帝女花 Perish in the Name of Love

Jennifer say:





I had just finished watching all 32 eps of TVB drama, Perish in the Name of love. Of course, it is a tradegy drama, all dramas involving wars are tragedy - Like 'War and Beauty' 'Where the legend begins'. I find this 2003 production to be long-winded esp the plots where the evil kept on doing evil over and over again till the final esp.

Here is the casts in this drama:

Charmaine Sheh as Princess Chang Ping 长平公主（佘诗曼） & Steven Ma as Zhou Shi Xian 周世显（马浚伟）
I love Stevan ma's character the most. He is very charming in this drama. He and the princess were seperated 6 times before they can finally be together. Meanwhile, he was alway fighting a lose battle against the Qing army. I find it strange that all the other generals died while fighting and Zhou (being inexperienced with war) can still 'tahan' for so long. But if Zhou died, the princess would be a widow, then got no more show to watch.

Princess ChangPing was a understandable and loyal princess. Despite being mistaken for many instances, she was able to overcome those obstacles. She was made a begger, a worker in a factory and finally a nun. In the end when Zhou went to the temple to find her, they were finally together, ending their 6-time seperation.

The final esp showed how they faked death and ended up as normal citizens. I think the real Princess Changping remained as a nun in her whole life. I am rather interested in the Real Ming dynasty Chang Ping life story so i did a search. I found that the real princess married Zhou Xing(should be Zhou Shi Xian other name) but died at the age of 39 from an illness.(The link is all written in Chinese). So much for a fairytale ending in the TVB drama. I think the title of the drama should also changed as both lovers did not actually perish in the name of love. Maybe should called "Lovefool in the name of Love".





More pictures of Princess Chang Ping in her wedding custom. The red is so sweet but the headgear looked a bit 'over' on Charmaine.



Annie Man as Chen YuanYuan(Left) and Sonija Kwok as Princess Zhao Ren 昭仁公主（郭羡妮)
Chen Yuan Yuan in this drama was a useless character. She did nothing to cause Ming dynasty to fall. In real history, Ming fall because of Chen Yuan Yuan. It was said that both Wu San gui and the enemy, Lee Zhi Cheng fall in love with the same girl, yuan yuan. Because of this, Wu joined force with the Manchu(Qing), opening the gate of the Ming's city, thus allowing the Ming to fall into the Qing soldiers' hand.

Princess Zhao Ren was a evil woman that plot against her own father, indirectly leading to the fall of Ming. I am not sure of the real Princess's history but most certainly, Ming did not fall because of her. In fact, little was known about Princes Zhao Ren. Princess Chang Ping being the only surviving Ming princess in the Qing ruling was more 'famous'.

But in this drama, Zhao Ren was totally evil - killed her own mother, tried to make her own brother-in-law (Zhou shi xian) like her by lies, took money meant to help in the war, tried to sell information to the Qing. But in the end, she was the last person to die or rather had what she deserve. In the final esp, she was in prison, looking like an insane woman. She was mainly in this drama to add more highlight to the stupidness of her grandmother, mother and sister. Despite the many lies she told, no one comforted her. Even if her lies were discovered, she was able to outsmart them by more lies esp to her mother that eventually died because of her.


Wen SongXian(Annie Man) as Yu xian
I also love her character. She is sweet, caring and thoughful. In one esp where Changping fall down, yu xian helped her to apply medicine despite knowing her for less than one day. Yu xian was supposed to marry Zhou Shi Xian. I do not like their love triangle.... Yu Xian loved Shi Xian but Shi xian loved Chang ping... Chang ping did not accepted Zhou's love as she was good friends with Yu Xian. Love meant Love, why must push her love to her good friend? In the end yu xian also died because she wanted to help changping stole a letter that revealed the plot of the evil concubine,Tian Fei that tried to frame the Empress Chow for the death of Tian Fei's son. Tian Fei accidentally pushed Yu Xian whom knocked her head against the stair and died.



The whole cast.

Some of my less favourite characters:

Moses Chan as Emperor Chong Zhen
Chong zhen was a mad man right from the start of the drama. As in every emperor, he had the same weakness like having too many concubines, listening to the word of his favourite concubine, Tian Fei, listen to the words of his useless officers and lack of trust for his most loyal officers. In the drama, he told his family to flee from the palace and spread news that he had killed his officers in the palace, kill his own daughter, Chang ping and asked his family to die. In real life, he was said to lose his mind and kill his officers and family members. He had also hacked one arm of Princess Chang Ping. In the end, he died by hanging on a tree.He was the 17th and last emperor of the Ming dynasty.

Michael Tong as Seng Chin
He loved Chang ping but Chang ping only loved Zhou shi xian. Despite this, Seng chin done many things for Chang ping. I find his character to be a bit stupid. I cannot understand why he spend so much time with Chang ping that had no love for him. He also appeared to done harsh things, wasted his family's fortune and hot-tempered. That is why i do not like his character right from the start. If only he can showed his devote for love to his own father.

Marco Ngai as Wu San gui
He was the general that knew a lot abot war strategy. Because of Chen Yuan Yuan, Wu san gui fall out with Chong Zhen and refused to help him. Ming fall because of him. Nothing much to say about this guy.

Maggie Siu as Empress Chow
She was the strength pillar for Chong zhen. Unfortunately, she was unable to teach her eldest daughter, zhao ren to be upright, thus leading to her death. Her character is another one that i dislike. Firstly, she done things that were wrong for the sake of her daughter, Zhao Ren like begging for money to help Zhao ren repay the military money that zheoren had stolen.Secondly, she forgave her daughter too easily - when she knew Zhao ren tried to murder Chang ping, she refused to tell Chongzhen about this. Thirdly, she listened to sweet talks easily - When Tian fei and her father begged for empress to forgive them, she actually forgave. She did not know that Tian fei was the reason that the empress was chased out of the palace for many years because of a plot. I find her role to be very tiny, doing nothing much for the dynasty(she did try to help Chong Zhen with accounts but what was the use?) until the end when they were chased out of Beijing because of the Qing. Then she started to show her empress power but isn't it too late???

Jay Lau as Tian Fei
She is the evil concubine of Chong Zhen. In order to become empress, she framed empress Chow. But in the end, Tian fei did not become empress, she also fall sick and become insane. I find her role to be less annoying. The most annoying character that i wanted to strangle was Princess Zhao Ren. Tian Fei spread rumours, stole military money and wanted to make use of Chen Yuan Yuan to get back the emperor. She also caused Yu Xian to die but in the drama, no one knew about the truth about Yu xian's death.

Source:

http://main.tvbsquare.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=153&Itemid=35

http://stepjoyce.tripod.com/pitnol/

http://spiritchamber.theuseless.com/archives/002737.html (Song in English)