Post by ajk on Jul 20, 2013 23:31:40 GMT -5
I started watching the first episode tonight. It begins with some narration that provides background information on the situation in Goryeo in the year 1351, when the series begins. I thought I'd post the narration here so that people can read it at their leisure and maybe absorb it better than just hearing it once.
The beginning of the 13th century....
Genghis Khan conquered not only China and Northern Asia, but territory stretching as far as parts of Eastern Europe, founding and consolidating the Great Mongolian Empire.
Carrying Genghis Khan's torch was the Yuan Dynasty, founded by Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai. The Yuan Dynasty's military power had a tremendous influence on Goryeo for close to a century, practically controlling the Empire ever since the rule of King Chungnyeol, Goryeo's 25th monarch. The Yuan Dynasty plundered Goryeo's natural resources and demanded young maidens as prisoners. As a result of this pressure, and the Empire's failure to maintain its independence, the lives of Goryeo's people fell into a vortex of increasing despair and helplessness.
The year 1351....
Under Yuan Dynasty's Emperor Shundi's request, King Chunghye's younger brother Prince Gangneung returned to his homeland after spending ten years as a prisoner in Yanjing, and ascended to the throne. He became Goryeo's 31st King, Gongmin. From the moment he became King, Gongmin tried to establish reforms that would put the increasingly weak authority of the throne and Goryeo's sovereignty back on track, eradicating all the rotten branches that caused the problem. He wanted an independent Goryeo stripped from its vassal relationship with the Yuan Dynasty, and stripped from the influence of a few powerful clans controlling politics ever since Yuan's rule [began].
Helping Gongmin's cause, making his reforms even sharper and [more] effective were two people, Princess Noguk and Shin Don. One of the last traces of the falling Yuan Dynasty, Princess Noguk. A Buddhist monk son of a government slave, Shin Don. These three people's love-hate relationship and power struggles [would] brighten the feeble light of Goryeo Dynasty's last days--a transitional period that would change Korean history forever.
The beginning of the 13th century....
Genghis Khan conquered not only China and Northern Asia, but territory stretching as far as parts of Eastern Europe, founding and consolidating the Great Mongolian Empire.
Carrying Genghis Khan's torch was the Yuan Dynasty, founded by Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai. The Yuan Dynasty's military power had a tremendous influence on Goryeo for close to a century, practically controlling the Empire ever since the rule of King Chungnyeol, Goryeo's 25th monarch. The Yuan Dynasty plundered Goryeo's natural resources and demanded young maidens as prisoners. As a result of this pressure, and the Empire's failure to maintain its independence, the lives of Goryeo's people fell into a vortex of increasing despair and helplessness.
The year 1351....
Under Yuan Dynasty's Emperor Shundi's request, King Chunghye's younger brother Prince Gangneung returned to his homeland after spending ten years as a prisoner in Yanjing, and ascended to the throne. He became Goryeo's 31st King, Gongmin. From the moment he became King, Gongmin tried to establish reforms that would put the increasingly weak authority of the throne and Goryeo's sovereignty back on track, eradicating all the rotten branches that caused the problem. He wanted an independent Goryeo stripped from its vassal relationship with the Yuan Dynasty, and stripped from the influence of a few powerful clans controlling politics ever since Yuan's rule [began].
Helping Gongmin's cause, making his reforms even sharper and [more] effective were two people, Princess Noguk and Shin Don. One of the last traces of the falling Yuan Dynasty, Princess Noguk. A Buddhist monk son of a government slave, Shin Don. These three people's love-hate relationship and power struggles [would] brighten the feeble light of Goryeo Dynasty's last days--a transitional period that would change Korean history forever.