First Impressions: A Dream of Splendor (梦华录) | Chinese Drama

A Dream of Splendor (梦华录)

Synopsis

Zhao Pan Er, a teahouse owner, is abandoned by Ouyang Xu after passing the scholar exam. She travels to the Eastern Capital and, along the way, saves Gu Qian Fan, an officer from the capital, Sun San Niang, her friend who tried to commit suicide, and Song Yin Zhang, her friend’s little sister. Together the three women learn to rely on themselves by opening a teahouse in the Eastern Capital.

A Dream of Splendor (梦华录 / Meng Hua Lu) is adapted from a play by a Chinese playwright and poet in the Yuan Dynasty, Guan Haiqing‘s Saving a Prostitute or Zhao Pan Er Feng Yue Jiu Feng Chen (赵盼儿风月救风尘). The similarities of Saving a Prostitute and A Dream of Splendor is only the portion of Zhao Pan Er saving Song Yin Zhang from her ex-husband. All that comes afterwards Pan Er saving Yin Zhang and the personalities of the characters are unique to A Dream of Splendor.

First Impressions: A Dream of Splendor (梦华录)

episodes 1 – 14

Character Introductions

Crystal Liu Yi Fei (刘亦菲) from the most recent Disney live-action Mulan (2020) adaptation portrays Zhao Pan Er. At nine years old, Zhao Pan Er became an official slave and worked in the Hangzhou Music Bureau. Due to the governor’s amnesty, she became a free person at age sixteen. Zhao Pan Er survives throughout the years with her quick-witted knowledge and hard work in running a teahouse in Qian Tang County. Zhao Pan Er recused and supported Ouyang Xu for three years on his journey to becoming a scholar. Once Ouyang Xu passes his exam, the two plan to marry and move to the Eastern Capital. While waiting in Qian Tang for his good news, she finds that he gets betrothed to another woman in the Eastern Capital after passing the exam. In hopes that the news may be false, she travels to the Eastern Capital to seek the truth from Ouyang Xu. 

Chen Xiao (陈晓), known for his roles in Legend of Lu Zhen (2013) and Romance of the Condor Heroes (2014), portrays Gu Qian Fan. Gu Qian Fan is known by many as the “Living Devil” from the Capital Security Office. He is known for being cold and ruthless. Gu Qian Fan is tasked with retrieving “The Night Revels,” a painting of the Empress located in Qian Tang County. Through several coincidences, he meets Zhao Pan Er, who continues to surprise him and lend him a hand. Despite butting heads initially, the two soon become friends as they learn more about each other on the journey to the Eastern Capital. 

Liu Yan (柳岩) portrays Sun San Niang, who used to be a butcher and is talented at cooking. She is a close friend of Zhao Pan Er and provides desserts for the teahouse. Sun San Niang works hard to provide for her husband and son but gets betrayed by them. She decides to end her life by jumping into the river to commit suicide. Zhao Pan Er, who expected her to be in Qian Tang County, happens to find her body floating on the river and accompanies her to health. 

Jelly Lin Yun (林允) portrays Song Yin Zhang, a gifted pipa player who is part of the music bureau. Song Yin Zhang was left to the care of Zhao Pan Er, who was once part of the music bureau. Ashamed of her association with the music bureau and naïve to the world, she gets tricked by Zhou She and leaves Qian Tang County. On Zhao Pan Er’s journey to the Eastern Capital, she happens to find Song Yin Zhang’s whereabouts and tries to help her. 

Overall Impressions

So far, I like what we have been presented with and its direction. I like how each character has a story and a motive to make me feel like I can look forward to what’s coming next. There are minor things that hinder my watching experience, like the exaggerating comedy. It can feel off-putting to the overall feel of the drama. An example would be the screaming present when Sun San Niang attacks someone. Or even the fast-forward walking during the women’s battle with Chi Ya Nei. The comedic scenes with He Si were more humorous and well done. I feel like, at times, the acting is a bit lacking, but I still have a good impression overall. The actors and actresses still deliver when needed for their role and the scene they’re trying to depict. There are moments when I feel like the show gets slightly boring, and that’s when Gu Qian Fan jumps in and picks it up.

These four things are what are making me enjoy the drama so far:

1. The teahouse business aspect of it adds a unique charm to the show. It shows the beauty of making tea the traditional way, the strengths of these three women in how they do business, and contradicting elegance of the three women’s current status. 
2. The woman supporting woman and sismance is another unique aspect of this drama. We typically don’t receive these themes in a historical setting without them being heavily influenced by the palace or harem fights.  
3. The character setup, backstories, and motives are unique to each character. The director and screenwriter took the time to make sure we not only see but understand where they came from and why they are acting a certain way. For example, episode one starts with Zhao Pan Er narrating the people’s roles around her. Eventually, they get rid of the narration and continue to show us through Zhao Pan Er’s journey to see the importance of Sun San Niang and Song Yin Zhang in the story. 
4. The production looks great with gorgeous sets. I feel the difference between the bustling streets of the Eastern Capital where the Half-hidden teahouse sits versus the simple yet quaint Qin Tang County teahouse. I like the coloring and lighting in the drama and the styling of the characters. I’m not a Song dynasty expert, so I’m not sure if the outfits and hairdo match the dynasty, but I just appreciate that the focus of their outfits isn’t solely going towards Liu Yi Fei. I feel like a lot of thought was done towards Zhao Pan Er, Sun San Ning, and Song Yin Zhang’s outfits and hairdos to match their characters’ backgrounds and personalities without comprising each actress’s beauty.  

The romance seems to be mutual at this point of the show (no confession or kiss scenes yet), but there are many things left to unravel. Zhao Pan Er has yet to settle her situation with Ouyang Xu. From the ending scene compilation, Sun San Niang seems to be involved romantically with Du Chang Feng. Song Yin Zhang has yet to establish her career within the music department. Lastly, Gu Qian Fan still has a lot of mystery and baggage to unpack with his family and the palace. My biggest worry is having such a good setup of four characters, but the director and screenwriter may not do much with all of them. I would hate to see things rushed, choppy, or skipped to focus too much on one thing or another. I’ll be back with a final review if the drama continues to hook me on! 

If you have started A Dream of Splendor, and don’t mind sharing your initial opinions with me, do leave a comment!

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