i got to the epic poetry recital scene in ep 27 of Joy of Life and ahhhh i love it so!!! i’m an uncultured swine that can only recite maybe 5 chinese poems lolol but still, goosebumps all over. it was done so well!
- fan xian prefaces it by saying he memorised these poems from a 仙境 /paradise. “and you’re telling me you memorised all of them?” guo senior taunts. “you don’t know, that period of memories are carved into my mind as if by knives and axes. every word i saw and every book i read i remember to the most precise detail vividly.”
sounds badass. but the domestic Chinese audience watching it knows that he’s referring to the gaokao/college entrance exam where memorising tons of these poems are required HAHAHA
- true enough wang juan the scriptwriter did choose only poems that are required for gaokao. this way it stands true to the plot point of fan xian being considered a literary genius in qingguo because he’s a modern person who benefits from being taught all these literary works through the 9 yr education pathway. and it also resonates with the audience as they too have memorised the same poems before.
- zhang ruoyun’s line delivery was AMAZING. i got so excited and emotional the moment he threw the vat of wine aside and began reciting 将进酒 as he stumbled around drunk but at the same time voice and expression so sure and full of conviction.
- some of the poems fan xian recites apart from being legends in their own right also speak of his loneliness and how alone he is, in a land that is not his own, in a time period that is not his own. 水调歌头 written by su dongpo when he was sent to an appointment far away about his longing for his brother. ending off with chen zi ang’s 前不见古人 后不见来者 念天地之悠悠 独怆然而涕下 “i see no ancestors before me, i see no descendants behind me, thinking of how vast and limitless the universe is, alone and sorrowful i weep” (ok v loose translation lol excuse this!!!) but yet while he stands solitary, an outsider in every aspect in this AU, he is at the same time not alone as he recites poetry that came from all the poet greats throughout chinese history. thousands of years of culture stand with him as well.
- and after reciting over a hundred poems and making zhuang mohan vomit blood (literally), he falls to the ground and right before he passes out drunk goes “ 我醉欲眠卿且去。。。。。。去nmd。” basically a “I’m drunk and want to sleep, you may go [up to this point an actual poem]… go f*** yourself.”
the best conclusion to the best poetry recital 庆国 is ever gonna see!
