Song Of Youth Review

Song Of Youth (玉楼春) appeared to be a rom-com to me at first but it turned out to be a wrong assumption after watching a few episodes. I also thought it would be a romance-driven historical drama but that is also debatable. But it certainly doesn’t mean that it is a bad drama. I also kind of miss Bai Lu because the last time I watched her works was sometime last year in Jiu Liu Overlord. So, that did spur me to watch this one although she has another drama on air currently and that is One And Only. Anyway, let’s proceed with my Song Of Youth review below.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 43
Type: Family, Romance
Aired: July 2021
Images Credit: Bilibili

The Cast Of Song Of Youth

• Bai Lu as Lin Shao Chun
• Wang Yi Zhe as Sun Yu Lou
• Zhang Lei as Sun Xun
• Wen Zheng Rong as Qing Yao / Madam Sun
• Ma Xiao Qian as Aunt Mei
• He Lei as Sun Shi Jie
• Jackie Li Jia Qi as Wu Yue Hong / First Mistress
• Zhou Lu La as Sun Jun Hao
• Huang Xin Yao as Su Ying Xue / Second Mistress
• Chang Long as Sun Jin Ge
• Gina Jin Chen as Xu Feng Qiao / Third Mistress
• Yang Rong as Sun You Zhen
• Chen Du Ling as Sun You De
• Bridgette Qiao Xin as Sun You Rong
• Huang Yang Tian Tian as Sun Xiao Xian
• Jade Zheng Qiu Hong as Yao Di Zhu
• Kang Qun Zhi as Nanny Chang
• Fang Chu Tong as Xiao Ya
• Huang You Ming as Jia Feng Yuan
• Wang Mao Lei as Liang Jing Guan / Lord Liang
• Liu Min as Liu San Jue / Master Liu
• Wang Xi as Tao Yao
• Bian Tian Yang as Gu Ye

Main Characters

Lin Shao Chun

Shao Chun is a performer in an opera troupe. Her father was Minister Lin Yuan Dao who was wrongly accused of embezzlement and executed when she was young. Shao Chun is a determined and strong young lady who wants to seek justice for her father. She is also smart and resourceful with a straightforward personality.

Sun Yu Lou

Yu Lou is the 4th and youngest son of the noble Sun family. His father is the Grand Secretariat in the royal court. Yu Lou is playful and a little immature with an interest in the arts and shadow plays. His personal servant is Huan Lang.

Supporting Characters

Sun Xun / Lord Sun

Lord Sun is the Grand Secretariat and a powerful minister in the royal court. His eldest daughter is the Emperor’s favored consort. Lord Sun has his fair share of enemies due to his position and actions in the past. He also has a reputation to protect as a small misstep can cause embarrassment and even disaster to the whole family.

Qing Yao / Madam Sun

Madam Sun is Lord Sun’s official wife and mother to his 4 sons and 3 daughters. She is a strict and traditional woman who values face.

Aunt Mei

Aunt Mei is Lord Sun’s concubine. She has a daughter with him who is the youngest one in the family.

Sun Shi Jie

Shi Jie is the eldest son of the Sun family. He is a quiet and cultured man and a scholar. He is the obedient son of the family who rarely gets into trouble. Shi Jie has no interest in his wife and is a lonely man at heart.

Wu Yue Hong / First Mistress

Yue Hong is Shi Jie’s wife and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sun family. She is a general’s daughter and her marriage to Shi Jie is to cement the relationship between the powerful Wu and Sun families. Yue Hong is chubby and a big eater. She is a coarse woman who is only interested in martial arts. She is also simple-minded.

Sun Jun Hao

Jun Hao is the Sun family’s second son. He is a military commander and has been serving for a few years at the border without returning home. He left his wife for his post the day after he got married.

Su Ying Xue / Second Mistress

Ying Xue is Jun Hao’s wife and the Sun’s family second daughter-in-law. She is a reserved but very lonely woman since her husband is never around. She has no interest to fight for influence in the household and leads a quiet life. Ying Xue is also a music lover.

Sun Jin Ge

Jin Ge is the third son of the Sun family. He is a loafer who has no ambition but simply likes to enjoy the good life. He is fearful of his wife and often gets scolded by her.

Xu Feng Qiao / Third Mistress

Feng Qiao is Jin Ge’s wife and the family’s third daughter-in-law. She is a calculative and petty woman who wants to control the running of the household so that she could skim money from the family’s budget. Feng Qiao is also a fierce woman who likes to control her useless husband.

Sun You Zhen

You Zhen is the Sun family’s eldest daughter. She is also the imperial noble consort and the Emperor’s favorite woman which help to strengthen Lord Sun’s position in the royal court.

Sun You De

You De is the Sun family’s second daughter. She is married into the Li family.

Sun You Rong

You Rong is the Sun family’s third daughter. She is considered a jinx of the family and married off to a scholar, Fang Jia Ding.

Sun Xiao Xian

Xiao Xian is the youngest daughter of the Sun family. Her mother is Aunt Mei who is Lord Sun’s concubine.

Yao Di Zhu

Di Zhu is Feng Qiao’s cousin and the preferred candidate to be Yu Lou’s wife. But she is an unconventional and principled lady who will not settle for anything less than true love.

Nanny Chang

Nanny Chang is Shao Chun’s nanny who brought her up after the death of her parents. She is as determined to clear her employer’s name and tends to pressure Shao Chun on the issue.

Xiao Ya

Xiao Ya is Nanny Chang’s daughter. She was sacrificed by her own mother and banished to a faraway land in place of Shao Chun when the authorities came to round out the family after Minister Lin was framed for corruption. Xiao Ya’s love interest is Wang Jun.

Jia Feng Yuan

Feng Yuan is a government official after passing an imperial exam. He also becomes Lord Sun’s apprentice but is biding his time to exact revenge for what Lord Sun had done to his family. He also regards Lord Liang as his uncle.

Liang Jing Guan / Lord Liang

Lord Liang is a minister in the royal court and Lord Sun’s enemy.

Liu San Jue / Master Liu

Master Liu is the owner of an opera troupe and Shao Chun’s teacher. She is a strict woman but wants the best for Shao Chun. Liu Wu Shuang and Tao Yao are her 2 other disciples.

Tao Yao

Tao Yao is Shao Chun’s senior as they share the same opera teacher. She is a good actress through Master Liu’s harsh training. She left before Shao Chun joined the troupe and returns years later.

Gu Ye

Gu Ye is Di Zhu’s patient and suspected bandit in Mu City. He loves Di Zhu.

Synopsis

Shao Chun’s father was a minister but was framed for embezzlement. Her parents were killed and she was brought up by her nanny. She also ended up in an opera troupe to learn acting. Shao Chun was determined to exonerate her father and her mission made her hesitant to start any romantic relationship.

Yu Lou is the son of a high-ranking official and comes from a noble family. He fell in love with Shao Chun at first sight and pursued her relentlessly. Shao Chun’s heart slowly melted with his total devotion and adoration for her. But she rejected him as she didn’t want to implicate him in her dangerous mission. His parents too were totally against their relationship due to Shao Chun’s lowly status.

However, Yu Lou refused to give up. When he found out why Shao Chun left him, he helped her clear her father’s name. Shao Chun subsequently agreed to marry him and she also managed to prove herself worthy of being his wife after a few incidents. But she was then told her father-in-law was responsible for framing her father. After marrying into the noble family, Shao Chun also had to face various problems from petty jealousy to external enemies seeking revenge against her father-in-law.

Song Of Youth Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Song Of Youth has a happy ending. Shao Chun manages to find Yu Lou after a few years and convinces him to go home with her. Yu Lou left her because he thought his father was corrupted and had caused Shao Chun’s father’s death. He doesn’t know how to face her and decided to leave although he still loves her deeply.

In actual fact, Lord Sun was putting on an act together with Shao Chun and the Emperor to investigate Lord Liang’s crimes. Lord Sun was made to look guilty of various crimes and sentenced to death by drinking poisoned wine. This enabled Lord Sun to quietly gather evidence of Lord Liang’s crimes behind the scenes as Lord Liang had a huge network of spies in the palace and elsewhere working for him. Lord Liang was finally convicted after 2 years of investigation.

The family was not informed of the plan. They were sent to be with Jun Hao in Mu City whereby they were forced to live a simple life as Lord Sun was supposedly a convicted criminal. The Emperor decreed a reward for the family after the case investigation was finally completed.

Is Lord Sun Involved In Shao Chun’s Father’s Death?

No, he was never involved. Lord Liang is the corrupted one who framed Shao Chun’s father. But he twisted the story to lay the blame on Lord Sun to convince Shao Chun to go against her own father-in-law. Shao Chun didn’t believe Lord Liang at face value and launched her own investigation. Lord Sun came to know about it and showed her that he has always been an honest official respected by the people. In the end, Shao Chun and Lord Sun put on an act to deceive everyone including their family in order to uncover Lord Liang’s huge crimes.

Why Jia Feng Yuan Hates Lord Sun?

Feng Yuan blames Lord Sun for the death of his father who was close to Lord Liang. He thinks Lord Sun framed his father which caused him to be executed. The family members were exiled or sold as slaves. Feng Yuan still refused to let go of his hatred although Lord Sun told him that the order came from the Emperor. In fact, Lord Sun had saved Feng Yuan. Otherwise, the whole Jia family would have been beheaded.

Feng Yuan was eventually caught when he instigated Lady Pan to frame You Zhen for the death of the former’s son with the Emperor. When Shao Chun was investigating the case, Feng Yuan kidnapped her. Ying Xue freed Shao Chun and Feng Yuan was exposed as the mastermind in Episode 41. Feng Yuan was exiled as punishment and he became a little crazy over his revenge obsession and lost of his baby son.

Ying Xue’s Fate

Ying Xue was a lonely wife as Jun Hao was never home. He agreed to his father’s request to marry Ying Xue in exchange for approval to serve in Mu City. This is because he fought a difficult war over the place and the girl he loved was killed by bandits there. There is an attachment to Mu City for him. On their wedding night, Jun Hao had already prepared a divorce letter for Ying Xue but she burned it.

After a few years apart with no communication from Jun Hao, Ying Xue was easily seduced by Feng Yuan who wanted to use her to gain intel on Lord Sun’s plans. She became pregnant with Feng Yuan’s baby and Shao Chun helped her escape from the Sun family out of compassion. Feng Yuan has also developed feelings for Ying Xue and kept her as his woman.

However, Ying Xue didn’t agree with Feng Yuan’s evil deeds. When she gave birth to a baby boy, she sent him away as she didn’t want her son to be tainted and learn his father’s evil ways. So, Feng Yuan has no idea where his son is. Ying Xue also freed Shao Chun when Feng Yuan kidnapped her although she knew it would put him into grave trouble. She felt she must help Shao Chun out of righteousness as the latter had saved her in the past. But she also felt guilty for betraying her man. In the end, Ying Xue committed suicide in Episode 41. She also hoped her sacrifice would helped to cleanse his crimes and that he would repent.

Did Shi Jie And Yue Hong Reconcile?

Yes, Shi Jie and Yue Hong got back together. She forgave him and they became a loving couple in Episode 33. They have a son by the end of the drama. Their reconciliation was made possible through Shao Chun’s elaborate scheme to trap Tao Yao to expose her intentions. By making Shi Jie seemed guilty of a crime and arrested, Shao Chun knew Tao Yao will try to bail out of the Sun family.

With money stolen from the family, Tao Yao tried to escape with her maid. But everything was a set-up including the opportunity to let her take charge of the household finances so that she could steal. Shao Chun also knew the baby Tao Yao was carrying was not Shi Jie’s but Bo Yuan’s. With the exposure, Tao Yao was kicked out of the family and ended up preforming her music for a living again.

Who Did Di Zhu End Up With?

Di Zhu ended up with Jun Hao. She was livid that he is the first man to cancel a marriage arrangement when she used to be the one to reject suitors. So, she chased him all the way to Mu City and they developed feelings for each other along the way. Jun Hao proposed to Di Zhu in Episode 32 and married her in Episode 35 in Mu City.

In Episode 43, they are still a couple although physically apart. Di Zhu is back with her parents in the capital while Jun Hao is still at Mu City to take care of his family who was sent to be with him after Lord Sun’s fake conviction and death. Jun Hao writes to her often and has plans for them to reunite.

Is Gu Ye A Bandit?

Yes, Gu Ye is actually the leader of the Wild Wolves bandits. He is also Feng Yuan’s younger brother. But Gu Ye fell in love with Di Zhu and was moved by her sincerity and trust in him. When Feng Yuan knew Di Zhu is Jun Hao’s lover, he asked Gu Ye to make use of her to kill Jun Hao. Gu Ye didn’t have the heart to harm her and committed suicide in Episode 35.

You Zhen’s Relationship With The Emperor

You Zhen did not have a happily ever after ending with the Emperor. She has always been his beloved consort. But after being together for 10 years, she was utterly disappointed that he didn’t believe in her innocence when she was framed for poisoning his son whom he sired with Lady Pan. After investigation established that she is indeed innocent, she told him that she doesn’t want to serve him anymore but would spend her time studying Buddhist texts and scriptures instead.

You De’s Story

You De and Wu Shuang used to be lovers. But their parents were against their relationship as he is merely a performer. Lord Sun forced her to marry Li Mo Xi when they tried to elope by using Wu Shuang’s life as a threat to make her comply.

8 years later, Li Mo Xi died. The Li family is not treating You De well and seemed to be degenerating with spoilt heirs. Shao Chun helped You De to split from the family and established her own home. She also arranged for Wu Shuang to be her new steward for them to reunite.

Master Liu’s Past

Master Liu is the daughter of an opera troupe owner. She and Lord Sun were lovers in the past. Back then, Lord Sun was a poor scholar. Master Liu’s father even gave him money to take the imperial exams. After passing the exams, Madam Sun came looking for him and insisted that they have a betrothal agreement between their families. They have lost contact when his family fell into misfortune and he went missing. Madam Sun also claimed that her father was forcing her to marry someone else and that she would commit suicide if Lord Sun refuses to wed her.

Lord Sun was definitely tempted by the fact that Madam Sun’s father was a high ranking government official. By marrying her, he would have good prospects and could give Master Liu a good life too. But Master Liu refused to share a husband and left him. This flashback is revealed in Episode 39.

Lord Sun found out where Master Liu was years later when he learned that his daughter-in-law, Shao Chun, is her disciple. He went to see her and was happy that she agreed to let him drop by again in the future as old friends. They have never forgotten each other and have long kept their feelings in their hearts.

Song Of Youth Review – A Story Of The Sun Family

If you are going to watch Song Of Youth for the romance, then it is best not to raise your expectations that this would be full of sugar and fluff. To me, it is not a romance drama but more of a family-based one with stories for each Sun family member. The main couple already got together as a married couple by Episode 15. The beginning has a heavier dose of romance as the male lead ardently pursues the female lead and then fights to have their relationship approved.

However, from Episode 15 onwards, the focus shifts to other members of the family. The male lead becomes more like an accessory thereafter while the female lead continues to be the spotlight as she gets herself involved with the problems of each family member. So, if you want to watch a full-fledged historical romance drama like The Eternal Love Season 3 and General’s Lady, this is not the drama for you. Instead, Song Of Youth will resonate more with those who like to watch dramas that feature a whole extended family and not just a single couple. It is also not a comedy despite what is depicted in some trailers.

A Collection Of Sub-Plots

You can look at Song Of Youth as a collection of sub-plots with each family member getting their stories told. Some have longer stories to tell while others are just short snippets that don’t go beyond 1 to 2 episodes. The drama is shot as a flashback with Yu Lou telling the audience of his family’s story. The good thing about this kind of arrangement is that there is more variety to the overall drama. You are not watching a single couple from start to finish which could end up being boring at times. With different members of the family taking centerstage at different points in the drama, the story moves along smoothly without being stuck in long boring stretches.

However, the bad thing is the main couple loses their shine after a strong start. You would expect them to continue to be the attention getter all the way to the end but nope, the male lead simply fades into the background after the first third of the drama. Because Song Of Youth begins with their story, some viewers might find the shift in focus to be a disappointment.

Personally, I think the story execution is done pretty well despite it lacking a strong main plot. While it has all these different sub-plots, the overall story is not messy unlike The Twin Flower Legend which also has many characters to take care of. The stories of the different characters in Song Of Youth are nicely compartmentalized that they are easy to follow as a viewer.

A Strong Female Lead

If you like watching an intelligent and resourceful female character, you have it in Shao Chun. She reminds me of Luo Shi Yi Niang in The Sword And The Brocade. Shao Chun is not one to sit around and wait for help when problems arise. Neither is she someone who can be bullied. She is observant and plans ahead as she circles her prey.

So, Song Of Youth is primarily a female-driven drama. Generally, the brothers are shown to be weak compared to their wives except for Jun Hao. Hence, this is not a drama whereby you can expect a commanding hero to match a smart heroine. This is a drama that puts the female lead way ahead of the male lead in terms of character and screen dominance.

Acting And Chemistry

It has always been pleasant to watch Bai Lu in her dramas. In Song Of Youth, she is convincing as a smart and resourceful woman. She knows how to display class and elegance with ease which is such a contrast to her character in the modern drama, Love Is Sweet. As for Wang Yi Zhe, I find him great for the role of Yu Lou. He successfully brings out the youthfulness and immaturity of the character as required.

However, this may also cause viewers to see a lack of chemistry in this pair of lovers. It is true but I’m fine with it because I don’t see this as a fairy tale romance drama. Furthermore, Shao Chun and Yu Lou are not meant to be perfectly matched. He is the more immature one being the youngest son of a noble family while Shao Chun grew up surrounded by hardship. Yu Lou is like a puppy groveling for her affections and attention. So, there will be this inherent mismatch between these 2 lovers which some will find them totally lacking in romantic chemistry.

My Verdict – Watch It But Not For The Romance

The one complaint that I have for Song Of Youth is the ending. It is rushed with choppy editing in the last 2 episodes. The screenwriters are trying to fit a lot into those last 2 episodes to quickly wrap up the story that it seems lacking in details. Therefore, be forewarned that the pace quickens considerably towards the end of the drama. I think if an additional episode has been added to give more background to the protagonists’ plot, the ending would have given viewers greater satisfaction.

Personally, I would recommend a watch for this drama if you don’t mind the lack of romance for the main couple. Given the historical setting, it is also the kind of drama that might rile feminists whereby men have concubines and women forgive their husbands’ infidelity or even abuses. But it is far from depressing and there are even some comedy in a few scenes. Arranged marriages, filial piety, social status, family reputation, and strong relationship hierarchy in a family are some of the general themes found in this drama. This should give you a basic idea what you are getting into.

For this Song Of Youth review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. I don’t mind watching the focus continually shifts from one character to the next. Hence, I give it marks for good story execution which minimizes boredom for the viewers. But if you prefer a drama with a strong main plot and couple, then drop it. It can be annoying when characters are introduced very late in the drama for just a handful of episodes just to ensure all the members in the Sun family has a story to tell. So, if you don’t like this kind of storytelling, Song Of Youth wouldn’t be your ideal drama.

==> Song Of Youth is available on Amazon Prime (affiliate link).