Wonderland Of Love Review

Wonderland Of Love (乐游原) is yet another one of Xu Kai’s historical dramas. After the not so impressive Snow Eagle Lord, I was hoping that this would be one of his better projects. To me, it is indeed a better drama but it is also a little boring here and there with 40 episodes in length. On top of that, the villains deserve to be better written. However, it is still a good story overall and my Wonderland Of Love review below will have more details on this drama.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Historical Romance
Aired: November 2023
Images Credit: Baidu

The Cast Of Wonderland Of Love

• Xu Kai as Li Ni / Shiqi Lang
• Jing Tian as Lieutenant He / A Ying
• Zheng He Hui Zi as Tao Zi
• Gao Han as Cui Lin / Liu Cheng Feng
• Zhao Jia Min as Gu Wan Niang
• Liu Dong Qin as Xie Chang Er
• Zhu Hong Jia as Old Bao
• He Feng Tian as Pei Yuan
• Jiang Kai as Cui Yi
• Yang Zhen as Cui Li
• Gao Shu Guang as Lord Liang
• Cui Peng as Li Jun
• Leo Li as Li Lai
• Zeng Li as Consort Xiao
• Yu Bo as Sun Jing
• Ruan Hong Cheng as Li Xuan Ze

Main Characters

Li Ni / Shiqi Lang

Li Ni is the Marshal of Zhenxi Army and the 17th imperial grandson of the Emperor. He is a very smart and strategic guy with foresight. He can fight and great at military tactics. However, he is an unfavored son who prefers to be with the army in Laolan Pass and far away from the capital.

Lieutenant He / Ah Ying

Ah Ying is known as Lieutenant He in the Cui Army. She is also the strategist for General Cui Lin. Ah Ying is an intelligent woman who is calm and rational. As a strategist, she is full of tricks and schemes. She lost her mother when she was a young girl.

Supporting Characters

Tao Zi

Tao Zi is Ah Ying’s bodyguard and assistant in the Cui Army. She is a loyal subordinate and has a close relationship with Ah Ying. She also has medical knowledge and a skilled herbalist.

Cui Lin / Liu Cheng Feng

Cui Lin is the Young Marshal of Cui Army. His father is a Great General and much feared by enemies. Cui Lin has weak health but is a responsible military commander. He also tends to listen to Ah Ying as they grew up together and has deep feelings for her..

Gu Wan Niang

Wan Niang is the daughter of Prime Minister Gu. She is an unfavored daughter who is often bullied at home. However, she is a patient and scheming young lady who knows when to act timid and when to show her true colors.

Xie Chang Er & Old Bao

Both Chang Er and Old Bao are Zhenxi Army scouts. Chang Er is a nice young man who is blur about romance while Old Bao is middle aged and has greater understanding of the fairer sex. Both of them report to Li Ni.

Pei Yuan

Pei Yuan is the General of Zhenxi Army which is one of the strongest armies in the state. His father is the Great General Pei Xian. Pei Yuan and Li Ni are buddies and they work as a team.

Cui Yi

Cui Yi is the General Ping Liang and Commander of the Cui Army which is a very powerful army in the state. Their base is in Yingzhou. He is respected and feared as a military man.

Cui Li

Cui Li is a General in the Cui Army. He is Cui Yi’s nephew which makes him Cui Lin’s cousin brother. Cui Li is a petty and ambitious man who wants more power in the army and hates being under Cui Lin’s command.

Lord Liang

Lord Liang is Li Ni’s father. He is a prince but a useless one who is timid and foolish. He has no love for Li Ni whom he regards as an ill-fated son.

Li Jun & Li Lai

Both Li Jun and Li Lai are Li Ni’s elder brothers. Li Jun is the eldest and their father’s favorite son. Li Jun tends to listen to Li Lai’s advice but both of them are shortsighted and foolish men who are always afraid that the smarter Li Ni would be a threat to them.

Consort Xiao

Consort Xiao is the former Crown Princess and current consort of Sun Jing. She is a stoic and smart woman with a secret agenda in mind.

Sun Jing

Sun Jing is the Grand Governor and a rebel who wants the throne. He is a cruel and ambitious man who was once a general with Pei Xian and Cui Yi as his peers. His lifelong love is Consort Xiao while his official wife is Madame Wei.

Li Xuan Ze

Xuan Ze is the Crown Prince’s son and legitimate heir to the throne. He is a young boy but sensible and matured for his age. He is protected by a loyal bodyguard, General Han.

Synopsis

Li Ni is a grandson of the Emperor who has just been dethroned and killed by Sun Jing. The Crown Prince and almost the whole of the royal family have been killed as well. In the midst of the chaos, Li Ni and his Zhenxi Army and Ah Ying of the Cui Army want to restore peace and give the people a better life. While they have a common enemy in Sun Jing, both the Zhenxi Army and Cui Army are wary of each other’s motives.

Thus, Li Ni and Ah Ying start off being distrustful of each other. As they both have the same thought to conquer key cities and secure military supplies, they keep having to outwit each other to get what they want. After several encounters, they begin to admire each other’s intellect and strategies. Just when love blossoms between them, Zhenxi Army becomes a victim of Cui Army’s betrayal which puts Li Ni and Ah Ying’s relationship to the test.

Wonderland Of Love Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Wonderland Of Love has a happy ending. Everyone thought Ah Ying has died in Episode 38 but she awakens in Episode 39. Tao Zi also recovers from her injuries in Episode 40 as both of them were abducted by Liu Cheng Feng and the Jieshuo Tribe. She figures that Liu Cheng Feng must have fed Ah Ying a pill to fake her death when the Jieshu Tribe leader was forcing him to kill her. Liu Cheng Feng’s bodyguard doesn’t want Li Ni to tell Ah Ying that his master has died. He brings Liu Cheng Feng’s ashes to be buried at the place he loved when he was alive.

The Emperor realizes that Li Ni is a good son and repairs his relationship with him. He abdicates and lets Li Ni take over the throne with Ah Ying as his Empress. The Gu family is exiled to the border while Wan Niang is demoted to be a commoner and expelled from the palace. She becomes crazy thereafter with her obsession to be the Crown Princess.

Ah Ying becomes pregnant and subsequently gives birth to a son. Their plan is to return to a carefree life in Laolan Pass one day. The Jieshuo Tribe is defeated and the leader surrendered. Chang Er proposes to Tao Zi which she accepts.

Li Ni rules for 10 years before passing the throne to Xuan Ze. He and Ah Ying return to live in Laolan Pass with a son and daughter. The drama ends with them riding their horses in Wonderland, a scenic place where they used to go.

Ah Ying’s Identity

Ah Ying is actually General Cui Yi’s only child and brought up as a boy. Li Ni deduces so in Episode 17 after several encounters with her. Cui Lin, who took her identity, is merely an adopted son. His real name is Liu Cheng Feng. His own parents died early and he once saved Ah Ying’s life when they were young. Hence, General Cui Yi adopted him.

Liu Cheng Feng assumed Ah Ying’s identity as Cui Lin because General Cui Yi has no male heir and refuses to take concubines when pressured by the royal court. This is because General Cui Yi has deep love for his late wife. But as Ah Ying grew older and her gender couldn’t be masked anymore, Liu Cheng Feng took over the role as General Cui Yi’s son from Ah Ying.

After Liu Cheng Feng’s betrayal whereby he is colluding with the tribe that killed Ah Ying’s mother, General Cui Yi disowns him and announces that he only has one biological child and that is Ah Ying in Episode 23.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Li Ni and Ah Ying got together in Episode 17. He asks her to elope with him once the world is at peace. They agree to travel and see the world together when the time comes. This is before Li Ni escorts Ah Ying back to her father and the impending war with Sun Jing. In Episode 18, Li Ni tells Ah Ying that he will marry her once the war is over.

The couple got married in Episode 34 but under unhappy circumstances. Li Ni was forced to disband the Cui Army by his father and other court officials in return for sparing General Cui Yi’s life as the latter had been framed for colluding with the Jieshuo Tribe. He also gets to take Ah Ying as his Crown Princess because the disbandment will ensure she no longer has the military might to pose a threat to the Emperor. Ah Ying would rather not marry Li Ni if the Cui Army is forced to disband but her father decides otherwise for her safety and happiness. General Cui Yi then becomes delirious after the disbandment as the army means a lot to him and the Cui family.

Nevertheless, Li Ni and Ah Ying consummate their marriage in Episode 36 despite their disagreement. They fully reconcile in Episode 37 after Li Ni manages to get someone to cure General Cui Yi after much effort.

Is There A Breakup?

There is no official breakup but there are disagreements. In Episode 24, Ah Ying’s ploy to throw Sun Jing off-guard so that they could defeat him puts the heir to the throne, Xuan Ze, at risk of being killed. This angers Li Ni especially when Xuan Ze goes missing amidst the chaos. Ah Ying sees it as a calculated risk as she wants to prevent Li Ni from exchanging his life for Xuan Ze who was being held hostage by Sun Jing then.

On top of that, Ah Ying wants Li Ni to fight for the Crown Prince position which he refuses. Li Ni has no interest to be a Crown Prince and wants to go back to his carefree life away from the palace with Ah Ying. Furthermore, he has promised Consort Xiao to assist Xuan Ze to be the Crown Prince. But Ah Ying believes that Li Ni’s and Xuan Ze’s lives would be in danger should Li Jun or Li Lai gets the position instead. Li Ni is also the best person to maintain peace for the people.

So, Ah Ying tells Li Ni that she would be unwilling to marry him if he refuses to be the Crown Prince in Episode 25. Her father pushes things along by submitting a memorandum to the Emperor to pressure him to appoint Li Ni as the Crown Prince in Episode 29. Li Ni is angry with Ah Ying as a result although her father had done it without her knowledge. They reconcile in Episode 31 after Li Ni gets severely injured during an ambush by the Jieshuo Tribe in collusion with Li Lai.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Liu Cheng Feng’s Obsession

Liu Cheng Feng is also in love with Ah Ying but she only regards him as a brother and tells him so in Episode 11. He falls into the water and goes missing after trying to protect Ah Ying from Cui Li’s ambush in Episode 15. When he makes it back to camp, he sees Ah Ying and Li Ni are now a couple which depresses him. Liu Cheng Feng thinks that Ah Ying will like him once he is stronger as he is born with a weak constitution. He becomes obsessed with her and seeks cure from the Jieshuo Tribe to extend his life and strengthen his health. In return, he will help the tribe to create rifts between the different camps in the Central Plains.

Liu Cheng Feng poisons Cui Yi and uses the latter’s life to threaten Ah Ying into marrying him in Episode 22. Li Ni saves Ah Ying and her father but Liu Cheng Feng manages to escape. Liu Cheng Feng abducts Ah Ying to force her to marry him again in Episode 26. Ah Ying makes it clear to him that she will never marry him even if there is no Li Ni because she only sees him as her brother all along. She is rescued by Li Ni again thereafter in Episode 27.

Liu Cheng Feng refuses to give up. He continues to work with the Jieshuo Tribe and kidnaps Ah Ying again in Episode 37. He dies to protect Ah Ying in Episode 38 after the Jieshuo Tribe goes back on their word to let them go in return for luring Li Ni out with the kidnapping.

Gu Wan Niang’s One-Sided Love

Wan Niang also has interest in Li Ni from the first moment she met him when he saved her life. So, all along she has been trying to get Li Ni’s affections by doing things for him that makes him happy such as embroidering a portrait of his late mother and bringing his nanny to live with him. In the meantime, she is also working with her father to try to get Ah Ying out of the picture. The military might of the Cui Army is a threat and Prime Minister Gu uses this as an excuse to convince the Emperor that the Cui family would be too powerful if Ah Ying becomes the Crown Princess.

Thus, Wan Niang is appointed as Lady Gu which is one rank below the Crown Princess while Li Ni is away in Episode 33. She puts up a pretense of suicide when Li Ni returns to fool him that she didn’t ask for the position and never wanted to cause trouble between him and Ah Ying. However, Li Ni isn’t moved by her sacrifice and largely ignores her existence. In Episode 35, he makes it clear to her that he has no feelings for her whatsoever and she is free to go if she finds love elsewhere.

Wan Niang is secretly happy when her father’s plan to kill Ah Ying seems to have succeeded in Episode 38. But Li Ni tells her in Episode 39 that he knows that she and her father want Ah Ying dead and she will never be his Crown Princess even if Ah Ying dies.

Hidden Villain

The hidden villain is Prime Minister Gu. He is seen to be colluding with the Jieshuo Tribe in Episode 37. Previously, his dealings with them was made through Liu Cheng Feng. Since Liu Cheng Feng wants to take Ah Ying away which will lure Li Ni out for them to kill, Prime Minster Gu and the Jieshuo Tribe agree to ride on the plan. But Prime Minister Gu wants them to kill Ah Ying as well. In return, he will give them land and other goods. He will also need their cooperation to slowly gain control of the army to overthrow a foolish Emperor in his eyes.

However, Liu Cheng Feng has made prior arrangement for his bodyguard, Shu, to report Prime Minister Gu and the Jieshuo Tribe’s operatives to Li Ni if something were to happen to him. So, when the Jieshuo Tribe wants to kill Ah Ying and Liu Cheng Feng ends up dead, Shu goes to see Li Ni in Episode 39. Prime Minister Gu was actually conspiring with Sun Jing and Liu Cheng Feng got the letters to prove it. Liu Cheng Feng then used the letters to blackmail Prime Minister Gu into helping the Jieshuo Tribe to frame General Cui Yi for being a traitor which resulted in the Cui Army being disbanded. Li Ni and Ah Ying then kill Prime Minister Gu in a showdown at the palace.

Other Key Events

• Consort Xiao has applied poisoned rouge on her lips and kissed Sun Jing in Episode 18. Both of them fall unconscious as a result. This is to make it easier for Li Ni to win the war against Sun Jing and recapture the capital. Consort Xiao awakens in Episode 19 while Sun Jing has retreated to safety.
• Li Ni’s father becomes the Emperor in Episode 19 after Sun Jing’s defeat.
• Cui Li is poisoned by Liu Cheng Feng and forced to do his bidding for the antidote in Episode 22. He has to pretend to hold Liu Cheng Feng hostage to fool General Cui Yi who kills him as a result.
• Li Ni and Ah Ying cooperate to defeat Sun Jing to quell the rebellion. Sun Jing kills himself after the defeat in Episode 24.
• Li Ni’s nanny dies in Episode 29. She consumed poisoned food meant for Li Ni and became the victim instead.
• An ambush on the royal entourage by the Jieshuo Tribe happens in Episode 30. Li Lai colluded with them and backstabs Li Jun by claiming that the latter is the rebel. Thus, he kills Li Jun and wants to kill Li Ni as well in the chaos so that there is no one else to compete with him for the Crown Prince position. The Cui Army arrives in time and General Cui Yi kills Li Lai with his arrow in Episode 31. The ambush also costs the lives of Old Bao and the bandits from Mingdai Mountain as they try to fight off the enemies and also protect Li Ni.
• Li Ni is appointed as Crown Prince in Episode 32 with the death of his 2 brothers.

Wonderland Of Love Review – Badly Written Villains

Wonderland Of Love starts off with a rebellion that has been successfully carried out by a villain. So, the protagonists cooperate to defeat the rebel although they belong to different armies which are distrustful of each other. The start actually gives me the expectation that the whole drama would be about defeating the rebel and regaining the throne with schemings on both sides along the way and the inevitable romance between the leads. This is because this villain is a pretty clever one although ruthless. But nope, the rebel’s story is just the first arc of the drama.

Once he has been dispensed with, the story moves on and other villains come into the picture. The good thing about this is that you will get the feeling that the story is moving forward steadily unlike Tiger And Crane and My Journey To You with their long set-up. Hence, it doesn’t get bogged down with too much details. Although there are some boring and filler scenes here and there, the pacing is generally fast for at least three-quarters of the drama.

However, the bad point is the villains that appear later on start to get increasingly shallow. Their characters are badly written and their stories are pretty cliche. You will also have to put up with a few who are ambitious but foolish and dumb. At times, I felt that it would have been better if the screenwriter just concentrate on one or at most 2 villains and make their characters worthwhile and their stories more compelling.

Lackluster Final Stretch

The spotlight will switch to the last villain in the fourth quarter of the drama. Although he appears every now and then throughout, his story only gains prominence in the last stretch. However, there is no strong foundation to his story and by the time we reach the final showdown, it is nothing too exciting. In fact, the more memorable fight is with another villain in an earlier episode. That scene is more worthy of praise with a melancholic feel to it as the skies turn gloomy and lives are lost. So, the last battle towards the end is sort of an anti-climax compared to the earlier fight.

But one positive aspect of the ending is that everything is properly accounted for. There is nothing open to interpretation like in The Longest Promise. You will be told what happened to each of the character. Basically, the last episode is spent to tie up everything nicely. It doesn’t feel rushed and you will get enough scenes of the main couple to satisfy your craving for more sweetness between them towards the end.

Love Obsessed Third Wheelers

Wonderland Of Love has not one, but two love obsessed characters who are into the leads. The guy is so obsessed with the female lead to the point of irrationality. It is the cliche you-can-only-be-with-me type of story and this keeps going in circles with his ceaseless moves to take her away with him. The problem is his moves aren’t anything brilliant to keep viewers truly engaged.

The other third wheeler is a lady who is obsessed to be the male lead’s official wife. She is another cliche jealous female character who wants the position at all cost despite knowing that the guy has no interest in her. So, you will have to put up with her little ploys to gain his affections and her father’s manipulation to try to maneuver her into that position.

I guess the upside is they are not the only villains and there is not too much depth to their story. Furthermore, both the leads are very clear with them that they don’t stand a chance. But if you absolutely hate watching jealous third parties, they will mar the drama for you. Their delusions aren’t exactly high quality story telling after all.

Good Acting & Chemistry

The acting and chemistry are part of the positive aspects of Wonderland Of Love. Xu Kai has always been pretty good in costume dramas like Ancient Love Poetry and he can do fighting scenes well. He just needs to pick a good script to complement his strengths. In Wonderland Of Love, he is convincing as an altruistic hero with no selfish desire for power. He has the aura of a prince and leader and gentleness of a lover as required by the role.

Jing Tian is also experienced enough to carry the role of Ah Ying who is not a really adorable character. She is independent and strong-willed rather than your typical sweet female lead. Just like in The Legend Of Zhuohua, the actress knows how to bring out the traits and essence of the character for viewers to grasp her overall personality.

Both Xu Kai and Jing Tian are able to pull it off playing a pair of lovers. The romance isn’t always smooth-sailing but their chemistry is visible from the moment they start their flirting. I can’t say that they have explosive chemistry like Bai Lu and Luo Yun Xi in Till The End Of The Moon, but at the very least, it is comfortable watching them together as lovers on screen.

My Verdict – Engaging Story

Wonderland Of Love has the typical weakness of badly written villains and cliche third wheelers. But the surprising thing is it sill has an engaging story to make you keep watching. I think this has a lot to do with the fast pacing for the most part. As one villain is knocked out of the picture, another quickly takes his place. Thus, the story continues to progress. And when you see quick progress, the story will naturally feels more engaging.

Furthermore, the leads’ relationship starts off in an interesting fashion in a game of one-upmanship as they are after the same cities and supplies. The flirty moments will satisfy those who are in this for the romance with the kissing scenes being part of the deal. However, this is not a wholesome romance like Destined but one that is marred by disagreements and lack of communication. But their love will keep them going amidst the quarrels here and there. So, romance drama fans may still find this pleasurable despite the relationship’s ups and downs.

For this Wonderland Of Love review, I would rate it 7.5/10. Overall, it is a highly watchable drama despite its weaknesses. In fact, the weaknesses are rather glaring throughout the 40 episodes with delusional characters and the substandard subplots. But they don’t take centerstage which is occupied by the main leads which is probably why the drama remains watch-worthy. And if you are a Xu Kai fan, you shouldn’t miss this as well.