I am re-watching many 江华's tv shows.
The way that Jianghua played Yongzheng 雍正 drives me nuts.
Jianghua is no longer young, he is over 50 now. But he still looks quite young. People used to say that he is more Andy Lau than Andy Lau. Well, I loved Andy Lau very much when I was a little girl, how about in my elementary school phase? But by the time I was in my high school, I loathed him.
I didn't come to like Jianghua until I watched 碧血剑 so called "Sword Stained with Royal Blood", a romanticized account of how the Ming Dynasty ended, written by 金庸, and adapted into several TV shows over several decades. The one that Jianghua was in was done in early 2000 by TVB, with 林家栋 and 佘诗曼. The way Jianghua played 夏雪宜 was so seductive, especially in the first few episodes when his character was trying to seduce 何红药, a sacred lady in a tribal cult. I still remembered that after watching him playing Xia Xueyi, I was totally attracted by him. But he was married and he did not play on TV shows a lot, so his effect on me dimmed out.
Then probably two or three years ago, the Chinese Channel in Toronto was re-playing one of ATV's old shows, Secret Battle of the Majesty君临天下. OMG! He was so devastatingly attractive in it. He was playing one of the most controversial emperors in history, Yongzheng Yinzhen胤禛, the fourth son of Qing Emperor 康熙.
At that time, I have already watched Yongzheng Dynasty 雍正王朝, which is considered the highest peak a historical drama could reach by the general public. Yongzheng Dynasty totally reverted the whole population's view on Yongzheng, who had been trampled in history books as pure evil and cruelty. But through 二月河's novel and 胡玫's TV adaption, the black veil over Yongzheng's life and his reign was lifted. He was actually such a diligent and just person to the point that people thought him harsh and merciless. He took his duty and empire's affairs so serious that he wrote the most replies on petitions in history throughout his merely 13 years of reign. As a result, Yongzheng Dynasty changed the general conception of Yongzheng's image, from cruelty to responsibility. Eryuehe has single-handly converted the society'view on Yongzheng, which is comparable to re-direct Yellow River's course. When Yellow River has changed its course numerous time in thousands of years, public conception seldom shifts. In the case of Yongzheng, we believe, accept and follow. When the fangirls try to measure the impact of Yongzheng Dynasty, they consider all popular romantic novels and shows about the Qing dynasty are fanfics of the same series, of the same person, Yongzheng.
When I talked with my friend about Yongzheng portrayed in media, Yongzheng Dynasty was more like a public servant 人民公仆, someone like 焦裕禄, which is totally absurd for him being an emperor. While in the ATV show 君临天下, done in ancient time 1990s, his characterization seemed more realistic. The plots are equally absurd since it was based more on lore than history, but the characterizations make it so real and intense that you cannot roll your eyes on them. 胤禛, who was still so young and just, tried to appease his father by doing everything for the benefits of his father's empire. He would not bend to the power of the crown prince and would not scheme with his brothers for the crown, simply because he did not consider such character traits to be desirable. Since he lost all favours from his father, brothers and the whole court, he considered himself a marginalized outsider and a disobedient son.
The drama and the setting were amazing, I deplore that they could not have filmed it in HD. The quality of the video is the only weakness. They started the drama in a grand royal hunting party in autumn. After 胤禛 lost a palm civet he had hunted to the crown prince, out of resignation he took off his armor and lay resting along a river band. Lightly dressed in his white cloak and bathed in the afternoon sun, a scene was caught unexpectedly by his father across the river among a whole troop of elites covered under heavy armors in a sea of vibrant red and yellow. I could not stop the show from that point on.
胤禛
Jianghua was so young and regal in it. It was easy to say that the Yongzheng he played was handsome, but it is more than that, more than merely handsome. By showing his restrained objection in a subtle way, he was sad and disappointed but still trying to take them lightly, being rebellious and relaxed at the same time. The Chinese character 雍 suited him perfectly. He is exactly how the REAL Kangxi praised his fourth son in his REAL will to ascend the throne to him, 人品贵重, noble and decorous.
九王夺位
That is how Jianghua's Yongzheng catches me every time I watch him playing. My friend said that Yongzheng has become a cult by himself, such that the mention of his name drives people's emotions and calls for their reactions. How am I supposed to resist such charm emanated by Jianghua?
Fate makes Jianghua to associate with the character of Yongzheng, he played Yongzheng a second time in TVB. This time is a comedy, 九五至尊 The King Of Yesterday And Tomorrow. Yongzheng traveled through time into the 2000 with assassin Lv Siniang 呂四娘.
完结
