Chinese drama Pursuit of Jade aired its final episode last evening (March 30) on a high note, with marquis-warrior Xie Zheng and butcher-turned-general Fan Changyu getting their well-deserved happily-ever-after.
Directed by Zeng Qingjie, the 40-episode hit series — streaming on iQiyi, Netflix, and WeTV — centres on the love story between the two, played by Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei respectively.
Xie Zheng, hiding in Lin’an town under the false name Yan Zheng after he was seriously injured in battle and saved by Changyu, agrees to enter a fake marriage with her to save her family home.
As they grow to care for each other over time, war separates them. Xie Zheng reclaims his title, fighting to protect his country and seeking revenge, while Changyu goes to the battlefield in search of him and finds out the truth behind her parents’ death. Reunited in battle, they stand together, fighting for justice, truth and their love.
The two characters have their own Weibo accounts — where they follow only each other — and have been posting before the drama began telecast in early March.
Bidding audiences farewell, they reflected on their journey in respective Weibo posts yesterday.
Spoilers ahead.
Xie Zheng: ‘I’m saved and loved by Changyu’
Xie Zheng, who is understood to be in his 20s in the drama, wrote about his misfortune of losing his parents 17 years ago and becoming a cold and bitter warrior after being bullied by his relatives while growing up under the tutelage of his uncle Wei Yan (played by Chinese actor Yan Yikuan).
“Walking through the smoking gunpowder and moonlight, the only thought in my heart was that I was born for the battlefield and would die there, and had never thought about living a different life,” he said.
However, after being saved by Changyu, 19, who cared for him at her home in Lin’an town, he grew to appreciate and admire her ability to care for others even while she faced hardships in her own life.
“Over the years, I have been forcing myself to maintain an indestructible appearance, but by her side, I seem to be able to put down those burdens for a short while and enjoy the warmth from others and the sweetness of life,” Xie Zheng wrote.
“Living in cold loneliness for the past 10 years, I never thought I was still living until I met her, until I lived in that small courtyard that is bursting with life, and I realised this life seems to worth living.”
Looking back at everyone in his life, including his parents, he realised he is loved and has learnt from them.
“And there’s also Changyu, I’m saved and loved by her. I will never betray her in this life, and our love will last until death.”
Knowing that he is not alone now, he looks forward to maintaining peace on the battlefield with Changyu and spending the rest of his life with her in their home in Lin’an.
Changyu: ‘It’s enough to be in the company of a loved one for a lifetime’
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In her Weibo post, Changyu wrote about growing up in a simple and loving family in Lin’an town where her father Fan Erniu (Kou Shanwen) was a butcher and her mother Meng Lihua (Yuan Ran) would help out in his shop. She would deliver lunch to them every day at their shop, and they would enjoy the meal together over laughter.
“The neighbours always said that the Fan family would be safe in the future. There was no rush and separation during that time, only my parents and sister’s companionship, which was the perfection I yearned for most in my heart.”
However, after her parents’ deaths, which she thought were caused by mountain bandits at first, she was left to care for her young sister Changning (Cao Yanning). Despite her grief, she tries her best to move forward with life.
After saving Xie Zheng, she was touched by his companionship and protection, including making cured meat together, speaking up for her when she was humiliated by the proud Song family in front of the villagers, teaching her how to protect the deed to her family home in court and protecting Changning in spite of his injuries.
“In retrospect, those days are also my most precious memories.”
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Later, after Xie Zheng’s departure and a massacre by crown prince Sui Yuanqing (Lin Muran) in Lin’an town resulted in Changning’s abduction, Changyu was forced to go on a journey to search for her and Xie Zheng, leading her into the battlefield, becoming a general and finding out her parents’ real identities.
“From Xigu lane to the capital, from a butcher to becoming General Huaihua, while I have been around, I am still that Fan Changyu.’
While she still thinks about the past from time to time, she is glad to have Xie Zheng and Changning by her side, making her believe that “everything will get better”.
Changyu ended her post with: “It is the bitterness and warmth from the past that makes me cherish the present more. Not just the three meals a day, the four seasons, year after year, but also the flowing rivers, setting sun and galloping on horseback.
“Whether it’s tending to the simple joys of home or facing the harsh realities of battle together, it’s enough to be in the company of a loved one for a lifetime.”
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Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei thank audiences for their love and support
Linghe and Xiwei also thanked audiences for the support and love for Pursuit of Jade in separate Weibo posts last evening.
Linghe, 28, said he was happy to know that viewers enjoyed watching the series.
He also expressed his appreciation for Xie Zheng’s growth and finding happiness in the end.
“Xie Zheng, like his father, has become a man who protects his family and country, and is loyal, upright and magnanimous. In his dream, he will hear his mother calling him Zheng’er with a smile. Fortunately, like his parents, he met someone he wants to protect all his life.”
Linghe ended his post with: “Thank you for your love for Pursuit of Jade and for Xie Zheng. I hope whenever you think of the series in the future, you will be able to return to the warmth of Lin’an town. Thank you to all the colleagues and everyone who had worked hard.”
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Xiwei expressed her appreciation for Changyu and that she was determined to bring the character to life.
The 28-year-old wrote: “I want to be as optimistic and strong as you are. I want to be like you, brave enough to step onto an unknown path. I want to be just like you, no matter how many times I’m knocked down, I can get back up again and again.”
She also hoped that viewers will continue to live positively: “I hope that everyone who sees Changyu will also feel, ‘I can do it, I can persevere and live optimistically, I can get up again and again after being knocked down, and that I can have the courage to choose to walk the unknown path.’
“Eat well, live well and don’t give up. Thank you for watching Pursuit of Jade. Wishing everyone good health and happiness every day.”
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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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