Meet Yourself

This is my second foray into a C-drama series. I thought it might be cutesy and slapstick like many others but this series is far from it. The 40-episode commitment almost put me off but the trailer appealed to me because of its soft approach to humanity.

To be honest, I almost gave up after episode 1 because I was already crying buckets. I thought if the rest of the series was like this, I wouldn't be able to make it through the series. I somehow perservered because the series captured the quaint village, its lifestyle, quirky characters and beautiful countryside.

The dialogue is written well - especially for the lead roles. The conversations are real and meaningful, giving you good insights into human emotions and behaviour.

The two lead actors Liu Yifei and Li Xian are of course not new to acting. They carried out their roles well, making you root for them almost right from the start. Li Xian is very convincing as a country boy with some city life experience; Liu Yifei is the cool city chick who comes to the quaint village to fulfil a promise. Good casting of the leads because they are totally believable as a couple.

Watch it, cry a little, then watch key scenes over again!

While I have enjoyed watching many Chinese dramas, I always felt there was something lacking in all of them. Maybe it was creativity or chemistry between the leads or poor acting by some of the characters. This one however is so terrific that the small flaws are more than compensated by the wonderful characters, beautiful cinematography and the enchanting story of the grief stricken, burnt out hotel executive who takes a break from life at a charming rural village. The show is chockful of intriguing characters and their back stories. The granny is "THE" granny everyone would love in their life. The male lead is virtuous, handsome and enterprising yet clumsy in love. I have never wanted to travel to China until I watched this show and now would love to travel to the area. It highlights the traditions, craft and food of the Bai people but it is very well integrated into the story so it never feels out of place. I could not recommend this show enough.

In the first few episodes, MEET YOURSELF had some charm, and I was hopeful that a genuine story would emerge. The FL is very pretty, but her face seldom changes expression. So far, it's hard to care about her. The ML is warm and engaging--and also a very skilled actor. But hour after hour, the story is pretty thin gruel.

An exhausted woman, who has just lost her dearest friend, retreats to a lovely hotel near a lake in Dali, Yunnan, to rest and recuperate. Just to give you an idea of how it goes: in episodes 3 and 4, the FL, Xu Hongdou, makes small talk with the other residents, naps, eats, plays with a cat in one scene and with an ant in another, worries about mosquitoes, takes a walk to a neighboring village to get her phone fixed-and that's about it. The ML, Xie Zhi Yao, gossips gently about his younger brother, who isn't interested in school. He talks with the mother of another resident, who wants to leave town. He takes a few photographs of the residents for his budding tourism project. He cooks, eats, gently bullies his brother-and that's it for him.

These two episodes took up a little more than 1 ½ hours of my real day. The narrative, such as it is, is slower than continental drift.

I'm a person who lives in a sunny, picturesque town, near the ocean. I, too, have friendly neighbors to chat with. I, too, take naps and run errands. Why spend a big chunk of my time watching people on the other side of the world pretend to do what I do every day?

One reason might be because - this is a chance to view a completely different culture. But is this a fair portrait of that culture? Or is this a romanticized version with all the ugliness omitted?

The description on IMDB is as follows: "After the death of her best friend, Xu Hongdou...takes a vacation in Yun Dali, Yunnan. There, she met wonderful people and did wonderful things." Again, an evasive description like that just doesn't cut it. When there's no central, organizing principal, it's not art-it's not even entertainment.

Later: Now I'm up to Episode 9. One character ran away. Another has left this backwater town for the Big City. The older characters lecture the young folks telling them the equivalent of-"don't underestimate the value of a good education" and "there are sleazy folks on the internet." The young'uns, as always, are duly impressed.

Many, many people say that MEET YOURSELF is peaceful and calming. But really - after several hours of this, there's not enough to stir my emotions or stimulate my intellect or my interest. Nothing to justify this much of my time. I'd rather go watch some ants. But I'll soldier on.

Later still: I'm now up to Episode 31. There's now the semblance of a plot, though the action meanders from incident to incident in a maddeningly leisurely way. The FL has developed some spunk and individuality, but mostly my initial impressions remain. It IS possible for a beautiful FL to have a unique and compelling personality (for example: see IT'S OK, THAT'S LOVE or MY DEAREST).

Cliff hanger: Will this review actually be made available for others to read? Stay tuned...

I absolutely loved this drama! Every episode was so enjoyable and it had that charming small town feel to it. This drama takes place in a very picturesque small village in the Yunnan province. It is so beautiful to look at, each episode in itself. Charming story, slow romance, great and lovable cast, the entire cast is so perfect in this! Great direction and quality production. Such a happy and fun story, this is definitely a feel good and relaxing drama. I could watch this drama again and again, and I can imagine visiting this place myself one day and falling in love with it and wanting to stay! I've never seen a more picturesque place with such charming historical buildings and architecture. This show is very cinematic in that it has all the small and special details that make it so endearing to watch. This is a must watch drama!!!

Xu Hong Dou is career orientated, she is front desk manager at a 5 star Beijing Hotel who has not had a holiday for 3 years because she wants advancement. She is devoted to her job has no relationship, answers her phone at all hours to deal with problems and shares a flat with her college friend who also works in the tourist industry and spends a lot of time travelling. A tragic event in the first episode jolts her out of her mindset and she realises she has nothing more to give so quits her job and honours a promise to travel to Yunnan province for a holiday.

She ends up in a farmstead with several other quirky characters who are also lost and healing and she forms an immediate support group helping each other through tough periods and forming lifelong friendships.

Hong Dou relaxes onto the slower pace, and begins to realise what is important in life, not advancement and strict routine but friendships, relations and enjoying the moment.

Xie Zhi Yao has returned to the vilage after graduating and quiting a job in Bejing in finance, he hates to see his childhood friends struggling and having to leave the village for a better life in the city so has suported several ventures. Internet store, tourist attractions and craft workshops to make the village a desirable destination and build employment.

However the main character here is the environment, shot in a beautiful rustic setting, the side characters are all engaging. The internet web novelist struggling for inspiration, the rich girl who is hiding a secret, the musician living in fear of his father or the tea guru spending his days practising Yoga. And thats just the farmstead. The grannies with their traditional head dresses and the village kids make this the drama you need to watch if you need to chill out, wind down and relax.