The Legend of the New White Lady has two main versions, one is the 1992 version starring Zhao Yazhi and Ye Tong, and the other is the 2018 version starring Misty and Ju Jingyi. Personally, I still prefer the version starring Zhao Yazhi, which is a classic in film and television, no matter whether it's the arrangement of the plot or the performance of the actors, they're all very colorful.
The version starring Misty and Jingyi may be due to the fact that there is Zhu Yu in the front, so the comparison down to the experience of watching the drama is a bit poor, not to mention the plot, the acting alone makes people feel very awkward, coupled with the plot of the chaotic change, so that the classic story of the people heard by word of mouth has become a complete lack of.
Because the version of the Legend of the New White Lady starring Gigi Chao is the most classic, I'm going to follow this drama in my review.
The most surprising thing about this drama is that Xu Xian is actually played by an actress. I was in elementary school when I first watched this drama and didn't know who Xu Xian's character was until I saw Yip Tong at a high school dance competition, and then I realized that Xu Xian in the original drama was actually a woman dressed as a man. When I reviewed the movie again, I had to marvel at the director's ingenuity in casting, because Xu Xian is supposed to be a gentlemanly, kind and somewhat soft-natured male, and it was precisely because the actress was a woman that she was able to bring out this trait of Xu Xian's. The movie was a great success, and the director was able to make it work.
The other best casting in the drama is Zhao Yazhi, since Zhao Yazhi played the White Lady, there is no second White Lady in the world, not only because of Zhao Yazhi's high face value, but also because of Zhao Yazhi's excellent temperament. In my mind, the White Lady should be the kind of woman with a kind heart and elegant temperament, although she is a demon, but not the slightest bit demonic, and Zhao Yazhi interpreted this role very well, her knitted brows and smile, every move is full of aura.
Finally, the plot, this drama not only tells the story of the two Xu Xian and Bai Niang Zi, but also continues the story to their next generation, Bai Suzhen finally came out of the tower not because of Xu Xian's efforts, but because of the son of the two of them, Xu Shilin, who has risen up to the occasion in order to save his mother. I think the most successful part of the drama is that the writers have sublimated the story of Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian, it is not only about a love story, or the filial piety in the world into the drama, so that the moral brought by this drama is more profound.
So this 1992 version of the White Lady Legend is a classic in terms of plot, characterization, and performance, and is a timeless masterpiece that is well worth a look.