Cdrama Review – The Story of Ming Lan

00. Quick Thoughts

How long has it been since I wrote something? Hmmmmmm. Covid sucked the life out of me and everybody around me. The past 2 years have been rough and I won’t deny that. Nothing much happened in all honesty and I didn’t watch anything new either. I relied on my constant re-watch and was content. I did start a few here and there but nothing clicked until The Story of Ming Lan.

Zanilia Zhao is one of the first actresses I encountered starting out in cdramas. She’s a hit and miss for me. Watched a few of her shows, mostly historical, and she’s OK but I’m not a big fan.

Stumbled upon this show by accident. I got lured by that sparkly poster and since she’s familiar, I dived into it.

Boy was I in for a ride…

01. A Dive Into

The Story of Ming Lan follows the life of Sheng Ming Lan (played by Zhao Liying), a brilliant and resilient young woman born as the sixth daughter to a noble but dysfunctional family during the Song Dynasty. Despite her intelligence and inner strength, she is sidelined and mistreated by her family, especially because she is the child of a concubine.

The story explores Ming Lan’s transformation from an overlooked daughter to a respected wife and mother, triumphing over those who tried to suppress her and ultimately finding love, success, and independence.

02. Meet the Characters

There’s a plethora of characters in the Story of Ming Lan and each character has their purpose. While we won’t list every single one, let’s talk about who’s who.

Sheng Ming Lan – Zhao Li Ying

Ming Lan is the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, born to a concubine, which places her in a disadvantaged position.

Despite facing mistreatment from her family, she grows into a strong, strategic woman who knows how to protect herself and the people she loves.

Gu Ting Ye – Feng Sheo Feng

The charismatic and rebellious heir of the Gu family, Ting Ye is known for his sharp mind and martial prowess. His reputation is tarnished due to misunderstandings and a complex family history, but he is far more noble and loyal than others realize.

Qi Heng –
Zhu Yi Long

Qi Heng is a noble young man from an influential family, refined, gentle, and deeply kind-hearted. Despite his noble status and the privileges that come with it, Qi Heng’s life is constrained by his family’s expectations and the rigid societal norms of the time.

Sheng Ru Lan – Karlina Zhan

Ru Lan is the fourth daughter of the Sheng family and is the legitimate daughter of Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu. Unlike her sisters, Ru Lan is outspoken, straightforward, and has a spirited personality.

Sheng Mo Lan – Kira Shi

Mo Lan, the fifth daughter, is the child of Sheng Hong and his concubine, Lin Qin Shuang. Mo Lan is ambitious, cunning, and highly aware of her lower status as a concubine’s daughter. She craves social status and respect, often going to great lengths to achieve her goals, even if it means using manipulation and deceit.

Sheng Hong – Liu Jun

Sheng Hong is a well-intentioned but weak-willed official who struggles to keep peace between his legitimate wife and concubines. He cares about his family’s reputation but often fails to see through the manipulations of others, especially his main wife and other influential family members.

Wang Ruo Fu – Liu Lin

As the main wife of Sheng Hong, Wang Ruo Fu is highly protective of her children and often insecure, especially around the concubines and their children.

Lin Qin Shuang – Gao Lu

Lin Qin Shuan is Sheng Hong’s concubine. Ambitious and shrewd, she uses her position to manipulate Sheng Hong to shift things in her favor. She has a strained relationship with Wang Ruofu and is a central antagonist in Ming Lan’s life.

03. Plot Points & Popcorn Moments

Sibling Dynamics

Ming Lan grew up with many siblings but the first half of the story focuses on the rivalry of the three – Ming Lan, Ru Lan and Mo Lan. Ru Lan is the main wife’s daughter, Mo Lan and Ming Lan are concubine-born.

There’s not much to say about Ru Lan though. As the main wife’s daughter, she’s pampered and treated like a princess. She’s not a wallflower. She’s very feisty, vocal, and stubborn. A deadly combo. She knows her status and she flaunts it but not in an overbearing way.

Mo Lan is different. She’s the vixen and she knows how to play her cards. She’s actually a mini-me of her mother, Lin Qin Shuang. If you hate her, you’ll definitely hate Mo Lan as well. She cries her way through conflicts because she knows she can get away with a few tears. She knows she’s the favored daughter and likes to show off.

Ming Lan on the other hand is committed and unwavering. She’s smart and smart enough to know why she must hide her true self. The amount of unnecessary drama is not worth it so she stays in the shadow.

I’ve watched a number of FL and Ming Lan stands out because she doesn’t pretend to be a damsel in distress. She firmly believes in her actions. She has conviction and she’s prepared for the consequences.

Stuff happens in waves. Ru Lan will tease Mo Lan. Mo Lan will counter and fight back. Ming Lan is stuck at the middle trying to pacify her sisters. It’s always a competition. A battle for attention and affection with Ming Lan always playing the referee.

Episode 10 is where their dynamic shows. The episode where they got scolded for fighting while getting etiquette training. I especially liked this episode because it put everybody in their places. This is embarrassing for all the people involved, to be scolded by an outsider of all people.

Ming Lan + Old Madam Sheng

Ming Lan grew up with the old matriarch. Although she’s not favored by her family, she knows she has someone to rely on. The love between these two is very endearing.

Even though Old Madam Sheng gave Ming Lan all the guidance and love she deserves, she didn’t openly show it. If her granddaughter did something, she gave her a mouthful. She does not tolerate anything. This gave Ming Lan the proper guidance and foundation growing up.

The bond between them is strong and it shows.

Parents and the Harem

To sum the harem, it’s the typical cliche combination. The jealous main wife. The overbearing and spoiled concubine. The timid and forgiving second concubine (who dies early without proper screen time) *sigh*. The head of the household who can’t maintain peace in his harem. Fairly basic.

I want to give a highlight to Lin Qin Shuang though. She was a great character despite how she behaved. She’s the necessary evil and she did it flawlessly.

I actually admire her because she gave a good fight. Her rivalry with Wang Ruo Fu is the least toxic I’ve encountered but the most heartbreaking. Wang Ruo Fu IMO is harmless. Although she wasn’t scheming, she was integral to the whole dynamic. It was evident when Lin Qin Shuang died. I was sure she got bored after losing her rival.

It was never a fight between the wives but a rivalry between the children.

I don’t want to dwell much on Sheng Hong because he’s your typical head of the household. Selfish to the bitter end. He does have a few highlights but I still disliked him. All the shit he did not only to his wives but to his children. He wasn’t extreme per se but I still disliked him. Everything about this dude was honor, position, and himself.

Now to the juicy part.

Gu Ting Ye

I adore Gu Ting Ye. I admit that I am biased but he does justify my one-sidedness. Not only is he a funny character, but he’s also the kind of man other men aspire to be. Although he is rough around the edges, he isn’t crass. He’s actually a smart and funny guy and it shows.

If Ming Lan is stubborn and loyal, Gu Ting Ye takes it up a notch. He knows what he wants and is very vocal about it. The lengths he goes to protect the people he loves are admirable. He has so much to give which I appreciate especially with how rough his childhood was.

Qi Heng

Ahhhh lover boy number 2, or who I dubbed The-Man-Who-Didn’t-Have-Balls. Seriously! I actually liked him in the beginning. He has the charm of Kim Seon Ho. A man you’d like to oogle at.

Qi Heng is very dutiful and dedicated whether it be studies or filial piety. He’s the kind of man that every mother wants for their daughters. He’s intelligent and regal but quite dumb. Boy did he fuck up big time! What happened to their love story is nobody’s fault but his own and I felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.

Ming Lan loved both dudes. She loved them dearly but differently.

Ming Lan + Qi Heng

Qi Heng and Ming Lan was sweet and innocent like every first love. They were childhood lovers. They were actually cute together. If Qi Heng fought for Min Lan I might have given him a chance. Dude had all the chance but blew it the moment he was cornered. Gu Ting Ye was even supportive from the start because who wouldn’t want to see two budding lovers? They were young and in love.

Qi Heng knew their status was not a match. He should have taken the necessary actions prior. Nobody knew his mom better than him. Everybody understood what that meant. This is the same reason why Old Madam Sheng matchmade Ming Lan to someone else.

Thinking about it, I got a quick flashback to Wang Wook-Hae Soo-Wang So from a 2016 kdrama, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Circumstances are different but the gist remains. The heartbreak/disappointment I had on that one was intense. For me to see the resemblance speaks a lot about this doomed affair.

What I find funny is how Qi Heng had now grown balls to confront Gu Ting Ye after finding out about his marriage to Ming Lan. Dude!!! Why must you be indignant after giving excuse after excuse? At least Gu Ting Yi had the guts to scheme in order for them to marry. He did something. Conniving as it is, at least he did something to prove his intentions. Mu Lan is smart enough to see through it. Gu Ting Ye knew from the get-go that Mu Lan will understand what he intends to do.

Let’s give it to Ming Lan to also give herself respect and the chance to be a priority and be loved. I know that she loves Qi Heng and wished to be his wife but after all the shit she experienced, girl deserves better. A man who can fight for her whatever it took and will come back from the depths of hell to do so. I am showing my biased towards this couple because they are both worthy.

After years have passed, Qi Heng still remained bitter. Everybody moved on beside him. Felt sad for a smidge but thinking about it, he chose every single shit that happened to him. Not fighting for Ming Lan. Him not asking for her hand after the first wife died. Choosing to clash with Gu Ting Ye in court out of spite.

Justifying everything because according to him, he wanted to have accomplishments. Something to show. That’s the only way in his mind to be worthy. PFfffft! Boy, please. This shows how Gu Ting Ye is leagues ahead of you as a man and a husband.

Ming Lan + Gu Ting Ye

Gu Ting Ye and Ming Lan was a better fit IMO. Gu Ting Ye knew Ming Lan deserved the world. They both did. He did not only treat her like his equal but also loved her passionately. He made her feel important and significant. They respected and loved as much as the other.

Their romance was a slow burn. It didn’t pretend that Gu Ting Ye and Ming Lan had it easy because it wasn’t. It didn’t push the idea that they will end up together from the start. We go through the experience along with them. The heartbreaks, the romance, the blossoming of a relationship. A partnership between two people who needed and wanted each other.

04. Did This Drama Wok My Fancy?

The Story of Ming Lan is a testament to what a good script and amazing directorial produces. This coming from a big fan of Nirvana in Fire who still re-watches it countless times.

There was no filler content. Resolutions are given to conflicts. Characters didn’t appear or vanished into oblivion. Characters were fleshed out. Nobody is insignificant. This is where most series fail especially with a show this long. Filler content is sloppy and lazy and The Story of Ming Lan didn’t take the easy road. It was intentional in its direction. I laughed, I cried, I gritted my teeth. Loved characters and equally hated others. I experienced a ton of emotions that I didn’t expect.

The only thing that I would change is how long it was. This is a 78 episode production. Truth be told, nobody has time for that. The pacing was on point but I could have slashed a few things here and there.

05. Weekend Binge or Weeknight Dud?

This is not an easy show. This is a series where you need to commit because there’s a lot that the show offers. I promise you a good amount of feel-good stories, a few heartaches, and a ton of laughs.

If you’re looking for a quick romance, this is not for you. If you’re looking for a feisty court drama, you’re better off binging Joy of Life.

The Story of Ming Lan is a long show that will make you invest in everything it has to offer. It showcases an amazing cast and a good director/script combo. It’s a healthy mix of romance, conflict, and drama. If you want to watch a well-rounded show that you can recommend to almost anybody, it’s this one.