Strange Tales of Liao Zhai: Xiao Qian
May. 2nd, 2007 05:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreStrange Tales of Liao Zhai, or Liao Zhai Zhi Yi , is a 36 episode cdrama about 6(6 episodes each) of 500 supernatural stories in a work by the same name. The first of the 6 stories here is Xiao Qian.
In ancient China, a travelling medicine man named Cai Chen makes a promise to children in a mountain village that he will find their teacher for them, who had left to earn money for the village and ask him to return. Along the way he meets a beautiful woman named Xiao Qian, who is really a fox demon who uses men's lust and greed to lure them in and kill them. Cai Chen, however, is very innocent and almost absurdly selfless, and when all his requests and dreams are for others, her own heart is awakened and she falls in love with him. At the same time, a blind priest who was once married to a demon(and left her when he learned what she was) saves Cai Chen from several demons he meets along the way and sets out to save him from Xiao Qian, too. However, Cai Chen and Xiao Qian are able to convince of their love, and that she can be good, and he resolves to help him. Of course, we can't have a supernatural love story without a villain, and as punishment for failing to bring her souls, Xiao Qian's master(who is also the priest's former wife) married her to another demon, and Cai Chen and the priest set out to save her.
I liked this story quite a bit. I like Hu Ge as Xiao Yao in Chinese Paladin, but didn't get the big deal about him there. But here I do...Cai Chen is so different from Xiao Yao that I almost can't believe it's the same actor. He's hopelessly naive, but very kind and good hearted, and brave without being foolhardy. Xiao Qian, though evil at first, is a good foil for him, and also very likable. The priest and his former wife are also very interesting, as is their story.
Visually, it reminds me a lot of Chinese Paladin(though not as bright) which really isn't surprising...it came out at about the same time, and several cast members are in it. The visuals are stunning, and the special effects, while slightly campy at times, are very good for fantasy TV.
And yes, because it's a period cdrama, there is angstangstangst(though understated and not drowning) and death and doomed love and sidestories.
I don't know my opinion of the series as a whole yet, as each story has a completely different plot and cast, but I give this story a rec.
In ancient China, a travelling medicine man named Cai Chen makes a promise to children in a mountain village that he will find their teacher for them, who had left to earn money for the village and ask him to return. Along the way he meets a beautiful woman named Xiao Qian, who is really a fox demon who uses men's lust and greed to lure them in and kill them. Cai Chen, however, is very innocent and almost absurdly selfless, and when all his requests and dreams are for others, her own heart is awakened and she falls in love with him. At the same time, a blind priest who was once married to a demon(and left her when he learned what she was) saves Cai Chen from several demons he meets along the way and sets out to save him from Xiao Qian, too. However, Cai Chen and Xiao Qian are able to convince of their love, and that she can be good, and he resolves to help him. Of course, we can't have a supernatural love story without a villain, and as punishment for failing to bring her souls, Xiao Qian's master(who is also the priest's former wife) married her to another demon, and Cai Chen and the priest set out to save her.
I liked this story quite a bit. I like Hu Ge as Xiao Yao in Chinese Paladin, but didn't get the big deal about him there. But here I do...Cai Chen is so different from Xiao Yao that I almost can't believe it's the same actor. He's hopelessly naive, but very kind and good hearted, and brave without being foolhardy. Xiao Qian, though evil at first, is a good foil for him, and also very likable. The priest and his former wife are also very interesting, as is their story.
Visually, it reminds me a lot of Chinese Paladin(though not as bright) which really isn't surprising...it came out at about the same time, and several cast members are in it. The visuals are stunning, and the special effects, while slightly campy at times, are very good for fantasy TV.
And yes, because it's a period cdrama, there is angstangstangst(though understated and not drowning) and death and doomed love and sidestories.
I don't know my opinion of the series as a whole yet, as each story has a completely different plot and cast, but I give this story a rec.