“Prince of Lan Ling” Finale Grabs Soaring Ratings in Taiwan, “The Patriot Yue Fei” Falls Short
Period drama Prince of Lan Ling <蘭陵王>, which stars mainland Chinese actor William Feng (馮紹峰), Taiwanese actress Ariel Lin (林依晨), and Hong Kong actor Daniel Chan (陳曉東), has achieved admirable ratings during its run in both mainland China and Taiwan. In the last week of September, during which CTV aired the finale of Prince of Lan Ling, the drama jumped to second place in the weekday evening ratings.
In the six weeks since Prince of Lan Ling began airing on Taiwan’s China TV, the drama has attained an average 3.03 rating – a respectable number but perpetually ranked behind Formosa TV’s Feng Shui Family <風水世家> and Sanlih E-TV’s Women <天下女人心>. On the day of its finale, Prince of Lan Ling’s ratings jumped to 4.15, thus breaking the previous finale record of 3.64 set by last year’s new Three Kingdoms <三國> adaptation and setting a new record for period dramas during the 8 p.m. timeslot.
Prince of Lan Ling’s high ratings is undoubtedly due to its high-profile cast, but can also be attributed to its beautiful settings and costumes. Nevertheless, some think the series has too much of an “idol drama” flavor and that its grasp on history is a bit shaky. Viewers are also conflicted on the long-haired appearance of Feng Shaofeng as the titular prince, who was said to be so beautiful that he had to wear a mask when fighting in battles.
As a whole, viewers were impressed by the three-dimensional portrayals of the characters, especially those of the antagonists, such as second female lead Nikita Mao’s (毛林林) Zheng Er and Di Tianlin’s (翟天臨) Prince Gao Wei. For many viewers, their initial hatred for these antagonists slowly transformed into sympathy, thanks to the actors’ nuanced portrayals.
Prince of Lan Ling’s timeslot was succeeded by Stanley Tong’s (唐季禮) The Patriot Yue Fei <精忠岳飛>, which brought in a mediocre rating of 1.33 in its first week. Starring Huang Xiaoming (黃曉明), Ruby Lin (林心如), and Gallen Lo (羅嘉良), this historical series introduces the life of famed Song Dynasty general Yue Fei. After its run in mainland China, viewer reactions have been mixed, with many criticizing the biopic for its wandering storyline, overly emphasized romantic scenes, and illogical battle scenes.
Ratings for September 23 to 27, 8 p.m. Timeslot:
1. Feng Shui Family, Formosa TV: 6.10
2. Prince of Lan Ling, Chinese TV: 4.15
3. Women, Sanlih E-TV: 3.57
4. The Patriot Yue Fei, Chinese TV: 1.33
5. Legend of Lu Zhen <陸貞傳奇>, Chinese TV System: 0.92
6. Super M <金牌麥克風>, Taiwan TV: 0.41
7. A Good Wife <親愛的，我愛上別人了>, Taiwan TV: 0.19
Source: Hunantv.com
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
i saw this drama and it was just good, it was fantastic. i agree with the audience’s opinion with the portrayals of the antagonists. they were worthy of being sympathized and hated at the same time.
agree. i think they should make more of these idol romantic dramas.
But William Feng is not handsome enough to be “Lang Ling Wang” 🙁
good enough. he’s cute and his vocal is manly. i dont think they want to find a women face man. well the only other man i can think of is wu chun.
I think of FSF when you say “woman face man” actually.
I think william feng was a great choice. What was considered beautiful in the past was probably different from what we considered to be beautiful today.
There was something intriguing about the way feng played his character. This was such a sad but cute drama
yeah women in the past is like pretty looking man. with big round eyes. now a days we call women lookin men. they freaking look like a women. like their bone structure and v shape face…
I agree, I thought FSF played the part excellently! His expression through his eyes shows a lot without having to do much. I enjoyed his character very much and especially the chemistry he has with Ariel. Excellent!
I like William Feng, he has a unique face,I think he is handsome and his acting is good too. =)
I haven’t been watching any Chinese period drama for a while until I stumbled upon this drama! It is so good that I would rewatch it over and over again. Idownloaded all the 46 eps)
@ping0 i agree with you! When FSF smiles with a little bit of his teeth showing,he looks dashing haha
Where did you downloaded this from? I watched it on YouTube but would like to download and rewatch! Many thanks
Puff go get them at avirtualvoyage.cant seem to post direct links
Many thanks for trying to post the direct link Mazeltov. Really appreciates it.
And Daniel’s portrayal of YWY is absolutely commendable.I was totally shipping him and Ariel’s char at first.
Haha, me too, but only post ep 20
yes!I love Daniel’s character and acting. I hated and then loved him all at once. At first I hated how he only wanted Ariel because she was the heavenly maiden but then later on I realized that he was actually a really kind person but he had to wear such a tough mask because he had so much on his shoulders.
My sentiments exactly, you have said it all Rain!
I love Daniel’s character too. I didn’t ship for him and Ariel char but I thought he acted well. Good group cast!
One of the best Chinese period drama. It’s on my re-watch list. The first 20 episodes are so so captivating and really good. Then it got really annoying and draggy in the middle with the whole Zheng Er ruining the marriage. She was just evil because she was crazily in love with Lan Ling Wang. But towards the end I was cheering for Yu Wen You’s unrequited love. Of course, I must agree with this article comment about the three dimensional antagonists, Prince Gao Wei and Zheng Er acted so well that I did felt sorry for them. Especially Prince Gao Wei, who’s not good looking but a talented actor.
I was hesitant to watch Lan Ling Wang but I’m so glad I did because it was great! I didn’t think FSF was “beautiful” enough to be Lan Ling Wang but he portrayed the character really well. The only thing that bothered me was that I had thought it would be the story of Lan Ling Wang but I feel like it was more the story of Xue Wu. (Which was fine with me since I like Ariel Lin)
never get enough for this drama…
It’s one of the better series aired this year. It had a good balance between cast, story line and settings. The only series I finished this year and I would consider re-watching it again.
I too enjoyed this drama until it kind of got draggy in the middle. FSF is one of my crushes and his expressions of shock and surprise on many scenes made me laugh especially when Ariel has the new hairdo HAHA. Even though I love FSB, I’m so glad they didn’t make a big deal on his looks throughout the series with everyone swooning on how ‘pretty’ his was but the scene where the OTP first met was so cheesy. George Hu was awesome as the 5th Bro – loved his wit and playboy behavior although his love story happened too fast and without depth. Daniel’s charm made you see him as adorable and loveable, different from the jerk he was at first.
Yes, I love 5th bro too. Great comic relief. Also love his loyalty. He’s a good go to man for 4th bro.
I read about Prince Lan Ling years before this series started production. I like Prince Lan Ling a lot. But, I’m reluctant to watching this series. I’m afraid it will just be one long love story.
I am hesitant to watch this because it may be a long love story which can get boring and draggy. I love romance in a series but if that is the main focus, then it does get dull.
HTS, the first 20 eps are not draggy. Then the middle part was draggy and had unnecessary fillers. But the end was better, and in an odd way I was captivated by the antagonists, especially Prince Gao
Wei, not because he is good looking though. Without giving away any spoilers, all I can say is Prince Gao Wei’s acting is very good.
Puff,
Thanks so much for your info! I really appreciate it and love ancient series, but this one looked a bit too “romantic” instead of historic if you know what I mean. How is the overall plot? Does it only focus on love? Hm.. Maybe I should see it for myself since I do love the soundtrack and have not seen a good ancient series for awhile now. Thanks for your info though! Is the ending good??
No worries. First 20 eps have good balance history but with love story and other fillers. Some parts are idol drama like, especially since most voices are dubbed by the original actors (except William Feng and Daniel Chan), but I found it entertaining, quite funny. Then it gets dull, draggy, intertwined with unrequited love stories, so I fast forwarded a lot.
The ending is good because of Prince Gao Wei, who become Emperor, performed really well. Zheng Er also acted well. Because they were both unknowns to me, and their performance overshadowed the two main leads, I was drawn in to see more. The mid to end story line however was not the best though.
Oh and if you’ve watched Lu Zhen, this is an extension of it.. Zhang guang wang is Prince Gao Wei’s father/ emperor and Lan Ling Wang’s uncle.
Puff,
WOW, thanks so much and yes I have seen Lu Zhen. No wonder the names sounded so familiar. I just saw Zhen Huan and gosh was it soooo boring, but that was a completely different type of story. Hm… maybe I should see it for myself. Who played Gao Wei??? Is that William’s role??
HTS, Gao Wei played by 翟天臨 or Di TianLin. I’ve never heard of him before.
I think Zhen Huan is very different. I like that because the acting is superb Betty Sun, Ada Choi and the actress who played Hua Fei are so good. Dr Wen is good too. Apparently he is a lecturer on historical or royalty etiquette and traditional Chinese dancing. So he would coach all the actresses and actors on the minutia details. I also enjoyed learning the art of playing politics. At the time when I watched Zhen Huan I was going through a very tough and politically charged situation at work. I must say I learnt a few new tricks through Zhen Huan.
Sorry forgot to say that William Feng is Lan Ling Wang.
Puff,
Thanks and I know many mainland actors but have not heard of him either.
I think Betty’s acting was overrated in Zhen Huan. The story was really boring and draggy. Ada’s acting was better than Betty’s. I hated the character played by Betty too. I was watching with my mom and she complained soon much and asked me why people think that Betty’s acting and that series was good. I wonder if my mom would like this series? I have a feeling maybe not because she is hard to please.
HTS, your mum sounds like a person with high expectation and appreciates finest thing in life. This might not be her cup of tea. I must agree that Zhen Huan 67 episodes is too long and I did fast forwarded a lot of the lovey dovey scenes. The harem in fighting scenes were great. Hua Fei was amazing. I agree that Ada acted better than Betty.
Puff,
Yes, my mom always has very high expectations. She does appreciate the best things in life and can be a perfectionist. It is really rare for her to like any new series. The only recent series that she really likes is Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and Feng Shen Bang.I think part of the reason is she actually read those novels and those adaptions were decent. She was telling me how it seems like the series that people over praise always turn out bad, while series that are often not overly praised turn out better. The actress that played Hua Fei did a good job. Ada did well and I thought Betty was ok, but was not as great as people said in my opinion. I think it was partially because of how the character was written. My mom hated her character and slept through many of the boring scenes.
Puff I wanted to tell you the link I got this drama from but I cant seem to post anything (testing)
Are we not allowed to post link here?
Many thanks Mazeltov.
Watch this series, never know FSF can be that’s charming and good looking. He leaves a deep impression as Lan Ling. As for Daniel chan what’s wrong with his hair style?. I am guessing he does not want to wear gu zhuang hairddo, so basically his hair look really odd. Imagine modern men’s hairstyle with a bun on top. His performance is ok. Overall the series is very idol type.
I think it gives an idol drama because of Ariel Lin and Daniel chan. Loves all of rest accept those two. Wonder if ivy Chen yi Han will be better portraying xue wu.
Wow, so many people liked this series? I couldn’t stand it! I watched it because I am an Ariel fan and I try to watch everything she’s in with an open mind lol, I like Feng Shao Feng, and think Daniel Chan is SOOOOO HOT!!! It was laugh out loud funny in the beginning…and then got too corny and cheesy in the love story.
Then I realized…it’s mainly my fault because this genre – love stories with one central insanely sweet protagonist have never been my taste. I don’t even watch romantic comedies. So, I can see how some people might like this kind of series of they like romance.
BTW I watched Zhen Huan and I LOVED IT! Especially when she started plotting and killing people…the Prince she fell in love with was hot…but he was so boring. I couldn’t wait long enough for him to die…but I follow his weibo because he’s hot lol
When it’s come to LANLingWang…I think of HuoJianHua instead of FSF…LLW is supposed to be a very beautiful man but FSF has a very manly face.I think he shouldn’t have got this role at the first place…and I think what make this drama more interesting is Yuwen Yong why nobody thinks of that character ?