she got back, she said, "I came back last week." Why did she not say "we" instead of "I" if she came back with He Ren? But she seemed happy to have met Zhang Yuanqi again. She asks Zhang Yuanqi if what he said in the studio still count. Zhang Yuanqi said, "I've been waiting for you." If you remember in episode 23, He Ren told her mom to find a man who loves her so she can be a woman again? And Qiu Jia Rong said, "Okay. I'll listen to you. When you're recovered, I will live my own life. That's it." Was He Ren's treatment in the United States successful? Maybe yes, maybe not.
Version 3:
At the 37th minute mark of Episode 24, the epiphyllum bloomed. If you would recall, in Episode 8, He Ren and Xiao Han made a bet, that if the epiphyllum bloomed, they'd be together. The following morning, Xiao Han leaves the house to work in the garden in Central Lake. All the gerberas are in bloom. He Ren's voice calls his name and the credits roll. But keep on watching because at the 42nd minute mark, Xiao Han turns around to see who called his name and it was He Ren walking towards him. Is it a dream? Just like the lyrics in one of the songs in the series, "Are you just a fantasy or a reality?" Is He Ren alive? Is she back? Maybe yes, maybe not.
I am leaning towards the Version 3 ending. The clues are there. He Ren is healed and she is back in Xiao Han's arms.
I watched this series on WeTV. Click here if you want to watch it too. There are other platforms where you can watch it too, but I prefer WeTV because it gives you the opportunity to watch it in hi def.
