Bai Qian (白淺) – Strong Female Lead?

Yes, the Bai Qian that sacrifices herself to “save the world”, the Bai Qian who marches into the Ghost Palace to fight her enemy and rescue her kidnapped son and teacher, the Bai Qian who waltzes into the Heaven Kingdom and punishes the person who bullied her in a visually breathtaking showdown.

Do these things make her “strong”? Well… we’ll see.

In this post, we will examine the character Bai Qian from Ten Miles of Peach Blossom with ten questions that cover flaws, consistency, development, etc. The three possible answers to these questions are Yes (1 point), No (0 point), and Kind of (0.5 point), along with some — hopefully — brief explanation.

*Our analysis is based strictly on Bai Qian as seen in the drama Eternal Love, not her counterpart in the novel. 

WARNING: This analysis 1) contains SPOILERS 2) is humor-free

1. Does she have a story to tell besides romance? Kind of (+0.5). 

So…

Bai Qian is the disciple of a High God, she is also Queen of the Fox Kingdom, the daughter of the Fox Emperor, the woman who “saves the world”. At first glance, it looks like Bai Qian has a pretty good foundation and is on the right track to earn one full point.

However, we have concluded that even with all those things combined, Bai Qian still does not have a story to tell besides romance. This is why:

a) Her going to Moyuan’s school was a decision made by her father. Which is fine, heroes and heroines are forced into certain lives all the time, what’s important is how the story is developed afterward. And that is the problem: Bai Qian goes to this school, is spoiled by her teacher and senior classmates, somehow becomes top of her class, gets handed a secret manual to a mass destruction bell, the end. There is no real story here.

b) Her being a queen was given. We never see her fight for this position or even show some interest in what she does. And apparently, Bai Qian’s Fox Kingdom is so peaceful, so united that she has nothing to do but stroll around all day. That is not a story arc.

c) Her sacrificing herself to the giant bell makes Bai Qian unique indeed. As a matter of fact, it puts Bai Qian directly in the trope of “the Chosen One”. And it COULD HAVE well counted as a story arc. However, this is not the kind of story where a series of decisions leads the hero/heroine onto the path of the Chosen-One. Bai Qian is the Chosen-One because Moyuan asked her to do something, and she said yes. There is no explanation as to why Bai Qian is the only choice and we just have to take Moyuan’s word for it that Bai Qian is special.

Bai Qian’s whole story arc is revolved around the romance, which we will get into detail later.

The only thing that maybe can count as a story arc is her decision to offer her heart-blood to keep Moyuan’s body intact while waiting for him to come back.

We normally do not count “waiting” as some kind of story arc. But in this case, at least she’s got something going on.

0.5/10

2. Does she drive the plot forward with her actions? No (+0).

Bai Qian is a queen. She is said to be physically powerful and also has a sassy personality. But is she a driving force of the story? No. (Her beautiful face is, though.)

The main problem with Bai Qian is that, no matter how powerful or sassy she is, she does not ACT. Everything she does is a reaction. She spends the majority of the drama doing just that: reacting. Bai Qian moves the plot by being what the story says she is, not by her decisions or actions.

In the first arc of the drama, Bai Qian is Moyuan’s richest best disciple, therefore he gives her the instruction manual to “fight evil”.

In the second arc, the mortal trial, Bai Qian is Susu, the woman Yehua wishes to devote his life to.

For the second half of the drama, Bai Qian is Bai Qian, the woman Yehua needs to make amends to.

As Siyin, Bai Qian does not break up with Lijing because she has been actively getting to know Lijing and seen through his fickleness, but because Lijing and Xuannu basically shove their affair in her face.

Later on in the story, Bai Qian does not spend time with A-li because she wants to, but because Yehua brings A-li to her door.

Bai Qian does not question Yehua’s past with Susu because she cares to learn more about her future husband, she does it only after Sujin has preached to her about Susu for about a hundred times.

Lastly, Bai Qian does not choose to have intimacy with Yehua, she does it because Yehua either locks his bedroom door and takes complete control, squeezes himself in with her, spells it out to her, or literally throws her onto the bed.

Even if the drama tries to justify it with Bai Qian’s inner monologue about how much she enjoyed the act afterward, it earns her no points in this round.

Whenever Bai Qian does take action, it is because something major has happened which leaves her no choice but to get off her slouching chair. When A-li is kidnapped, for instance.

If Yehua and the other characters did nothing, then nothing would have happened for the entire story. If Lijing did not initiate a relationship with Bai Qian, then offend her, and wishes to earn her forgiveness, Bai Qian would never seek interaction with him, be it out of interest or for political reasons.

If Xuannu did not hold a grudge against Bai Qian and take an interest in Lijing, no kidnap of A-li would have happened for Bai Qian to play the heroine. If Shaoxing the Snake did not lie to Bai Qian and end up having to wait for her turn to apologize, Bai Qian would not have made a deal with her to help her son afterwards If Sujin did not target Susu and eventually Bai Qian, they would never have had a single conversation. Bai Qian would forever sit in her fox hole, occasionally strolling around the Peach Woods, drinking wine till the day she gets married and then repeat the process.

There are more example , but you get the point. Every character in this drama moves the plot with their actions except Bai Qian and Bai Qian is simply made into a victim every time – the person who does nothing wrong but is wronged by the whole world.

There is an argument floating around that Bai Qian is able get other people to work for her just by being herself. Yes, that could have counted as activeness. Except, Bai Qian does not actively direct people around, they do the work because they are unable to resist her.

The only decision Bai Qian ever actively makes is proposing to Yehua. Unfortunately, this decision does NOT move the story forward. Because if Bai Qian had NOT made this proposal, the plot still would not have changed. Yehua would still throw himself in danger in later episodes, end up dying and being forgiven anyway, which is exactly how the drama ends. Also, one decision from Bai Qian is not enough to counter a whole narrative of passivity.

0.5/10

3. Does she take action to accomplish her goals? No (+0).

The follow-up question would be: what goals?

Bai Qian spends the entire drama slouching and looking like a queen. Her kingdom has no disputes to settle. Her family is wealthy, she doesn’t have to fight for survival. Unlike Yehua, she also doesn’t have to study or read or acquire any skills. She just has them whenever the plot needs her to (and loses them whenever the plot needs her to respectively).

In the beginning, Moyuan thrusts upon her the responsibility of resealing the Bell and saving the world. This is something Bai Qian simply cannot say no to. Therefore she is tied down to a friendless, basically jobless life because all her time is supposedly devoted to this Bell business. This is not a goal she comes up with for herself, it is not a goal she has a desire to pursue. It just IS her goal because someone else says so.

The only “goal” Bai Qian ever has is waiting for Moyuan, her teacher, to return. But unlike in question #1, we cannot count “waiting” as a goal. Because this is not something Bai Qian works toward to achieve a result. Zheyan and Bai Zhen are the ones to discover Moyuan’s spirit inside Diefeng’s brother’s body. Bai Qian herself did not lift a finger in this whole process. She sits, waits, does what Zheyan tells her to do, and earns sympathy from the audience by giving Moyuan her special heart-blood, because it is JUST special.

After there is news of Moyuan, Bai Qian plans – oh yes… “plans” – to go fight the Four Beasts to get the magical mushroom for Moyuan. But because the drama needs Yehua to shine, the spotlight is taken away from Bai Qian and given to Yehua, once again making her look extremely passive.

0.5/10

4. Does she have an interest? Yes (+1).

Bai Qian is seen to enjoy watching operas and drinking wine. This is something that does remain consistent and independent of her love life, so yes, she deserves one full point here.

1.5/10

5. Does she act in accordance with her beliefs? No (+0).

Simply because Bai Qian has no beliefs. Or rather, her beliefs are poorly developed.

She has no passion for her job as a queen, she only does it because it was given. Bai Qian decides to help Shaoxing the snake not because she believes in kindness, but because Shaoxing would not leave her be with her dull and pointless life otherwise.

Bai Qian rages at Sujin and retrieved her eyes because her ego was hurt, not because she believes in justice around the world.

Bai Qian (as Susu too) describes herself several times to be a blunt and forthright woman who does not stand ambiguity and dishonesty (this, she is also described by other people). However, Susu easily overlooks Yehua’s unwillingness to share his background and Bai Qian herself never questions Yehua’s advances and just takes them upon herself with a flushed face. She is not sure whether what she feels for Yehua is love for nearly 3/4 of the drama, but she has no problem leading him on with her lack of response.

Bai Qian’s most apparent belief is probably the fact that she thinks no guy can ever match up to Moyuan, ever. But unfortunately, we need something more profound than that for “belief”.

1.5/10

6. Does she develop throughout the story? No (+0).

Throughout the whole drama, Bai Qian endures a series of miserable events: a war, Moyuan’s death, a romance, A-li’s birth, and lastly, Yehua’s death. But do these events help her grow, or change her in any way? They don’t.

Bai Qian’s transition from Siyin the student to Bai Qian the queen does not count as development. It is abruptly done and just there to provide a back-story and give an excuse for Bai Qian to be indifferent/oblivious without consequences.

The only real suffering Bai Qian ever goes through is a mortal trial, which turns out to be exactly what it is: JUST A TEST, which boosts her status up to High Goddess, whatever that means. Unfortunately, Bai Qian learns as much from this trial as she did from Moyuan. Nothing. What Bai Qian goes through as Susu doesn’t teach her to be more compassionate, it doesn’t make her wiser or more considerate. And in all fairness, how can it if the first thing she does when she comes back is drink a potion to forget everything? We daresay Yehua learns more from this trial than Bai Qian herself.

Bai Qian never evolves from “Susu”. None of her actions after the mortal trial proves that she had become wiser or denser or just different.

Her romance with Yehua also does not change Bai Qian. By the end, she is exactly the self-absorbed, confused, and indecisive Bai Qian she was before she met him.

Many viewers would point to her conversation in the end with her brother Bai Zhen about Sujin as proof of her growth. If you don’t remember, this is where Bai Qian states that she does not care about Sujin’s wrongdoings anymore.But here is the thing: it is very easy to have a character say something smart, but it is NOT easy to have their actions match with the things they say or are said to be. We’re looking for actions that prove how Bai Qian has grown, not quotes she can easily take from the last romance novel she read. At this point, Bai Qian is still hiding from the world, not checking up on A-li, sulking in dreams and not having a life. She is exactly the Bai Qian of the first arc.

1.5/10

7. Does she have a flaw? No (+0).

Due to its popularity, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms reviews/comments are everywhere. And for some reason, Bai Qian is recognized internet-wide as a “flawed” character. The opposite of a Mary Sue. Is she? Or by “flawed”, people just really mean that she is not nice?

Some of the “flaws” she is often said to have are:

• “Bai Qian can’t cook.”‘
• “Bai Qian doesn’t talk to people she doesn’t like.”
• “Bai Qian always claims what is hers without fear.”
• “Bai Qian is not into girly things.”
• “Bai Qian has a tragic past.”

None of those things prove that she is “flawed”.

A flaw is a trait that exists to create conflict and bring about growth. A flaw is NOT necessarily a bad trait. Having flaws doesn’t mean you can’t be nice.

True, Bai Qian is not an all-around nice female lead and she indeed possesses some negative traits. But let us look at a few of those traits that have been recognized as her flaws to see if they really are such.

• A bad cook: this does not count as a flaw. It is more like an added quirk and to be entirely honest, its purpose is to showcase Yehua’s skills more than anything. This also has nothing to do with Bai Qian’s personality and does not contribute to her development.
• Lazy: this so-called flaw falls flat the moment Bai Qian is introduced as the best disciple of Kunlun (for no particular reason besides the fact that Moyuan thinks she’s the most adorable fox in the world). She is lazy but still manages to be very well-versed in Taoism whenever she needs to be, enough to go down to the mortal realm and help Donghua and Fengjiu with their trial. No one has ever called her out for being lazy. Her laziness does not affect her life in any way. It is only a TRAIT, not a flaw.
• Impulsive/naive: Bai Qian is both of those things. She goes out and fights the Ghost Lord without bringing with her a single back up person. She runs out of Kunlun with her 9th Senior and gets captured by the Ghost Lord in the beginning. Bai Qian rushes to the Ghost Realm to save A-li without a plan. Etc. Yes, very naïve indeed. Bai Qian gets herself into trouble on numerous occasions; however, she never once has to get out of these troubles HERSELF. Yehua, Moyuan, Lijing, etc, are alternatively available 24/7 to swoop in and protect her from real harm. She’s never naive or impulsive to the point that she has to rethink her actions. Normally, what happens is, Bai Qian would make a mistake, get rescued, and is then told how courageous she is by her rescuer.

Unless we are going to count how Bai Qian ran off to Qingqiu in the beginning, got caught by the Ghost Lord, which led to Moyuan rushing to her rescue and therefore causing a war as a consequence. But then, we will seriously have to ask some follow-up questions about this Moyuan guy’s intellectual capacity and how he got to be the highly respected God of War in the first place. So… let’s not go there.

• Indifferent: Bai Qian is cold and uninterested in… just about anything. However, this does not stop hot guys from lining up at her door to win her affection. This trait, just like her laziness, exists purely to make her more attractive in her suitors’ eyes.
• Socially awkward: Bai Qian does not like to involve herself in affairs of the world or any kind of affair at all. But it’s no problem, because any one of her powerful friends and family members can handle social events for her. But then, Bai Qian also knows exactly what to do, what to say whenever the plot requires her to. Bai Qian never runs into any problem that results from her lack of social interaction.
• A tendency to avoid confrontation: whenever Bai Qian has a fallout with anyone, be it either party’s fault, she avoids talking about it. Interesting and relatable, isn’t it? It happens to all of us. But once again, this does not stop people from standing around, talking about Bai Qian like some kind of national treasure. It does not stop Yehua from throwing his life away for her. It does not stop Lijing from fawning over her. The more she rejects people, the more intriguing she becomes in their eyes. This is NOT a flaw.
• Shallow: yes, I agree. Bai Qian is extremely shallow. She cares about what other people think and she only sees things on a surface level. This could have been a great character flaw had it been allowed to develop. Unfortunately, the drama had to show that Bai Qian is profound and wise to make up for her lack of activeness, therefore she was given very, very clever lines whenever anyone asks for her opinion about anything (eg. Fengjiu’s love life). And they literally take her advice like the words of a god. Her advice never once proves to be wrong. There are absolutely no consequences of her being shallow.

The fact that Bai Qian handles the bell as instructed by Moyuan and “gets hurt” afterward directly puts her on a pedestal, making her a heroine by default, making it impossible for anyone to call her out for her mistakes. Anyone who opposes or hurts Bai Qian is either made into a villain (Heavenly Lord, Ghost Lord), useless characters with no real role (Yehua’s mother, Lijing), or petty rivals (Sujin).

Bai Qian’s flaws are treated as attributes, she herself is treated by everyone in the drama like a saint. And honestly speaking, they have no other choice but to praise her because she “saved the world”, she’s the daughter of a great emperor, and the most beautiful woman in the world.

In other words, Bai Qian’s “flaws” are there to make her look better, and to drive her closer into the arms of her (many) admirers. She does not learn from them. There is absolutely no character development from these flaws. Not positive development. Not even negative development.

Who ever said flaws were easy to write?

1.5/10

8. Does she have meaningful relationships with other characters besides her love interest? Kind of (+0.5). 

Bai Qian has a variety of relationship and is friends with a lot of wise/experienced/loving people in her life. Most of them are likeable characters. But whether they have any impact on Bai Qian is another story. Let’s take a look at some of the key characters in the drama.

• Zheyan the phoenix and Bai Zhen: These two characters are easily the most sensible in the drama and are always ready to figure out Bai Qian’s mind for her. Unfortunately, they don’t influence her at all. They pop in and out whenever it’s needed, giving Bai Qian necessary information so the story can move on, telling Bai Qian what she should think, and verbally assuring the audience how awesome Bai Qian is.
• Fengjiu: we are told that Bai Qian is an insightful and loving aunt to Fengjiu and constantly gives the latter advice on almost everything. But we don’t actually see this relationship explored. Fengjiu does her own things and only appears in front of Bai Qian whenever the drama needs Bai Qian to look intellectual.

Bai Qian and Fengjiu’s relationship never gets deeper than dating advice, which would have worked if their advice actually influences the other’s way of thinking. But no, this does not happen. They exchange a few lines, eat a few snacks, then go on separate ways.

• Moyuan: with Bai Qian being Moyuan’s disciple, one would have thought that his alleged wisdom would have influenced Bai Qian in some way. However, nothing Bai Qian does in the drama proves that she had the mentorship of a world-class Taoist master. Moyuan’s character’s only purpose is to create competition for Yehua and to remind the audience how self-sacrificing Bai Qian is for donating blood.
• Yanzhi: this princess of the Ghost Clan just admires Bai Qian. Bai Qian once disguised as a young man and became Yanzhi’s first crush. But that’s about all there is to it. Yanzhi, like everyone else in this drama, is drawn to Bai Qian because the script says so. There’s no real friendship, no mutual influence, only conversations about how much Yanzhi treasures Bai Qian’s acquaintance. Why is it that Yanzhi, a woman with such clear goals and beliefs, who values kindness and depth in people, find Bai Qian an interesting subject to befriend and always speaks as if she is beneath Bai Qian? It is a mystery.

There is no development in their relationship at all. We do not discredit Yanzhi here because obviously, she is a much better-written character than Bai Qian, but her so-called friendship with Bai Qian falls flat like everyone else’s.

• A-li: First of all, let us clarify that we DO NOT expect Bai Qian to be a good mother to A-li. Not all mothers are motherly toward their children even in real life, this is a fact. And after all, Bai Qian does not remember who A-li is for 99% of the drama. In this case, to hold Bai Qian responsible for A-li just because she is a woman is wrong.

However, we DO expect A-li to play a part in Bai Qian’s character development. But this does not happen. A-li is treated by the drama like a facilitator for Ye Hua and Bai Qian’s romantic scenes, and to earn Yehua some points for being a “great” father. Is Yehua a great father? Oh… this is another story (please see Yehua’s analysis for more).

Right before Yehua’s death in the final battle, you would think that either Yehua or Bai Qian would at least mention A-li’s name. But no, not these two people, they are too absorbed in their own lovey-dovey lives to spare a thought for the child they are going to leave behind.

The bottom line is, A-li, like everyone else in this story, ultimately holds no influence over Bai Qian’s life. He exists to remind us once in a while what a wonder of the world Bai Qian is.

• Sujin: let’s cut to the chase here, Sujin is a character made to be despised and to heighten the value of Bai Qian.

However, with Sujin, we can say that there is a certain amount of impact on Bai Qian’s character. With her manipulative nature and some intelligence, Sujin is able to see through Bai Qian’s insecurity and therefore instill doubts in Bai Qian’s head about Yehua, which leads to Bai Qian’s jealousy and a series of idiotic assumptions.

We will give Bai Qian half a point for this because at least there is some kind of influence going on, even if it is just Sujin manipulating Bai Qian into making questionable decisions and challenging her surprisingly simple mind.

9. Is she consistent? No (+0).

Bai Qian’s character is extremely INCONSISTENT.

This is mainly due to the fact that Bai Qian is said to be a certain way, but her actions tell a completely opposite story (not to that she gets a lot of “actions” to begin with).

Firstly, we are told to believe that Bai Qian is BRAVE. Before we get into that, let’s clear up one thing: “brave” does not mean being able to beat up a bunch of people. The “brave” we’re discussing here is about facing fear. Bai Qian has never been able to do that.

She hides in her fox hole (in the end) because she is afraid of confronting Yehua about Susu. Bai Qian does not have the courtesy to speak with Yehua face-to-face when she needs to leave the Heavenly Palace to check on Moyuan’s soul. After Yehua’s death, she falls asleep in the Peach woods, living in her dreams, instead of seeking out A-li and the people she claims she loves.

Bai Qian’s fans love to point to her showdown with Sujin as proof of her bravery. And my question is: how?

Sujin is physically weaker, has less support and no love from Yehua. How is facing an antagonist like Sujin make Bai Qian a heroine?

If Bai Qian was without her support system and default powers, would she still be able to stand up for herself? This is something the story never allows her to have: a real chance to be brave. However, the narrative keeps insisting that she IS brave, therefore making her character inconsistent.

Let’s move on to her other traits.

Bai Qian is said to be an aggressive and fierce female who takes no crap, but only until Yehua grabs her by the arm.

Bai Qian is said to be straightforward and hate to be controlled, but only until Yehua decides to move into her home without her permission or throw himself at her on multiple occasions.

Why not set a boundary if she feels uncomfortable walking next to Yehua? Why not display a more distinct reaction if she does not wish to share a bed with Yehua?

Why not clarify Yehua’s intention first before he pins her down on the bed if she is confused as to what the eventual intimacy could mean?

Through Mark Chao’s acting, these scenes suddenly become the pinnacle of romance. But if the audience was without the knowledge of Yehua’s harmless intentions and prior suffering, would we still look at these moments and say “romance”, or would it become an ultimate guide of what-not-to-do-when-you’re-alone-with-a-guy for young women?

And this is not just the case with Yehua. When a random guy walks up to Bai Qian and attempts to harass her, she gives the exact same reaction.

Why is that? Even if Bai Qian is not allowed to use magic in the mortal world, she should still know enough martial arts to defend herself, right? Or at least she should have a reaction more mature than that of a high school girl, right? She used to lead armies and accompany her teacher to at least more than 2 events in her life, did she not? With all her time being a queen, she must have had some kind of experience in dealing with uncivil people, has she not?

Butbecause Yehua needs to be the knight in shining armors again in this scene. So let’s do it at the expense of Bai Qian’s character.

Bai Qian is said to be independent and does not like it when other people make decisions for her, but never once does she express any strong and effective opinion about how Yehua keeps taking over the tasks that she assigned herself, or how Zheyan and her family keep meddling in the affair of her marriage. She generally accepts whatever choices other people give her and either hides away in the peach wood or just goes with it without question. This is frequently blamed on the fact that Bai Qian a deity, she has lived for too long, she has no wish to put up with the world. And it would have been fine if there were some development for her character in the end. But again, there is none.

Bai Qian is described (frequently by her family) as indifferent in general but caring toward those she loves. However, (in one of the first eps) when Bai Qian wakes up in the fox den in one of the first episodes after her parents risked their own lives to save her from bleeding to death, Bai Qian’s first response is… And then…

Who reacts like that in this situation? Never once does Bai Qian ask about her father or how her mother is doing.

Bai Qian is said to be knowledgeable and smart and… you know… the only one in the whole wide world who could contain the Ghost Lord in the bell. She is able to give Sujin and princess Miaoqing awesome verbal smack-downs. But apparently, Bai Qian cannot tell truths from lies, cannot see through Sujin’s plot about the wooden doll and at least wait for Yehua to come back from his mortal trial to TALK with him about it. Why would ANYONE ever listen to ANYTHING Sujin says is the real question here. But you know… baby steps.

In the end, Bai Qian does exactly what Susu did, which is immediately jumping to conclusions and beating herself up.Does she… have nothing better to do as a QUEEN? Could she not at least look at her kingdom’s documents WHILE sulking about Yehua?

Is that the queen we are told so spectacular with an unfailing governing system? Is Bai Qian going to make the world a better place by sulking in her bedroom, looking pretty, walking around and punishing people who offend her because she can?

If Bai Qian is this childish, this naive, this easily manipulated, then how is she the wise and mighty queen she is made out to be?

And what is it that MAKES her a High Goddess, the ONLY High Goddess in the Heaven Kingdom eventually? Wisdom? Enlightenment? Because we also see none of those things in Bai Qian’s actions.

We are constantly told by other characters that Bai Qian is sassy and wise and considerate to the people she loves, she is treated as such, but the few actions she gets to take prove that she is obtuse, selfish, and gutless.

Don’t get me wrong, it is completely FINE for a character to have those negative traits. In fact, it would have even made for a better story. But unfortunately, in Bai Qian’s case, those traits happen because of inconsistency, the product of the setting and how the other characters are written to treat her.

2/10

10. Can you define her character by her personality? No (+0).

If a character is inconsistent to this extent, it is impossible to define her by her personality.

Bai Qian is said to be something her actions cannot back up.

SO HOW WELL-WRITTEN IS BAI QIAN?

2/10

CONCLUSION:

The Appeal of Bai Qian

We have established with the overall score that Bai Qian is a weak character, but is she a weak PERSON? The answer is: we don’t know. Consistency plays a major part in deciding whether a character resembles a real-life person and whether they are strong or weak respectively. But there is no consistency in Bai Qian the character.

And when you have a character with no flaws, no development, no consistency, you’re looking at a Mary Sue. Or in this case, a Mary Sue in disguise – a desperate attempt from the writer to stray away from the traditional “kind” female lead – by giving her as many “strong traits” as possible – that results in a sloppily written one. A character whose flaws are treated as attributes.

At least in the case of a conventional Mary Sue, the character upholds kindness, perseverance, courage, etc. – qualities that can be considered wholesome and deliver positive messages to the audience. In Bai Qian’s case, we are celebrating her because she has none of those characteristics, and gets away with it.

But is it Bai Qian’s fault? NO. The main problem with Bai Qian’s character is not the characterization itself. It is fine to be a selfish character, it is fine to be a dense, self-absorbed and shallow character, but only IF the story treats her as such. But it does not.

The set up of this story presents a scenario where almost every character has wronged Bai Qian at least once. She is made out to be the victim and NO ONE has the right to call her out now. The people who have that right spend their time praising her instead. Hence, Bai Qian has no opportunity to learn and change, which is crucial in character development.

Furthermore, Bai Qian’s narrative arc was sacrificed for Yehua’s. This is Yehua’s story, a story of how Yehua wins Bai Qian’s heart twice and how Bai Qian reacts to it. Bai Qian is a character with great potentials, sadly she is written to be submissive.

She is set up to be lackluster so that Yehua could take all the glory, all the actions, and come out a heart-swaying hero.

Bai Qian never gets the chance to exhibit the great qualities she was given in the beginning. Her characterization changes the moment Yehua comes into the picture to accommodate the plot. She cannot be active because Yehua already is. She does not have to fight for love because Yehua is the pursuer in this relationship. She is reduced to a shy, air-headed and submissive girlfriend of Yehua instead of the independent/clever queen she is introduced to be.

Bai Qian’s characterization and the plot’s logic are both brushed to the side to make way for romantic scenes that were, in all honesty, nicely delivered by Mark Zhao. And because the directing and editing of this drama are too well done, we as the audience are willing to forgive its shortcomings. Although nothing makes sense once you start scrutinizing the details. The only thing we can take away is that Yehua loves Bai Qian and Bai Qian (kind of) loves Yehua… maybe… I still don’t know, to be honest…

Bai Qian is not a strong character, she is a privileged character.

And on top of everything, she is a generic character that everyone can see a bit of themselves in, can “relate to”. Whatever viewers want to see in her, they will see. She is a perfect blank vessel for anyone who wishes to escape to this world and live out this fantasy.

Because at the end of the day, you don’t want to be Zhenhuan, who achieves power but loses her own happiness along the way. You don’t want to be Ruyi, whose journey proves that true love does not conquer all. You don’t want to be Bai Zihua (Journey of Flower), who has to make difficult choices for the lives of many and ends up betraying his own feelings. You don’t want to be Ruoxi (Scarlet Heart), who pays a price for staying true to her beliefs.

You would want to be Bai Qian, who gets it easy, who is lazy but becomes a powerful and respected queen anyway, who is indecisive but is surrounded by people who have the right information and great advice ready at any given time, who has a great support system and is untouchable, whose only hardship turns out to be a test she can CHOOSE to forget, who is full of negative traits but is attractive in her admirers’ eyes anyway. That is where Bai Qian’s appeal lies.

Is it a bad thing? No. Because we all need a break from reality sometimes, we all need to feel a sense of satisfaction sometimes, and Bai Qian’s character offers exactly that.

So, if you are one of those who criticized Yang Mi for her performance in this drama, I say: let’s cut Yang Mi some slack. Because maybe she portrayed Bai Qian exactly as the source material suggests – a blank and flat character that exists for the purpose of self-insertion and wish-fulfilment.