I just finished watching The Rebel (https://mydramalist.com/55281-the-rebel) and got hooked up with the China Post Imperialism Historical War Story and then I found this series “Battle of Changsha” (2014). It casts Yang Zi and Wallace Huo.

I googled Battle of Changsha to know more about its history. There are 4 major battles in Changsha where China soldier defending the city and repelling Japanese army. The story sets during the Second Sino-Japanese ware between 1937-1945 in Changsha.

The drama tells a story of Hu Xiang Xiang played by Yang Zi, a young high school student with her twin brother Hu Xioman and their extended 4 generations of Hu family with lots of family members during the Second Sino-Japanese war between 1937-1945 in one of the China’s foothold city Changsha. Xiang Xiang met with Gu Qing Ming played by Wallace Huo, a soldier wannabe who aspire to defend his country and to fight battle in the frontline but objected by his Gu family due to his status from prominent influential family background and as a single heir of this family. His father is afraid that their Gu Family line will stop if Gu Qing Ming killed in war.

They both met in an awkward situation and creates misunderstanding between both due to different family status and point of views. But somehow, their path keep intertwined where Gu Qing Ming always comes to the rescue of this young naïve Xiang Xiang. During the story, they manage to put aside their differences and start having affection one to another which escalates to a more serious relationship.

This drama not purely a romantic drama, it is more a family drama. The story revolves on the Hu family with so many members and each has their own story which blend in to make the Hu family as the center of the story in the whole drama. Each member has its own story to tell, has its own pain and sorrow, has its own cheer and laughter.

When watching the series, to me it was flawless for a TV series: from the storyline, the setting, the war scene, special effects, acting, the costume, props, etc. It was really engaging to watch because all of it looks so real. I really like when it combined a documentary film then transform it to the drama scene. The transition is superb that make this story looks even more realistic.

It was so real so you will be carried away into the story and want to know what will happen next. From the historical standpoint, you will be intrigued to at least want to know more about the real story/history behind it.

It was so real that you will feel the fear of war, that war can turn your feeling upside down, the pain of loosing someone, how your family is torn apart due to war. So real that you can feel the heroism, the patriotism, and the eagerness to repel invaders.

You will be shown on how war can bring you from a naïve 16–17-year kids and forced them to grow up beyond their age. They are just children, who are playful, not thinking of any danger, speaks up their mind due to having good education and rank at school. They have never experience war before so they still don't understand the fear of it. Imagine yourself in that age in that era. The war changes them, when the blood spills in front of your face it definitely changed your mindset.

The story also tells you on relationship of each family member, how they view each other, how they want to protect each other, how they care each other to survive during this period.

The story shows you the painful reality of war in a realistic way.

In conclusion, I have no regret spending hour of watching these 32 episodes drama.