Not only are Korean dramas making a line-up in May, I’m also watching Chinese dramas. Summer vacation is lovely this year as I submerge myself into the ocean of Asian dramas. teeeheee!

Jade Palace Lock Heart, also known as Gong (Palace). The Chinese title is “宫锁心玉”. The plot is about a modern girl, Luo Qing Chuan, being transported back in time of Emperor Kang Xi’s reign. There, she is caught in the struggle of politics and romance.

Following is my thoughts for the first 21 episodes. Don’t spoil the fun for me!

Keep in mind that these are my opinions, it doesn’t have to reflect yours. Whether you agree or disagree, let’s have a peaceful discussion. To each his/her own.

Our Main Girl:

Yang Mi as Luo Qing Chuan
As a student with a keen interest in history, she appears quite detached from reality sometimes. My first impression of her? Disrespectful. In episode one, Qing Chuan is introduced to her future mother-in-law and yet she is wearing headphone! Even if she didn’t like the woman, she could’ve pretended to listen. Worst yet? She only has one ear phone in and even then, the words failed to enter. Then she mindlessly runs off to catch a portrait that looks like her. Result? She gets sucked into the ground and time-travels. This is when the fun starts, and it did. On pure coincidence, she is brought to the Crown Prince (0_0) Using her advantage (from the future), she helps the Crown Prince and becomes his hope. She also meets 4th and 8th Princes. Qing Chuan for the most part is stubborn and sassy, yet remains very gullible. This is when I have beef to pick with her. She is FROM the FUTURE! She should know the schemes that took place in the palace, however, she repeatedly gets tricked by the same maids. I almost reach into the screen and knock her. Had I been in her place, those maids would never have the second chance to touch me. I would CHOP, SLICE, CHOP, CHOP them!

Another thing, Qing Chuan is from the 21st century and she irks me with her mentality. My jaw literally dropped when she said, “What am I? A lowly maid, how can I match up to the 4th Prince?” She must be kidding. Where’s the fire? Where’s the pride?

Of course, our leading lady has her merits. I love that she’s adamant about her beliefs and always remain sincere and true to herself. Perhaps, this is the main reason why she’s asked in marriage by 3 guys within 4 episodes? haha Lucky girl is all I gotta say. This is my second time seeing Yang Mi. The first time is in Chinese Paladin 3, which didn’t help because the drama fails to make any lasting impression on me. I’m so glad that she doesn’t have her signature “pity” look which all damsels in distress tend to pull. Now in episode 21, I wish to see her smile more. She looks like a little girl when she does. 🙂 And please do not fall into that mellow, mopey phase…I cringe.

Other Women:

Tong Li Ya as Nian Su Yan
Oh goodness, this girl needs some love! I don’t know how to explain it, but Tong Li Ya has a “precious” face, one where all the guys should desire to protect and embrace. Why are these princes/men not doing that? I’m puzzled. I have one complaint, her make-up, it’s different and paler than other palace maids. Can we throw away the light purple lipstick? Su Yan is a spy brought into the palace by 4th Prince. She is willing to risk everything for him, yet in his eyes, he sees her only as a subordinate. Girl, I would love to be a man and love you. I really do.

Liu Xue Hua as Consort De
First Impression? Kind, gentle, meticulous. Now? With me guys, spell out E-V-I-L! I knew she isn’t the nice one in this batch of scheming concubines. Since she is respected by all the princes, she uses their love to her as a weapon. Despicable! Out of all the King’s women, she is the lucky one to have 2 sons, 4th and 14th Princes. I find it very weird she’s in full support of her younger son and totally dismisses her older one. The excuse is she didn’t raise him – ermmm not going to make the cut lady!

Sonija Kwok as Concubine Xi
A desperate woman, but who isn’t nervous when the King is not favoring them? She chances upon Qing Chuan once and kidnaps her into the palace. Qing Chuan then becomes her adviser, giving her contemporary ideas to maintain the King’s interest. Concubine Xi is not the smartest one and tends to focus too much on temporary pleasures instead of long-term security. Not sure about her future…

Xu Qi Wen as Jin Zhi
Someone bring me a slicer. This girl…she’s dumb, big-mouthed, and the word “jealous” is written all over her forehead. What kind of woman goes around saying, “What I want is your body, not your heart. It doesn’t have any value!” WHAT? She is the illegitimate daughter of Official Lu and marries 4th Prince as part of his conquering plan. Heck, I can assure you he doesn’t know what mess he created for himself. She is tactless and is easily led on by others. In other words, she’s a walking timed bomb.

The Princes/Men:

Ken Tong as Xuan Ye
I don’t know much about Kang Xi but he was often portrayed as a gentle and charismatic emperor. I fail to see that here. This king drives me nuts. He is quickly to judge his sons and doesn’t hesitate to kill them over trivial matters. I like Ken Tong, he is one of Tvb’s Five Tigers in the 1980s, along with Felix Wong, Andy Lau, Michael Miu, and Tony Leung. Here, it’s like the energy has drained due to age.

Zong Feng Yan as Yin Reng
He is the Crown Prince, son of the late Empress. According to history, his title is revoked twice and it did happen in the story. I have a hard time imaging him as the future emperor. He’s kind-hearted alright but not King material. He is gullible and tends to be a pawn in other political gains. In truth, I pity this guy. Unlike the other princes who has to fight for the spot, the label lands on his lap in moments of his birth. He was raised personally by King Kan Xi and under went many suffocated restrictions. I was screaming when he falls for the fatal plan set up by Consort De. He treats her with utmost respect, yet she tramples all over him. Urghhh! Oh, royal birth, was it a curse or a bless?

Mickey He as Yin Zhen
THIS GUY. I do not like. He’s the 4th Prince and going with history, the future King. He has all the talents yet is a block of ice. My first impression of Yin Zhen is nothing more than COLD, COLDER, and COLDEST. His brother, 18th prince, died because of his plan and all he muttered was, “This is his fate” without a tinge of sadness. I have seen Mickey He before in “Four Women Conflict” and I liked his character. Here, he has the same expression all the times. His scenes are mostly related to plotting and me? I’m yawning. Not compelling. Like mother, like son. 4th Prince also uses the crown prince’s gullibility to his advantage. If this was Meteor Garden, his role would be Hua Ze Lei, the soft-spoken F2. (Me screaming: Bloody hell, no thanks!)

One more thing, Mickey He needs a vacation, why is he in 95% of Mainland productions? Take a break.

Feng Shao Feng as Yin Si

Yin Si is the 8th Prince. And he’s a delight to watch. Feng Shao Feng shines in this role mainly because other characters are boring. He has done this type of character before so I’m not worried about his delivery. In the beginning, he isn’t ambitious, and doesn’t care much about the throne. His target is to torture Qing Chuan. If this was Meteor Garden, he would be the haughty F4 leader, Dao Ming Si. This is one of the reasons why the King favors him over 4th Prince. The Emperor once said that Yin Si’s energy and recklessness is exactly like him when he was younger. As for me, I like Yin Si’s compassionate heart but as an emperor….I think he’s better suited to play a romantic lead. This lover boy.

Ma Wen Long (left) as Yin Tang (9th prince)
Liu Bing (right) as Yin’e (10th prince)
These two are F3 & F4, always believing and supporting 8th Prince. They’re the only true brothers in here, without an ounce of interest in the throne (drama-wise). I lumped them together because they don’t do much individually.

The other princes didn’t make an appearance yet. I CANNOT WAIT. 14th Prince, 4th Prince’s younger brother, looks hot! I know, my shallow side is speaking up. =D

The Relationships:

The main love triangle is Yin Si – Qing Chuan – Yin Zhen. Like the law in drama land, every drama needs their own hand-grabbing on both sides, like the screen capture shown above. As I have said before, this romance is the copy of Meteor Garden. Not original but somehow satisfying to watch (excluding robotic Yin Zhen).

I will be blunt here, these two and their chemistry is what keeping my boat sailing for this series. Yin Si becomes a puppy whenever he’s around Qing Chuan, it’s adorable to watch him in frustration when Qing Chuan rejects him. I think this girl needs rigorous training in how to see a guy. How could she not fall for this charming smile and devoted heart? Because of her, he’s shaping up and working hard to become someone worthy of her attention. She’s also doubling her effort trying to change history. Would they succeed?

This relationship is all sorts of wrong. She met him twice and already she’s mopey. Dislike. The moment he opens his mouth to talk about trees, stars, pain, I automatically press forward. I cannot fathom this guy. He’s fond of her but he’s also the one to order her death on several occasions. 0_0. Qing Chuan becomes a different person when she’s around him. A wild horse into a tame deer. Dislike #2.

Not to forget this man has a wife! I can’t believe Qing Chuan says this, “Do not hurt anyone.” Girl, he’s going to divorce his jealous wife, how can it be done without tears from the other party? You disappoint me with your naivety.

For my sanity, Su Yan, please dump this guy after you survived your death? He’s not worth it. Just look at how he treats his wife. Step outside your denial and the world would be a better place.

Kap: I have a lot of expectations for this drama. One, it involves time-traveling so I was hoping to see conflicting and humorous situations to be played out. NOTHING in that area. The writer didn’t bother with this aspect – differences in eras and how our main girl adjusts to her new living environment. Heck, she doesn’t seem to be missing anything in the 21st century. Negative points! Two, the plot is lacking. Many things happened in the first couple of episodes, but nothing brought out a big impact to drive the main theme. Wait, what is the big theme?

Three, it’s disappointing to discover the writer’s lack of creativity and originality. If you have watched Meteor Garden, the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori Dango, you would know what I meant. The script writer basically lifted scenes from that manga and turned Jade Palace into the historical version. You can say that scenes are overused in many dramas but how do you explain the same exact lines being repeated? Case in point: “I have good news and I have bad news for you. The good news is I admire your courage and perseverance. The bad news is I’ve decided to double my effort in torturing you!” (Not the exact translation on my end.) While I watch the romance development between Qing Chuan, and the princes, I keep seeing flashes of Shan Cai, Dao Ming Si and his F3 boys. The difference is F4 are now brothers, and this story takes place in the palace. How convenient! Complete with evil concubines and gossipy maids!

Right now I’m watching because of two reasons, 1) Yin Si & Qing Chuan’s ultimate ending. 2) 14th Prince Appearance…