Review: _Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms_ is enchanting and full of story

Tweet

Continuing on with my infatuation in Asian dramas, a recent pleasure has been the Chinese wuxia drama, _Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms._ Set in the worlds of Chinese mythology, this one follows the troubled relationship of a couple through treachery, love, and a very uncertain future. In the Celestial Realm, there is Mount Kunlun, the most sacred site in all the worlds. The God of War, Mo Yuan (Mark Chao). As a favour to a fellow immortal, he takes on a new disciple, Bai Qian (Yang Mi), who is not only a girl, but also a member of the Fox tribe. It is unusual to say the least, and she disguises herself as a young man with the name Su Yin -- which means 'Seventeen.' On the same day, another young man comes to Kunlun, Zhi Lan (Lui Ruilin), and he develops a friendly rivalry with Su Yin. Not only does Su Lin become a disciple of Mo Yuan, he also gifts her with the Fan of Virtuous Jade -- a weapon that is both dangerous and useful. Clearly she is due to become a favourite of Mo Yuan. But she's also impetuous and can be her own worse enemy, with a temper that flares quickly and without warning. In the main part of the Celestial realm, rules the Heavenly Lord (Jiang Kai). He has arranged a marriage between his second son and Bai Qian/Su Jin, but when Sang Ji travels to the Fox Tribe's realm, Qing Qiu, he meets a snake spirit, and is smitten by her. Bringing her to the Celestial Realm, he announces his desire to marry her, which will have disasterous consequences for everyone. He and his serpent bride are banished to a minor realm in the north. Which leaves Bai Qian without a husband, and deeply insulting the Fox Tribe. Bai Qian doesn't seem upset, as she's involved with her martial arts and with more than a little crush on Mo Yuan. A journey to the Ghost Tribe where she meets Li Jing, the younger son of the Ghost Lord. Li Jing (Vin Zhang) lives in the shadow of his elder brother and father, and stays unnoticed and pretty much drunk. The Ghost Lord, Qing Cang (Lian Yiming) who intends to drown all of the worlds in crimson hellfire, and this sets off a war involving all of the immortals. But in the war that follows, Mo Yuan sacrifices himself to seal the Ghost Lord in the East Emperor's Bell, and loses his soul. That soul is reborn in the grandson of the Heavenly Lord, Ye Hua (Mark Chao again in a dual role). Great portents addend his birth, and he is named the Crown Prince. Su Jin takes Mo Yuan's body and hides it in Qing Qiu, keeping it alive and unresponsive... All right. So this one is complicated. There's a host of characters to keep track of, but the attentive viewer should be able to keep track of everyone. The story has plenty of complications, some silly and some very dramatic. There are nine-tailed foxes, demonic forces, unrequited love, magnificent art design and costumes, fairly good special effects and lots and lots of special effects. I must admit, I really enjoyed two of the minor characters, Bai Feng Jui, who is Bai Qian's niece and heir, and Dong Hua (Vengo Gao), the white haired, cold natured former Lord of the heavens. And then there's one of the villians, Su Jin (Maggie Huang) who is determined to have her own way in things, and no one and nothing will stop her. This one does take a bit of patience, rolling in at fifty-nine episodes at about forty-five minutes each. In Chinese, with English subtitles. I can happily recommend this, and you can stream it it in Hulu.com. Four stars overall and worth the trouble. This is also known as Three Lives Three Worlds and Eternal Love. It is based on the novel _To the Sky Kingdom_ by Tang Qi.