CCTV15 music review

cctv15 music review on Steven's Where the legend Begins songs.

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WTLB mv -- updated with new mv

Disclaimer: I only uploaded the MVs here, which I dl from various sources.

First 2 mvs are newly uploaded here.
It's been far too long.  Bumping up WTLB to remind myself why I became Steven Ma fan. Wish he would come up with another series that can move masses and touch my heart once more.  So much potential in him still not fully realized, what a waste! It has been too long in between, far too long. Steven, add oil.

Even though Siu Yan jie's new series' focus is on the women, I still wish Steven were in it.  

2013 mv by: 醉意浅 @ tudou link

2007 instrumental music dolphinnini@ tudou link

weibo may 25

5/25  19:57    A series I love so much //@阳光灿灿照: At the time, my heart broke from crying so much.....…//@TVB剧评网：【Revisiting old tv series..@梅小青LV (miu siu ching) series】《Where the legend begins -洛神》...

Steven's Domd1998 KangXi with his delicate beauty grabbed some mainland tv audiences' attention with his first time foray into mainland tv series markets  , if second time around his Cao Zi did not cement their loyalty towards him, his Chow Sai Hin in Perish in the name of love did.

Interview: Steven reveals behind the scenes in WTLB

Steven talks about a 'disgusting' thing that happens during his filming. There he was doing this heartrending scene with Ada.  The scene was after Cao Ji's wife is laid to rest, and Cao Ji and son were banished to the frontier. Yan Fu visited Cao Ji to say goodbye and present a silk coat to the latter son.  So as Cao Ji turned to leave, his tears did not fall but instead his nose was off running uncontrollably with copious mucous. And Steven went overdrive into detailing his running nose and the 2 columns of mucous. yak yak yak he carried on and painted a vivid picture. But luckily as he turned the camera shot was on Yan Fu, but so as not to disrupt others' concentration with his action he did not wipe away his snot. But Yan Fu called up to him, and he turned around to look at her, and Ada seeing his two streams of flowing mucous burst out laughing and said,  "What's the matter with you. No tears but lots of mucous!"  Everybody could not hold back their laughter and laugh uproariously." haha!

And to change the subject, the hostess asks him his most memorable scene in the series. Steven says its is Yan Fu's death scene. That so unfair when living Cao Pi separates the star crossed lovers, even in her dying moment Cao Pi still separates them by cradling Yan Fu in his arms and the camera just panned on them and cut off Cao Ji in his grief, luckily in the last moment of Yan Fun's life, her eyes turn to look at Cao Ji, the one she truly loves, with her last glance before dying.

series: WTLB screencaps and still photos

Steven reminiscing on Siu Yun Zi had me reminiscing on his past series.  Of all his ancient drama series, his Cho Ji to me is the most beautiful of all his characters.  Besides his fine features and jade like smoothness of his complexion, his beauty comes from deep within: from the purity of his heart and inborn literary talent; his ingenuousness comes from his genuineness and his sanguine disposition.  Because of his total trust in family, the  betrayal of his older brother and the loss of his beloved, Fu Yi, are all that more heart wrenching  which totally destroyed him and lay waste his innate literary talents. Steven totally brought life to Cho Ji; he was Cho Ji and Cho Ji was him.

Smile and eyes exuding self-confidence when the world was his still oyster.

 7 step poem

Video links on 7 step poem

series: WTLB Banners

credit: sm baidu

My absolute all time favorite mv is ....tada

To me this mv remains my all time favorite. The clips were perfectly chosen to depict the story and the music and lyrics just perfect to evoke that helplessness and deep sorrow. Just perfect.

WTLB - 明明深爱着你 (Hacken Lee)
for better quality watch mv in  link 

Miu Siu Ching's WTLB weibo entry

Steven 6/9  11:03  Sure remember ya, Siu Ching jie! The directer was Chan Ji Kong. We all cried so much our eyes became swollen. I even had two huge snots off my nose. In the end, had to wipe them off before doing retake... reminiscing....


Miu Siu Ching 6/9 09:24  Ma Zai, Ada: Do you remember the 7 step poem scene was a re-take?  That day even the lighting technicians were very quiet in their moving the lights around, deeply fearful of disturbing the teary eyed emotions of you both .  I deeply felt the spirit of cooperation between the cast and the behind the scene crew for this scene.


**************************************

Just 25 mins ago, when I first got on her weibo, Mui Siu Ching has updated it with an entry on Where the legend begins, and since then it got very busy with rushes of responses, including Steven's who just now posted right after my own. I didn't follow MSC but I am now.  I clicked on her weiboan earlier to verify the date of her reply to Steven's Father and Son photo post so as to update my info on it here. 

 
Steven 6/9 1:17 Siu Ching Jie, WTLB Cho Ji has brought a lot a lot to Ma Zai, thank you for your belief in me, who at that time did not possess much ancient drama experience.  WTLB, till this day, I still frequently re-watch! Also, late Father Miu now residing in heaven must be very proud to have a group of son(s) and daughters like you all.

梅小青LV 6/9  1:03   This time Linda and Steven will act a very different kind of lovers. Hopefully, you will continue to support. 
 梅小青LV 6/9 00:37 @tracychen330:  Yes, Steven sang it. Sang with much flavor!

tracychen330 6/9 00:34   WTLB's subtheme song is also very pleasing to the ears. 

2011 6/9 00:32 Recently, you all brought up the nine years ago Where the legend begins which evoked lots of memories for me, too.  At the time, my father after dinner would insist on sitting quietly to finish watching the show before going to bed.  At that time, I also bravely used Moses Chan for his 1st ancient drama series.  And of course, Ada and Steven were unquestionably the most perfect candidates for their respective roles.  They brought their characters to life.  WTLB truly has given many, many good memories!

TN: As usual, Steven is very perceptive of other people's feelings. (Just a few days ago, MSC weibo was reminiscing about her late father.

Understandably, some Sonija Kwok fans were slightly miffed that she was not mentioned in the post.  Sonija has once posted that she is truly puzzled by the sudden change of sentiment towards tvb villains nowadays, whereas in the past they were been vilified and hated like she was.  Change is a constant.  Change of time brings forth change of values and morals, most time not for the better.  Aside -  Recently, I read the news about a 17-year-old boy who sold one of his kidneys for 2000 English lbs (Eros?) so that he could buy the latest ipad 2.   Sigh!

Related material: WTLB review

by 端着茶跑 - WTLB review published on a China tv magazine  (in Chinese)

Review in Chinese - Where the Legend Begins

《乱世中，断肠梦》216期电视剧，作者端着茶
A review by a SM baidu ex-webmistress 端着茶跑 printed on a mainland tv series magazine.
She sent in her review to the magazine and to her delight it got printed.
Review in Chinese.

--- more-- in original review in Chinese

Where the Legend Begins

The review below is by : teeveebee @ spcnet

"In war times, peach blossoms are pushed along by the waves of the river…"

This metaphor-filled phrase aptly described the life of the main character of "Where the Legend Begins" ("Legend"). Yen Fok was the perfect woman. Radiantly beautiful, intelligent, learned, sensitive and kind-hearted, she was the embodiment of both internal and external beauty. It was this legendary beauty that cast her into a life she had little control of.


The story took place in the last days of the once glorious Han dynasty and the beginning of a period in Chinese history known as the era of the Three Kingdoms. The story began with the sacking of the city of Nip by Cao Cao’s army. Yen Fok and her family were "captured" in the battle and were brought back to Cao’s household as special guests. She instantly became the focus of the Cao males. Her admirers included Cao Cao himself, his elder son, Cao Pei and his youngest son, Cao Ji. A love quadrangle ensued. She deftly sidestepped the senior Cao’s romantic advances by declaring that her feelings for him were admiration and not love. The rest of the story was about the power struggle between Cao Pei and Cao Ji, with both vying not only for the position of the crown prince but also for the hand of the beautiful Yen Fok. Deep down, Yen Fok had long fallen for the care-free, kindhearted and poetically talented Cao Ji and they were in fact deeply in love. The rout of Cao Cao’s million strong forces in the Battle of the Red Wall sealed the fate of Cao Ji and set the love tragedy into motion. With the failure at Red Wall, Cao Cao saw his final opportunity of personally overthrowing the Han dynasty evaporate. He reckoned correctly that even though his youngest son would make an excellent emperor, he would have been too loyal to the Han dynasty to overthrow it. Wanting desperately for the Cao family to establish a new dynasty, he pinned his final hopes on the ruthless but much more practical Cao Pei by naming him the heir. He also declared that the future emperor would win the hand of the immensely popular Yen Fok because she could help him build rapport with the ordinary people. With that one decree, Cao Ji lost everything: the empire, his true love and his comradeship with his brother. Soon after Cao Cao’s death, Cao Pei, with the help of Sima Yi, forced the abdication of the Han Emperor and declared himself the new Emperor of the Wei Dynasty. His dead father’s dream was finally realized. Still regarding his brother Cao Ji as a threat, Cao Pei placed him in virtual exile far from the capital. Even though Yen Fok was now his wife and she even bore him a son, the flame of jealousy continued to burn strongly in the heart of Cao Pei. When he heard the malicious but false rumour that his son was in fact that of his brother’s, he was momentarily blinded by a jealous rage and ordered the death of Yen Fok. With the death of Yen Fok, Cao Ji became a broken man. The story finally came to its tragic conclusion.

The discussion of the story line of "Legend" would not be complete without at least a brief mention of the legend aspect of the show. The legend was in fact a supernatural one. According to the story, Yen Fok was the mortal embodiment of the Goddess of the River Luo ("Lok Sun" in Cantonese) who was punished to descend to Earth for causing a clash between her husband and another God in the Heavens. The idea was for her to live through the same experience in the mortal world and "learn" from her suffering. This is the Zen concept of achieving higher karma by reliving and learning from past errors. At the end of the show, it was suggested that Yen Fok would reunite with Cao Ji after their deaths and finally able to realize their unfulfilled love in immortal eternity.