“Why do you always want to go back to the past?” – Quote from “Meet You At the Blossom”

This is a titanically fun series to watch. But I am biased. I love history-period pieces, especially Asian ones since I know so little about Asian cultures and customs in general. For me, I romanticize the story even more and thus, it becomes pure escapism.

I confess that I got completely lost in the complexities of the story and with the names and who is kindred to whom. I had a hard time following the lineage of who is related to whom and therefore the story for me got a shade complicated. However, I got the gist of the story and all I was interested in really were the main characters. They were not just entertaining. They were tantalizing. For some reason, decidedly handsome men in exotic period costumes add a greater dimension to the level of the portrayals of their characters they are playing.

The story begins with a rather privileged pampered and spoiled rich son of a wealthy family named Jin Xiao Bao (Wang Yun Kai). Astonishingly handsome with soft very boyish features, he is quite a playboy and has the reputation of not being very serious with any one particular young lady. To say that he is immature, insincere, and overindulgent would be putting it mildly. However, he will soon be reaching the age when his life will be facing more challenging decisions as he enters into adulthood.

On a trip, Xiao Bao by accident mysteriously meets and mistakenly thinks that the individual he encounters is a beautiful woman in trouble. Instantly, he falls in love with her. That is the capacity of youth, first-loves, and naiveté thinking. In reality, however, he has mistaken Zong Zheng Huai’En (Li Le) for being a woman. Initially, Huai’En goes along with the charade for he is after information and because he has been ordered by his father, the former Crown Prince, to obtain some documents and information about his family. Huai’En is an ice-cold individual, having grown up with no affection and trained to be self-reliant and to bury his emotions. How Xiao Bao mistook him for being female is amusing to say the least and markedly incomprehensible to me. However, that is what makes this story so creative and fun. That is the joy of reverie.

Huai’En also has his enemies and as he rescues Xiao Bao, Huai’En is shot with an aphrodisiac arrow which causes him to make love with Xiao Bao. Xiao Bao begins to realize Huai’En is a man. Xiao Bao does not care, as he has fallen in love with him. Even though family and friends try to dissuade him from becoming completely enamored with Huai’En, Xiao Bao is steadfast in his love for him. Meanwhile, despite his gruff exterior, Huai’En also begins to become smitten with Xiao Bao. Spending more time than perhaps he should, they both begin to solidify the relationship and deepen their affection for one another.

While at first the story seemed a bit juvenile, once it starts to evolve, it becomes an epic love saga, albeit a painful one. Huai’En must carry out some terrible acts in order to right the course of action and extradite himself from his controlling father. Meanwhile, Xiao Bao has to grow up, and in that process must face unimaginable physical, psychological, and emotional tortures. Something he was ill-prepared to do and face. He is forced to grow up rapidly and must confront the fragility of life without any of his old standbys and family wealth.

There is a family friend of Xiao Bao that is a Prince and has over the years taken an interest in Xiao Bio. The family has called Su Yin (Li Jun Liang) to help guide their son back to some sense of normalcy. He knows of Huai’En’s reputation and tries hard to dissuade Xiao Bao’s continued pursuance of him. Su Yin is a handsome man who has a unique interest in Xiao Bao. Perhaps partly wanting to protect him, but my suspect was he was also jealous of the burgeoning relationship with Huai’En. I really thought that he had more than a passing interest in Xiao Bao, and his actions certainly did appear to be that of a jealous admirer under the guise of trying to be protector. His actions were meant to keep Xiao Bao away from Huai’En and to keep Xiao Bao close to him. But the fates had other plans. As time went on, either he realized that the two of them had a significant bond that was unshakeable, or he realized that Xiao Bao had no real interest in him other than being a close friend, he then becomes pivotal in them being able to remain together, even if he personally does not like the arrangements. He is indeed a character that is central to the story. Although consistently trying to change certain outcomes, he is unable to do so and learns to accept the inevitability of all of it. His characterization of remaining a loyal friend throughout, misguided at times, was refreshing. Neither good or bad and yet both. He is just an intriguing character and Li Jun plays the character with complexity and depth. I enjoyed watching his performance throughout. And I am still confused as to how I see his character’s feeling towards Xiao Bao. Well done!

The actions that Huai’En had to make and take afterwards seemed like a betrayal to Xiao Bao; he almost died. He knew what the goal was with the road to get there, almost insurmountable. Huai’En too almost died as well but no matter how unattainable his tasks where, his focus was always on Xiao Bao.

Therefore, this is a story of redemptive love. Neither one lost the love for each other. Perhaps Xiao Bao lost his faith in Huai’En’s love but never his underlying love for him. Each had to rebuild their trust. Xiao Bao had to be shown the sacrifice and suffering that Haui’En endured to regain his fidelity. And Xiao Bao needed to endure his own physical pain to understand the depth of the sacrifice he must bring to the relationship.

The obvious supposition in this series, to make this series thematic, is one has to accept Xioa Bao believed that Huai’En was initially a femme fatale. I did so unhesitatingly. Therefore, I could enjoy this series. Remember – we all blindly want to ‘see’ what we want to see in an individual that for whatever reason becomes THE center of our attraction in our first love. Especially when one is young, innocent, care-free, naïve, and completely mesmerized by the natural beauty of the bright shiny object in front of us. That is all one sees; cares to see; wants to see. And if by happenstance, you are swept up by the physical passion of the moment and engage in the carnal pleasures of the flesh to fulfillment, an even more intense yearning may be awakened. That realization is nebulously called ‘love’.

In this case, it was not just physical needs that were consumed but a deeper connection that was awakened, shared, and actualized.

While this series has a swashbuckling feel about it, it is deeper than what it is given credit for. To be sure, there are some inane moments, and superficial scenes, but it never loses its mythos about the power of love. We discover poetically what makes some of these individuals tick; we also discover profound melancholy and heartbreak because of the lack of it or the loss of it. We also get to witness its power over the actions of individuals or its motivation to want to change conduct or behaviors.

Although I had a difficult time following the stories’ nuances because the storyline is sublime and filled with references to Chinese history, cultures, and traditions that are completely unfamiliar to me, I could still understand the salient points. Honestly, love is easy to understand in any language and culture. Just immerse yourself into the story and new worlds can open up to you.

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed this unique love fable.

P.S. Without spoiling anything, there is SOMETHING in this Chinese BL that one rarely, if ever, sees. So, enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Streaming on- IQIYI/Gagaoolala