Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

Since I already proved to everyone how busy January will be, it’s followed that I won’t be able to upload every one of them. Maybe later in the year when it is less busy and requests roll it. Thank-you!

English Title: General and I (A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated)
Chinese Title: 孤芳不自赏
Cast: Wallace Chung, Angelababy, Sun Yi Zhou, Gan Ting Ting
# of Episodes: 62
Airing Days: Premieres 1 episode on 1/2, Mon-Thurs (2), Fri & Sat (1), Sun (2)
Broadcasting Station: HNTV
Synopsis: The novel is written by Feng Nong and tells the story of a highly intellectual but average-looking maid who is abducted and married off to the enemy of her master. Trapped, she uses a fake identity to protect her life while living in the enemy territory. Soon she finds herself in love with a handsome general and this causes conflicts to her own lord. What’s a girl gotta do with loyalty and love snapping at each other? [Credit: Kappy]

Note: Video files are encoded by me in 540p resolution. File Size = ~400MB
Subbing Group: DF

♦ Episode 1
540p ZASK // Stream Ep. 1 Here
– Only one episode today!

Episode 2
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♦ Episode 3
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Episode 4
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♦ Episode 5
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Episode 6
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♦ Episode 7
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Episode 8
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♦ Episode 9
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Episode 10
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♦ Episode 11
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Episode 12
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♦ Episode 13
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Episode 14
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♦ Episode 15
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Episode 16
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♦ Episode 17
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Episode 18
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♦ Episode 19
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Episode 20
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♦ Episode 21
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Episode 22
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♦ Episode 23
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Episode 24
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♦ Episode 25
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Episode 26
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♦ Episode 27
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Episode 28
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♦ Episode 29
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Episode 30
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♦ Episode 31
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Episode 32
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♦ Episode 33
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Episode 34
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♦ Episode 35
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Episode 36
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♦ Episode 37
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Episode 38
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♦ Episode 39
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Episode 40
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♦ Episode 41
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Episode 42
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♦ Episode 43
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Episode 44
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♦ Episode 45
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– OST is posted here.

Episode 46
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♦ Episode 47
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Episode 48
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♦ Episode 49
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Episode 50
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♦ Episode 51
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Episode 52
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♦ Episode 53
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Episode 54
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♦ Episode 55
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Episode 56
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♦ Episode 57
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Episode 58
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♦ Episode 59
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Episode 60
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♦ Episode 61
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Episode 62 *FINALE
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Series Review/Discussion Post

***180th COMPLETED PROJECT!!***

Sin’s 720p Links: E01-62 END x265 w/eng subs NO chi hardsubs

Kappy: Wallace Chung’s Full Song is Released. Per Kitai’s advice, “A Lone Flower.”

  1. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Well, I can’t infer anything from the first episode but to hope that the drama will live up to its advertised expectations

  2. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    The drama videos look amazing! Thanks for sharing this – perfect way to begin the new year.
    Happy holidays~

  3. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I have just watched the first episode thanks to your link..but..is my hearing off…or did they seriously dub Wallace voice O_O ??

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      They have to dub Wallace voice. His Chinese pronounciation is off because he is from Hong Kong. But anyway the voices of actors and actresses are almost always dubbed for Mainland dramas because of their different accents so they must standardise.
      But I don’t like whoever dubbed Wallace’s voice. Doesn’t fit his image at all… it kinda ruins it for me a little.

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        Almonda – totally agree with you! There’s something about his voice which is different from what I imagined. Hoping it will grow on me.

        • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

          Omg is that seriously Wallace own dubbed voice? If it is, I am impressed!!! His pronounciation is really good here for someone whose first language isn’t Mandarin! Though it doesn’t sound like him at all and don’t really fit his image in the drama, I like that he put that effort into dubbing it because that’s hard work, especially for him!

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        But it sounds like Wallace Chung’s real voice actually. I thought he dubbed it himself! This particular voice actor (or if it’s WC himself) doesn’t sound as trained as the normal voice actor. He stands out in the drama because of the “weirdness” lol.

        • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

          Thank you for all your replies…lol..after hunting for videos with his own voice and after listening to the “Amazing Race”…I also think that there is a possibilty of the voice we hear here, being his own…
          I will just have to get used to it. :o)

  4. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    omg im so excited but was turned off by Wallace’s dubb voice! lol it’s not as I imagined lol.

  5. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    @ Almonda @peach @Saire Guess I wasn’t the only one that thought it was odd. Sometimes his voice would go a bit deeper than it should?
    Also is the person who dubbed Angelababy’s voice also the one who dubbed for Tang Yan in Princess Wei Young?

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      Yes, she’s also the one who dubbed Sun Li in The Legend of Zhenhuan.

  6. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    First episode was awesome coz of Angelababy <3
    At least in d 1st episode she shined… Loved Loved Loved her styling… So simple, elegant but she looks soooooo mesmerizing <3
    I just hoped someone else dubbed Wallace's voice coz his voice was was always dubbed in a deeper voice, closer to his voice. I liked his dubbing in My Sunshine.

  7. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    First ep is action pack and beautifully filmed. Some of the jumpping on and off the horse could of looked more smooth but still good. Heh i don’t mind wallace voice thanks goodness it won’t bug me, i know how it feels to watched a badly dubbed series, sorry guys. Yes i totally love the costume in this drama its so beautiful so far. So far gives me all the right ancient drama feel like the good old 80s and 90s. Can’t wait for two more ep tomorrow yay!

  8. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Thanks Kappy! I haven’t seen the first episode, planning to watch a few in a row. Will it be subbed by Viki or DF? Though I like Wallace a lot, but I actually look forward to seeing Sun Yizhou. Regarding Wallace’s voice being discussed above, I hope it won’t bother me LOL. (But I suspect it’s the same voice in the trailer).

    Will probably drop by again later to spazz or rant! 😀

    Again, happy new year all! May we all be blessed with health and peace! 🙂

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      This drama will be subbed by DF. Although I’ve checked their DF channel before and they didn’t put an exclusive sign on the channel so maybe Viki can still get license. Regardless, it will get subbed by someone eventually lol

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        Thanks for the info, ChocolateCosmos!

        With the popularity of its actors among international C-drama fans, I did think it’s only a matter of time before it gets subbed :). DF often is blocked in my country, but I can always find other streaming sites for them LOL.

  9. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Thanks for sharing! Anybody bother to explain what average looking is? If Angela Baby is average looking then everyone else in the drama must be considered ugly? Unless the definition is that, it is not super pretty, but, just pretty? Angela Baby looks very good being pale white than most people I’ve seen, I don’t think the yellow race will ever come back anymore, so gotta care a lot for who looks best being smoothy white for sure. And especially the first part is a bit boring, too much fightings, the more I need the eye candy people to make up for it.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      Quite a few expressed surprise when AB was chosen for this role because the character is supposed to be plain-looking. She’s nowhere near plain but she’s one of the most marketable actresses out there.

      She’s pale but I think Fan Bingbing is probably the fairest one of all the top C-actresses that I’ve seen. Being pale has always been prized in Asian culture, especially for women. There’s a saying in Chinese that “one white hides three uglies” and it’s a standard that many women still strive for.

  10. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Hii, folks, as of now, I’ve seen episodes 01-03 and all I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised. I expected everything to be way worse. This a better debut than Wei Young, quite similar to HQG (I know, Iknow , it is a bad sign…) I am in love with Wallace. Seriously, I usually drool over the other Wallace (Huo) but now from the moment I saw the smirking general something just happened. And I don’t mind the voice. I think it suits him and also suits AB’s dubber.
    Second, I actually find ABs performance rather pleasant as well. This melancholic and reserved look is much better for her than the cutesy stuff I’ve seen her do. As for the average looking thing, well …I’d prefer if they don’t ever mention it again because it is ridiculous. It is Angelababy we’re talking about. She might be plastic, but she is definitely not average in looks.
    All the main characters we’ve seen so far have good chemistry together and the story is developing at a good pace. I know that it is too early and things can go downhill at any moment but I can appreciate a decent production when I see one. 🙂
    Thanks,Kappy, for the link! Please, don’t worry if you can’t upload this. You do more that enough already.

  11. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I just saw the first 3 episodes and I quite like it. I think I might like it more than Wei Young. I hope I don’t jinks it by saying that lol. About Wallace’s dubbed voice, it does sound a lot like his actual voice in real life, so I don’t mind it much to be honest. I actually like that it’s a softer voice just because it gives him a gentle vibe outside of the suit and armor since he’s so pretty when he wears white lol.

    As for Angelababy, quick question, but has her eyebrows always been like that. As in she has lingering eyebrow hairs on the lower end of her eyebrows? At first it bothered me, but after a while I don’t mind it lol. I have to wax my eyebrows to get them in its shape otherwise they’ll look like two caterpillars above my eyes, but yet she can completely pull it off and still looks so pretty. Jealous I must say lol. I do agree with everyone that she’s no where close to being called “plain and simple,” but I guess plain in dramaland is higher level beauty for us commoners. But I do like her outfits and everything, her earrings are nice too lol.

  12. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I’m surprised by how much I like the first 3 episodes. I feel like it’s been 10 years since I saw some “real” fighting scenes instead of just throwing some CG lasers at one another so good for them. But the slow motion shots feels like 20 years ago stuff too lol. AB’s outfits are stunning and she’s gorgeous in them. She’s also not bothering me one bit. Her chemistry with Wallace is just sizzling. Wallace is perfect as the cocky general.

    I just see one problem. Is the coloring off to anyone else? Sometimes it’s really distracting. Like the scene with AB holding a knife to Wallace? One second her dress is blue and another second it’s clearly green. Her skin color also looks really strange. I know AB is pale and they probably slapped some lighter foundation on her too make it even whiter but it just looks off.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      it looks “off” because it’s cutout from what they filmed and then pasted onto the scene

      the strange out-of-focus / blurs / skin tones are the result of photoshop/editing after cutting and pasting

  13. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I’m all caught up and they sure changed a lot from the book. It feels to me like the novel focused on Ping Ting and Bie Jie as individuals first and their relationship was secondary to their individual character. The drama feels like it’s pushing the love story at the expense of their character development.

    Not sure how I feel about that. I definitely love novel PingTing and BieJie more but at the same time I wasn’t as into their love. It always felt unequal to me with BJ always choosing PT over everything but PT couldn’t do the same because she had so many conflicting loyalties and she chose to sacrifice BJ a lot of the time.

    The drama softened up both BJ and PT a lot. I don’t feel like PT’s “betrayals” come off as harsh. But I miss the competitive part of the novel relationship.

  14. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I am really liking this drama so far. I have read the novel and felt that they changed it a bit more than what I would have liked – like there is way too much focus on romance as opposed to the intellect of the two main characters. There is also a lot less scheming going on than what was in the book.

    Wallace Chung – whoever is dubbing you is totally not suitable. The voice is so soft and doesn’t suit the character at all (I doubt it’s Wallace doing his own dubbing because there is no way he can pronounce so well). Acting is solid though (and of course he is so good looking in this)

    Angelababy – I have never seen her act before but I had always assumed that she couldn’t ([plus reviews from Yun Zhongge weren’t the best). I am pleasantly surprised that she is actually pulling this off quite well. The book describes the character as “plain looking” but honestly unless everyone is blind in the drama Angelababy looks so pretty in her white dresses.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      And Baike says that Wallace Chung voice actor is someone called 孙博

  15. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I really wished I hadn’t read the novel first. As a standalone I think I would like it. But being a huge fan of the novel I just can’t. I think they removed the biggest and most unique quality about PT and BJ’s relationship and what made it work. In novel, BeiJie and PingTing loved competing with one another and they were equals. Nobody else could touch them in wits and strategy. Yeah they were scheming against one another but that’s exactly why they loved and respected the other because nobody else could give them that!

    In drama they’ve turned it into a generic star-crossed lovers. They also ruined BJ by making him so much weaker.

    Why He Xia’s parents died in the novel was also better. More complex and deep. When BJ agreed to the 5 years peace for PT it indirectly caused the parents’ death because their king could now turn his focus on hunting the Jing An people down instead of the war with BJ. It was one of Pingting’s big moment when she realized the part she played in it and all the consequences from her plans. I don’t like that the drama completely changed that. Why would you take something that complex and emotional and turn it into simple? Like giving back filet mignon in exchange for McDonalds. Why?

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      same here. i marathoned through the novel translation 3 days before i started on the drama. i’m going to ride this out but i do not care much for how they changed a lot of important things / events for the drama.

      the only other novel i read was “sound of the desert” before they filmed and aired and it was very faithful to the novel… almost exact which was awesome. i had wondered how it would be if they really deviate from the novel and i got my answer in General & I. I really wished they didn’t.

      i loved their meeting in the novel, how CBJ fell in love with her as maid and how she made an impression on him, their banter, her “imprisionment”… all those little things. he didn’t have ANYTHING to do with the fall of the jing an residence (other than being an opponent in war), which says a lot about his character in the novel. he was also untouchable and fearless in the novel whereas he’s so weak in the drama *cries*. the start of the drama already ruined his character trait. the king of ding lin would never dare to imprison him. he had the loyalty of the whole army because he was intelligent and just.

      PBT was also not that self-sacrificing, which was great. she would never intentionally exposed her identity.

      i agreed that the 5 year truce in the novel was a very important event that lead to the death of he xia’s parents. the only animosity (or hatred) he felt for CBJ was that PBT was in love with him and he was the other opponent.

      i don’t care for the backstory and i wished they didn’t add it. it’s alright to have them fall in love without some kind of back story. really it is. the novel was better for that.

      i’ll keep watching because i do like wallace chung and believe he makes a great general but i couldn’t help comparing him to wei wu ji just a bit… lol eddie peng makes a “better” general imo because of his built and i do do love how they stayed faithful to the novel, which made wwj / hqb so adorable and loveable.

      *sigh* i just hope it doesn’t become even more of a mess.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      You said what I felt. It would have been much better with all the scheming rather than this childhood sweetheart nonsense. I was so disappointed! And as you mentioned, it’s precisely because of the fact that they changed how they met – just the start of the drama in general – that they have to give up on the juicy parts. How exasperating!

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        How did cbj met put in the novel?

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        i just finished episodes 7 and 8 on dramafever and already, i want to spit up blood.

        angelababy is starting to really get to me with her acting. she’s a bai ping ting with few words compared to the novel. and she’s so bland in expressing herself that i can’t tell what she’s supposed to be feeling.

        the way they film is starting to irritate me. all the intense close ups, the overuse of cgi / green screen. i don’t mind here and there but i’m noticing it often.

        and last for these two episodes was the ambush scene that forced CBJ’s hand to agreed to the 5 year truce. if you’re going to go this way, why not follow the darn book? it’s getting so exasperating!

        by this scene in the book, she’s pretty much fallen for him and they are in a relationship… here i have can’t tell if she return his feelings yet.

        also it’s reversed order here. he xia’s pretty much made a bond with the princess yao tian. this was suppose to happen after the 5 year truce, after his parents’ death and after he lost BPT.

        i really need to stop comparing but it’s so hard to do so when every little thing is adding up to a whole big disappointment. *sigh*

        now i can’t wait til the end of the month for 3 lives, 3 worlds. i’m not going to read that book and hope it goes well.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      I looked up the novel after reading Jenn and Shellie’s comments. Yup, the novel’s developments were better. The childhood sweetheart storyline in comparison made their attraction seem trite, while there were some serious sparking in the original as a result of two evenly matched intelligent minds.

  16. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    In the novel, it starts with Bai Pingting getting abducted by slave traders. Chu Beijie did not incite the Yan emperor (Gui Le emperor in the novel) to eliminate the He family. It was planned by the emperor in the first place. BPT was then sold to the Hua family in Jin (Donglin in the novel). The Hua daughter is in love with the son from a rival company (her father is a wealthy business man) and she asks BPT to play the zither in place of her in a temple so she can meet her beloved. There, CBJ and BPT meets by chance. They do not see each other’s faces, but CBJ was enchanted by her zither playing, and BPT was similarly charmed by his manners and how he is able to understand her music. When she returns to the Hua residence, CBJ sends his subordinate to gift her a famous zither. They are not in love yet though.

    CBJ goes to the Hua residence in person after a period of time to request BPT (he thinks she’s the Hua daughter) to play a song for him. And that’s where BPT actually sees how he looks like and spots a token that identifies him as someone from Jin’s Imperial family. She is eager to find out news of her young master He Xia and she confirms that HX is not yet captured. She also asks about the battle and CBJ responds that even though he won the battle, he had the greater victory (his identity is not yet known here). His retreat was a deliberate ploy to force the hand of the Yan emperor to get rid of the He family. Later, CBJ goes to the Hua residence secretly and meets BPT, thinking that she’s merely a slave (well, she is actually). I think at this point they are already in love. BPT also discovers that he is CBJ. The Hua daughter makes use of CBJ to cancel her previous engagement, and BPT flees thinking that CBJ will not let the matter rest. And indeed, he orders the execution of the whole of the Hua family to force BPT back.

    He then keeps BPT in his residence. She lies that she used to play the zither for the royal family in Yan when in fact that was a good friend of hers. CBJ suspects her identity however and asks his subordinates to check on her background and to also check on BPT. He also captures Dong Zhuo to test BPT. She helps him escape and tricks CBJ into his promise of a 5 year truce between Yan and Jin. CBJ was trying to test BPT by giving her the opportunity, but BPT knows it and makes use of it to lure him into a trap. This part is somewhat similar to the drama. CBJ leaves her his sword Li Hun as proof of the agreement. This is his retaliation for her deception, a ploy to divide her and He Xia.

    That is how the the novel started. IMO, much better than the drama really.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      @morningsoul
      My tablet refreshed the page so my comment’s not at the right place…

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        Thank you Kitai for the summary. In my opinion, Wallace & Angelababy is perfect as CBJ & BPT. So far, I’m loving the drama & the chemistry btwn the two leads. Some scenes she looks like a month or two pregnant, but with thick layers you can’t really tell unless they do close up.

  17. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I was actually looking forward to this but after reading the comments, maybe I’ll wait a bit more to see how it goes. 62 episodes are a lot to swallow.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      Really? DAYUM, 62??? well, IDK but we’ll see. I hope they go at a faster pace then, make a long drama with good reasons that they needed more time to fit in everything together makes sense. I’m fine as long as they don’t try to do each entire episode based on fighting alone to drag everything over 60 episodes.

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      LOL i’m already having a hard time swallowing and i’m only on episode 8. i was actually glad when i finished 7 & 8. i didn’t have anymore of the “i can’t wait for the next episodes”.

  18. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Any novel fans here who think making Ping Ting beautiful aka casting Angelababy takes away from the character in any way?

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      No, I don’t think so. I don’t think Angelababy is the right choice, but that’s not because she’s gorgeous. On the contrary, I can totally anticipate people criticising the actor’s looks if they cast someone who is actually plain-looking as described in the novel. Also, in the novel, BPT is apparently very charming when she’s playing the zither and whatnot (I can’t remember the details). It may be very superficial of me, but you can’t achieve that effect by casting an average-looking actor. It doesn’t work like that in real life; a novel is just imagination after all. So you might as well have a really pretty face to look at in the first place. You can cast Liu Yifei in the role and I’ll be fine as long as she can act (she can’t though, sadly).

      However, AB does need to improve on her acting. That being said, I don’t want to criticise her too much. In the making video that they just released, they said that she acknowledged that she needs improvement, and even brought an acting teacher to the set to help her. I think I’m too softhearted to feel any hate towards her for her acting after that. Besides, the stupid plot is far more distracting than her lack of expressions. If the plot actually stuck to the novel, I think I’d be able to swallow any kind of bad acting.

      • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

        I agree, It is very true that too-average looking people will end up getting criticized badly, especially when they took a main role. But I think roles like this would match Michelle Yip, I never really find her pretty but I always like her acting so much! Same goes to Jessica Hsuan and Myollie wu. Although some of them been strategists (somewhat) a few times already, not tired of them doing that yet. I feel that Tang Yan would totally match plain looking as well, she is not super pretty but good-looking and pleasant. Luo Jin did this one drama with a general-like lady (don’t know the name and couldn’t find it) and she is very very likeable although I would not agree she is beautiful. I think the plain-looking description is supposed to be something like… somebody that is attractive in a way.

        I stopped believing that actors/actresses cannot act. Based on all the super stars in HZGG 1990s, they came in with little to no experience + no degree, and everybody (including just side characters) is still forever the most memorable and unsurpassable people. Also, I see Princess Weiyoung bringing in new actors and actresses nobody ever seen before, and they are much better than experienced people. Like usual, Yu Zheng brings in many newcomers that everyone likes, Zhao Liying and Wu Lei. Experience and degrees don’t really make anyone better, it is really just matters of scriptings. If the actors are lucky enough to land a good production then they simply rise. If a director wants the actor to act certain ways already, or if the storyline must go a certain way, what is there left that the actors can really do about that anyway? They can only follow the rule of their roles. Many actresses with good skills like AB, Guli Nazha, Lv Yi, Liu shi shi (sometimes), Liu yifei, and even Ruby Lin in her later years…etc. they are all criticized all the time as pretty people with no skills but really, it’s just the roles they took that made them have to act certain ways. If it is just the acting part, anybody out there can act. I bet you and me can even do them. It’s just we’re not that good looking. So of course, most of the time, it is also very important to “match” roles based on face. I personally didn’t like seeing a cute face like Joe Qiao En being the very powerful DFBB. And In many cases we’ve seen, it was pretty annoying to see a supposingly most-beautiful-girl-on-earth played by somebody plain instead, like, she can act and no offense at all, but if it’s not matching then it’s just not matching.

        • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

          On the question of whether all actors can act, I do think that some are more talented than others, and that’s why some newcomers are good. Experience also counts, and that’s why most newcomers are bad. However, the problem with these productions that we see nowadays, the cause of such “bad acting”, is that the actors don’t push themselves and the directors don’t push the actors as well.

          An example for the first reason is Yang Mi. Yang Mi was never panned for her acting early in her career. In fact, her role as Guo Xiang in 2006’s Condor Heroes was widely praised. Her role in Yu Zheng’s Schemes of a Beauty was also pretty well-received. However, it seems like her acting skills has regressed since. That I attribute to not trying.

          The second reason can be a result of time constraints. For instance, if they only have a specific period they can shoot on a certain location, they’ll have to finish filming within that time. In that case, the director cannot be too demanding. Most of the time though, I don’t think the directors hold these actors to high standards. I mean, some of the scenes that are aired should definitely be no good scenes. The problem can be more severe for actors who are well-known. The director may not be able to tell the actor to repeat a scene countless times simply because of their fame. It is easier if they are newbies instead. You mentioned HZGG in your example. I watched some interviews of the old cast members, and Vicky Zhao said that Ruby Lin was on the verge of being replaced because Qiong Yao was displeased about her acting. I think it’s precisely because they were being held to high standards that’s why they were able to act well.

        • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

          yeah, I also felt that Yang mi was well received when she was only a newbie, I can’t imagine what route she would’ve taken with if she was first a “Guo Fu” instead. I gotta say she really did came in the right timing! I was one of the few who didn’t find her pretty at first, but I like the character Guo Xiang she played, that role extended her to many good projects afterward. She actually grew on me after working on projects after projects and did not attract me with her beauty. I can’t reason out how she’s bad at acting bc she did took some boring and some dumb roles after all. When the roles are rather stupid I can’t judge the acting. I don’t think anyone would forfeit their small chance on landing good roles and put in half-hearted into good projects. YM is well known for hard working. I think her only problem now is that she have aged and I agree with others not liking her bald.

          I think I read somewhere that some director didn’t find ruby lin pretty enough for hzgg, that just sounds more than absurd! Even Zhang ting and Alyssa chia were always referred to looking identical to a zi wei. Her result also proved her acting to be good. Not that many people can act elegantly smart. She was a cry baby zi wei, but she did cried with good reasons and was strongly brave at times. The zi wei 2015 literally cried at every single thing and have tons of panicked heart attacks, now I do wonder if that was in her script or her own reactions. But I think it was the director’s modern exaggerations of how soft women are like.
          I used to think that XYZ 2015 fake loud laughs were pretentious and annoying, but now I think it was because she didn’t match the role in the first place, when she tried to act the same exact thing as Vicki, she did well on acting, but because she doesn’t match it, it just appears to look like it was pretentious and bad acting.

          AB character in here is stiff and dull, I think it’s just the way it was supposed to be. I think she’s being too nice and generous to admit herself not acting good, to me it shows that we (including myself) are being too harsh on judging these people and scared them to the point of thinking their acting is not good enough.

        • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

          Gonna agree to disagree. True that a lot of chinese actors and actresses have stopped trying, and hence their acting are getting worse. I agree with YM example. However, a lot of them also doesnt have talents, despite the script. I like AB in song of clouds, though that character isnt too deep, rather outgoing in a sense, so it was an easy act for her. Everything else i saw of AB is just a let down. Main reason why i say she got not much talent is because she just cant do romantic. Say what you will about Ruby Lin’s acting, but that girl always make you feel that she was totally in love with her leading man. AB doesnt give me that feeling. In song of clouds, lu yi was practically carried their love, so all she needed to do was followed his lead, n it felt somewhat convincing, but then most of the time, you are swept by lu yi’s portrayal of lui fu ling that you are ok with her acting 90% of the time.

          In the general and I, her kissing scenes with wallace is uncomfortable. I understand she might be a preserve person, or a shy one, but the way she kissed wallace is like forcing her lips on his with her mouth close, resulting in a flat fat lips that portray no real passion. I would call it’s a totally pretend passionate kiss that doesnt fool anyone -.- i watched their reunion love making scene, and all i can say is no real chemistry, no passion, it feels like even wallace not sure what to do with her >_>

          So while its true that an actor’s acting skills depend on the director, the script, the time they have, it is also true that actor either can act or cant act, it is however based on percentage this day as no one can give 100% result due to the first 3 factors, but overtime, we all know who can and cant act. Example: for me, AB did decent in 1 drama, but i saw like another 2 (drama n movie) and she was down right terrible, 33% chance she can act ok, 67% chance she will act badly, result in she cant act :p

    • 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

      No. What’s taking away from novel Pingting’s character is that they dumbed her down a bit and dumbed down everyone else around her a lot, which then makes her not all that smart either cause she’s just beating dumb people.

      Drama PT got a super special war manual in her head to take moves from whereas novel PT just had her brains. So maybe the only thing special about her is that she has photographic memory. Everyone wants that manual, not her brains per se. In the novel PT got a rep because she helped build He Xia’s rep and then she is the only one to beat BJ who was basically #1. Here BJ isn’t even trying to play games with her anyway.

      AB isn’t a good actress but she’s doing fine as PT because the drama stripped away so much from novel PT by script that not a lot is required from her in the first place. The “tagline” of the novel is basically “brains, screw beauty.” But since the drama made it all about Super War Manual, her looks don’t matter since the theme no longer applies.

      And I agree with Kitai, “average looking” doesn’t really work onscreen. Even an average looking actress is still pretty compared to the general population anyway. And novel Pingting despite her being plain, has IT factor. That’s a tall order, to find someone plain but still has IT. Put another way, would people prefer Michelle Chen and her look in ROCH to be Pingting? I’m specifying her look in ROCH cause in other things I think she looks better and above plain. That’s about the only thing I can think of in terms of “plain.”

  19. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Awww the novel sounds nice. But I also like the series on its own heh. Wallace is so handsome as the general, yes he reminds me of eddie pengs wei wuji. Love them both. Where is my general give up and take over the world for me. Right now i guess I am taking it for what it is. Rumours been saying that Wallace and Ab are not showing up on location and using body doubles. I can see for the crazy stunts . The screen screen and background cgi also makes it look a little weird like cut and paste. I think that is why there is bts vid release everyday to show how hard they work on the series.

  20. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    My first time seeing Wallace and I must say that something about him is so charismatic. I’m now officially a die hard fan. And I knew I wasn’t going to like Angelababy’s acting but I do gotta admit that her character is pretty strong. Hopefully that character gets carried through.
    If someone knows a site where they are recapping this whole series, let me know. Like all great dramas, it started out really good but then slowly lost its essence.

  21. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    Hey. Im new to this site. How can I download the episodes or view them? I really want to watch this drama. Help me out please!! :)))))) Thank you!!!

  22. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I havent read the book. Tried ep 1 and i felt the plot was very constrived, wallace’s character let the 2nd male lead’s parents alive after took his time to chase them down for multiple days, went on to talk about this debt they owed him, how he is here to claim it, proceed to fight, then humiliate him by saying im gonna let you live? Not only he wasted 15mins+ on rambling about info that show he is &$@t£bag, one wonder why he is even bother wasting his time if he was gonna let them live anyway. Then surprise surprise, the dad committed suicide, and what cause the bad blood between the two male leads. Constrived, and predictable. I didnt like wallace’s character at all from what ive seen in ep1. I didnt like his look or outfit either. I don’t think that hairstyle suit him at all.

    There were glimpse of him trying to be deep (his eyes conveyed strong emotion) but of the constrived plot, i just dont buy him as a type to actually do good for his people, you could say his character meant to give you doubts, so he hit the mark i guess if that was meant to be the case. However, for me, it was a huge turn off to continue watching. I actually like the second male lead better, he seems to be a lot more charismatic, look a lot better, too. But i knew he was turning bad, evil, and knowing c-drama, down right no point of return kind of crazy evil.

    AB’s acting was 1 dimension from what i’ve seen, saw ep1, then jump to some middle episodes, and the last few episodes, as i dont think i can do 68 episode of really slow moving plot (well the plot might not be slow, but so much unnecessary chatters to fill the episode thats boring and just switch your brain off). AB might be pretty, and she was in song of cloud, but in here, i dont find her pretty at all. Her lips makeup is annoying, i know chinese love to underdraw/colour their lips, but the result is one scene they were beautiful, but next scene they just look odd. Resulting in AB look ridiculous half of the time. When i found AB pretty in this drama? When she was sick/injured, and has basically not much makeup!

    I love wei young princess, it was a lot more interesting than this drama, and the chemistry between the two leads are so much better, and at least, the plot of that drama felt a lot fresher than this one. So watch this at your expense, but i think you will need to skip a lot 🙂

  23. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    This is the first drama that Male and Female lead who didn’t meet for good 10-15 episodes, the CG is really bad.. I skipped most of it and to be honest.. a very disappointing drama.

  24. 52 thoughts on “Cdrama: General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang) Episodes

    I saw this series in full yesterday and thought it was very addictive. I never read the novel so didn’t know what to expect but I liked the main couple and almost everyone else as well.

    I’ve only watched AB once before this drama, Alls Well Ends well 2010, where I liked her princess character, I’ve heard news of her bad acting so wasn’t expecting much, however I was pleasantly surprised, she was a bit awkward at the start but she started getting into character and got better as the story went. I was impressed with her crying scene after the death of her guards in episode 35 (i think), she carried a maturity about her character that belied her young looks. I didn’t know her character was suppose to be plain, she was really pretty throughout the whole drama. Her lip makeup did annoy me though.

    Wallace Chung…I was disappointed with him. The voice was off, he looked so thin in his costume he didn’t have the feel of a general, the 2nd lead guy was much more dashing. I’ve always liked Wallace and started this for him because it said he was going to be a proud general who forces the girl to be his, I was expecting Harwick in Sealed with a Kiss but he was no where near that aggressive, oppressive or possessive.

    I still liked the main couple and his doglike determination to be with her, their kisses was very well done. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that much lip action in an Chinese drama.

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