Poignant 23-minute trailer for Battle of Changsha with English Substitles

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After watching the official trailer, I am now completely 100% enthralled with Battle of Changsha. I usually try to avoid drama series set during World War II because they are just loaded with tragedies and melancholy. But I'm just superficial and just like to watch pretty guys in pretty military uniforms. Then I decided to read the original novel and got hooked. Anyway, the critically-acclaimed director, Kong Sheng, for this drama series definitely did not disappoint in his storytelling. I'm loving all the changes they made to the novel. I think this TV adaptation will surpass the novel itself. They greatly expanded the role of Gu Qingming (Wallace Huo) and added a lot more details to the development of the OTP. I can also tell a lot of effort has been put into executing the action scenes. There are also no bad CGIs battle scenes nor any cheesy romantic lines. After the sour aftertaste from watching The Swordsman and bitter disappointment regarding the release of Legend of Lu Zhen, Battle of Changsha is a very welcome change.

I love the subtle poignancy that the whole drama emotes. The acting seems to flow naturally. Wallace Huo and Yang Zi's onscreen chemistry is even much better than I expected. I think Yang Zi is actually one of Wallace's best onscreen partners. Though some Chinese netizens feel rather awkward about the 13-year age gap between Wallace Huo and Yang Zi, I'm more than happy about this pairing. Their age gap is consistent with the characters in the original novel. Yang Zi's Hu Xiang Xiang started out as a 16-year old girl while Wallace Huo's Gu Qingming was already in his 20s. I'm even happier at the fact that the scriptwriter/or whoever decided to add in a kiss scene. EDIT: it was just revealed in a recent talk show that Wallace Huo was the person who requested to add the kiss scene. Lol.

To fully appreciate the historical backdrop of this story, you can read a post I previously wrote on this drama HERE. Jaystar also previously reported on the series.
Trailer With ENGLISH Subtitles Available! PART 1 , PART 2  Credit to tobemela                                         

Higher Resolution Version: http://www.iqiyi.com/pianhua/20130315/f4f11d80f3eea68f.html
 Official Trailer:



I've never seen Yang Zi act in any series before, but I found her acting in Battle of Changsha very infectious! She completely fits the profile of Hu Xiang Xiang and the same goes for Wallace Huo's Gu Qingming. When she cries, I feel her emotions. She may not be considered beautiful in showbiz terms, but Yang Zi definitely can outshine any wooden pretty face with her onscreen presence.
Yang Zi's watery eyes seem to speak words
Gu Qingming: "When did I ever get engaged to your family's Xiang Xiang?"
Xiang Xiang: "I don't want to get married"
A furious Xue Junshan carries off Xiang Xiang like a piece of baggage while she screams "Help me! He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!" 
Xiang Xiang: "I want to give you a child"
I think one of the most touching lines in the trailer is what Gu Qingming said to Xiang Xiang: "If you have to live the rest of your life as a widow of a fallen soldier, my conscience would not be at peace even when I'm in the underworld."


"Shocking" Kiss Scene
As I mentioned earlier, many netizens were quite surprised by the kiss scene and felt it was unnecessary. Due to the serious and heavy historical tone of the series, I expected, as well as many others, the director to avoid all lips-smooching action. Yang Zi started acting as a child and got famous for a family drama when she was quite young. Though she is already 20 year old, Chinese netizens still perceive her as a child and could not reconciliate with the idea that she's already a grown woman. Seeing Yang Zi with a "much older" Wallace Huo in a intimate manner onscreen cause some discomfort for some people. LOL. In fact, there are actually plenty of kissing between Gu Qingming and Xiang Xiang in the original novel. I don't mind the kissing at all since nicely choreographed kisses add intensity to a scene.
Gu Qingming and Xiang Xiang revisit Changsha after the the war

I also really like the actor who plays Xiang Xiang's brother-in-law, Xue Junshan. He totally brings out the formidable rogue and strict disciplinarian with a soft heart for his family. I will be looking forward to watch any interactions between Gu Qingming and Xue Junshan. These two brother-in-laws can create sparks of their own on screen.


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