Chinese Drama Recap – The Romance of Hua Rong – Episode 1

So this is my play by play recapping of recent CDrama The Romance of Hua Rong. It’s not deathless literature, it’s not high drama, it’s not brilliant or deep or (thank God) heart-wrenching or tearjerking or really hugely meaningful. But it’s something that is consistently clever, completely entertaining, heart-warming, and wholesome.

It makes me happy, and so I’m going to inflict it on all of you lovely bots readers, too. Please check it out (I found it on Youtube: The Romance of Hua Rong) and also enjoy. 

So.

This is the story of our bumbling but well-intentioned heroine Hua Rong who enters a brothel (unconvincingly disguised as a male jiang hu warrior “Hua Hua”) to rescue a young woman. Hijinx ensue, especially after the handsome young man in black (who is an actual master fighter of the kung fu kind) catches her lifting the madam’s keyring. He’s there for….something? There’s also an old guy (Pei Yong?) who is trying to steal something, or maybe he’s the guy Handsome is after.

Meanwhile, there’s a(nother) (moderately) handsome Young Master Scholar and his servant walking by outside. They’re after the Longevity Pill. There is the inevitable slow-mo collision and Hua Rong ends up with the scholar’s papers while he ends up with her pilfered treasure.

Meanwhile, everyone is trying to make a break from the brothel, but Old Guy Pei Yong escapes and Our Heroine accidentally knees Our Hero in the groin after he accidentally touches her boobs while they’re both hanging off the side of a ship. Ladies and gentlemen: C-Dramas.

But MEANWHILE, Handsome Guy has to go rescue his buddies, which he does with aplomb, and Hua Rong clambers aboard the ship to hide out.

The switched parcels, meanwhile, have been discovered, and uh oh, Hua Rong is burning the scholar’s papers for warmth! That’s not good. Not to mention, she’s a stowaway on board a ship going who knows where except that there are also, suddenly, pirates.

So! Handsome guy is actually Qin Chang Sheng, the pirate king. Also, this ship is loaded with silver bullion.

Hua Rong, meanwhile, gives herself an adorable little pep talk: she is Hua Hua the warrior hero! And warrior heroes do not let pirates steal money from the government! So while the pirates (turns out this the second-in-command pirate, not Chang Sheng, who takes prisoners) are cutting the throats of the surrendered crew, Hua Rong is busy hauling wine jugs up to the deck (“What is that guy doing?”) and then threatening to burn the ship.

And she actually does set it on fire, except Kung Fu Master Chang Sheng pulls her out of the flames and off the ship.–this girl has already been involved in too many coincidences, caused too much trouble, and also is totally cute. Although, at this point, no one else other than Chang Sheng realizes she’s a girl. Lol. I love CDrama conventions.

So “Hua Hua” is sent off to the quarry, but promptly manages to talk her way into an easier assignment from Chang Sheng’s more intelligent lieutenant, Blue Bro. Lol. I like this heroine. I really hope she doesn’t end up completely hogtied the way most plucky-girl CDrama heroines do. But! Chang Sheng declares that she will be given the strictest assignments! To the kitchens with her!

Oh LOL: after she’s assigned the kitchen, she not only defends the other servants from the cook, she salvages the meal with her superior knowledge of recipes. And apparently produced a pretty darn tasty dish to boot.

Aaaaand then does the same more or less to the cruel steward. But this time, Hua Rong goes too far, and ends up having to admit fault to spare everyone in the kitchen being beaten twenty times. (The steward does get thirty lashes.) Chang Sheng asks why and Hua Rong explains–the steward is cruel and she was making sure justice was done.
Chang Sheng takes offence and also grabs her by the throat: So you used me to get your own way? No one uses me.

Hua Rong, completely fearless: Because I did, you won’t dare do anything to me.

ROLL CREDITS!

RATED: Man, I hope this one doesn’t start to inevitably suck the way most CDramas do…