Who Rules The World Review

Who Rules The World (且试天下) is one of the most anticipated Chinese historical dramas for the first half of 2022. Starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si, it is a given that this production will attract a lot of attention as the 2 leads have a big following among fans. The general expectation is this should be a great drama and it is directed by Yin Tao whose projects include Ancient Love Poetry and Love And Redemption. But does the drama match up to the hype or is it a disappointment for the viewers? Let’s take a look with my review of Who Rules The World below.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Wuxia, Historical Romance
Aired: April 2022
Images Credit: WeTV Official Twitter

The Cast Of Who Rules The World

• Yang Yang as Feng Lan Xi / Hei Feng Xi
• Rosy Zhao Lu Si as Feng Xi Yun / Bai Feng Xi
• Xuan Lu as Feng Qi Wu
• Leon Lai Yi as Huang Chao
• Zhang Hao Wei as Yu Wu Yuan
• Liu Rui Lin as Feng Ju
• Zhang Tian Yang as Feng Chang
• Zhang Feng Yi as Lord of Yongzhou
• Carman Lee as Bai Li
• Fu Bo Han as Han Pu

Main Characters

Feng Lan Xi / Hei Feng Xi

Hei Feng Xi is the dashing leader of Fountain Abode which runs a wide intel network. He is one of the top fighters in the martial arts world. He is smart, elegant, and a good strategist. Hei Feng Xi also has another identity as Feng Lan Xi which is a well-kept secret. Zhong Li and Ms. Huan are 2 of his personal servants. Hei Feng Xi is also assisted by the loyal Chancellor Ren Ru Song and his 2 sons.

Feng Xi Yun / Bai Feng Xi

Bai Feng Xi is a disciple of the Tianshuang Sect. She is also one of the top fighters in the martial arts world. Bai Feng Xi is a beautiful but carefree and unconventional young lady. She is frugal and cares for the downtrodden. Her master is Bai Jian De who is the leader of the Tianshuang Sect. Bai Lang Hua is her beloved disciple younger sister who is also Bai Jian De’s daughter.

Supporting Characters

Feng Qi Wu

Feng Qi Wu is a minister of Yongzhou. She comes from a very influential background and became the Chief of the Feng family after the death of her brother. She is a smart and perceptive woman who knows what she wants.

Huang Chao

Huang Chao is the heir to the Lord of Jizhou. He is a good martial artist and a courageous man who dares to take risk. He has a younger sister, Huang Yu, while Yu Wu Yuan is his best friend. Huang Chao is assisted by a general, Xiao Xue Kong. He is also smitten by Bai Feng Xi.

Yu Wu Yuan

Yu Wu Yuan is known as the Finest Gentry of Dadong. The Yu family is known to be all-knowledgeable but is cursed with a short life span of not more than 30 years old. Yu Wu Yuan is a strategist who can dissect a problem and work out scenarios as well as a great martial artist. He is calm, patient, and scholarly. Yu Wu Yuan is Huang Chao’s tutor and advisor. Huang Yu has feelings for him but he secretly finds Bai Feng Xi intriguing instead.

Feng Ju

Feng Ju is Lord of Yongzhou’s third son. His mother is Bai Li. Feng Ju is an ambitious man who wants to be the next ruler of Yongzhou. He is a sinister man who will do what it takes to achieve his goal including harming his brothers. Wang Yuan is his retainer before being replaced by Li Jia Xian.

Feng Chang

Feng Chang is Lord of Yongzhou and Bai Li’s eldest son. But he is disliked by his mother who never seem to acknowledge him. Feng Chang is seen as the weakest candidate to be made heir to the throne as he is not particularly outstanding. He also doesn’t have a good relationship with Feng Ju despite being biological brothers.

Lord of Yongzhou

Lord of Yongzhou is the ruler of the Yongzhou state which comes under Dadong. He has 3 sons by 2 women. His first wife was Princess Yi Ge who gave him his second son. Princess Yi Ge was Emperor Chunxi’s sister and she died when her son was still a young boy. His current wife is Bai Li. Lord of Yongzhou is a suspicious man who is partial towards his third son, Feng Ju.

Bai Li

Bai Li is Feng Chang and Feng Ju’s mother. She is the current wife of Lord of Yongzhou which makes her the queen of the state. She is a ruthless and ambitious woman hiding behind a kind and motherly facade. Bai Li wants to see Feng Ju become the state’s next ruler.

Han Pu

Han Pu is the young son of Han Xuan Ling. The Han family is famous for their medical prescriptions which enable them to produce lifesaving pills and elixirs. Han Pu is a clever boy with a quick retort.

Synopsis

The Dadong Empire is divided into 7 factions with 6 autonomous states with their respective lords. Emperor Chunxi rules over them but knows each of them is coveting the throne. The legitimacy of the dynasty’s rule comes from the Empyrean token. With the token suddenly declared missing, there is a fight among the states to get hold of it.

In the midst of all these chaos, 2 great martial artists get drawn into the tussle. They are Bai Feng Xi of the Tianshuang Sect and Hei Feng Xi of Fountain Abode. Bai Feng Xi has no interest in politics but ends up with the token by accident. Thus, she becomes a target and is shadowed by Hei Feng Xi who also saves her in the process. One of the groups which is after her is the Soultaker Sect with a mysterious backer. The sect has also been on a killing spree in the martial arts world.

As Bai Feng Xi and her master try to stop the Soultaker Sect, she keeps running into Hei Feng Xi who has his own personal agenda. Her impression of him gradually changes as their number of meetings increases. However, Hei Feng Xi is more than who he claims to be.

Who Rules The World Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Different viewers may have different feelings about the ending for Who Rules The World. To me, I see it as a neutral ending. Bai Feng Xi, Lan Xi, and Huang Chao worked together to defeat Yu Wu Yuan who is the villain in the drama. He has been playing one party against another so that they will destroy each other. Once all the states have been weakened, it will then be easy for him to subdue them and become the new Emperor of Dadong Empire.

After Bai Feng Xi and Lan Xi killed Yu Wu Yuan in a fight, they decide to forgo the throne and give it to Huang Chao as they rather spend time together. Lan Xi only has 10 years to live after sacrificing part of his lifespan to save Bai Feng Xi earlier (which is why his hair turned white). They also know Huang Chao is someone who cares for the people’s well-being and will be a good ruler.

Then, Bai Feng Xi and Lan Xi leave their states’ administration to their subordinates and tell them to support Huang Chao for peace. They revert back to their martial arts persona and lead a quiet life as a loving couple.

Hei Feng Xi’s Identity

Hei Feng Xi is actually Feng Lan Xi who is Lord of Yongzhou’s second son. His mother was Princess Yi Ge who died when he was a young boy and Lord of Yongzhou then elevated his concubine and long-term lover, Bai Li, to be his new queen. Bai Li also tried various means to ensure Lan Xi would not be the heir including poisoning him.

As a result, Lan Xi pretended to be weak and in ill health. This allowed him to live outside the palace at a retreat. This freedom enabled him to establish Fountain Abode for intel purposes to protect himself as well as the people.

So, when did Bai Feng Xi find out Hei Feng Xi’s real identity? She did so in Episode 13 when he is investigating a cheating case as a prince and one of the suspects includes Gu Yu who is Bai Feng Xi’s disciple brother. Yu Wu Yuan learns Hei Feng Xi is Lan Xi in Episode 19 through his own sect’s investigation and informs Feng Ju and Huang Chao in Episode 23. Feng Ju, in turn, informs Lord of Yongzhou about Fountain Abode to instigate his father to start an investigation in Episode 25. Consequently, Lan Xi has to admit his “crime” to his father in Episode 28 in order to save those arrested.

Bai Feng Xi’s Identity

Bai Feng Xi is actually Feng Xi Yun whose ancestor is the only female general of the 6 states who founded Qingzhou. Lan Xi has met Feng Xi Yun in the palace before when they were kids. He still thinks fondly of her but can no longer remember her face. He reveals this meeting to Bai Feng Xi in Episode 14. Apart from hints that point to her identity in certain episodes, viewers will have a clear answer in Episode 25 when she meets up with her elder brother, Feng Xie Yue, who is the heir to the Lord of Qingzhou. The family has a loving relationship.

Lan Xi finds out Bai Feng Xi is Feng Xi Yun in Episode 35 when he sees her receiving a messenger from Qingzhou.

When Did Bai Feng Xi And Lan Xi Become A Couple?

Lan Xi decides to confess to Bai Feng Xi and makes the necessary preparations in Episode 22. But the effort fails when she mistakenly thinks the fireworks was another man’s confession effort and not meant for her. Hence, she even criticizes it as being too cliche which leaves Lan Xi flabbergasted.

Lan Xi confesses again in Episode 23 but is interrupted halfway through due to an urgent matter. Bai Feng Xi understands his intention and gets further confirmation in Episode 26 while eavesdropping on his conversation with her brother. From then on, their feelings for each other is clear that they are a couple although unspoken. They return to Yongzhou together in Episode 27 when Lan Xi’s identity as Hei Feng Xi is at risk of being exposed due to his father’s investigation.

Lan Xi properly confesses to Bai Feng Xi in Episode 31. He tells her that he wants to marry her in Episode 35 after he was crowned as heir to the Yongzhou throne. They got married in Episode 38.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Feng Qi Wu also has feelings for Lan Xi. She proposes that they get married so that they could combine their power and influence in Episode 10 but is rejected. She still holds hope that they could be a couple but Lan Xi reiterates his stand that he wants her only as an ally in Episode 14. He tells her that his goal is to rule over the whole Central Plains and hence, has no room in his life for any romance.

In Episode 20, Bai Feng Xi helps Lan Xi to save Feng Qi Wu’s life after she was poisoned. The 2 women become good friends and Feng Qi Wu realizes why Lan Xi is attracted to Bai Feng Xi. She also becomes supportive of their relationship.

What Happened To Lan Xi’s Mother?

Princess Yi Ge is thought to have died of illness but she was actually poisoned by Bai Li and Prime Minster Wang Zuo. Bai Li wanted the princess’ position as queen of Yongzhou while Wang Zuo is a Jizhou spy. They colluded to kill Princess Yi Ge. Jizhou’s aim is to create an internal rift in Yongzhou when the time is right so that they could be easily defeated in times of war. This is revealed in Episodes 33 and 34.

Feng Chang’s Background

Feng Chang is the eldest son of the Lord of Yongzhou and Queen Bai Li. But his mother was only a concubine when he was born. She only became the queen after the death of Lan Xi’s mother, Princess Yi Ge, who was Lord of Yongzhou’s official wife then.

Princess Yi Ge treated Feng Chang like her own which explains why he is close to Lan Xi. At the same time, Queen Bai Li loathes her own son ever since he was young because he is epileptic. His condition is kept a secret from everybody to avoid any negative effect on her own position in the family. His mother’s rejection of him caused Feng Chang to be affected psychologically that he feels insecure about his condition. Viewers are given a glimpse of Feng Chang’s childhood in Episode 10.

Who Is Yu Wu Yuan?

Yu Wu Yuan is a descendant of the Locust. A century ago, 3 elite soldier families from a foreign land got together to form the Locust and Cricket army to overthrow the Dadong Empire. The Locust was the army leader. They lost the battle and their descendants are cursed with a short life span of not more than 30 years with the Empyrean Token. Hence, Yu Wu Yuan established the Soultaker Sect with the intention to build up an army to overthrow Emperor Chunxi and lift the curse. Viewers are told of his background in Episode 19.

Bai Jian De is suspicious of Yu Wu Yuan’s background at the end of Episode 28 because he learns that the jade token found among the belongings of a murdered Token Keeper is from the Yu family. Bai Jian De is one of the Token Keepers and as a group, they are collectively responsible for the safety and security of the Empyrean Token. As a result, Bai Jian De is killed by Yu Wu Yuan in Episode 32.

An elder reveals the Yu family history to Bai Feng Xi and Lan Xi in Episode 40. Yu Wu Yuan’s ancestor, Yu Yan Tian, was one of the founding Emperor’s aides during establishment of Dadong Empire. But he and his family were ordered to be killed after the Emperor secured the throne because the latter feared Yu Yan Tian’s power. However, one of Yu Yan Tian’s baby sons survived for the family to have descendants.

Other Key Events

• Emperor Chunxi dies in Episode 33. He is assassinated by his own personal servant who is working under Yu Wu Yuan’s orders. His death is to create chaos among the 6 states as they start fighting for the throne.
• Prime Minister Wang Zuo of Yongzhou is shown to be a Jizhou spy in Episode 33. He instigated Bai Li to revolt and is arrested when the rebellion fails in Episode 34.
• Bai Li is ordered by the Lord of Yongzhou to kill herself by hanging in Episode 34 for plotting a rebellion with Feng Ju and killing Princess Yi Ge.
• Feng Ju is relegated to be a commoner after his rebellion fails and becomes crazy after seeing his mother’s body in Episode 34.
• Lord of Yongzhou decides to make Lan Xi his heir in Episode 34 and formally anoints him as his successor in Episode 35.
• Bai Feng Xi’s brother is killed during a battle with Youzhou in Episode 35. He is killed under Yu Wu Yuan’s orders to escalate the war.
• Bai Feng Xi’s father dies of illness in Episode 36. She becomes the Queen of Qingzhou.
• Lord of Yongzhou abdicates in Episode 38 and passes the throne to Lan Xi following his marriage to Bai Feng Xi.
• Huang Yu is killed by Yu Wu Yuan in Episode 39 after she overheard his plans to kill her brother.
• Han Pu dies in Episode 40 when he shields Bai Feng Xi from oncoming arrows during a battle.

Who Rules The World Review – Rushed Ending!

Who Rules The World starts off quite well with good and consistent pacing throughout… until you hit the last few episodes. This is where you will get time jumps and rapid events that culminate in a rushed ending. It gives you the feeling that they should be more scenes but they are snipped off to wrap this up in 40 episodes. In fact, the choppy editing is also highly noticeable now and then which is very uncharacteristic of a high budget production. Fortunately, the story still flows coherently despite the poor scene transition at times. At most, they are annoying but you will still be able to follow the plot as it moves along.

The ending also may not be satisfying to everyone. It is understandable but certainly not ideal. To me, it could have been better written since they have decided not to stick to the novel’s version anyway. The ending actually leaves me perplexed because of the way the person becomes the new Emperor. It renders all the wars fought and soldiers lost meaningless when both camps actually know the other will also be a good ruler. It is like a gaping plot hole to me when both sides don’t actually see each other as evil. So, why fight in the first place, right?

Is It A Great Wuxia Drama?

I don’t see Who Rules The World as a particularly great wuxia drama. The fighting scenes are watchable at the beginning but the over-reliance on CGI towards the end is laughable. The wuxia element is definitely not on par with dramas like Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 2019 whereby the fighting moves are better choreographed with a classic scene that is worth rewatching.

In contrast, Who Rules The World is also peppered with fighting scenes but there is none that really stands out and compel you to rewatch. However, it is still better than Legend Of Fei to me with a slightly more powerful performance by Zhao Lu Si.

I think if the producer has largely kept to the standards at the beginning, this drama would leave a more lasting impression in the wuxia genre. Unfortunately, what sticks in the mind when the drama ends is the last fighting scene between the protagonists and the villain in Episode 40. It is anti-climatic and simplistic with superman-like flying scenes that resemble a Western superhero movie than a wuxia drama.

Hence, I doubt if Who Rules The World could satisfy serious wuxia drama fans. If you are expecting more powerfully orchestrated fights, you will probably be disappointed. But if you want romance and court politics, this might be your cup of tea.

Romance Plus Politics Plot

Who Rules The World doesn’t have a tightly focused plot. It starts off with a missing token that gives legitimacy to the ruler. Just when you think the story is about the fight for the token, it leaves that aside and starts straying heavily into court politics, war, and romance which have nothing to do with the token. The whole plot is more about the protagonists’ journey as they handle one problem after another in the male lead’s fight for succession against his younger brother and stepmother. And in the process, they naturally fall in love which is where a large part of the focus is as well.

So, I think this should delight romance drama fans. The political side of things may become a bore to some though with the typical schemings of a half-sibling and his mother in the quest to become the heir which I guess you could skip if you really want to. This production is not a detailed strategy drama like Nirvana In Fire Season 1. Neither does it have the excitement of flushing out the villain like The Wind Blows From Longxi. Instead, it is just a story of a couple who is thrown together by circumstances with court politics interwoven into their adventure.

Chemistry

Is the chemistry between Zhao Lu Si and Yang Yang good? Yes, definitely! But is it really superb? Well, not exactly to me. Suffice to say that they do look like a pair of lovers who are deeply in love with each other which gives credence to their on-screen romance. So, chances are you will find their interactions pleasurable. While there is enough chemistry for viewers to feel the romantic vibes, I don’t think it is sizzling enough for me to replay their scenes either. They lack that extra degree of love and passion in their body language to make their scenes together truly engaging.

In terms of acting, I think Rosy Zhao Lu Si shines in her role in Who Rules The World. She is certainly getting better with each subsequent drama and taking on more challenging projects like the one in The Long Ballad. In a way, the role of Bai Feng Xi suits her well as she is a free-spirited character with a bit of badass attitude which is akin to the one she played in The Romance Of Tiger And Rose.

As for Yang Yang, he gives Hei Feng Xi an elegant and graceful personality. He has also shown much improvement since the days of Love 020. Although he appears a little stiff at times in Who Rules The World, the emotional scenes are still well done and hit the right spots to make viewers root for him.

My Verdict – Deserves A Watch

Who Rules The World has a few noticeable flaws but the great first half basically makes you hooked to the story. Therefore, you will sit through it to the end anyhow. I just get the feeling that the first half is better executed with a higher production quality compared to the second which seems to degenerate into an average drama. This includes the CGI effects as well as the martial arts choreography. Perhaps this is the consequence of having different people being involved in the production as there were news reports that the director and screenwriter quit halfway through the project.

The cast did a great job despite the production problems and this helped to overshadow the choppy editing and plot holes. As such, the drama becomes watchable and engaging and deserves our support especially if you are a fan of the leads. The story itself is easy to follow and coherent. It is a pretty relaxing watch for a historical drama with court politics as part of the plot unlike Sword Snow Stride and Stand By Me which require much closer attention.

For this Who Rules The World review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. It falls short with an underwhelming and anti-climatic ending. With the big budget which can be seen from the costumes, location settings, and number of extras, I think they could have done a better job overall to make the story more compelling. Watch it for the romance rather than the wuxia elements. I think that is the main selling point of this drama and it succeeds in that aspect to make it a satisfying watch for the viewers despite the weaknesses.

* Amazon affiliate link