In my Love And Destiny review, I have given the verdict that this drama is a compelling watch. However, I was indeed a little apprehensive in the beginning because Jiu Chen seems a little too old for Ling Xi as a couple in a xianxia drama with a romance theme. I guess I wasn’t the only one because I can see that there are many others out there who feel the same as I did. But after plodding through the first 10 episodes or so, I began to like this pairing a lot. It makes sense to me that this should be an older man with a much younger woman romance drama. Let me try to explain why.
The Plot In Love And Destiny
Firstly, the story in Love And Destiny (宸汐缘) reveals to us that Ling Xi was saved by Jui Chen when she was a baby during a battle with the Demon Lord. This already means that there is a large age gap between them. Therefore, if we have a younger man that looks like Ling Xi’s age to play Jiu Chen’s role, it wouldn’t be logical either. It has to be an older man to fit in with the plot.
Secondly, Jiu Chen is the God Of War. It is a reflection of his prowess and seniority. I think to have a younger man play the God Of War wouldn’t be convincing either. It has to be someone that has a more matured look to give off a strong aura that is consistent with the seniority of his position. Furthermore, these characters are all immortals whereby their ages run into hundreds of thousands of years. Hence, we might all need to re-tune our definition of old when watching xianxia dramas.
Thirdly, Ling Xi is supposed to be an innocent and lively character. A more matured woman which closely matches Jiu Chen’s age wouldn’t be able to give this character that kind of innocence either. It won’t be fun to watch an older woman displays the charm that Ling Xi has over Jiu Chen. I think it might well be a turn-off for me. So, a much younger woman fits the role better.
Note: If you want a more complete picture of the whole drama, you can also check out my Love And Destiny episode summary.
A Contrast In Personalities
What makes the Jiu Chen and Ling Xi pairing enjoyable to watch is also the contrasts in their personalities. The girl is young and innocent but dares to love. The older man is serious and seems emotionless. They are so different and yet, when they get together, we can see how the man changes from his usual stern demeanor to someone gentler and more loving. It is satisfying to watch this change in Jiu Chen whenever he interacts with Ling Xi as the drama moves along.
There is no doubt that Jiu Chen is the dominant one in this pairing. In a way, it is also a flaw because he tends to decide things that affect them as a couple without telling her anything. You can see this as being protective and responsible but you can also view it as domineering. But I like how a more matured Ling Xi handles situations too towards the later part of the drama. She doesn’t just accept what Jiu Chen does but makes her own decisions on what she wants to do.
Jiu Chen And Ling Xi As A Couple
Overall, I think it is a good match. The pairing is consistent with the storyline. The Jiu Chen and Ling Xi couple has a romantic feel to me despite the age gap. They complement each other well as Ling Xi is able to make Jiu Chen let down his guard while Jiu Chen helps Ling Xi matures as a person. While the man is the God Of War, he can be mushy, jealous, possessive, and comforting where Ling Xi is concerned.
Lastly, the fact that both Chang Chen and Ni Ni have such great chemistry in the drama makes this couple one of the best pairings for Chinese dramas for 2019 in my mind. I would recommend a watch for Love And Destiny especially for those into xianxia and romance themes.
Images Credit: iQiyi
Could not agree more with you. I am currently watching The Pillow Book which is the sequel of Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and what bothers me the most is the age of actors. They all look too young and too childish to their actual age and maturity. Although they are immortals but some should look more mature than the rest. The actors and actress in the original Ten Miles were very well-casted and we can all recognize some Gods and Goddess are older than the others while in The Pillow Book they are all kinda same age.
That mistake luckily doesnt appear in Love and Destiny. Jiu Chen has the look of a mature, nearly middle-age man because he has lived through many brutal battles and actually a middle-aged God (he should be arround 170,000 years old). A much oldder God like Le Bou appears as an old man at arround 70 because he’s nearly as twice the age as Jiu Chen (La Bou is ~ 270,000 years old).
In other words, I would very appreciate a film that respects the characters and choose the right actors at the right age. If they pick a younger actor for Jiu Chen role to attract more teenagers and young audiences, I would not treat that film any more seriously. Of course, Zhang Chen and Ni Ni are perfect for the roles not because their age suits the characters well but also they delivered amazing performance and has great chemistry together on-screen. Who says otherwise is obviously prefer eye-candy movies and actors, actresses over good acting skills.