[TV Commentary] Gilded Chopsticks (by Funn)
Note: This critical commentary for “Gilded Chopsticks” is written by Funn Lim. Certain dialogue is reproduced with some creative license adopted.
Watched until Episode 17
Of the battle between 4th and 8th and Ben’s interpretation of Yongzheng
A reminder
Spoilers alert, all opinion are my own and this was written before I watched Episode 18. See footnote for links to referenced and similar series.
No doubt Ben Wong has graced every role there is to grace in TVB which is mainly villain (Safe Guards and he was delicious!), nice guy (the nicest there is that is in Kindred Spirit) and the middle guy who does things because he had to (Gilded Chopsticks).
Whilst Gilded Chopsticks is promoted as Wong Cho Lam comedy series about food in the imperial palace, the more I watch this series the more I feel it is really about Yong Zheng. Food was just a sub topic and Wong Cho Lam merely there as comic relief. The entire series is more about the rise of Yong Zheng and perhaps the fall of the 8th prince. It is basically a simplified version of Yong Zheng Wang Chao. And anyone who watched that excellent CCTV series that is probably the first to portray Yong Zheng sympathetically without muting his harsh actions (as in showing him as a harsh emperor rather than a cruel emperor like they always do in the past and in history) will see many similar scenes. This is mainly because historically such things happened but more precisely, YZWC showed them the way they did in a grander bigger and more pressure cooker style whilst TVB, applauding their attempts to show imperial politics in a mature way took a more decidedly simpler route that still showcases Yong Zheng’s dilemma and manages to convey his difficulties but not the immense pressure he was in. In fact there are many characters in here that in previous TVB imperial palace series never really did mention but now you will see Mr Wu, Cheung Ting Yuk, 8th prince, 9th prince, 10th prince, 14th prince, Lee Dak Chuen, Lee Wai and many more. I bet you know Nin Gang Yew because he was indespensible in the history of Yong Zheng, much like how you can’t hear about Kangxi without hearing the name Aobai or Qianlung without hearing the name He Shen (eventhough TVB has never made any series with He Shen in it if I remember correctly) when depicting Qing emperors. The rest of the names are those you will hear when watching Bu Bu Jing Xin but frankly, it is obvious TVB is inspired heavily by YZWC for the politics, Duke of Mount Deer for the role of Ko Tin Po and his role in Yong Zheng’s rule and also Happy Ever After for the theme of food.
The more I watch this series (at present it is almost at half way I think), the more I like it. It is the first of a very long time that TVB ever bothered with a story. The casting may be disputable. After all this is a smaller production so to speak, because if any bigger, Him Law and Vincent Wong will probably be one of those princes respectively. However I am getting use to the idea of certain actors in certain characters and how they’re portrayed even if sometimes they’re quite confusing. I always feel only if TVB does remake YZWC seriously, I feel the actors will feel very challenged. After all, how can anyone make a comedy out of Yong Zheng’s story? Nothing funny at all unless you make it a situation comedy and throw Yong Zheng into the future (which TVB did to hilarious results). Other than that, can anyone laugh one minute at Ko Tin Po’s antics which will almost certainly follow up with perhaps the devious tricks played by 8th prince or the likes?
Acting wise, this is where this series shines thus far.
Ben Wong is a decent actor, that everyone agrees. I thought he was a miscast as 4th prince but that was at the beginning. He has the look of an intelligent ruthless emperor and for that he suits my idea of Yong Zheng. He has a few moments to shine when in confrontation with Louis Cheung’s 8th prince and many more. He looks good in the usually ugly Qing hairstyle and despite TVB’s wardrobe department falling into coma over the wardrobe selection to which you will see those that people often wear for play-acting photoshoot (like myself when visiting Forbidden Palace), he looks good generally. But this is not BBJX. BBJX made the costume part of the character. As 4th prince was thrown into the succession battle and sucked into a vortex of deceit and trickery, his clothes changed. When he was in self imposed exile, he was dressed simply eventhough quite obviously the fabric is still luxurious. You don’t see such fine attention to details in Gilded Chopsticks. They wear whatever they have and most often than not, only Ben, Louis and Wong Cho Lam have access to better clothes. The rest were quite hideous. Look at the crown (or emperor’s hat) for example; at least brush the darn thing. Qing dynasty never looked so poor than in Gilded Chopticks and funny thing is Tin Po on his ordinary days dress more luxuriously than the princes. Such lack of attention is not doing this series any favour. As well as the uninspired hairstyles for the female actresses, it shows this is a production that is placing their money elsewhere other than what we can see on the actors.
Anyway back to Ben Wong. Costume is not helping him so as an actor he has to help himself. He is rather good at those scenes where he has to defend himself, has to argue his way out, incredulous sort of expressions and what nots. But so far I can’t see him as Yong Zheng even if his reinterpretation is actually very decent. Somehow I feel his Yong Zheng is always waiting for Mr Wu to advise him, that he doesn’t make a solid decision himself. One particular scene where General Nin returned from war victorious and he toasted General Nin but General Nin’s soldiers refused to drink until General Nin told them to and cut to Ben’s Yong Zheng, he looked bewildered, cautious and a little fearful at General Nin’s influence over his men and his men’s loyalty not to the emperor but to General Nin. In itself this is a great scene even if unsuitable for what is supposed to be a comedy. However same scene also in YZWC but grander scale and with more back story which you see a little in Gilded Chopsticks (where General Nin rode a horse into the palace having rudely whipped one of the ministers away – I believe also in YZWC), however in YZWC the actor as Yong Zheng was very skillful in portraying resentment for General Nin’s action. After all, he is the emperor, his troops should owe allegiance to the throne and not to the general and so you get a sense that he is very very angry but had to suck it up because he needs General Nin. This is later reflected in a scene where he married Nin’s sister and made her strip in front of him and then without touching her angrily walked away. He releases his anger and resentment on the sister since he can’t do it on Nin as he has some wars he wants Nin to win. Much later when Nin was sentenced to death, as in after he died, Yong Zheng actually felt sorry for killing Nin because of the wars now the country faces without a capable general. Even how Nin died was peculiar. He seems rather loyal to the emperor (after all he was a servant in the 4th prince household) and yet he has this immense sense of pride, arrogance and self entitlement which ultimately led to his death. As opposed to Lee Wai who was loyal, street smart and knew his place, he never posed such a dilemma for Yong Zheng like Nin did. Now I wonder will I see all these in Gilded Chopsticks? Ben did very well but his Yong Zheng is at times too soft, too indecisive which I suppose is TVB’s way of explaining how he was wrongly made a scape goat for some atrocities he supposedly did. I always feel Yong Zheng was not a cruel man; he was a practical man and he was a very disciplined man and he was an especially harsh man, as he was also harsh on himself. Ben has the looks of a harsh man but the script does not allow that side of him in Yong Zheng to be shown, maybe not yet. But in TVB’s attempt to make Yongzheng the nice guy, I feel we will never see Ben given the free reign to interpret Yong Zheng like I know he could.
Louis Cheung is another one who impresses me as he goes along. I am sure his 8th is supposed to be noble, he has some grand ideas and he feels he is entitled to the throne because he thinks himself way smarter than everyone and way more capable than everyone and has the genuine support of major ministers and most of his fellow brothers. This is the interpretation Louis Cheung took and whilst he is not handsome enough, in scenes where he is lamenting or is devious, thus far I feel Louis Cheung is doing a splendid job. In fact there is a scene where Kangxi basically told 8th what he really thought of him (ambitious, devious, bad bad son) which is sorta like the one in YZWC except Elliot Ngok can never ever ever ever ever be Jiao Huang who is the definitive Kangxi. That scene was where Kangxi was on his deathbed and he explained why he felt 8th was not suitable to be Emperor. He basically said “He thinks he is most like me but the truth is he is least like me. Everything he does has an ulterior motive, that is for his own benefit and not for the people of this country”. True! Well at least in YZWC’s 8th that is true. Jiao Huang is to me the most elegant actor I have ever seen as an emperor. I can still remember him lamenting “I am all alone!!” to Zhang Tingyu (Cheung Ting Yuk). He basically made YZWC such an enjoyable series and he makes Kangxi such a skilled diplomat, sometimes a biased father and mostly a flawed leader because he is too nice and too entrenched in the establishment that at the end of his rule, he could not right the wrongs he did. But Yongzheng did, he owed no one for his succession except those few whom he later either demoted or sentenced to death. History tells us he was cruel, new perspective explains to us perhaps he had a very good reason and he was not a despot. Ahhh great memories of that series. Back to Louis. I feel he should be 13th prince but he manages to show the complexity of the 8th prince except what is missing is the elegance. Every depiction of 8th prince is someone who has great taste, who knows how to enjoy life and who is kind hearted and a man who is walking nobility, literally and figuratively. Whether he is genuine or not is up to interpretation but there is no doubt he was ambitious. Louis Cheung showcased all that but a pity he lacks the looks and the gentlemanly elegance one expects from 8th prince. In that regard about showing the good side of 8th whilst being ambitious without being cruel intentionally, Kevin Cheng in BBJX was the ultimate. But I feel you can’t show the good of 4th if you show 8th to be absolutely noble, something which BBJX almost failed spectacularly if not for the character of 13th prince who humanises the harsh 4th prince, both in BBJX and in YZWC as well the character of 14th prince who was steadfastly loyal to 8th prince which soften the whole ambitious ruthless 8th in a sense because he was genuinely affectionate to 14th prince. Gilded Chopsticks could do with a 13th prince mainly because poor Ben’s indecisive scared fearful wooden 4th prince needs a true friend that is 13th prince. In fact he also needs an empress and I think he has one or at least a crown prince because when giving merits to General Nin, one of the stipulation was that General Nin becomes a teacher to the crown prince (this was written before Episode 18 where it was revealed Yongzheng does not even have a concubine – see how restrictive the imperial household is in TVB’s world). Luckily in here, our 8th whilst is kinda ambigous is sometimes quite gentlemanly. I mean he need not tell Ah Suet that he wasn’t the one who found the 7 colours fungus and that it was 4th who found it and yet he did. I find that such a strange moment but does show 8th in a good light. In all Louis Cheung interpretes 8th as someone ruthless, ambitious and self entitled but deep down if he wasn’t born into the royal family, he might have been an artistic scholar liked by many. Quite a sad predicament for our 8th. Frankly I also think Louis Cheung will make a decent 4th prince and our Ben can play the noble 8th prince. It is to the credit of both actors that I can imagine them in various princes roles.
The plot thickens later on when Yongzheng marries Yeuk Pik and makes an enemy out of Tin Po but I feel Tin Po like Wai Siu Bo will always remain loyal to Yong Zheng and will fall for Siu Yu instead (this was written before Episode 18 and I was right as in Tin Po never quite blaming the emperor who was pushed into a marriage he did not want and foolishly wanted to marry Suet who is a commoner, a Han and later on obviously a spy of 8th Prince). Yeuk Pik herself in this version may also fall for Yong Zheng and likewise because right now Suet suddenly turns on the charm on Yong Zheng whilst 8th becomes a monk. My feeling is Suet agrees to assist 8th whom she feels is the rightful heir (she thinks Kangxi actually wanted 8th to be prince – she should have just asked Mr Wu and Tin Po for the real version of events) and she pretends to be with Yong Zheng to get information. I hope I am right because this will be exciting because if I am wrong, Suet is a very fickle minded woman (this was written before Episode 18 and I was right!! I think …)
As for Tin Po being Wai Siu Bo, there were some scenes that directly relate to that such as when 4th was battling Songottu (correct my spelling please!) and Tin Po helped to subdue him much like how Wai Siu Bo helped Kangxi to subdue Aobai except Tin Po did it with a fish I think and Siu Bo with his small knife. The former funnier but more dignified, the latter quite devious and more sneaky.
Are you watching this series? If not, you must! It is rather funny and very dramatic. Put aside the whole historical inaccuracy and you will definitely be swept away by the whole palace intrigue. Just bear in mind, it is simplified. For a more attractive and heart breaking version with less politics but more beautiful people and out of this world gorgeous costume, watch BBJX. For more Yong Zheng centred story, you must not miss Yong Zheng Wang Chao and try and see if you can get a good English subtitled copy. The mandarin and the dialogue almost killed me, so very level 10 Mandarin.
FOOTNOTES
Originally posted at http://www.point2e.com/2014/03/o-gilded-chopsticks-tvb2014.html
Series referenced in this commentary
(1) Happy Ever After (TVB)(1999)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-ever-after-tvb.html
(2) Bu Bu Jing Xin / Scarlet Heart (China)(2011)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/bu-bu-jing-xin-tvchina2011.html
(3) Duke Of Mount Deer (TVB)(1998)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/duke-of-mount-deer-1998.html
(4) Duke Of Mount Deer (China)(2000)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/duke-of-mount-deer-2000-taiwan.html
(5) Royal Tramp (China)(2008)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2008/09/royal-tramp-2008-china.html
(6) Yong Zheng Wang Chao/The YongZheng Dynasty (China)(1999)
http://p2e-archive2009.blogspot.com/2011/11/yong-zheng-wang-chao.html
Series not referenced but highly recommended
Secret Battle Of The Majesty (ATV)(1995)
http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/secret-battle-of-majesty-i-ii.html
This commentary is written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com, and was originally posted at www.point2e.com.
I think Wong Cholam has blossomed as an actor thanks to this series, quite funny. Even Jack Wu was funny. But my favourite is Stephanie Ho. Cute, raw and yet sincere and charismatic (the actress herself – qualities that Aimee Chan lacked in Outbound love), her Ma Siu Yu is such a gutsy woman. I am at a very happy place now; Storm in the Cocoon is very enjoyable and followed by this. Been such a long time I’ve had 2 series I look forward to in one night.
ya, Quite like Ma Siu Yu, she is so adorable haha..I was laughing so hard when I was watching her scene with Cho Lam..
i liked all the cast and yes stephanie did really well for her 1st serie. agreed with u funn she is cute.
Thanks for the synopsis Funn. I have to say this is one of the best ones yet — I liked how you juxtaposed the different portrayals in the different shows. It is interesting for me to see how the various TV stations on the mainland and in HK portray Chinese history, that’s why I appreciate the more nuanced characters you described in the other shows (I have BBJX on DVD, have not watched it yet, must check out others). I totally agree with you that the skimpy TVB budget sort of hamstrung GC — I feel like it has a lot of potential to develop the main characters, but with better costumes and perhaps a larger cast. It is a shame because I think the show has a really solid cast. However, I am still torn between whether the comic relief so unsophisticatedly inserted in between the historical parts are needed, it makes it feel like GC can’t decide whether it is primarily a comedy or a historical period drama. It is refreshing though.
Compare this to Storm in a Cocoon… The formulaic script, overacting and exaggeration of the subplots (mostly told in flashbacks), drive me insane. I never felt like wanting to slap Steve Ma so bad.
and i want to slap you
Storm in a cocoon is nice! I love Steven Ma. Why want to slap him? His character is very honourable. Ok maybe acting still not great but I think he is wonderful. Series also exciting. Yes formulaic but at least dramatic, exciting for all the right reasons.
Well, it has taken me some time to get into the series. I actually like Steven Ma a lot too, but it is such a shame the the script isn’t better. I don’t really want to slap him, maybe shake him a little. it’s just that his character has these parts that require such over the top acting. It’s so cliched sometimes, I winced whenever the script made him swoop in like superman to save the day (and the girl). But I have to say that he and Tavia got this amazing chemistry. And I like Evergreen Mak and the actress who plays the murdered second sister.
Her name is Hong Wah.
If you look back at http://www.jaynestars.com/tv-dramas/tvbs-gilded-chopsticks-will-be-more-drama-than-comedy/ , it mentions that GC will be more drama than comedy. And it makes sense that it isn’t over-the-top hilarious since the relationships between the brothers are very strained in actual Chinese history.
And I think they did try to make the cast star-studded with Raymond, Fala, Linda but they all turned it down for different reasons. But at the end, the producer 黃偉聲 decided to work with some of the Inbound Trouble cast and I am quite happy with the cast that was chosen.
Yah, I think the main cast is very solid, I like them a lot. As for the comedy/drama aspect, the last couple of episodes have been quite serious… so yes, definitely can see more of the drama here. Thank you for the link!
Qing hairdos for men are definitely most effective for projecting a buffoonish image of Chinese males.
I really enjoys GC. Story kept me watching and the casts performed very well. I love Stephanie’s character and Ben’s character.
I agree! (:
I love Stephanie’s character and Ben’s character as well.
that’s a lot to read
I really think that Ben should be more highly promoted after this drama! I do like Bosco, RL and Ruco but we keep seeing them everytime though not really complaining haha… Anyway if Wayne Lai can do it so can Ben!
A better drama than Outbound Love. Eventual I was wondering not really like those actors but now very satisfied with all them and I always looking forward to this drama as well as storm in a cocoon. Hope both rating higher than OL.
wong cho lam is hong kong’s face of the year.
there was a 1994 ATV Drama about Yong Zheng acted by Kong Wah … “Secret Battle of the Majesty 九王奪位 / 君臨天下” … although as usual hong kong show are not historically accurate, but this was a more serious version, i like this ATV Version the most =)
actually ATV in the past had many good historical drama such as Hong Hei Gun (starring Donnie Yen & Cheung Ka Fai), Princess Cheung Ping (Michelle Yim, Damian Lau, John Chiang) etc … some ancient or republican era dramas from ATV were also very nice like The Good Old Days and Love In A Miracle (Ruco also played a major character in this drama along side Amy Chan & Ma Jing Tao)… but unfortunately dont seem to be very popular … but before Cable TV was available in Malaysia, the local tv stations air both ATV and TVB dramas at par similarly at prime time slots.
oh yah, and the theme song for the 1994 ATV Drama “Secret Battle of the Majesty 九王奪位 / 君臨天下” was sung by Kristal Tin and Kong Wah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEmrvs775ds
I believe Secret Battle Of The Majesty was a remake of Alex Man classic, I think called Dynasty? Can;t remember the English name. I heard that Alex MAn version was the mother of all such palace intrigues done to perfection and sorta feeds on the myth of Yongzheng’s brutality. But yeah, I love Kong Wah.
“I believe Secret Battle Of The Majesty was a remake of Alex Man classic.”
No. It is not a remake. They are different.
I like Secret Battle of the Majesty too.
Kong Wah is awesome as Yongzheng.
Same subject, same controversies, same story, same characters, same station, different emphasis. It is a remake.
Kong Wah is the most charismatic Yong Zhen to me ever!!! Ever single series based around this era’s historical background is benchmarked against Secret Battle of the Majesty and I always find that no one can portray Yong Zhen as perfect as Kong Wah.
Are Joey and Nancy’s characters fictional?
Definitely enjoying this drama more than I thought and it’s entertaining throughout and this makes me wanna watch BBJX for myself to compare. Is the drama dubbed in Canto? Reading subs for 35 eps doesn’t sound more attractive if that’s the only option possible.
Also, I really like Ben as the emperor. Right now, I can’t see any signs of him being a despotic ruler though. He’s more like the friendliest person alive…
He won’t be despotic. He will be misunderstood. And he can’t be despotic because I hate it if it is that way. Yes he is friendly meaning he has no barriers with his servants. I have more issue with him unable to make any decision without Mr Wu. In fact Mr Wu has my vote as the most ruthless character in this series. He really is politics first, everything last.
Nancy’s character name isn’t fictional and Joey’s character name may be fictional.And in history, Nancy’s character did marry Yongzheng.
And as for Joey’s character, I think it is fictional but the 南山案 was real, just not sure about 南山案受害者之遺裔 part.
Thanks, I was asking because I couldn’t even find anything relating to Nancy’s character on Wiki. Seems like she was just a tool for her brother then. Funny since Lian Kung Yiu should be rather important, but still didn’t find anything about him either.
There was a Nian Geng Yao (Nin Gang Yew)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_Gengyao
You can’t talk about Yongzheng without talking about Nian Geng Yao.
He had a sister who married Yongzheng and her title was Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu
She is not important for Wiki to write about I found here http://myhakkaroots.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-fall-of-imperial-china.html
And I am not sure how accurate but it writes
Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu (敦肅皇貴妃) was the sister of Nian Gengyao. Her rank was just behind the Empress. She bore three sons and a daughter, but none survived adulthood in the Manchu world. Dunsu (敦肅) was Yongzheng’s most favorite concubine and he even took her 12 paintings in different Chinese dresses and backgrounds from The Old Summer Palace (圆明园) to his office in the Forbidden City. Those paintings survived.
I tried googling and came up with a chinese wiki which I think might be about her
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%95%A6%E8%82%85%E7%9A%87%E8%B2%B4%E5%A6%83
I can’t read chinese so I suppose the above para was taken from this Chinese wiki. But I am doubtful because he can’t surely love a woman whose brother antagonises him so much. It could also be a show to Nian Geng Yao to show how much he dotes on the wife.
I do know his empress never gave him a child and he still made her an empress, a rarity.
“But I am doubtful because he can’t surely love a woman whose brother antagonises him so much.”
^ No, according to the Chinese wikipedia, their marriage was arranged by Kangxi and it was before Yongzheng’s reign. Also on the chinese wikipedia, it says that 年氏是康熙末到雍正初雍正最宠爱的女子, which translates to from the period of late Xangxi to Yongzheng’s early reign, she was the most beloved/doted woman. Hence, Yongzheng did love her in actual history and that she was always ranked second in terms of concubine because when she wedded to Yongzheng, she was 側福晉.
“年妃父親去世後也依一等公禮下葬。也就是說，年家除年羹堯這一脈獲罪外，其餘親族並未受到任何牽連”
translates to: When his father died, he was given a first-class public funeral ceremony. That said, aside from Nián gēng yáo, the rest of his family members was not affected.
And even when Nián gēng yáo was punished shortly after his sister’s death, his sister’s death was still given the same honour as the other concubines and his father’s funeral was done in that time period’s first class public ceremony. Hence, your words “he can’t surely love a woman whose brother antagonises him so much” don’t make any sense because Yongzheng was able to separate his family affairs from national affairs. And although Nián gēng yáo was the one who made mistakes, his family members wasn’t affected.
And no, that paragraph wasn’t taken from the Chinese wikipedia. It mentions nothing about the 12 paintings.
That means she was already his wife when he was Duke/Prince. Interesting. Doubtful on the whole he loved her the most but interesting.
“Doubtful on the whole he loved her the most but interesting.”
^ There has been several portrayals of her in dramas, but I do not think that her portrayals was correct. And the stuff I mentioned previously came from her wikipedia page.
There are other sources that mentions how she was his beloved, someone who he treasures. http://talk.ifeng.com/course/youxiukecheng/detail_2012_08/27/17124535_0.shtml?_from_ralated, http://www.merit-times.com/NewsPage.aspx?unid=287890, http://books.sina.com/bg/funny/talent/20110426/195533300.html are all sources that says almost the same message as the wikipedia page.
” 年貴妃與兒子福惠的死，都讓雍正相當傷心。雍正更罕見的追封福惠為親王，展現出雍正的柔情與對年貴妃的懷念。歷史與小說還真是大不同啊，觀眾可以討厭華妃，卻不要牽連無辜的年妃啊！”
translates to: Concubine Nian and their son’s death both made Yongzheng sad. Yongzheng bestowed their son a title, which shows Yongzheng’s tenderness and how he misses her.
History and fiction are very different. Audience can hate her but please don’t tie it with the innocent Concubine Nian”
“雍正在册书中还是充分的肯定了年妃的品性。称她：“秉性柔嘉，持躬淑慎。在藩邸时，事朕克尽敬慎，在皇后前小心恭谨，驭下宽厚平和。朕在即位后，贵妃于皇考，皇妣大事悉皆尽心力尽礼，实能赞儴内政。”并且也暂时缓和了对年羹尧的处分。” –> his description of her in a book.
In another source, it writes “於是她把回家看到的一切如實地都告訴了皇上，並表示了對兄長的不滿. 雍正帝對年氏這種忠君愛國、大義滅親的精神深受感動”
roughly translates to: Rather it was her who went home and reported everything to Yongzheng and she also represented that she was not satisfied with his brother’s action. And the way how Concubine Nian has a loyal subject, love nation spirit, forgets about her relationship with her brother attitude had made him touched.
And even on a yahoo answer, another person also saw Concubine Nian as his most beloved! (http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1012120205517)
And finally, if he didn’t love her or treasure her, he could have punished her due to her brother’s actions but he didn’t in actual history. On some sources, it mentions that her rank among the concubines was contributed to due to their son.
BBJX? Yes I have seen the Cantonese dubbing and I almost had a heart attack hearing the names like so weird. Watch the Mandarin version if only to hear beautiful names.
Chriselle, if you’re interested of BBJX, you can watch the ENglish subtitled Mandarin version,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_xyIMNgq5Y#aid=P-AMfoSydDA
But that is not HD. I remember a fansub HD version in youtube. Let me find that.
As for comparing Gilded CHopsticks with BBJX, I am afraid Gilded Chopsticks is less BBJX but more DOMD and YZWC
BBJX only in terms of costumes.
Great review!
Acting is subjective and can either be great or bad depending on if you like the actors involved (love Ben, not real fond of Louis), but the costumes are indisputably bad and cheap looking.
For me this is the main letdown. It can really drag you back to reality when you start to get into the show.
I also kind of felt they weren’t quite sure what direction they wanted to go with – dramatic/serious or comedic, and so it makes for a very uneven feeling show.
– Maybe it’s just me though, I never liked mixing funny with serious in my entertainment. I also don’t like mixing food on my plate etc. etc. – So that’s probably my own weird hang ups at work lol.
I guess it’s kind of hard to go the comedic route without straying too far from history and getting blasted for it.
Yeah, I hear you. I am open to the mixing, but I don’t know whether that was done successfully. I agree with you that it is hard to take the comedic route with such historical material, but the laughs do spice it up for TV, you know what I mean? I don’t know. Lol. I know I do enjoy watching it. I can see that in the past couple of episodes, it has become a lot more serious. I guess we can revisit the comedy/drama thing again at the end — I am quite curious to see how they wrap up the whole drama.
Omg like seriously Nancy eyebrow is so distracting, Whoever her makeup artist is need to be fired!
Spoiler alert Kei mo suet is definitely helping 8th prince. She never likes 4th prince. A least is my feeling.
I still can’t get over how ‘cheap’ the costumes are in this series. At times when I’m watching, I kind of ‘forget’ that Ben is actually the emperor because he’s rarely ever dressed the part (except for when he’s in the palace court discussing stuff with all his ministers, generals, etc.). And yes, the women are all dressed very plainly as well…
When it comes to costumes and real-looking scenery, TVB series still can’t compare to Mainland China series…
Such a confusing review, so hard to tell what u r reviewing. Tell tale sign of a clustered confused mind
It is obvious what I am commenting on. Maybe you just don’t know how to read.
It could be confusing for those who didn’t watch Yong Zheng Wang Chao (YZWC) or the other dramas you mentioned in this review.
Not the first time this commenter made disparaging remarks. So I will say he or she can’t read
Have you thought that this commenter could be young or maybe, English isn’t his/her first language?
The vocabulary you use is not that elementary school-level friendly. For example, instead of saying “absolutely necessary”, you would use words such as indespensible.
Mhm, what did this commenter say the first time? Same thing?
If this commenter said the same thing the first time, I would just ignore it if this commenter keeps on making the same comment
I love this tv show is so awsome and cool
Love WONG CHO LAM!!!!!!!!,
Why????????i think the costumes are okay
Not bad but better then the Chinese episode
In china!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think both these shows are boring.
ABSOLUTELY BORING… FILL-IN SHOWS… HK GOT NO MORE “QUALITY” ACTORS/ACTRESSES…
Thought the original intent or script was just have a light-hearted show with a little drama with Wong Cho Lam with the usual happy ending. But then I guess someone (upper management) had an epiphany and changed the script around and wrap a recognizable piece of history around the original story which ultimately “screwed” everything up. But again, it could be just lousy script writing all the way around.
Aptos, even before they broadcasted this drama, it was said that this drama would have more drama than comedy. And I found these on the Wikipedia pages of the drama, which suggests why Gilded Chopsticks was re-developed.
“Although the sales presentation cast was only signed on to film the trailer, Tommy Leung, director of TVB’s dramatic production department, expressed that the characters in Gilded Chopsticks were written with the sales presentation cast in mind.”
“由黃智賢擔任劇中第二男主角（原本為郭晉安的角色，但由於在另一劇集《舌劍上的公堂》擔正男一而且兩劇同時拍攝，所以才改由黃智賢參演），飾演雍正帝，該劇後來全劇大換血，劇本亦重新構思，其他演員與《老表，你好嘢！》雷同，包括﹕王祖藍、萬綺雯、張繼聰、林盛斌等。”