Love In Flames Of War Review

After watching 2 Republican era Chinese dramas within the last 3 months, I thought I should give Love In Flames Of War (良辰好景知几何) a try as well. After all, I kind of liked the 2 that I have watched. However, this one seemed like a big bore when I started it. In fact, I was debating whether I should drop it after a few episodes especially when it appears to have a heartbreaking tone to it. But I persevered and told myself to give it more time for the story to develop. So, what happened in the end? Is it a great drama after a slow start? My Love In Flames Of War review below will reveal more about this production.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 43
Type: Republican, Romance
Aired: April 2022
Images Credit: Youku Twitter

The Cast Of Love In Flames Of War

• Chen Du Ling as Lin Hang Jing
• Shawn Dou Xiao as Xiao Bei Chen
• Yuan Hao as Mu Zi Zheng
• Zhao Ying Zi as Zheng Feng Qi
• Leon Lai Yi as Mo Wei Yi
• Ran Xu as Xu Zi Jun
• Hu Jun as Xiao Hai Shan
• Dong Xuan as Madam Qi
• Guan Xin as Xiao Shu Yi
• Zhang Gong as Kang Jing Xiong
• Wang Jin Song as Jin Cheng
• He Ming Han as Shen Yan Qing

Main Characters

Lin Hang Jing

Hang Jing is the daughter of Lin Tang Sheng and a concubine. Her father is a minister who has ran into trouble with his warlord. Hang Jing is also regarded by Xiao Hai Shan as his goddaughter. She is a stoic and determined young lady who wants to make a difference in a chaotic world. She has great interest in current affairs and literary works with a knack for writing opinion pieces.

Xiao Bei Chen

Bei Chen is Xiao Hai Shan’s eldest son. He is an idler who spends his time fooling around. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his father who sees him as a troublemaker. Bei Chen may be a bully and immature but he is affected by his mother’s death when he was young. He can also be stubborn and rebellious but has leadership qualities. He is also into Chinese opera.

Supporting Characters

Mu Zi Zheng

Zi Zheng is a poor young man with a sickly mother. He works at his uncle’s kite shop and loves reading and literary works. Zi Zheng is also a member of a book reading society and likes to discuss current issues. He is a righteous man with revolutionary ideals. His mentor is Ding Ruo Yong.

Zheng Feng Qi

Feng Qi is Bei Chen’s childhood friend and they are always regarded as a couple. She is also the only daughter of a regiment commander who is loyal to Xiao Hai Shan. Feng Qi has gone abroad to study acting before returning home as a popular actress.

Mo Wei Yi & Xu Zi Jun

Wei Yi and Zi Jun are Bei Chen’s best friends and sworn brothers. Both their fathers are regiment commanders under Xiao Hai Shan. They are wealthy and playful young men who hang around Bei Chen all the time and listen to him. Zi Jun also has feelings for Shu Yi.

Xiao Hai Shan

Xiao Hai Shan is the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhibei Delta Army. He reports to Jin Cheng. Xiao Hai Shan controls Beixin city and has several loyal commanders under him as well as enemies. He has 6 children. Bei Chen is his eldest son while Shu Yi is his daughter with his late wife. He also has a pair of young twin boys with his concubine, Madam Qi. Hang Jing’s father is his sworn brother.

Madam Qi

Madam Qi is Xiao Hai Shan’s concubine and Bei Chen and Shu Yi’s stepmother. She is also a mother to twin boys, Bei Yi and Bei Wang. She is a kind and understanding woman who often tries to mediate between Bei Chen and his father.

Xiao Shu Yi

Shu Yi is Bei Chen’s younger sister. She is a spoiled and willful young woman who often bullies Hang Jing.

Kang Jing Xiong

Kang Jing Xiong is the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhibei Luanhe Armed Forces. He is one of Jin Cheng’s subordinates. He also sees Xiao Hai Shan as an enemy although they serve the same master.

Jin Cheng

Jin Cheng is the warlord of the Zhibei region. He is a suspicious man who expects total loyalty from his subordinates. Xiao Hai Shan and Kang Jing Xiong are 2 of his more powerful commanders.

Shen Yan Qing

Yan Qing is Bei Chen’s childhood friend. Bei Chen also regards him as a big brother. Yan Qing has gone abroad for a number of years and he is a news editor. He is also Shu Yi’s long-term love interest.

Synopsis

During a chaotic period in the early 20th century, warlords are fighting among each other for control of the various regions. There are also the revolutionaries in the south who are against the warlords. On top of that, the north has its own internal power struggle between the Chairman and the Premier. Hang Jing is the daughter of a minister who has gone against a warlord. In order to keep her safe, he sent her to his good friend, Xiao Hai Shan, in Beixin city. Hence, Xiao Hai Shan took her in as his goddaughter and provided her shelter in his home.

Being an army commander who oversees Beixin city, Xiao Hai Shan’s eldest son, Bei Chen, has the luxury of fooling around due to his father’s position. While Bei Chen becomes attracted to Hang Jing, she sees him as a loafer and useless person who only knows how to bully others. But her opinion of him slowly changes after they were nearly killed during an assassination attempt on Bei Chen.

Love In Flames Of War Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Love In Flames Of War has an open ending. In the last episode, the war with Japan intensifies. Bei Chen stays back at Beixin city and leads the Ying Army to fight the Japanese. It is simply a matter of time before the city falls. Hang Jing wants to remain with Bei Chen till the end. So, he drugs her instead and arranges for someone to send her abroad. By the time she awakens, she is already onboard a ship bound for London.

As a result, she didn’t have the chance to tell Bei Chen that she is pregnant with their child. Shu Yi leaves with the orphanage kids before the city falls. She makes Zi Jun promise her that he will come back from the war alive. But both Zi Jun and Wei Yi as well as Du Heng die in the battle with the Japanese forces. Bei Chen’s effort to defend Beixin city fails but there is no news about what happened to him.

6 years later, Hang Jing and her son are still living in London. She has faith that Bei Chen is still alive. A 6-month-old newspaper from China carries a news article about the May 4th Movement and a picture of Bei Chen can be seen in the photo. With that, Hang Jing decides to return to China to look for him. The last scene shows Hang Jing and her son onboard a ship bound for China. She tells her son that they will definitely be able to find his father and the drama ends there.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Hang Jing and Bei Chen’s first kiss is in Episode 6. But it is an accidental one when she trips and their lips touched. Bei Chen plans to confess to her in Episode 10 but she didn’t turn up. Instead, he sees her with Zi Zheng and beats him up due to jealousy. Hang Jing quarrels with Bei Chen as a result. In Episode 11, she finds out from Wei Yi and Zi Jun about Bei Chen’s deep feelings for her and his disappointment of being rejected. But Hang Jing tells Bei Chen that she never expected him to love her and only sees him as family. Bei Chen nearly forces himself on her in desperation which creates more complication between them.

Bei Chen announces to the court in Episode 13 that Hang Jing is his fiancee in order to get her out of prison. She is arrested for helping Zi Zheng who is a revolutionary. Due to the announcement, circumstances forced them to get married. Hence, Hang Jing proposes to Bei Chen that they enter into a 2-year contract marriage in Episode 14. They have their wedding ceremony in Episode 15.

Due to various misunderstandings and Bei Chen’s lack of trust in her, Hang Jing proposes that they divorce in Episode 18 following a well-planted scandal to smear her reputation. But Bei Chen rejects it. They clear up their misunderstanding in Episode 19 and become loving. Hang Jing expresses her love for Bei Chen and and they consummated their marriage in Episode 20.

Is There Any Breakup?

Feng Qi schemes to break up Hang Jing and Bei Chen in Episode 28. Hence, Hang Jing decides to leave him as she thought he purposely kept her father from her after his release from prison as insurance to make her stay by his side. At the same time, Feng Qi falsely spreads the news to Shu Yi that Hang Jing is eloping with Zi Zheng. Bei Chen and his men stop them at the jetty in Episode 29. When Zi Zheng points a gun at Bei Chen, the soldiers shoot him. Zi Zheng then falls into the water but his body could not be found.

After what happened to her father and Zi Zheng, Hang Jing finds it hard to be with Bei Chen while he forces her to be with him. When she becomes pregnant, Bei Chen thought the baby is Zi Zheng’s and asks her to abort it. She demands for a divorce then but he turns down her request. Bei Chen decides to accept the baby in Episode 30. But Feng Qi secretly arranges for Hang Jing to miscarry and then pins the blame on Bei Chen in Episode 31. Then, she helps Hang Jing to flee from him. A fire breaks out at the inn Hang Jing is staying at which makes Bei Chen thinks she has died. He also learns that the baby is his through her personal maid.

Hang Jing’s Reappearance

5 years later, a woman who looks like Hang Jing reappears as Sheng Han Jun in Episode 33. She is now a daughter of a rich man and Shen Yan Qing’s wife. In actual fact, she is Hang Jing and together with Shen Yan Qing, they are working for the communist party. Her mission is to check out the Xiao family’s stand on cooperation with the Japanese. However, Bei Chen could sense who she is in Episode 35 but numerous tests fail to unearth her identity.

Hang Jing learns from Shu Yi that it wasn’t Bei Chen but Feng Qi who caused her to lose her baby in Episode 37. Bei Chen finds out her identity in Episode 38 through articles that she has written for the communist party which bore similarities with those which Hang Jing used to write. While Hang Jing admits who she is, she wants them to let bygones be bygones due to their different responsibilities.

However, she has to revert to being Bei Chen’s wife for safety reasons in Episode 39 when Kang Jing Xiong starts arresting communist party members on behalf of the Japanese. After his father’s and Madam Qi’s deaths, Bei Chen tells Hang Jing to leave the Xiao family in Episode 42. She knows he is doing it for her safety due to the turbulent world they are in. But Hang Jing chooses to remain in the city.

When Did The Contract Marriage Get Exposed?

Hang Jing and Bei Chen’s contract marriage is exposed in Episode 18. Feng Qi finds out about it when Bei Chen rambles about the contract while drunk after a misunderstanding with Hang Jing. An anonymous note is then sent to Shu Yi who reveals it to her father.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Zi Zheng also has feelings for Hang Jing and is on the verge of expressing his feelings in Episode 9. But he holds back especially after Hang Jing states in Episode 10 that her focus is on reuniting with her father who is still in jail then. Later, he agrees to go back to her hometown with her to save her father but fails to turn up due to an urgent mission for the revolutionaries. While he is away, Hang Jing ends up in a contract marriage with Bei Chen. Zi Zheng learns of her marriage in Episode 21 and that his superior sent him away on Bei Chen’s request.

Zi Zheng confronts Hang Jing and tells her what Bei Chen did to break them apart in Episode 22. But she still rejects him and makes it clear that she has fallen for Bei Chen in Episode 23. She reiterates that she wouldn’t leave Bei Chen in Episode 26.

Feng Qi has been in love with Bei Chen for a long time. She has gone abroad to study but by the time she returns in Episode 15, he has already married Hang Jing. Due to jealousy and dissatisfaction over Hang Jing’s coldness towards Bei Chen, she secretly arranges for Hang Jing to be embroiled in a scandal with another man. This is revealed in Episode 18. Feng Qi confesses to Bei Chen in Episode 19 but gets rejected.

Feng Qi plots to break Hang Jing and Bei Chen apart in Episode 28 and ropes in Zi Zheng as part of the plan. All her schemes are exposed in Episode 32 from Wei Yi’s investigation into Hang Jing’s miscarriage. She is forced to leave Beixin city as a result.

Feng Qi’s Fate

5 years later, Feng Qi returns to Beixin city from Japan. She wants revenge against the Xiao family and is working with Mr. Sato who is representing Japanese interest in the city.

When the Japanese starts a war in Beixin city, Feng Qi commands her late father’s soldiers to rebel against Bei Chen in Episode 42. She also enters the city to try to kill Hang Jing. But the communist party members arrive just in time to save her. Hang Jing shoots Feng Qi to death instead.

Zi Zheng’s Fate

Zi Zheng survives despite falling into the water after being shot by Bei Chen’s soldiers. He reappears in Episode 36 and is still working for the revolutionaries. He thought Hang Jing has died in the fire and still wants revenge against Bei Chen.

In Episode 39, it is revealed that Zi Zheng is being forced to work with the Japanese because they are holding his sickly mother hostage. Being a mole, he causes the deaths of Ding Ruo Yong and Shen Yan Qing. As a result, he becomes a wanted man. But when he learns that his mother has been fed opium by Mr. Sato and subsequently commits suicide in Episode 42, he tricks him with a plan to kill Bei Chen who is against the Japanese. Then, Zi Zheng sabotages the plan so that Bei Chen and his soldiers can turn the tables on the Japanese. In the process, Zi Zheng is shot by Mr. Sato’s aide and dies.

Other Key Events

• Wei Yi’s father is revealed to be a mole for Kang Jing Xiong in Episode 16. He is killed by Kang Jing Xiong in Episode 20 after his cover is blown because he knows too much.
• Zi Zheng is saved by Jin Cheng’s daughter in Episode 17 after getting injured during his mission for the revolutionary party. His identity is exposed in Episode 26 and he is kicked out by Jin Cheng in Episode 27.
• Hang Jing reunites with her father in Episode 26. Her father dies of illness in Episode 27.
• Du Heng is revealed to be a communist party member in Episode 30.
• Shu Yi confesses to Shen Yan Qing in Episode 30 but gets rejected.
• Feng Qi’s father dies in Episode 32 after his daughter’s plot to harm Hang Jing is exposed. He begs Bei Chen to spare Feng Qi’s life. He gives up his life in exchange for hers.
• Jin Cheng dies in Episode 38 when Kang Jing Xiong rebels. He is shot when he tries to save his daughter who has been taken hostage.
• Ding Ruo Yong is killed by Mr. Sato’s aide when he finds out that Zi Zheng is the mole for the Japanese in Episode 40.
• Shen Yan Qing stabs Kang Jing Xiong to death before being shot by his soldiers and dies in Episode 40. Shu Yi’s deep feelings for Shen Yan Qing remain after his death.
• Xiao Hai Shan and his twin sons are killed in Episode 40. Their car was blown up by the Japanese while they were on their way home.
• Madam Qi commits suicide in Episode 41 following Xiao Hai Shan’s death.
• Master Zhao and the opera troupe members blow themselves up to kill the Japanese soldiers who are hunting for Bei Chen in Episode 42.

Love In Flames Of War Review – No Lovey-Dovey Romance

Love In Flames Of War is a pretty slow-moving drama to me at the start. I needed to force myself to keep watching after the first 2 to 3 episodes mainly because I felt that it wasn’t fair if I don’t give it enough time for the story to develop. After all, it has 43 episodes in total. Hence, there should be some allowance for the characters and story to grow on you. But no matter how hard I tried, I still didn’t have the patience to watch every minute of this drama. I skipped scenes for the first dozen episodes or so. Those predictable ones that you know what is going to happen next have been glossed over.

Basically, this drama has a slow start and the story only picks up in the second quarter. This is the time when the male lead has done his military training and starting to get more and more involved in the army. The romance also begins to get more and more angsty then. This is why I don’t think Love In Flames Of War will be able to resonate with a wide range of audience. In short, if you are watching dramas to find relaxation, then you should really drop this like a hot potato. There is a lot of heartache in this story with a romance that seems to be saddled with distrust and misunderstanding.

A Painful Romance

This drama actually reminds me of Here To Heart and Because Of Love with all the unnecessary emotional turmoils. The setting is totally different but the lack of communication and hurt are the same. The guy can’t let the girl go and thinks she loves another. The girl hates him for being a bully initially and then for his distrust of her and other misunderstandings that follow. Hence, although they love each other, they also end up hurting each other deeply.

Given how the story develops, there is not much sweetness to the couple’s relationship. Therefore, don’t expect sugar and fluff. You are not going to get You Are My Glory kind of fairytale romance. Instead, there is a lot of yearning, regrets, and suspicions. Whether you will enjoy Love In Flames Of War really depends on your taste for more serious and painful love stories with a toxic love rival thrown in.

On top of that, you have to sit through quite a few misunderstandings between the leads that seem to recur. At some point, I’m not sure if viewers would enjoy such a romance especially the way the story is written for the female protagonist.

Female Lead With Second Male Lead (Spoilers Alert!)

The story begins with the male lead, Bei Chen, being a bully towards the female lead, Hang Jing, before falling for her. On the other hand, the second male lead, Zi Zheng, seems like a kind man who shares the same ideals and interests as Hang Jing. So, they are shown spending time together and viewers will get the impression that they like each other. As the story develops, Hang Jing keeps insisting that she is only friends with Zi Zheng. But she always ends up taking huge risks to save him which obviously irks Bei Chen.

At the same time, Bei Chen will be shown as being hopelessly in love with Hang Jing and doing a lot of things behind the scenes for her. Hence, there will be moments in the drama whereby you will feel that she probably doesn’t deserve him. Bei Chen’s suspicion of her relationship with Zi Zheng is not without basis and yet, she is always unhappy over his distrust. And when they reach a critical stage in their relationship, she is the one who chooses not to trust him instead. Thus, their romance has a tinge of annoyance to it for me with the man being unwilling to let go and the girl’s wishy-washy relationship with another especially in the first half of the drama.

I think this is also probably why some viewers choose to give it an unfavorable review. The female protagonist and her actions are not too likable at times. Unfortunately, that is the way her character has been written. The good thing is she is also shown to love the male lead now and then which helps to make the romance more credible. Otherwise, it is pointless to root for this couple given their self-inflicted tendency to misunderstand one another.

Great Cast

Love In Flames Of War has a great cast to me. I like Shawn Dou’s acting here. He shines as Bei Chen and you can see his change from a playful bully to a matured army commander. Shawn Dou gives Bei Chen pretty touching raw emotions at times. I think he did it successfully which convinces viewers on the character’s pain and heartache. I followed this drama to the end mainly because of his character.

Chen Du Ling also plays her role well although her character may not be entire lovable. You can’t really blame the actress as that is what she was given. Chen Du Ling gives Hang Jing a melancholy feel when she is sad as well as a look of stoicism when she needs to soldier on. Like Shawn Duo, I think she handled the emotional scenes well without overdoing them.

Both the leads have adequate chemistry between them to portray lovers. Although the sweet scenes are limited in number, their eyes and facial expressions convey a lot of emotions between them. They work well together to give us a heartbreaking love story.

As for the supporting cast, Yuan Hao gives Zi Zheng a convincing character change as the plot develops. It is so different seeing him here compared to his role in The Romance Of Hua Rong. It is also a pleasure watching Leon Lai Yi and Ran Xu as sworn brothers. Both of these men may not be the main star but they still impress me with their realistic portrayal of their characters. You will be easily touched by their brotherly relationship in the drama.

My Verdict – Captivating But…

Love In Flames Of War does have a captivating story despite the constant misunderstanding in the romance and a questionable female character. So, if you are open to more heartbreaking romance and see lovers’ suspicions and misunderstandings as normal, then this would be a great drama to watch. But if you see the quarrels as never-ending and pointless, this will become frustrating.

I think you really need to enjoy Republican era dramas to love this because of the tragedies that are often depicted in that time setting. It is different from City Of Streamer whereby the focus is on revenge rather than war and romance. It also doesn’t have the wittiness and schemings found in Fall In Love. Instead, Love In Flames Of War has that typical message of patriotism with Japanese aggression being an important part of the plot apart from the romance. With war, comes deaths and separations, and the drama has plenty of those.

Personally, I was drawn to the story after the first quarter. The couple’s relationship is indeed frustrating and I find the female lead’s antics annoying. But the plot itself moves along and gradually picks up pace. After all the quarrels, you would want to know how it will end for the couple and that will make you sit through to the last episode. You would also be curious as to the fate of the warlords and the supporting characters who all have meaningful roles to play rather than being mere accompaniments.

For this Love In Flames Of War review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. It is a quality production from the costumes to the cast. It is just a question of whether an angsty romance in a turbulent era is up your alley.

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