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Michael's Take: Jun Jiu Ling
- Michael's Take: Jun Jiu Ling
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Michael's Take: Jun Jiu Ling
Michael > December 9th, 2023, 07:03 PM
![[Image: michaels-take-jun-jiu-ling.jpg]](https://forums.sf-fandom.com/images/embeds/michaels-take-jun-jiu-ling.jpg)
Peng Xiaran and Jin Han star in 'Jun Jiu Ling'
Jun Jiu Ling is classic Imperial Court Drama at its finest
I loved this show. I enjoyed every episode. I hadn't really paid attention to it before but because it starred Peng Xiaoran (Romance Of A Twin Flower and Novoland: Shining Just For You) I knew I had to watch it.
As it turns out I watched these three series in reverse order. Jun Jiu Ling was broadcast on YouKu from September 7, 2021 through October 11, 2021. The show runs to 40 episodes.
It was soon followed by Shining Just For You (from the Novoland franchise) and then Romance of A Twin Flower. Peng Xiaoran also appeared in a contemporary Cdrama called To Our Dreamland of Ice immediately after Jun Jiu Ling but I've had trouble getting into the contemporary stories.
I'm not very familiar with Peng Xiaoran's career or life, but as I understand it, her big break came in 2019 when she co-starred in Good-bye, My Princess, her first main role. She earned critical and fan acclaim for that performance but I haven't watched the show yet. And then the pandemic came along and she apparently took a break from acting.
She returned to TV productions with minor roles in 2 shows in early 2021 (Faith Makes Great and Refinement of Faith). But her next major (leading) role was as Princess Chu Jiu Ling in Jun Jiu Ling. And I must say this show just blows so many other CDramas out of the water.
Basic Premise of the Show
Two actresses share the role of the adult Chu Jiu Ling.
The drama begins with an imperial wedding. Princess Chu Jiu Ling (played by He Hang Shan) has just married Lord Lu Yun Qi (played by Du Ya Fei). They are brought before the emperor (her uncle Chu Rang, played by Liu Jun). Chu Jiu Ling approaches her uncle and accuses him of killing her father and taking the throne. And Chu Rang immediately confesses to his crime in a whisper, daring Chu Jiu Ling to do something about his plot.
She then tries to stab him with a hidden knife, but Lu Yun Qi stops her. The princess is then taken away and imprisoned. Chu Rang orders her death but Lu Yun Qi swears to save her.
That said, Chu Jiu Ling is visited by her teacher, Doctor Jun Ying Wen (played by Wang Gang) and his daughter Jun Zhen Zhen (played by Peng Xiao Ran). Jiuling and ZhenZhen are best friends and they have basically grown up together.
Because Jiuling has been brutally tortured ZhenZhen decides to take her place in the cell to give her father time to get the princess away. She's too weak to flee on her own. ZhenZhen then starts a fire and sacrifices herself to make everyone believe that Chu Jiu Ling has died. Lu Yun Qi arrives too late to stop the fire.
Jun Ying Wen takes Chu Jiu Ling out of the imperial capital (TianYou) to a secret hideout. There he saves her life and gives her a new face based on his own daughter. When she recovers he tells her that it will be best for her to assume ZhenZhen's identity until she can find a way to take revenge for her father. So it is at this point that Peng Xiao Ran takes over the role of ZhenZhen and from now on Hong He Shan only appears in occasional flashbacks (most of which reveal new things about the character).
Unfortunately, Doctor Jun YingWen slips and falls while collecting herbs in the mountainous terrain. Chu Jiu Ling/Jun ZhenZhen finds him as he lays dying. He whispers his last command to her: to go to ZhenZhen's only remaining relatives in the city of Zezhou and solve a mystery that he was unable to resolve. He tells her that it affects the fate of the empire.
Ying Wen gives Jiu Ling/Zhen Zhen a marriage contract and tells her to meet his household servants in a town on the way to ZeZhou. She buries him there on the mountainside and sets out on her new life.
By the time Jiu Ling/Zhen Zhen arrives at her first destination, most of the servants have given up waiting for Doctor Jun. Only a young maid, Liu Er (played by Chen Fang Tong) is still waiting, and she has run out of money. Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen settles her debts and takes her as a servant. They then travel together to ZeZhou, where Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen presents herself to the Fang family.
The real ZhenZhen's mother was one of three daughters of the Fang family. After she married Jun Ying Wen she went off with him to TianYou and lost contact with her family. She died from an illness when ZhenZhen was young.
The Fangs distrust Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen but because of her lifelong friendship with the real ZhenZhen she's able to answer the family's questions and convinces them that she is their long lost granddaughter/cousin.
From this point forward, the show follows Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen as she meets various influential people, wraps up ZhenZhen's personal affairs, makes new enemies, and uncovers secrets that are connected to the mystery Jun Ying Wen had told her to solve. She travels back and forth between ZeZhou and TianYou and gradually works her way closer to the court, preparing for the day when she can confront Chu Rang (again).
Background of the Story
The show is classified as Historical, Mystery, Romance, Drama. It's got some fantasy aspects because of the Wuxia-style fighting scenes. And, frankly, as Jun ZhenZhen (later Jun Jiu Ling), the lead character pulls off some incredible medical miracles (all plausible enough in terms of modern medicine, but this story is set like 1200 years ago, give or take).
TianYou is an actual name for several different periods of Chinese history, the oldest occurring in the 10th century. I'm not sure why the capital is called TianYou, but their main rival is BeiQi (Northern Qi), which was a historical kingdom situated on the northern coast of China facing Korea. The rival kingdom of Chen lay to the south of Northern Qi, mostly facing what is now Taiwan and encompassing Hong Kong and southern China. There are many place names featuring "TianYou" in these areas.
There is a character in the show named Chen Qi (played by Yang Yi Fei). He's kind of a down-on-his-luck street vendor but several times characters note that his family name (Chen) has historical significance. So I think that's a nod to the historical Chen empire. Many of these shows have a Chen family in them, sometimes in royal positions.
As the story begins TianYou and BeiQi have been at war for many years. The border is defended by Lord Cheng/Zhu Shan (played by Tan Kai) and Earl of Qinghe (I'm not sure who played him).
The Fang family is one of the wealthiest families in the empire. Even so, they are looked down upon by the noble families, including the Ning family of ZeZhou, with whom Jun ZhenZhen's marriage was arranged. She had never met her fiance, so Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen was able to convince the Ning family she was her dead friend.
The various sub-plots of the story all relate to the conflict between TianYou and BeiQi, and some of the story takes place way up north as well as in ZeZhou and the capital.
The name Jun Jiu Ling actually comes from an ancestral family pharmacy that has been stolen by a street gang leader. Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen goes to claim the pharmacy under her friend's name (Jun ZhenZhen), but ultimately decides not to contest ownership of the land. Instead, she just takes the pharmacy sign and renames herself Jun Jiu Ling, thus honoring ZhenZhen's family AND reclaiming her own birth name.
From that point forward, she is almost always referred to as Jun Jiu Ling by the other characters.
Michael's Take on Jun Jiu Ling
This is one of the most complicated Cdramas I've ever watched. And it doesn't help that if you look up summaries on the Web they all differ on details. I'm using names as provided by the English subtitle translations in the YouTube videos, but some of the characters' names are different on the various Websites.
The screenwriter is Li Ming Chao and he only has a few dramas to his name. Jun Jiu Ling is the most recent of those productions.
The director is Xie Ze, and he also directed Romance Of A Twin Flower and Luoyang (among other productions I haven't watched). Given that I've enjoyed both those other shows, I'm not surprised I loved Jun Jiu Ling.
The story is adapted from a novel, Jun Jiuling, written by Xi Xing. I don't know much about this author but the book received rave reviews from online readers. That said, I gather the book and TV show stories are very different from each other (as so often happens).
The show tells a story about rebirth (a common motif in Cdramas), but in this case the rebirth is metaphorical (and symbolic), not literal. And some of the characters tease a sort of joking subtext about the rebirth trope.
The story is also about revenge, intrigue, warfare, and companionship. In fact, companionship in many forms is explored through the various characters' relationships. Jun Jiuling herself is engaged (or married) several times, but there's always a twist.
She's one of the most complex female lead characters I've encountered so far. Having grown up in the imperial court, Jiuling understands how to play the game of politics better than most of the ministers, lords, and princes she must contend with. She manages to stay one step ahead of her enemies most of the time. She's not infallible. And she has her moments of doubt.
Jiuling also falls in love, and sort of falls in like. At least four men pursue her throughout the story. None of them know who she is but some of them knew her when she was a child or as the princess (including her husband Lu Yun Qi).
The main male lead is Zhu Zan ("His Lordship"), son of General/Lord Cheng/Zhu Shan. Zhu Zan grew up with Chu Jiu Ling but he had to leave the capital when she was about 12 years old. He went north to fight BeiQi with his father. Jiuling had feelings for Zhu Zan but she didn't know he was already deeply in love with her.
Ning Yun Zhao (played by Wang You Shuo) is the First Son of the Ning family of ZeZhou. He's smart, handsome, and brave. He's got all the qualities of a great leading man except that he doesn't fight. His relationship with Jun Jiu Ling/ZhenZhen is complicated and interesting. In fact, their first meeting is one of the best scenes in the show.
Lu Yun Qi is kind of a cardboard cutout of a villain. I'm not sure of why he does some of the things he does. In fact, he's driven by a secret motivation that is only revealed at the very end of the show. While I'm not sure I like how they got the character to that point, it does make sense.
Jun Jiuling's relationship with the Fang family is well done. She not only earns their trust, they in turn earn her love and respect. You could end up wishing they had spent more time developing the Fang-Jiuling dynamic, but the story is really tightly paced.
In fact, there is so much going on in the story that every now and then they literally speed things up by having characters say they're going to do something (or that something is going to happen) in one scene and then in the very next scene they "wrap things up" by explaining to the audience what happened. While that's not considered good writing, it appears to be a response to the reduction in Cdrama budgets (and episode numbers) that was mandated around 2020/2021. I think this story would have played out much better as a 60-episode series rather than 40 episodes. But Director Xie Ze did a good job of transitioning through those speed bumps (basically, missing scenes).
I think what clinches the tale for most people, however, is Jiuling's personal growth. She must learn a few lessons about love, life, trust, and justice along the way to seeking her final revenge against Chu Rang. Things don't always go as planned or hoped. Each setback forces her to re-evaluate what she wants to do, and how she wants to do things.
But what really challenges her is all the attention she garners from the various young men who enter her life. She can only fall in love with one and the audience is left guessing for a quite a long time who her choice will be. There are 2 really good candidates for soul mate and 1 pretty good candidate. And it's not clear whether she'll be free to make her own choice or have to live with someone else's decision.
But the way different families value marriage and relationships keeps the audience a bit off-balance. What should on the surface seem like a good marriage is often challenged for various reasons.
Meanwhile, Jiuling must forge relationships with many women, including the grandmother and daughters of the Fang family and the granddaughters who are her own "cousins" (actually, Jun ZhenZhen's cousins), as well as women who support her enemies, and others. Some of the petty rivalries may seem distracting but they serve purposes toward advancing the plot and helping the characters grow.
Final Thoughts
I can't really do this show justice without revealing a lot of plot details. There are many touching, heart-warming scenes that I felt were done very well. And there is a lot of humor in the show. I found myself laughing at many situations in a natural way, almost as if I was living life right alongside the characters. That's a rare feeling for me when I watch any kind of drama. The banter and humor are so natural and lifelike, it just means the script is well-written in some parts and very well-acted.
Watching Jiuling balance all the details of her complicated life is a fun distraction. She's never sure at first of whom she can trust, which leads to some stunning revelations and surprises.
But so many of the actors did really great jobs, whether their parts were big or small. This show was one of those amazing productions where everything seems to go right for the audience.
People who enjoy Wuxia-style martial arts stories won't be disappointed. Although fighting is not really a big part of the story, nearly every fight scene is well coordinated and the actors perform some cool stunts.
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