Xue Hua Nu Shen Long

[Lady Zhuge]

Has anyone seen this series? I recently started watching it and despite the rather lame colors (I'm not a big fan of the fake laser light zapping stuff ), it's pretty interesting so far.

Website: http://www.snowflower.com.tw/index-h.htm

Some main characters:

[AnalyticChick]

First, I willl state that I am illiterate, so I can only look at the pretty pictures and not understand the pretty words. So judging from my amazing perceptive powers and the proponderence of typecasting in Chinese television series, I will make some predictions about the characters in this series I have not actually seen or know much about.

1. Beautiful and deadly, she is a true descendant of dragon. Fighting for the forces of right and justice, she leaves a series of broken bodies (villans of course) and broken hearts wherever she goes. May have some sort of trama in her past. Will find a man who she originally does not get along with, but through working (unwillingly of course) together and constant contact, will grow to respect and love. May fight against the corrupt authorities or some kind of supernatural force.

2. Aforementioned male escort to the female protagonist. Rugged and handsome, he is the perpetual outsider who comes in to save the village with his amazing martial arts skills. Has a big sword and is not afraid to use it for the forces of good. May have some sort of trauma in his past. Straight talking and modest, will this mysterious stranger be the one to melt the "Female dragon's" heart?

3. I would have originally pegged this guy as the emperor, but Lady ZhuGe informed me that he is in fact a magic doctor. So he is a medical prodigy who can save people from the brink of death. Definitely has some sort of trauma in his past. Trying to balance his youth with his calling to save mankind. The protagonists' sidekick in making the world safe for good.

4. The comic relief. A bumbling lower level lackey in the corrupt government. Somehow finds himself working with the epic heros and heroines. May be in love with the main protagonist. Cheerful and resourceful, he always manages to get himself into and out of most scrapes. May die at the end so that the main protagnoist can be with her intended.

5. The villian. Cultured and effeminate, might be evil to cover up his latent homosexuality. High up on the hierarchy, he nevertheless wants to seize more power for himself. Cunning and devious, he prefers to send henchman to do his work (one of whom I might or might not fall in love with...) However, seeing that this is a wuxia series, he will probably need to fight with the protagonist at some point and thus will have very good martial arts skills as well.

[Lady Zhuge]

Very impressive, AC, considering that you've never seen any part of this series. I'm only on episode 12 of 45 right now.

Originally posted by AnalyticChick
1. Beautiful and deadly, she is a true descendant of dragon. Fighting for the forces of right and justice, she leaves a series of broken bodies (villans of course) and broken hearts wherever she goes. May have some sort of trama in her past. Will find a man who she originally does not get along with, but through working (unwillingly of course) together and constant contact, will grow to respect and love. May fight against the corrupt authorities or some kind of supernatural force.

2. Aforementioned male escort to the female protagonist. Rugged and handsome, he is the perpetual outsider who comes in to save the village with his amazing martial arts skills. Has a

big sword and is not afraid to use it for the forces of good. May have some sort of trauma in his past. Straight talking and modest, will this mysterious stranger be the one to melt the "Female dragon's" heart?

I'm not sure if she's a true descendent of the dragon, but her nickname is Nu Shen Long. Her real name is Shangguan Yan. For some reason, there are lot of double surnames in this series, from Shangguan, to Huangfu, to Oeyang, to Sima...

Anyway, the main premise of the major weapons in this story is that there are two powerful and magical swords forged by a man (who is actually Shangguan Yan's master) foresaken in love (through no fault of his own or his lover's). He nurtured the two swords so much that they grew to "love" one another, as they are symbolic of the love that he once shared with the woman of his dreams, but lost. One sword is the Dragon (male) and the other the Phoenix (female), and it is said that the individuals who possess the swords will share a most profound love. Now, Shangguan Yan has the Phoenix and Sima Chang Feng possesses the Dragon. Unfortunately, Sima Chang Feng is out to kill Shangguan Yan to seek revenge for his 30 clansmen who were allegedly slang by Shangguan Yan's father Shangguan Yun. So yes, you're not incorrect to say that the two were not on the best of terms towards the beginning, but knowing the Chinese emphasis on "yi4 qi1", I'm sure you can guess how the story progresses. Among other things, Nu Shen Long is trying to find her mother and deliver the Imperial Seal (which everyone is after) to its rightful owner. Mainly everyone else (including me) would just like to be enlightened about the truth of how and why the four oath brothers (refer to the aforementioned 4 double surnames above) turned on each other. And who is that dude behind the weird opera mask?

Originally posted by AnalyticChick
3. I would have originally pegged this guy as the emperor, but Lady ZhuGe informed me that he is in fact a magic doctor. So he is a medical prodigy who can save people from the brink of death. Definitely has some sort of trauma in his past. Trying to balance his youth with his calling to save mankind. The protagonists' sidekick in making the world safe for good.

You know, you were actually pretty close with that emperor guess. This guy is Oeyang Ming Ri, aka. Sai Hua Tuo (very aptly named, I might add ), and he kind of reminds me of Zhuge Liang with his intelligence and foresight. He is indeed a young genius doctor of the Jiang Hu. In fact, he seems to be all-knowing about lots of things, except when it comes to comprehending why his parents would want to kill their own innocent flesh and blood. Sure he was born physically handicapped, but if only his father knew what kind of man his son would turn out to be. Well, I'm sure he will find out in appropriate time.
Anyway, that was about 20 years ago, and his father is now the emperor and Sai Hua Tuo has agreed to become his advisor, mainly to subdue the conflict between his father and Shangguan Yan (more revenge stuff). Of course the dad is really dense and still hasn't figured out who this young genius is (even though here I am thinking, how many guys in their early twenties are sitting in a wheelchair and asking about the "shameful" thing done oh so many years ago?). Oh and here's a shocker(): he's in love with Shangguan Yan as well!

Originally posted by AnalyticChick
4. The comic relief. A bumbling lower level lackey in the corrupt government. Somehow finds himself working with the epic heros and heroines. May be in love with the main protagonist. Cheerful and resourceful, he always manages to get himself into and out of most scrapes. May die at the end so that the main protagnoist can be with her intended.

Haha, you're right on target with this one. His name is Stinky Tofu and is indeed in love with Shangguan Yan. I don't think he will end up dying though, since, unbeknownst to him and most people, he is actually the son of the previous emperor (who was murdered by Oeyang Ming Mu's father (the current emperor)). Plus, the princess is in love with him and all...
Sai Hua Tuo is actually the one that I fear will end up dying (although I really hope that I'm wrong).

Originally posted by AnalyticChick
5. The villian. Cultured and effeminate, might be evil to cover up his latent homosexuality. High up on the hierarchy, he nevertheless wants to seize more power for himself. Cunning and devious, he prefers to send henchman to do his work (one of whom I might or might not fall in love with...) However, seeing that this is a wuxia series, he will probably need to fight with the protagonist at some point and thus will have very good martial arts skills as well.

Yep, this dude works for the bad guys. My friend commented that his hair looks really gay, so who knows? To me, he sort of looks like a Chinese version of Ryan Seacrest.
Anyhow, he is a very worthy and intelligent opponent, matching wits with Sai Hua Tuo. I'm going to have to watch more to learn of his true intentions.

[aisukiandi]

Originally posted by Lady Zhuge
Mainly everyone else (including me) would just like to be enlightened about the truth of how and why the four oath brothers (refer to the aforementioned 4 double surnames above) turned on each other. And who is that dude behind the weird opera mask?

the borhters didnt turn on each other... it's just that Sai Hua Tuo's dad got jealous that his 3rd brother was made ruler and decided to get rid of them

[Lady Zhuge]

Originally posted by aisukiandi
the borhters didnt turn on each other... it's just that Sai Hua Tuo's dad got jealous that his 3rd brother was made ruler and decided to get rid of them

I'm trying to take in all perspectives here, and since Sai Hua Tuo's dad said that his brothers were the ones who betrayed him first, that lends to the possibility that they somehow turned on each other. However, since he's the evil jackass that wanted to kill his own son, his words probably mean jack squat in terms of the truth.

So, I take it that you've watched the whole series? If so, what did you think of it?

[Suet Seung]

I went onto the website and automatically the music starts to come on....It sure does sound sad--definitly has the Taiwanese-cry-drama touch to it. But then again not many series nowadays have music that would seem wuxia-ish. So I kept letting it play and then refresh it again when it stopped.

Sounds like an interesting series except I don't understand Chinese very well except for my limited amount of mandarin.

I'd like to watch this when it comes in dubb.

Why does Sai Hua Tuo have a red dot on his forehead? The main girl kind of reminds me of Kathy Chow.

And one of the guys looks like Jimmy Lin or Tae.

He looks cute admiring Shangguan Yan in this picture doesn't he? Haha

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/images/CsnowF04-03.jpg

[Suet Seung]

BTW, Do you know who that white-eyebrowed guy is?

[Lady Zhuge]

Originally posted by Suet Seung
I went onto the website and automatically the music starts to come on....It sure does sound sad--definitly has the Taiwanese-cry-drama touch to it. But then again not many series nowadays have music that would seem wuxia-ish. So I kept letting it play and then refresh it again when it stopped.

Okay good, so I'm not the only one who's been refreshing that site over and over just to hear the lovely background music. The themesongs are pretty nice, too.

There's also an opening clip here: http://www.snowflower.com.tw/

Originally posted by Suet Seung

Why does Sai Hua Tuo have a red dot on his forehead?

That I'm not quite sure about. It does give him a wise and sagely look, though. Otherwise, perhaps he'd look a bit too young for the role.

Originally posted by Suet Seung
And one of the guys looks like Jimmy Lin or Tae.

Which guy? The one who plays Stinky Tofu?

Originally posted by Suet Seung
He looks cute admiring Shangguan Yan in this picture doesn't he? Haha

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/images/CsnowF04-03.jpg

Yeah, he does. IMO, he looks too young for her, though. I feel kind of sorry for him, since he wants to overcome the powerful bond of the two swords and win Shangguan Yan's heart. It seems like a futile desire to me, but what can you do?

Originally posted by Suet Seung
BTW, Do you know who that white-eyebrowed guy is?

This guy? He's Bai Tong, and I'm not sure of his motives yet. From what I've seen so far, he's a good guy, having saved both Sima Chang Feng and Shangguan Yan, and has shown his mercy several times. He is also always trying to fight with Sima Chang Feng to determine who is the superior swordsman.

[AnalyticChick]

Wow. I am so impressed with myself at the level of my ancient series perception. I didn't call the Sai Hua Tuo/Shangguan Yan love though. I think he just looks a bit young to be involved in love triangles (vector field?). In any case, it should be interesting with three such qualified males competing for the love of our lovely Mrs. Lady Legendary Dragon.

Erm, and the evil father really sounds stupid. I still can't understand why he would want to kill his son. As the old saying goes, Even the nefarious tiger doesn't eat its young. Besides, the stupid, useless, spoiled son of the villian has long been a series archetype. If villians can tolerate the mentally retarded, why not the physically impaired.

I'm definitely starting to get a feeling that Hua Tou's dad isn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Because generally usurpers don't like to leave the male heirs of the rightful king wandering around the kingdom. Just a note if anyone out there is planning to stage a coup anytime soon.

Regarding the double surnames, maybe it shows just how cool and special these people are - sorta like naming one of your characters Adriandelle or Dyvyn.

By the by, Hua Tou looks even cuter when he is smiling. I am beginning to develop a soft spot for this guy.

[Suet Seung]

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/images/CsnowF04-04.jpg

Is that Hua Tuo standing? Isn't he crippled?

Ooo I think I've found the mtv for this series:

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/CsnowF-MTV.htm

[Lady Zhuge]

Originally posted by AnalyticChick
I'm definitely starting to get a feeling that Hua Tou's dad isn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Because generally usurpers don't like to leave the male heirs of the rightful king wandering around the kingdom. Just a note if anyone out there is planning to stage a coup anytime soon.

Actually, it's not entirely due to his lack of foresight and brain cells. The true heir to the throne (Stinky Tofu) doesn't even know his true background yet. He just thinks he's just the son of the local tofu salesman when in reality, it's all a cover-up to preserve his safety.

Originally posted by Suet Seung
http://www.snowflower.com.tw/images/CsnowF04-04.jpg

Is that Hua Tuo standing? Isn't he crippled?

Yeah, that's him all right. Hmm, I guess that means his legs will eventually be healed!

Originally posted by Suet Seung

Ooo I think I've found the mtv for this series:

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/CsnowF-MTV.htm

All I'm getting is the Quicktime logo. I do have Quicktime, but it's nothing doing so far. What program did you use to play it?

[Suet Seung]

The page didn't work for me...but I got the link for the video here

http://www.snowflower.com.tw/MTV-08.avi

It's a avi file so I think u need divx in order to see it.

ARgh, but even so I try to save as target, it won't save...so I guess someone could email and ask them to do something about it?

[Lady Zhuge]

I sent them an email (I hope it was the appropriate address...), so maybe they can fix it. I still keep getting either an error message or just a plain Quicktime logo.

The powers and abilities of Sai Hua Tuo:

[Suet Seung]

For some reason Sai Hua Tuo reminds me of Na Zha with that red dot and his youthful features...in fact theres an old taiwanese version of Na Zha...with a guy with a red dot and stuff. Kinda funny but okay I'll get over that.

So he does have some fighting skills huh?

[Lady Zhuge]

Na Zha...that name sounds familiar. Did Benny Chan play him in Gods of Honor?

Oh yeah, Sai Huo Tuo is one of the Jiang Hu's Greats. Even though he is currently disabled, he can still zap people from his wheelchair. He also has this loyal assistant/bodyguard (the guy with what looks like a thick rope around his forehead in the third picture above) whom he somehow transfers secret instructions and battle tactics to in order to fight off bad guys. Basically, he is the brain behind the powerful attacks.

[Suet Seung]

Originally posted by Lady Zhuge
Na Zha...that name sounds familiar. Did Benny Chan play him in Gods of Honor?

Oh yeah, Sai Huo Tuo is one of the Jiang Hu's Greats. Even though he is currently disabled, he can still zap people from his wheelchair. He also has this loyal assistant/bodyguard (the guy with what looks like a thick rope around his forehead in the third picture above) whom he somehow transfers secret instructions and battle tactics to in order to fight off bad guys. Basically, he is the brain behind the powerful attacks.

Yup thats the Na Zha I'm talking about. I'm confused did you mean Hua Tuo sends secret instructions?

[Lady Zhuge]

Originally posted by Suet Seung
I'm confused did you mean Hua Tuo sends secret instructions?

Yeah, I was referring to Sai Hua Tuo. I chose the word "transfers", because that's what it seems more like to me. It's kind of hard to explain. Sai Hua Tuo's mouth won't be moving, but there'll be waves of instructions which somehow eminate to the ears of his assistant (as shown in the pic), who then physically carries them out in beating up the bad guys. It kind of reminds me of Wang Yu Yan telling Duan Yu where to zap someone or hit their weak area, since she didn't physically perform the martial arts herself, yet possessed a wealth of knowledge.

[crazy]

Lady Zhuge, could you give us a summary of whats going on right now in xue hua nu shen long, please, I would greatly appreciate it, because due to my financial state right now, i won't be able to afford this show until next year Thanx very much in advance, I have been dying to see this series since it came out.

[Lady Zhuge]

Hey crazy, since you will be buying and most likely watching this series in the future, do you really want me to tell you what's happening? I basically gave away a lot of the background info on the characters already. But, if you would still like to be spoiled and alleviated of suspense and do not mind being patient (as I don't have a lot of time right now, with finals coming up and the simultaneous watching of other series), I can update you on what's happening as I proceed through my viewing.

[EDIT]: Post #1000. Okay, I'll get over myself now.

[crazy]

That would be really great, thanx, just whenever you have time. I like to find out what happens before i see tv serials because i'm just really impatient. Oh, and my congrats on the 1000th post.