One of the best Chinese dramas ever made, also has one of the flimsiest openings of all time. If you can bear through the first part of the very first episode, you will be rewarded handsomely with one of the best viewing experiences in Chinese cinema history.

This drama isn't for everyone. It's only for those with a heart, and with high tolerance for romance. We first meet our FL as a 20 something year old woman, but as soon as she goes back in time, her consciousness is transmitted into the body of a sixteen year old. Well, imagine your consciousness time-travel to the Qing dynasty, and was transplanted into the body of a wealthy 16 year old twin living in that era. I think you'd be out of your mind with happiness, at first.

The FL acts like what a modern day teenaged girl would act like, not what a 20 year old would act like, but I felt like this made sense because of the amalgamation of consciousness between our time-traveling FL and our Qing dynasty 16 year old. That's just my personal take on that characterization choice though. If she didn't act so flighty and bubbly and freely express herself, then it would be impossible for the romance to happen, as that was her hook. The Qing dynasty princes had never encountered a 21st century woman, so they were fascinated and charmed by her, which makes sense.

Probably what makes this drama work, besides the excellent original story, is that serious actors were cast as the main leads. It's almost impossible to make anyone look good in the Qing mullet in any case, and mature actors were cast to play younger characters, which I have no problems with. The handsomest charcter and actor by far in this drama doesn't fall in love with the FL, despite being the character most resembling her own, which I found interesting. The ML, is probably one of the least attractive actors in Chinese dramaland, and subsequently wouldn't be cast in leading roles under the current casting trend, but this is a 2011 drama, and acting skills are still rated higher than marketability and popularity (and looks by default, IF you are a male actor). The FL, by contrast, is more beautiful than seen in most contemporary dramas, and can actually act! An interesting duality when it comes to casting trends. I don't believe any of these actors are Chinese pop singers either, which makes the casting ideal.

Anyway, the story is, for the most part, historically accurate, no crappy CGI, no over-the-top melodrama. A really well written script that takes you back in time with the FL, as if you are following in her footsteps. Yes, it's not a perfect drama. I remember there are some really crappy, fake screen backgrounds with actors riding fake horses in the foreground, but you know what? An excellent effort all in all. I was so vested in the characters, that when the ML started to show the signs of carrying the world on his shoulders, I did skip a bunch of episodes, as I felt a mixture of dread and boredom, and the darkness was overpowering after the positivity of the "first half" of the drama, but I understood the necessity of the character development with the plot, and the happiness turning to tragedy by the end, just like it did in history.

Overall, what a journey! What a treasure of a Chinese costume drama! If you haven't seen it, please do give it a go, as long as you have an interest in historical fiction and romance together.