[HSK 5] 粉底液将军冤吗？ - Is the “Foundation General” Unfairly Criticized?

A discussion on the conflict between the aesthetic of costume romance dramas and historical realism, as well as the logic behind such creative choices.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

刘娜: Have you watched “Zhu Yu” recently? The male lead nicknamed the “Foundation General” has sparked a lot of discussion.
陈花: Yes, I have. At first I thought it looked pretty good, but later I also felt something was a bit off. How could a general on the battlefield be so refined?
刘娜: Right, this actually reflects the difference between costume romance dramas and historical dramas. Costume romance is more like a romantic fantasy and doesn’t fully pursue realism.
陈花: But the audience’s criticism makes sense too, right? After all, generals in Chinese history, like Xiang Yu and Yue Fei, all have a strong and powerful image.
刘娜: Exactly. Ancient poetry also often describes scenes like “iron horses and icy rivers” or “troops assembling on the autumn battlefield,” emphasizing the harshness of war rather than beauty.
陈花: But many viewers nowadays just want to see characters who are ‘beautiful, strong, and tragic’—handsome yet pitiful, which easily evokes sympathy.
刘娜: This is a kind of formulaic creation. As long as characters meet audience expectations, it’s easy to succeed, but the content may become hollow.
陈花: Hearing you say that, I think the “Foundation General” is both unfairly criticized and not. Unfair because of genre limitations, but not unfair because the creation does feel a bit lazy.