Jun 15th, 2024 Saturday Cloudy
“The story of Yanxi palace” was a big hit a few years ago. Not only was it well-received in China, its influence also spread to many other countries, judging from the number of languages the subtitles have been translated into. I was unaware of the show when it was first aired, but when the pandemic forced everyone to stay at home for a prolonged period of time, and I tried to find something worth watching to keep me engaged while knitting, I came across this show.
It has since been one of my favorite period dramas. I re-watch excerpts of it every now and then, and even my husband eventually agreed to join me – a relaxing activity on a weekday evening that we do together.
In the last episode that we finished, Fuheng, the brave and gentlemanly general that has been in love with Yingluo, the protagonist girl with a strong, independent character, who hate evil like an enemy and devoted her whole life to venge for those closest to her, came to warn her about a scheme that might harm her. He then shared that he was sent to the battlefield, so he came to say goodbye to his beloved. Yingluo said to him, with great confidence, “over the last ten years, you have been to numerous battles, and you returned victoriously each time. This time, will be no exception.”
Little did she know that this would be their last meeting. Fuheng would be bitten by a poisonous bug and never made it back to the Forbidden Palace alive again. (I did not disclose the plot to my husband for the fear of spoiling it for him 😛 )
Of course, “the story of Yanxi palace” is based on a fiction. While the framework had congruence with history, most of the tales were made up. From the perspective of play-writing, this tragic and lamentable ending would elevate its emotional impact. One might argue that this is far from reality.
Is that true?
In a society with such high mobility, we almost never realize that a particular interaction we have with a specific person will turn out to be the last. How many childhood friends do you still have contact with? How many classmates from elementary, middle, or high school do you still see, whether in person or online (clicking “like” on facebook does not count)? If you have switched jobs, how many of your previous colleagues (those that you got along really well) do you still hear from?
The truth is, unless the separation is caused by death of one party, in theory we can meet up with them once more. We certainly have the ability to travel and enjoy a rendez-vous somewhere around the world. When we said farewell at the graduation party, we firmly believed that our relationship would continue. Unfortunately, the effort it would take to maintain the past friendship usually push it onto the lower shelf of our daily priority list. Days go by, and years go by. Suddenly it strikes us, that we have not talked to this person for decades, and we feel awkward reaching out then.
Time flies. Chances are, many people that used to be important in our lives would fade away. That dinner gathering long long ago becomes the last time that we will ever see them.
Cherish every moment that we spend together – the future is uncertain, and with the passage of time, some regret may just be irreversible.
I hand-crafted this key chain for a favorite student that is about to start a new chapter in his life. I hope to get a chance to deliver it to him before he moves away, and may our paths cross again some day.