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Post by kyc on Apr 30, 2022 6:34:12 GMT
kyc yeah, need to take everything ni kuang says with a big brain of salt. i haven't read majority of his works, but the few i have aren't anything to write home about. and i'm told, though not from the most reliable sources, that his sci-fi is really weird. I don't want anyone to think that I'm dissing Ni Kuang. On the whole, I find his criticism entertaining, although he's definitely not the most objective of critics. His sci-fi works, at least the few that I have read, are very good, and he wrote sci-fi during a time it was uncharted territory for Chinese literature. I prefer his writings to his movie scripts. But since Ni Kuang is the one who started the "Jinology" thing, you cannot avoid talking about him when broaching the subject of JY criticism. Ni Kuang can be quite astute as a critic, so I find him even more baffling when he makes unqualified statements. For example, when he ranked the major JY characters (he was probably the first one to publish such a ranking), he actually refused to rank Guo Jing, saying that Guo Jing is too perfect and "fake" as a person. Huang Rong he ranked as "middle-middle" i.e. average, taking issues with her prejudice against Yang Guo. But you don't quite know whether Ni Kuang was ranking how much he liked that character, how highly he thought of his/her personality, or how successful he thought JY wrote him/her. Often, it's a combination of all three, morphing without warning from one to another. No one can complain about the three characters he ranked as "supreme": Yang Guo, Xiao Feng and Linghu Chong. But he not only ranked Wei Xiaobao as a "supreme" character, he also said that WXB is "the truest person to his nature" (so does Ni Kuang think people opposing WXB's rape hypocrites?) He later said that Wei Xiaobao is the most successful character that JY ever created. So you can see that his evaluation criteria is rather "dynamic": you don't know if he is talking about how successful JY wrote that character, or how much he himself subjectively liked that character. There are other interesting things in the book. For example, Ni Kuang once chatted with a few male friends and they all agreed Shuang'er would make the best wife among JY girls. I recommend his series on JY for entertainment value (我看金庸小説1-5), but of course, Ni Kuang was half-responsible for JY being inducted into the pantheon of "untouchable" writers. I only read the first of the series. The rest, judging from the content pages, study JY's epic-length novels in greater detail.
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Post by kyc on Jul 19, 2022 11:11:26 GMT
I finally... after decades?... finally finished ALL of JY's novels. I just finished The Deer and the Cauldron this evening. Phew! It's a very long novel. So here's my review. I had high hopes for this novel, and it took me 3 months to read it. In between, I was distracted a few times and stopped between books. No doubt, it is a very good novel, but I have a hard time knowing where to peg it among JY's works. Strictly speaking, The Deer and the Cauldron is not a wuxia novel, although it has obvious wuxia elements. It is, by and large, a historical novel, and its themes are very political--perhaps more political than even The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Your response to the book will depend on how much you like Wei Xiaobao, how you like the picaresque novel template, and whether you like the plot. Wei Xiaobao is obviously morally quite ambiguous, but he at least has one trait worth emulating--he won't betray a friend for money or power. The rest--his bootlicking, his lasciviousness, his laziness--many will probably not find those traits too endearing. Concerning the plot, I find it a bit uneven. Some parts are more interesting than the others, and by the fifth book, I was wondering whether the novel is too long. There are farcical, tongue-in-cheek parts, but I generally didn't care about the women or how Wei Xiaobao goes about wooing them (sometimes very despicably). It's entertaining for sure, but I didn't find myself emotionally engaged. I can see why academics love this novel. The language is so polished, you can practically learn (Classical) Chinese with it as a primer. But the only part that resonated with me emotionally is when Wei Xiaobao finds himself caught between the Emperor and the pro-Ming factions, and Kangxi laments why the Han Chinese want him dead even though his mother was Han. JY later quotes plenty of evidence to show that Kangxi was a very astute, caring, and diligent emperor. I don't doubt he was. There are parts I find incredible (do the Russians need Wei Xiaobao to teach them how to start a palace coup? This kind of thing must have happened in every world empire.) But on the whole, the plot is entertaining. All things said, I think I will slip The Deer and the Cauldron into fourth place on my JY ranking chart. Tomorrow I will get my certificate from Jin Yong Academy if I pass my three-hour assessment exam. Well! Since millions have already passed it, I shouldn't be complaining. Good to reach God status on this forum too.
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Post by soengyee on Jul 21, 2022 0:21:07 GMT
I finally... after decades?... finally finished ALL of JY's novels. I just finished The Deer and the Cauldron this evening. Phew! It's a very long novel. So here's my review. I had high hopes for this novel, and it took me 3 months to read it. In between, I was distracted a few times and stopped between books. No doubt, it is a very good novel, but I have a hard time knowing where to peg it among JY's works. Strictly speaking, The Deer and the Cauldron is not a wuxia novel, although it has obvious wuxia elements. It is, by and large, a historical novel, and its themes are very political--perhaps more political than even The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Your response to the book will depend on how much you like Wei Xiaobao, how you like the picaresque novel template, and whether you like the plot. Wei Xiaobao is obviously morally quite ambiguous, but he at least has one trait worth emulating--he won't betray a friend for money or power. The rest--his bootlicking, his lasciviousness, his laziness--many will probably not find those traits too endearing. Concerning the plot, I find it a bit uneven. Some parts are more interesting than the others, and by the fifth book, I was wondering whether the novel is too long. There are farcical, tongue-in-cheek parts, but I generally didn't care about the women or how Wei Xiaobao goes about wooing them (sometimes very despicably). It's entertaining for sure, but I didn't find myself emotionally engaged. I can see why academics love this novel. The language is so polished, you can practically learn (Classical) Chinese with it as a primer. But the only part that resonated with me emotionally is when Wei Xiaobao finds himself caught between the Emperor and the pro-Ming factions, and Kangxi laments why the Han Chinese want him dead even though his mother was Han. JY later quotes plenty of evidence to show that Kangxi was a very astute, caring, and diligent emperor. I don't doubt he was. There are parts I find incredible (do the Russians need Wei Xiaobao to teach them how to start a palace coup? This kind of thing must have happened in every world empire.) But on the whole, the plot is entertaining. All things said, I think I will slip The Deer and the Cauldron into fourth place on my JY ranking chart. Tomorrow I will get my certificate from Jin Yong Academy if I pass my three-hour assessment exam. Well! Since millions have already passed it, I shouldn't be complaining. Good to reach God status on this forum too. Unlike you kyc I was only able to skim parts of the novel. It is simply too long for me. Kudos and Bravo to you for being able to do it. I simply don't have the patience. lol And I agree with you that this novel is probably the most political of all his novels (and that is why I found it a little slow, I wanted more wuxia). I guess it in terms of all his novels its also the second one closest to modern era (Lian Cheng Jue aka Secret of the Linked Cities takes place after The Deer and the Cauldron because of the character Wu LiuQi so in terms of setting that novel should be the closest one to modern era). Funny enough I don't think any of the TV adaptions are that accurate or faithful to the novel; but a novel being this long I can understand why. The TVB 1984 version is good and probably most popular and pretty close to the novel but with a few changes (Princess JianNing is skilled in martial arts here, taught by her mother and has a few fighting scenes). The TVB 1998 version is only about 70-80% faithful to the original story but I adore this version the most. I'm so glad they expanded Shuang Er's role here, she starts off as XiaoBao's childhood best friend growing up together until she is sold to the Zhuang family and presumed dead until 20 episodes into the adaption. It shows why they are the closest compared to all the other wives and why he trusts her the most. Jordan Chan and Cherie Chan are so perfect together, seeing them two always brings a smile to my face. Ah Ke is also the only disciple of Jiu Nan in this adaption (her senior sister Ah Qi is not mentioned at all). The characters Yuan ChengZhi and He TieShou are not even named dropped in this adaption (He TieShou who teaches the Zhuang family and Shaung'Er martial arts is just hinted as a powerful martial arts expert and Yuan ChengZhi is hinted by Jiu Nan as "he" in one sentence when she misses him).
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Post by Admin on Jul 21, 2022 3:04:32 GMT
I finally... after decades?... finally finished ALL of JY's novels. I just finished The Deer and the Cauldron this evening. Phew! It's a very long novel. So here's my review. I had high hopes for this novel, and it took me 3 months to read it. In between, I was distracted a few times and stopped between books. No doubt, it is a very good novel, but I have a hard time knowing where to peg it among JY's works. Strictly speaking, The Deer and the Cauldron is not a wuxia novel, although it has obvious wuxia elements. It is, by and large, a historical novel, and its themes are very political--perhaps more political than even The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Your response to the book will depend on how much you like Wei Xiaobao, how you like the picaresque novel template, and whether you like the plot. Wei Xiaobao is obviously morally quite ambiguous, but he at least has one trait worth emulating--he won't betray a friend for money or power. The rest--his bootlicking, his lasciviousness, his laziness--many will probably not find those traits too endearing. Concerning the plot, I find it a bit uneven. Some parts are more interesting than the others, and by the fifth book, I was wondering whether the novel is too long. There are farcical, tongue-in-cheek parts, but I generally didn't care about the women or how Wei Xiaobao goes about wooing them (sometimes very despicably). It's entertaining for sure, but I didn't find myself emotionally engaged. I can see why academics love this novel. The language is so polished, you can practically learn (Classical) Chinese with it as a primer. But the only part that resonated with me emotionally is when Wei Xiaobao finds himself caught between the Emperor and the pro-Ming factions, and Kangxi laments why the Han Chinese want him dead even though his mother was Han. JY later quotes plenty of evidence to show that Kangxi was a very astute, caring, and diligent emperor. I don't doubt he was. There are parts I find incredible (do the Russians need Wei Xiaobao to teach them how to start a palace coup? This kind of thing must have happened in every world empire.) But on the whole, the plot is entertaining. All things said, I think I will slip The Deer and the Cauldron into fourth place on my JY ranking chart. Tomorrow I will get my certificate from Jin Yong Academy if I pass my three-hour assessment exam. Well! Since millions have already passed it, I shouldn't be complaining. Good to reach God status on this forum too. Wow...thanks for the review! I've been reading this novel for some time....and have not finished it Actually, this is one of the Chinese books that I read to improve my Chinese. I didn't know that the language in this novel could be considered as classical Chinese; I just know that the language is very formal and elegant. I agree with you that the book is very entertaining, but not enough to make us engaged emotionally. I guess perhaps because it's totally unrelated with our lives. I mostly like JY's depiction of Kangxi in this novel. I read a book from Jonathan D. Spence about Kangxi, retelling the valedictory written by Kangxi himself. I find out that Kangxi is a very interesting personality. Honestly, I really like him. As from his writing, I could tell that he's a kind, diligent, and even compassionate emperor. I would say that he's probably the most balance emperor in the whole Chinese history; smart, capable and benevolent at the same time. And I find it interesting that JY even described Kangxi as : not as good looking as Shunzhi
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Post by kyc on Jul 21, 2022 3:27:16 GMT
Unlike you kyc I was only able to skim parts of the novel. It is simply too long for me. Kudos and Bravo to you for being able to do it. I simply don't have the patience. lol And I agree with you that this novel is probably the most political of all his novels (and that is why I found it a little slow, I wanted more wuxia). I guess it in terms of all his novels its also the second one closest to modern era (Lian Cheng Jue aka Secret of the Linked Cities takes place after The Deer and the Cauldron because of the character Wu LiuQi so in terms of setting that novel should be the closest one to modern era). Funny enough I don't think any of the TV adaptions are that accurate or faithful to the novel; but a novel being this long I can understand why. The TVB 1984 version is good and probably most popular and pretty close to the novel but with a few changes (Princess JianNing is skilled in martial arts here, taught by her mother and has a few fighting scenes). The TVB 1998 version is only about 70-80% faithful to the original story but I adore this version the most. I'm so glad they expanded Shuang Er's role here, she starts off as XiaoBao's childhood best friend growing up together until she is sold to the Zhuang family and presumed dead until 20 episodes into the adaption. It shows why they are the closest compared to all the other wives and why he trusts her the most. Jordan Chan and Cherie Chan are so perfect together, seeing them two always brings a smile to my face. Ah Ke is also the only disciple of Jiu Nan in this adaption (her senior sister Ah Qi is not mentioned at all). The characters Yuan ChengZhi and He TieShou are not even named dropped in this adaption (He TieShou who teaches the Zhuang family and Shaung'Er martial arts is just hinted as a powerful martial arts expert and Yuan ChengZhi is hinted by Jiu Nan as "he" in one sentence when she misses him). Actually in the book Princess Jianning does know martial arts, was taught by her mother (the fake Empress), and has a few fighting scenes with Wei Xiaobao (she's a sadist). So if you're saying these are in the 1984 version, then they are pretty true to the book. The 1998 TVB version I didn't really watch, only a few episodes, but the Kangxi there is close to what the real Kangxi looked like, and I was quite impressed by Steven Ma's acting. Personally I think Tony Leung is closer to the original Wei Xiaobao than Jordan Chan, but that's because they keep emphasizing Jordan's ugly hooliganism in the 1998 version. That said, I never really sat down and watched the 1998 version so I could be wrong.
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Post by kyc on Jul 21, 2022 3:41:34 GMT
I've been reading this novel for some time....and have not finished it Actually, this is one of the Chinese books that I read to improve my Chinese. I didn't know that the language in this novel could be considered as classical Chinese; I just know that the language is very formal and elegant. I agree with you that the book is very entertaining, but not enough to make us engaged emotionally. I guess perhaps because it's totally unrelated with our lives. I mostly like JY's depiction of Kangxi in this novel. I read a book from Jonathan D. Spence about Kangxi, retelling the valedictory written by Kangxi himself. I find out that Kangxi is a very interesting personality. Honestly, I really like him. As from his writing, I could tell that he's a kind, diligent, and even compassionate emperor. I would say that he's probably the most balance emperor in the whole Chinese history; smart, capable and benevolent at the same time. And I find it interesting that JY even described Kangxi as : not as good looking as Shunzhi There's a lot of Classical Chinese in the book, but JY's language can be considered semi-Classical? Compared with someone like GL, his language is of course not as modern, and deliberately so. JY refused to even use language that is too modern (he once said he doesn't use 東西, he uses 物事.) Even LYS doesn't go as far as that. I do like Kangxi. The other emperor I like is Tang Taizong, but I'm afraid I don't know that many. Some might be pretty okay but because they never did anything groundbreaking, they weren't given much attention. But the Ming emperors were almost all quite useless or savage, I agree with JY there. There's a portrait of Kangxi on Wikipedia... you can decide whether he is good-looking or not. (Sorry, I don't know how to reduce the pix size.) Fukang'an was also not good-looking to me.
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Post by Admin on Jul 21, 2022 6:17:07 GMT
There's a lot of Classical Chinese in the book, but JY's language can be considered semi-Classical? Compared with someone like GL, his language is of course not as modern, and deliberately so. JY refused to even use language that is too modern (he once said he doesn't use 東西, he uses 物事.) Even LYS doesn't go as far as that. I do like Kangxi. The other emperor I like is Tang Taizong, but I'm afraid I don't know that many. Some might be pretty okay but because they never did anything groundbreaking, they weren't given much attention. But the Ming emperors were almost all quite useless or savage, I agree with JY there. There's a portrait of Kangxi on Wikipedia... you can decide whether he is good-looking or not. (Sorry, I don't know how to reduce the pix size.) Fukang'an was also not good-looking to me. ah, got it. Agree that GL's words are too modern. I didn't know JY language if compares to LYS though. The classical Chinese I try to read, is really classic...which is : Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Lord of Shang - that many of the words I could not understand and have to rely on the 白话文 translation to understand Hohoho... yeah, Kangxi is really cool! I've seen many paintings of Kangxi. He's my historical character idol! In Beijing museum, there's a painting of old age Kangxi....so huge! Probably almost 2 meters high. I took picture with it So here's some account about Kangxi from some historical accounts : 1. French emissary and Jesuit missionary's account describe Kangxi as : medium built, tall --> so how tall was he that even European considered him tall? But why some Chinese modern historian wrote that he's only 172 cm? His coffin has never been opened, therefore nobody knows exactly. 2. high nose bridge, lean nose, oval face and bright eyes that showed his compassion 3. he looked smart, strong charismatic aura, but at the same time gentle and compassionate. 4. he had some vague small pox scar on his cheeks, but it was not too obvious. So based on that description, he shouldn't be that ugly like what JY described in LDJ though!
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Post by Admin on Jul 21, 2022 6:24:38 GMT
There's a portrait of Kangxi on Wikipedia... you can decide whether he is good-looking or not. (Sorry, I don't know how to reduce the pix size.) Fukang'an was also not good-looking to me. I saw Fukang'an pictures before. He looked so cunning in the picture! Actually, I know some Manchu people. Mostly they are single lid eyes, and many of them have beautiful high bridge nose. Living person Manchurian, I only remember Kara Hui, Wu Jing, and Na Ying. Somehow I believe that those historical people looked better than their pictures though.
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Post by kyc on Jul 21, 2022 16:18:06 GMT
Those with Manchu blood: Rosamund Kwan and her father Kwan Shan Hu Jun Chyi Chin - Joey Wong's former boyfriend and singer Chyi Yu - his sister, also singer Sihung Lung - Prince Tie in CTHD, now you know why his Mandarin is perfect Beijing accent Kathy Chow Wang Likun - plays Liu Yufang in Seven Swordmen. Liu Yufang is an anti-Manchu rebel
You can see there is a branch with very big eyes.
Did JY say Kangxi was ugly? I don't even remember him saying Wei Xiaobao is good looking or ugly. Zheng Keshuang is good-looking though.
JY was really not nice to Zheng Keshuang. Historically he was just a boy when he became ruler of Taiwan, it was not really his fault. Just like Wu Yingxiong who kana castrated for no reason.
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Post by Admin on Jul 22, 2022 8:30:34 GMT
Those with Manchu blood: Rosamund Kwan and her father Kwan Shan Hu Jun Chyi Chin - Joey Wong's former boyfriend and singer Chyi Yu - his sister, also singer Sihung Lung - Prince Tie in CTHD, now you know why his Mandarin is perfect Beijing accent Kathy Chow Wang Likun - plays Liu Yufang in Seven Swordmen. Liu Yufang is an anti-Manchu rebel You can see there is a branch with very big eyes. Did JY say Kangxi was ugly? I don't even remember him saying Wei Xiaobao is good looking or ugly. Zheng Keshuang is good-looking though. JY was really not nice to Zheng Keshuang. Historically he was just a boy when he became ruler of Taiwan, it was not really his fault. Just like Wu Yingxiong who kana castrated for no reason. Wow! So many good looking ones
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Post by machete on Jul 23, 2022 8:07:43 GMT
I finally... after decades?... finally finished ALL of JY's novels. I just finished The Deer and the Cauldron this evening. Phew! It's a very long novel. So here's my review. I had high hopes for this novel, and it took me 3 months to read it. In between, I was distracted a few times and stopped between books. No doubt, it is a very good novel, but I have a hard time knowing where to peg it among JY's works. Strictly speaking, The Deer and the Cauldron is not a wuxia novel, although it has obvious wuxia elements. It is, by and large, a historical novel, and its themes are very political--perhaps more political than even The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Your response to the book will depend on how much you like Wei Xiaobao, how you like the picaresque novel template, and whether you like the plot. Wei Xiaobao is obviously morally quite ambiguous, but he at least has one trait worth emulating--he won't betray a friend for money or power. The rest--his bootlicking, his lasciviousness, his laziness--many will probably not find those traits too endearing. Concerning the plot, I find it a bit uneven. Some parts are more interesting than the others, and by the fifth book, I was wondering whether the novel is too long. There are farcical, tongue-in-cheek parts, but I generally didn't care about the women or how Wei Xiaobao goes about wooing them (sometimes very despicably). It's entertaining for sure, but I didn't find myself emotionally engaged. I can see why academics love this novel. The language is so polished, you can practically learn (Classical) Chinese with it as a primer. But the only part that resonated with me emotionally is when Wei Xiaobao finds himself caught between the Emperor and the pro-Ming factions, and Kangxi laments why the Han Chinese want him dead even though his mother was Han. JY later quotes plenty of evidence to show that Kangxi was a very astute, caring, and diligent emperor. I don't doubt he was. There are parts I find incredible (do the Russians need Wei Xiaobao to teach them how to start a palace coup? This kind of thing must have happened in every world empire.) But on the whole, the plot is entertaining. All things said, I think I will slip The Deer and the Cauldron into fourth place on my JY ranking chart. Tomorrow I will get my certificate from Jin Yong Academy if I pass my three-hour assessment exam. Well! Since millions have already passed it, I shouldn't be complaining. Good to reach God status on this forum too. I guess it in terms of all his novels its also the second one closest to modern era (Lian Cheng Jue aka Secret of the Linked Cities takes place after The Deer and the Cauldron because of the character Wu LiuQi so in terms of setting that novel should be the closest one to modern era). Since 1946 is considered the first year of the modern era, Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain should be the second closest one to the modern era. Chien Lung(from FFSM) is the emperor that comes after Yong Zheng and Yong Zheng comes after Kang Xi(Deer and the Cauldron).
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Post by machete on Jul 23, 2022 12:13:39 GMT
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Post by soengyee on Jul 23, 2022 15:02:33 GMT
I guess it in terms of all his novels its also the second one closest to modern era (Lian Cheng Jue aka Secret of the Linked Cities takes place after The Deer and the Cauldron because of the character Wu LiuQi so in terms of setting that novel should be the closest one to modern era). Since 1946 is considered the first year of the modern era, Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain should be the second closest one to the modern era. Chien Lung(from FFSM) is the emperor that comes after Yong Zheng and Yong Zheng comes after Kang Xi(Deer and the Cauldron).
Ah! You are indeed right. I forgot about Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain and Other Tales of Flying Fox.
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Post by soengyee on Jul 23, 2022 17:28:20 GMT
Unlike you kyc I was only able to skim parts of the novel. It is simply too long for me. Kudos and Bravo to you for being able to do it. I simply don't have the patience. lol And I agree with you that this novel is probably the most political of all his novels (and that is why I found it a little slow, I wanted more wuxia). I guess it in terms of all his novels its also the second one closest to modern era (Lian Cheng Jue aka Secret of the Linked Cities takes place after The Deer and the Cauldron because of the character Wu LiuQi so in terms of setting that novel should be the closest one to modern era). Funny enough I don't think any of the TV adaptions are that accurate or faithful to the novel; but a novel being this long I can understand why. The TVB 1984 version is good and probably most popular and pretty close to the novel but with a few changes (Princess JianNing is skilled in martial arts here, taught by her mother and has a few fighting scenes). The TVB 1998 version is only about 70-80% faithful to the original story but I adore this version the most. I'm so glad they expanded Shuang Er's role here, she starts off as XiaoBao's childhood best friend growing up together until she is sold to the Zhuang family and presumed dead until 20 episodes into the adaption. It shows why they are the closest compared to all the other wives and why he trusts her the most. Jordan Chan and Cherie Chan are so perfect together, seeing them two always brings a smile to my face. Ah Ke is also the only disciple of Jiu Nan in this adaption (her senior sister Ah Qi is not mentioned at all). The characters Yuan ChengZhi and He TieShou are not even named dropped in this adaption (He TieShou who teaches the Zhuang family and Shaung'Er martial arts is just hinted as a powerful martial arts expert and Yuan ChengZhi is hinted by Jiu Nan as "he" in one sentence when she misses him). Actually in the book Princess Jianning does know martial arts, was taught by her mother (the fake Empress), and has a few fighting scenes with Wei Xiaobao (she's a sadist). So if you're saying these are in the 1984 version, then they are pretty true to the book. The 1998 TVB version I didn't really watch, only a few episodes, but the Kangxi there is close to what the real Kangxi looked like, and I was quite impressed by Steven Ma's acting. Personally I think Tony Leung is closer to the original Wei Xiaobao than Jordan Chan, but that's because they keep emphasizing Jordan's ugly hooliganism in the 1998 version. That said, I never really sat down and watched the 1998 version so I could be wrong. Oh this is surprising. I think the only adaption to show that Princess JianNing knows martial arts is the 1984 version because in every other adaption she is indeed a sadist but doesn't have any fighting scenes or shown to know any kung fu. The 2000 version with Dicky Cheung even has her killed (although I would never call that one a real adaption at all). In the 1984 adaption she has a few fighting scenes with random people including Tao HongYing when she is chasing XiaoBao with a pair of scissors. But funny in one scene she is on a bed and ambushed by the guys from Heaven & Earth society and just sits there screaming asking who they are. I think she forgot she knows martial arts and can defend herself all of a sudden? I like the 1984, it is indeed one of the most popular adaption but personally I prefer the 1998 adaption. Jordan Chan is a little old to be XiaoBao but his acting is hilarious. All the flashback scenes are so funny and he still has chemistry with most of the actresses. Steven Ma is just as good as Andy Lau as KangXi in my opinion. He's only been in a few dramas before this one and this is probably his first big role. Of all the actresses, Noel Leung, Cherie Chan, May Kwong and Fung Hiu Man are perfect. The other 3 actresses not so much. Rain Lau is too exaggerating as the princess, Hilary Tsui is simply not pretty at all and dresses like a poor maid and Chan On Kei is only okay as Zhen Rou.
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Post by kyc on Jul 24, 2022 6:56:49 GMT
Oh this is surprising. I think the only adaption to show that Princess JianNing knows martial arts is the 1984 version because in every other adaption she is indeed a sadist but doesn't have any fighting scenes or shown to know any kung fu. The 2000 version with Dicky Cheung even has her killed (although I would never call that one a real adaption at all). In the 1984 adaption she has a few fighting scenes with random people including Tao HongYing when she is chasing XiaoBao with a pair of scissors. But funny in one scene she is on a bed and ambushed by the guys from Heaven & Earth society and just sits there screaming asking who they are. I think she forgot she knows martial arts and can defend herself all of a sudden? I like the 1984, it is indeed one of the most popular adaption but personally I prefer the 1998 adaption. Jordan Chan is a little old to be XiaoBao but his acting is hilarious. All the flashback scenes are so funny and he still has chemistry with most of the actresses. Steven Ma is just as good as Andy Lau as KangXi in my opinion. He's only been in a few dramas before this one and this is probably his first big role. Of all the actresses, Noel Leung, Cherie Chan, May Kwong and Fung Hiu Man are perfect. The other 3 actresses not so much. Rain Lau is too exaggerating as the princess, Hilary Tsui is simply not pretty at all and dresses like a poor maid and Chan On Kei is only okay as Zhen Rou. Princess Jianning knows kungfu but she's not that great, only learned something from her mom (the fake Empress). She's only good enough to engage Wei Xiaobao in wrestling matches and not good enough to fight those from the Heaven and Earth Society. Maybe one day I'll watch more of the 1998 adaptation and see how good Jordan Chan is.
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