Think of that year | "Han Tianzi": At that time, Huang Xiaoming didn’t understand greasy.
Editor’s note: This is a nostalgic theater.
When it comes to The Son of Heaven, the first thing that people think of is Huang Xiaoming, who was still very young. Twenty years ago, who would have thought that this handsome and domineering young man on the TV screen would become a middle-aged greasy and overbearing president who didn’t want you to feel it, as long as I felt it?

Stills of The Son of Heaven, Liu Che (Huang Xiaoming), Emperor of the Han Dynasty.
In fact, what has changed is more than Huang Xiaoming. Looking back at "The Son of Man", you will find that the TV dramas in those days were so simple and pure, and perhaps far from the classics, but the good thing is that they are not as "smart" and calculated as today’s hit dramas.
The historical authenticity of "The Son of Man" has always been a weakness that has been violently vomited by netizens. But perhaps, everyone criticized in the wrong direction from the beginning. This drama is not so much about Liu Che, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty in history, but rather a youthful version of "Joking about Hanwu". Take Huang Xiaoming’s performance, for example. The whole drama, especially Liu Che in the first half, is more like a heartless silly boy, who has nothing to do with the well-known Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Poster of "The Son of Man"
The lines of this play are also not flattering, and modern words such as "mom", "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" are mixed among them, which makes the audience very dramatic. The timeline is also very chaotic. Someone just said to Liu Che that "Your Majesty has been in the throne for more than a year", but Nian Nujiao told Dong Fangshuo that "this is the first anniversary of our acquaintance". As for the age of Huo Qubing and Dong Fangshuo, it is also a complete muddle.
Therefore, if someone watches this drama with the attitude of historical textual research, it is obviously the wrong set. This is a large-scale youth entertainment idol drama, that’s all, there is no need to look up at it because of our childhood filter.

Stills of "The Son of Man"
Having said that, the role of this drama in the development history of China TV plays should not be underestimated. It is about the same historical figure, the same historical era, and there is another very successful TV series "Hanwu the Great" in the same period. Unlike "The Son of Man", which gathers a large number of young idols and popular stars and entertains history, "The Emperor of Hanwu" not only takes the path of drama, but also vaguely shows the shadow of elitist culture.
After entering the new century, the film market in China is quietly changing, and it is difficult to make a profit from pure art films, which leads to a large number of film directors marching into the field of TV series, and Hu Mei, the director of Hanwu the Great, is one of them. At the same time, we can also see Li Shaohong’s Ci of Daming Palace, Wu Ziniu’s Granary in the World, Yang Yazhou’s Empty Mirror, Chen Kaige’s Lyu3 bu4 and The Story Of Diu Sim, and so on.
Therefore, whether it is word of mouth or ratings, The Son of Heaven is not inferior to the performance of Emperor Hanwu, and it has also become a watershed in the development of China TV dramas: art gradually gives way to commerce, and entertainment functions gradually replace educational functions, which is also the normal situation that China TV dramas continue to enter the market.

Dou Taihou (Chen Shali)
But it must be clarified that elegance or popularity is only the narrative means and expression style of TV series, and it is not the decisive factor of the quality of the works. "The Son of Man" is not fake in business, and it does contain a lot of historical details in magic change, but it does not lack positive and correct values.
For example, Princess Pingyang in the play was forced to get married by Dou Taihou after her widow. The night she tried to commit suicide, she was saved by Nian Nujiao. At that time, Wei Zifu, who was still a maid, took the road instead. Liu Che heard the news and rushed to intercept it. "Wei Zifu doesn’t marry Huns either!"

Princess Pingyang (Emily)
In terms of status, Wei Zifu is just a handmaiden; In terms of interpersonal relationship, Wei Zifu can’t compare with her sister Princess Pingyang; Personally, Wei Zifu is also willing to sacrifice himself to avoid war. In spite of this, Liu Che did not think that Wei Zifu was an insignificant person, and he was determined to save her fate. Liu Che’s announcement that he would no longer kiss each other surprised the messengers, and made us feel the preciousness of this play-respecting the dignity of every character and every specific "person" is more important than anything else.

Wei Zifu (Wang Ling)
For another example, Liu Che in the early stage was carefree and loyal, and hung out with his good brothers Guan Fu, Guo Scheeren, Li Ling, Zhang Tang, etc., which was a bit like a "silly fool". Unfortunately, after the TV series entered the second half, those precious brotherhood soon fell apart. Zhang Tang is jealous of talents, and an accident is inevitable; Irrigation husband cowardice, hurt friends; Li Ling suffered injustice, but she finally got love.

Liling (Liu Guanxiang)
The death and separation of these good brothers seems to be accidental, but it is inevitable. They didn’t realize their relationship with Liu Che in the end. In the face of power, only the monarch and the minister, no brothers? At the end of the TV series, Chen Ajiao was abolished, Nian Nujiao and Dong Fangshuo flew away, and Liu Che was indeed above ten thousand people, and indeed the loneliest one. Later, the second and third films of The Son of Man did not give up criticizing and exposing the imperial power. Although "The Son of Man" is only a commercial drama to entertain the public, its understanding of the nature of power is very clear.
It can be seen that it is not important whether the TV series is commercialized, but what is important is what kind of three views it conveys. This year’s "Moonlight over Mountains and Rivers" strongly highlights the "human touch" of the imperial family, and makes Zhu Yuanzhang’s royal family look like the "old Zhu family" of ordinary people. This is not only a blunt plot setting, but also a major misunderstanding of history. On the other hand, The Dream of China, which was a big hit recently, was both a joke and a magic change. However, because it pointed out the themes of gender equality and women’s independence (although it failed to be implemented in the end), it won the support and praise of the audience. In this regard, today’s commercial TV series should really learn from "The Son of Man".

Liuling (Lily)
For example, many female characters in this play are more stereoscopic and rich than the clever Zhao Paner. The one that impressed me the most was Liu Ling. Although she was a veritable female villain in the play, she was extremely attractive. Beauty and scheming are her best weapons, and they can do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. However, that smile and cross-flow will make the audience feel that she can never be attached to any man, or that she simply despises any man.
She was so bad that she was so brazenly bad that she became a prisoner near the end, still smiling and smiling. This openness makes the male villains like Zhang Tang, who wander in the gray space, seem to be eclipsed. Such unforgettable female villains are almost extinct today. It seems that today’s screenwriters don’t even know how to write a bad guy.
Second, Nian Nujiao, an understanding and charming girl, is not only beautiful and intelligent, but also a natural soul who loves freedom. Liu Che, the son of heaven, fell in love with her at first sight, but she was unmoved. Dong Fangshuo was always the only one in her heart.

Nian Nujiao (Alyssa Chia) and Dong Fangshuo (Chen Daoming)
Dong Fangshuo dare not accept Nian Nujiao’s love, because he has his own ambitions, and he knows best the truth of accompanying a gentleman like a tiger. What he fears most is that he can’t give Niannujiao happiness. Nian Nujiao hid in the karaoke room and specially danced a song "There are beautiful trees in the East" for him. He asked, shouldn’t there be Jiamu in the south? In fact, how could he not understand why Nian Nujiao was changed to "Oriental"? How could Dong Fangshuo want to miss such a good girl who never bowed to power and devoted herself to pursuing true love?
I especially like the ending of "The Son of Man". Seeing Liu Che’s madness on the throne of the emperor, Dong Fangshuo decided to join hands with Nian Nujiao to retire to the mountains. Nian Nujiao asked, "Where are we going now?" Dong Fangshuo pointed to her heart and her own and said, "I will come to you, and you will come to me." This is really the most touching love story in the world.

"Classic Love Words" in "The Son of Man"
The most important thing is, over the years, I have watched the so-called "Big Lady" step by step to reach the peak of power and start a so-called "career", but I miss Dong Fangshuo and Nian Nujiao’s free and easy and wise. When I think about it carefully, the TV series at that time didn’t have excessive peeling, soft light, exaggerated special effects and filters. Just like Huang Xiaoming, he didn’t know what greasy was, and he didn’t cater to the needs of fans and traffic blindly. This sincerity is perhaps the most valuable place in The Son of Heaven.
[Specially published by Shanghai Literature and Art Review Special Fund]
















