- Title: Rising Feather
- Also Known As: 青雀成凰, Qing Que Cheng Huang
- Genres: Romance, Historical
- Director: Man Chuang Chuang, Jiao Li Li
- Cast: Li Jiu Lin, Xiao Yu
- Episodes: 30
- Date of Release: Dec 6, 2023
- Original Network: Youku
- Where to Watch: Youku
- Duration: 15 minuntes
Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed your holiday season with loved ones. This post will be about the review of second short drama series, Rising Feather. Rising Feather was a Chinese romance drama with total of 30 episodes, starred by Li Jiu Lin and Xiao Yu.
I watched it a few days ago. It was popular on Youku, so I wanted to see what the hype was about. Later on, I will share my verdict on this Rising Feather drama. Did it satisfy or disappoint me? Stay tuned to find out!
Rising Feather Synopsis
Princess Qing Que died from betrayal. Her lover, whom she loved deeply, chose power over her. He married the daughter of the man who killed her father, leaving her alone to die under the snow.
Qing Que did not know that she would have a chance to live again. When she woke up as Que, she promised to avenge the people who betrayed her and caused her father’s death.
As Que the courtesan, she made her way into Lord Mu’s residence and became his concubine, Lady Que. She entered the residence with only one purpose: to seek revenge because all of her enemies were gathered there.
They were Lord Mu, who killed her father, and Yun Huan, her former lover, who left her under the snow. In the mansion, she also encountered Mu Qing Cheng, Lord Mu’s only daughter as well as her childhood friend who took Yun Huan away from her.
The star-crossed lovers met again and this time, they had to live under the same roof. Yun Huan never expected his father-in-law’s new concubine to have a similar face to his former lover. He had to suppress his feelings upon seeing Lady Que’s familiar face.
Yun Huan and Que had conspired against each other at every turn, both harbouring hidden motives. As the scheme deepened, the truth behind their grudges and grievances was revealed. Will they be able to forgive and forget, or will their grudges drive them further apart?
Rising Feather Drama Review
Rising Feather is the second short-length drama series I watched after Invincible Stepmother. It was at the top list on Youku in my region. The sultry cover and synopsis piqued my curiosity.
The theme is about the romance between a mother-in-law and a son-in-law, which is quite daring. However, since many people had watched it, I decided to give it a try. So, a few days ago, I spent some of my time to watch the whole episode in one go.
Upon first viewing, the cinematography and costumes of this drama were fine, but I could not help but feel that this low-budget drama lacked a lot of things. The story was a complicated one with twisted problems. But there was some loophole and I thought that the characters have some flaws.
For example, on her wedding night, Que was prepared to stab Lord Mu if he entered her bedroom. She held the knife in a way that seemed unconvincing as if she was unprepared. She appeared as though she was waiting for a thief to enter the room, which was not consistent with her preparation to enter the mansion.
It was not easy to get someone as important as Lord Mu to fall for a courtesan. So, I could imagine how hard she tried and how complicated the plan was. But after she entered the mansion and was ready to attack, it was done in a careless manner. This scene did not make sense to me and it occurred early in the drama.
The characters were written with some flaws. Qing Que was motivated by a deep grudge. But the grudge didn’t seem deep enough because she was somehow influenced by her own feelings towards Yun Huan. The same thing happened to Yun Huan, who remained focused on his goals, but his obsession with Que was somewhat annoying.
Yan Xun Chang was the only character with a clear mind, but unfortunately, he did not have a significant role in this drama. On the other hand, Mu Qing Cheng and Lord Mu were portrayed as ordinary villains without any unique characteristics.
I have learned that when watching a short series drama, one should be prepared for a quick story pace and learn how to connect the scenes. The story of Rising Feather began years before the scene in the first episode, so there were some flashback scenes when Que’s identity was still Qing Que and Yun Huan was still a young general who fell in love with a young princess.
The flashbacks mainly depict the story of Yun Huan and Qing Que’s relationship. Meanwhile, the events that occurred with Qing Que’s family are mostly conveyed through her monologues and conversations. It is apparent that the main theme of Rising Feather is the romance between Que and Yun Huan. and the revenge and grudges were just serving as a background story.
As the story progressed, I found myself frustrated by the absence of emotions on Xiao Yu’s face. She played three roles: Qing Que, Lady Que, and Qing Que’s mother. Qing Que had experienced many things in her life, including near-death experiences, and the loss of her parents and home.
Moreover, she was a princess but was forced to become a courtesan due to circumstances. Que appeared to be a cunning person skilled in seduction. Despite all of this, her expression did not show her resilience. When Yun Huan strangled her, she looked stubborn. But throughout the entire drama, I felt that she lacked sorrow, anger, and resilience, as well as despair and helplessness.
These should be the most intense emotions she feels, right? However, of course, there were times when she did a good job, like in the latter episode, her sadness and despair were shown. I was left with a stronger impression of her lacking in emotion rather than delivering the right emotions.
Therefore, I am so sorry that I have to say that I was disappointed by Xiao Yu’s acting. Xiao Yu has acted in the main role in three dramas so far. Prior to Rising Feather, she acted alongside Zhou Ye in Reset in July and in another short drama titled Never Too Late. But Xiao Yu was young, and she would have many opportunities to hone her acting skills.
Li Jiu Lin’s acting did not leave a strong impression on me as well. I was annoyed with so many scenes where Yun Huan held Que’s neck. However, Li Jiu Lin was able to portray Yun Huan’s character. As a military general, Yun Huan is a cold, ruthless, and cunning person who suppresses his emotions and does not let anyone know.
Li Jiu Lin conveyed his emotions effectively through his eyes. I could see the desperation, anger, and calculating mind. In comparison to Xiao Yu, Li Jiu Lin’s acting appeared more convincing.
Although the acting was somewhat disappointing, I realized why this drama topped the Youku list. After deciding to give it a try, I found out that this drama is sexy. In comparison to many Cdramas where kisses are scarce and often just a simple touching of lips, Rising Feather features more realistic kissing scenes.
Although the hot scenes are short, they can still stimulate our imagination. I feel a similar sensation when watching Jerry Yan’s Forbidden Flower drama, which contains many sultry scenes. However, while Forbidden Flower presents the kissing scenes artistically, Rising Feather is quite blunt. As a romance junkie, I prefer Forbidden Flower to Rising Feather because of the way they presented the sultry scenes.
Rising Feather’s story theme promises an intricate plot. The ending had a plot twist, but unfortunately, I was able to predict it due to my experience reading historical Cnovels which were full of schemes and intrigues. If you want to read about this drama ending, you can read it on Rising Feather ending explained post.
The Makup, Properties and Cinematography
There are several visually pleasing aspects of this drama. Firstly, the set is detailed and meticulously arranged. Additionally, the makeup is flawless. No exaggerated eyeliner or inconsistent eyebrows.
The costume was well arranged, but the properties such as weapons, especially Zhao Li Shi’s enormous saber, looked fake. And the last one is the filming technique. The director managed to shoot good pictures from a good angle, and I enjoyed this aspect very much.
The Story
Excessive worry can harm the mind,
said Yan Xun Chang. But Que refutes his words by saying,
Only those who are decisive and resolute can dispel worries and live a long life.
People say that there is a fine line between love and hate. Intense love can lead you into intense hate. Sometimes, in the right situation, you would probably feel both emotions. It could be a light feeling or in an extreme case, strong.
The relationship between Que and Yun Huan was exactly the strong type. They started as each other’s first love and sweetheart, but later, betrayal changed everything.
The story of Rising Feather revolves around four people who are connected through marriage. Que was a courtesan taken by Lord Mu as his concubine. Lord Mu has a daughter named Mu Qing Cheng, who was married to a military general named Yun Huan. Long before Qing Que became Que, she was Yan Huan’s lover. Now, she has become the mother-in-law of her ex-lover.
Qing Que was the only daughter of Lord Huai, who held strong military power. The family was loyal, but they knew that some people around them were eyeing their power. However, they never expected their biggest enemy to be someone close to them: The Huai and Mu families had a close relationship.
Lord Huai and Lord Mu were friends, and their daughters, Qing Que and Mu Qing Cheng, were also good friends. Qing Que often spent time in the Mu mansion and regarded Mu Qing Cheng as her younger sister.
Lord Mu had been eyeing the military power in Lord Huai’s hand for a long time. He patiently waited for the perfect opportunity to take it from Lord Huai’s hand. All he had to do was assassinate his friend and take the jade pendant that he always kept with him.
With the jade pendant in his possession, Lord Mu could command the Huai Army and become the most powerful person in the country. In order to make his plan possible, Lord Mu took Yun Huan, a cunning military general, as his son-in-law. Yun Huan became Lord Mu’s son-in-law only for the sake of power.
The plan went smoothly. Lord Huai and his wife died. The only person left was Qing Que. Lord Mu asked Yun Huan to kill Qing Que, and Yun Huan agreed. Yun Huan held a grudge against Lord Huai for killing his father, so between revenge and love, Yun Huan would never choose the latter. On a snowy day, Yun Huan stabbed Qing Que, who was happy to see him and ran to embrace him.
Qing Que never expected Yun Huan to betray her and have intentions to kill her. She lay alone on the cold snow, watching the man she loved walk away with a girl she considered a kin. Her body was cold, but her heart was colder. The desperation and hatred blooming inside her could not be erased and would stay for a long time. Although he said they would be together in the next lifetime, Qing Que did not want to acknowledge his words.
As she lay in the cold, someone came to rescue her. The person is Yan Xun Chang, one of Lord Huai’s subordinates. He saved her life and removed her distinguishing features, the scar on her face and the red mole. With her new appearance, although she resembled Princess Qing Que, no one could mistake her for the princess. Qing Que adopted the name Que and began a new life as a courtesan.
To avenge her family’s grievances, Que went to great lengths to enter Mu’s residence. She was willing to become a concubine of someone as old as her father because all of her enemies were gathered in Mu mansion.
Que planned to kill Lord Mu on their wedding night with poison, but Yun Huan foiled her plan. So she decided to stab him with a small knife. While waiting for the old man to enter her bedroom, she was surprised when the door opened, but it was Yun Huan who entered.
As soon as she entered the mansion, the relationship between Que and Yun Huan became ambiguous. Que’s face reminded Yun Huan of Qing Que. Although he killed her, Yun Huan never stopped loving Qing Que. He married Mu Qing Cheng solely for business purposes, and they never had a romantic relationship.
Yun Huan never touches Mu Qing Cheng, and they always sleep in separate rooms from the first day of their marriage. When he met Qing Que, Yun Huan could not stop his feelings, and they often crossed paths and made use of each other.
Que also tried to seduce Yun Huan because it was her mission, but also because she could not stop herself from wanting to find out his real feelings for her. Especially when she learned that Yun Huan said that his heart belonged to someone else and that his marriage with Mu Qian Cheng was loveless. Que was stunned when she learned that someone else in Yun Huan’s heart was herself.
Yun Huan became jealous when Yan Xun Chang entered the mansion. Yan Xun Chang and Que had a close relationship, which made it difficult for him to separate them. In an attempt to control Yun Huan, Yan Xun Chang administered a Love Compulsion Poison to her.
However, activating the poison required Que to be intimate with Yun Huan. Once activated, Yun Huan would become deeply infatuated with Que, and nothing could break the spell except death. Que gets her chance to be intimate with Yun Huan after he gets drunk because he realizes that the one who killed his father was not Lord Huai. Ever since the poison entered his body, Yun Huan became more posessive towards Que.
Yan Xun Chang noticed that the situation on their side was too dangerous. After Que obtained Lord Huai’s jade pendant, he attempted to take Que with him, but Yun Huan stopped him. This caused a strain in the relationship between Que and Yan Xun Chang, leading him to turn to Mu Qing Cheng. Meanwhile, everything went smoothly for Que and Yun Huan until Lord Mu awakened.
Yun Huan and Que were slowly drawn into the abyss of emotions. Que had to face the fact that although she held a deep grudge towards Yun Huan, she could not erase her love for him. Even though she pretended to love him or pretended not to love him, he still held an important position in her heart.
The same thing happened to Yun Huan. He had to face his love and regret towards Que. The conflict arose in their hearts when they had to choose between love and revenge.
In my opinion, it was easy to guess Yun Huan’s feelings for Que from the beginning. Despite being a skilled military general who was adept at concealing his emotions, Yun Huan appeared to have lost control of his heart. His actions, such as sneaking into her room, allowing Que to bring him soup/tea, or taking her shopping, should not be so blatant.
Even though Lord Mu was unconscious, I do not believe his behavior was justified. As a result, the plot twist and the story’s ending were easy to predict. It is worth noting that the story of Rising Feather ultimately had a happy ending, despite almost turning tragic.
The Characters
Princess Qing Que / Lady Que
Princess Qin Que (played by Xiao Yu) was the daughter of Lord Huai. He was an important figure in the country who held the military power in his hand. She was once Yun Huan’s lover but was betrayed by him. Yan Xun Chang saved her life. Qin Que had significant features in her body.
A burning scar on her face and a red mole on her hand, between her thumb and forefinger. Yan Xun Chang erased all of Qing Que’s features, making it impossible to identify her as Qing Que. With her new appearance, Qing Que now lives under the new identity of Que.
When she was younger, Qing Que was a good friend of Mu Qing Cheng. However, after the tragedy, she realized that Mu Qing Cheng was different from the one she used to be. During her stay at the Mu mansion, Que often quarreled with Mu Qing Cheng.
Qin Que is a cheerful and pampered person. She was born into nobility and has always lived in a protected environment. As a result, she is not as stubborn or determined as Que. However, after experiencing death, Qin Que’s demeanor changed. Que is a cunning person who is eloquent with words and seductive.
Yun Huan
Yun Huan (played by Li Jiu Lin) is a military general under Lord Mu and also his son-in-law. Yun Huan is a sly and cunning person. He is determined and stubborn. Once he makes a decision, nobody can change it. These traits make him hard to control. Even Lord Mu, who wanted to control him by marrying him to Mu Qing Cheng, could do nothing about it.
Although Yun Huan married Mu Qing Cheng, he did it for the power of Lord Mu. He never cared for or loved Mu Qing Cheng. He feels remorseful for killing Qing Que. However, he had a justifiable reason to do it because Lord Huai, Qing Que’s father, had killed Yun Huan’s father. Since Lord Huai was already deceased, Yun Huan sought revenge by killing his daughter.
Yun Huan also had his own motives for getting close to Lord Mu. He planned to take over Huai’s army, which was under Lord Mu’s control. Additionally, he aimed to expose Lord Mu’s embezzlement, including finding the silver that he had hidden as proof of his crime.
Yan Xun Chang
Yan Xun Chang (played by Guo Hao Jun) is a skilled doctor who used to be a subordinate of Lord Huai. He saved Qing Que’s life and together they devised a plan to take over and revive the Huai army. This was no small task, as reviving such a great army required a significant amount of funding and complicated planning.
To assist Que, Yan Xun Chang became Lord Mu’s doctor and entered the Mu mansion. He was the one who gave Que and Yun Huan the Love Compulsion poison. Yan Xun Chang and Que had a good relationship, which made Yun Huan jealous and caused him to try to break them up.
Despite appearing weak, Yan Xun Chang was a very calculating person. He always treated Que kindly because he regarded her as a friend and family.
Lord Mu
Lord Mu (played by Wang Lu) is the Prime Minister of the country and holds the power of the Huai Army. He has a reputation for being greedy, sly, ruthless, and cruel. He was even willing to kill his own friend, Lord Huai, for the sake of military power. Despite his negative image, Lord Mu was a good strategist, who devised a complicated and long-term plan for his greater goal.
Lord Mu loves beauty. Therefore, Que managed to trick him with her beauty and dance and become his concubine. It seemed that Lord Mu did not have any wife aside of Que, because he made her the mistress of the mansion. If Mu Qing Cheng’s mother was around, she would not be made the mistress of the mansion.
Mu Qing Cheng
Mu Qing Cheng (played by Liu Yuan Yuan) is the only daughter of Lord Mu. She married Yun Huan, but never gained his love and care. Yun Huan never liked her, and the marriage was only a political tool for Yun Huan and her father. Mu Qing Cheng is an emotional person, vengeful but tactless.
Although born and raised as a noble and pampered lady, she was different from Qing Que because Lord Mu was not a good father. He taught her to be cruel and competitive to everyone, including her friend Qing Que.
Mu Qing Cheng relied on her father as a daughter, but Lord Mu seemed to care only about his obsession with power. in his eyes, Mu Qing Cheng was only a pawn for him to control Yun Huan.
The Conclusion
Rising Feather drama is a story about desire and revenge. It is full of emotional conflict and schemes. The story progresses quickly, but it feels like you are running in the same place over and over again. Although there are other settings besides the Mu mansion, I feel like I only watched the Mu mansion for 30 episodes.
After considering it, I must say that this drama is not my cup of tea. I have only watched two short series this year, Invincible Stepmother drama and this Rising Feather, and I prefer Invincible Stepmother. The story was easier to follow, and the acting was better. You can read the drama review at Invincible Stepmother drama review post.
However, this is just my opinion. I am sure my dear readers might have different thoughts than mine. So please share your thoughts in the comment box below. And for those who haven’t decided whether to watch this drama or not, I hope this post helped.
If you are still undecided about watching this drama, I hope this Rising Feather drama review post has helped you. Thank you for reading and see you in another Drama Review post!
