Title: 活色生香 / Huo Se Sheng Xiang
English title: Legend of Fragrance
Also known as: 蝶香 / Die Xiang
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 42
Broadcast network: Hunan TV
I can’t believe I missed such a gem of a drama! The Legend of Fragrance stars Li Yi Feng and Tiffany Tang in the role of rich young master and working girl with mysteries surrounding her birth. Of course we can’t forget to add political intrigue, family feuds and one-upmanship love rivals.
Only recently finished airing, this drama has yet to be fully subbed in English. I managed to watch it using my Vietnamese (for some reason, Viet subs is MUCH faster than English ones). Li Yi Feng portrays his character perfectly. having first watched him in Legend of the Ancient Sword, seeing him play Ning Zhi Yuan is a breath of fresh air.
Zhi Yuan, as a character grows so much over the course of the drama that it’s hard to imagine him as an immature boy at the beginning to mature man and ultimate hero in the end. The sacrifices that he had to make in order to keep his loved ones protected and to live up to his family name and honour tug at your heartstrings, and make you just want to bundle him up in bubble wrap. He certainly gets injured often enough that his vulnerable side is maintained and yet his strength of character easily makes up for any lack in physical skills.
What I love the most about this drama, is that although the main concept is surrounding the history and prestige of fragrance mixing, it is actually quite action packed rather than a drab romantic melodrama. The main characters don’t win over evil using brute strength though, but rather wit and ingenuity. We see enough of character interactions for us to know that not all is as it seems, but are left constantly wondering which character is good/evil.
I’m not a history buff so I’m going to be quite vague regarding the backdrop to this drama. The political side of things see light in small doses throughout the drama but doesn’t rear it’s ugly head until the very end. The Japanese attempt to sabotage the Chinese incense industry by manipulating the two largest families against each other. If you’re like me, and like to watch dramas without any expectations then this is certainly a good one. There are quite a few plot holes but none that are really obvious unless you nitpick at it.
Here are some promotional shots for you to check out costuming: 
There are some rather interesting costume choices though. One example being this dress and headpiece combination… 
Download Links (All in HD720p, ~400MB): Uncut Version
E01 Subs E11 Subs E21 Subs E31 Subs E41 Subs
E02 Subs E12 Subs E22 Subs E32 Subs E42 Subs
E03 Subs E13 Subs E23 Subs E33 Subs E43 Subs
E04 Subs E14 Subs E24 Subs E34 Subs E44 Subs
E05 Subs E15 Subs E25 Subs E35 Subs
E06 Subs E16 Subs E26 Subs E36 Subs
E07 Subs E17 Subs E27 Subs E37 Subs
E08 Subs E18 Subs E28 Subs E38 Subs
E09 Subs E19 Subs E29 Subs E39 Subs
E10 Subs E20 Subs E30 Subs E40 Subs
Broadcast Version (No Opening Sequence)
E01 Subs E11 Subs E21 Subs E31 Subs E41 Subs
E02 Subs E12 Subs E22 Subs E32 Subs E42 Subs
E03 Subs E13 Subs E23 Subs E33 Subs
E04 Subs E14 Subs E24 Subs E34 Subs
E05 Subs E15 Subs E25 Subs E35 Subs
E06 Subs E16 Subs E26 Subs E36 Subs
E07 Subs E17 Subs E27 Subs E37 Subs
E08 Subs E18 Subs E28 Subs E38 Subs
E09 Subs E19 Subs E29 Subs E39 Subs
E10 Subs E20 Subs E30 Subs E40 Subs
IMO - Time4Drama 