The series I'm currently watching.. Dae Jang Geum. It's a Korean period drama about this girl Jang Geum who eventually grew to become the first and only female physician to the Emperor ever in Korean history. It is based on a true story by the way, Jang Geum is not a fictatious character.

After watching, I understand why this drama caught Asia by storm, claiming fans hailing from all walks of life, including the Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao and I think even the Jap PM Junichi Koichiro.

It was all about politics... and power... in the palace. Unavoidable.


The story starts from here.. Jang Geum's mum. And her dad... who is not shown in this picture. But her mum was the main reason she went into the palace.

Her mum was this palace kitchen maid, but because she saw this other kitchen maid hailing from a powerful family adding harmful stuff to the Emperor's food, she was framed and the powerful family even attempted to kill her. They thought she was dead, but she was saved by Jang Geum's dad.

Jang Geum's dad was an official who was implicated in the execution of the then-emperor's mother. So he was also on the run, just like Jang Geum's mother. They married and Jang Geum appeared! Haha.

Then tragedy struck. Jang Geum accidentally blurted out that her dad was a fugitive from the emperor's army and landed her father into trouble. He was probably executed. Then Jang Geum's mum brought her to the capital hoping to see her father one last time, but in the capital, she ran into her enemy, from the powerful family who tried to kill her last time, the Choi family.

She was killed by the Choi family, but before she died, she told Jang Geum to go into the Palace as a kitchen maid and work her way up to become the 最高尚宫 (dunno how to translate that). That is the top position in the imperial kitchen. In that position, she will be able to access the book only accessible by the 最高尚宫 and then record her mum's grievance inside.



Eventually, the emperor was overthrown by his brother. The new emperor got his position thanks to Jang Geum, who passed a message to him. So he got her into the palace as a kitchen maid.

These are the young ones in the kitchen! The one on the left is Young Saeng, Jang Geum's good friend. The 2nd one from the left is Jang Geum.


That's Young Saeng when she was young. DAMN CUTE RITE?! Walau the entire show I was drooling over her.... There was this scene where she was telling Jang Geum this older girl was mad.... OMG that scene she was SO CUTE! Hahahaha I can't help but drool over her!

Anyway Young Saeng will grow up to be this pretty lass who will become a concubine! They call her rank 淑媛娘娘. That's just a bit lower than the Empress I think.. cos she got pregnant and had a lil princess hence the rise thru the ranks.


That's the grown up Jang Geum and her boyfren Min Jung Ho. Think he looks familiar? Yes he's that guy you see in those Perhaps Love poster. His name is Ji Jin Hee. And tho he looks kinda cool and man.. he's married. Sorry girls.


Anyway, he followed Jang Geum thru her hardships as she was forced out of the kitchen and the palace to Jeju island as a palace maid. And where she started all over again and studied hard to become a female physician, they call it 医女. That was the only way she could enter the palace again. Yes the evil powerful Choi family brought this upon her again of cos.

Of cos, she became a very good female physician and got into the palace again! And yes Min Jung Ho followed her all the while.


In the end, she saved many people with her fantastic medical skills. And earned the trust of the Empress, the Emperor, and many many people. Such that the Emperor wanted to make her his personal physician. But this was against the Korean tradition. Because they follow the Confucian teaching, females can never be court officials.


Anyway, muz watch la. U learn lots of TCM skills, and on top of that, learn to cook a lot of nice stuff. And learn a lot about palace politics.

However, I feel, if this is seriously the type of palace politics the Koreans used to practise, walau then I gotta say, 比起中国人, 他们还差得远呢! U watch those 雍正 and 康熙 and 乾隆 and 顺治 etc shows... walau u see how they play with their ministers.. that kind is wat I call 刺激, that kind is wat I call politics. You see this.. is chicken feet la..

And then u compare those 后宫佳丽 of China and Korea.. walau Korea ones.. KNS lor.. u take a look at that Lo Fatt Yeh 老佛爷... aka 慈禧太后... walau the kinda politics she play then is wat I call 精彩. BTW.. she's not even prettie lor! I tell u.. I was reading this book with all those 妃子 pictures... walau all look like shit.. got one even look like transvestite!

Actually got one quite prettie one.. the book says that is the Emperor's favourite. And its not hard to see why. I forgot which 妃 she is alreadie.. but anyway 红颜薄命... when she was still a young girl she was pushed into the well by the emperor's mum.. 被推下井.. died. That well is now named after her. So if u go Beijing, got this well in 紫禁城 named after this something 妃.. yeah that's her.

Ya and oso... u see ah.. last time Korea really quite jialat. The royal family go anywhere rite.. all by foot. Walk here walk there. You see us 中国 there.. is all 抬轿子 one can?! Where got walk!? Even the 官 also got 轿子 lor! Then the emperor got 龍椅.. sit high high up in the court. WALAU the Korean ones.. the emperor sit with the officials lor.

And then later u see our China 紫禁城... the Emperor got one 宫 (one area in the palace for his use), the Empress got one 宫, the Emperor's mum 太后 got one 宫... everybody got one 宫. And our one 宫 is got a house for the Emperor or Empress etc.. a few houses for the maids and servants, and then kitchen, blah blah. Just the house for the 主子 i.e. the Emperor or Empress etc is huge enough... like.... at least a few times the size of one Korean 宫.

And then ah... this was the most amusing one. The emperor gets to meet the cooks when he's eating leh... u noe.. like.. chat with the cooks? HUH? In China, I bet the emperor dun even noe how the cook looks like, or how many cooks there are. All he's worried about is his 满汉全席.

And then the Korean court seems to have only 6 main officials, 3 on on each side. HAHA liddat in China, the Emperor no need work anymore. Can go eat shit liao. You watch those 康熙王朝.. walau u see how many officials he has in court?! 这样才象皇上嘛!

Ok enough of crap. Gonna finish watching soon. My mum is going mad.. always forcing me to watch with her.. hahahaha she's crazy. I wanna watch my fellow 中国人, 少年张三丰.. she dun let me watch. Force me to watch this Korean 大長今 with her.. haizzz.. where got mum liddat one.. even wanna control wat show u watch...