Story of Yanxi Palace (2018)

I don't usually watch dramas that is longer than 40 episode,but then I'm a fan of xukai that's why i gave it a try.. as soon as i started watching it, I can't help myself from watching till i reach the finale?
The story is nice but then i wish that fuheng also have his happy ending,my heart really aches for him.. he sacrificed alot for yinglou. Though i understand that if only fuheng didn't gave up and fight for their love. I don't like the role of the emperor to be honest, he's a scumbag and selfish. He already have lots of concubines but still didn't want to give fuheng his love,he sacrificed alot and yet ... Haysst. Anyways. Maybe it's their fate.

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a Whole Entire Yikes!

Listen, it's suicide, murder and mayhem led by an emperor with the strongest sperm this side of history and the lamest pull out game ever seen!???

This is a really good drama! I think many may be discouraged by the seventy episodes, and translating it to seventy hours, but you will fly through each one because the plot is captivating and the visuals do not hurt. The most pleasant thing is that the drama is available on YouTube which is available in most regions.

I would recommend this series very strongly, especially for those who love a period drama. Enjoy!

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This is one of the dramas that I hold as a benchmark for all-around perfection. There are not many Chinese dramas- or any really- that meet the sheer scope and mastery of this.
1. The acting is just beyond; mind-blowing veteran actors that make you feel so many conflicting emotions that it just becomes a journey you feel you took part in yourself. Nie Yuan as the quintessential brilliant and dictatorial emperor. There are very few that can so perfectly capture the chilling absolute power of imperialism like he does. YingLuo draws you in with her canny intelligence, and absolute refusal to back down against seemingly overwhelming odds.
The supporting cast would have completely stolen the show if there had been weaker leads, they were that strong. You fall in love with all of them.
2. It is very bittersweet at the ending, I was sobbing, and it is really hard to get me to do that. I can think of maybe 5 that have, and I have seen hundreds. Seriously.
3. The entire production, from the OST (which I have on my youtube playlist), to the costumes and sets, the spectacular writing and cinematography, all of it was so perfect for the show. Nothing was jarring.
4. This is one where you might not even like the main characters, but you deeply respect them. I found myself interested in the historicity of this and researched how it fits along with other shows I have seen in a similar time frame. (Scarlet Heart and Empresses in the Palace- two other favorites of mine- are about the father of this emperor, and both would be a great series to watch in conjunction with this one, preferably before and in that order.)
5. I would watch this again. And again. And probably until I got to the point where I could recite the lines myself. It will probably become a yearly thing for me. A definite can’t miss series.

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May 2024 Recommendation Challenge

Long time hesitate to watch this, because it really has long episodes but the review always great. But thanx to Recommendation Challenge & bitcoolcat, I finally watch this.... And yes I must admit this is one the best historical drama.

The story nothing too new about the harem. Story about a girl named Wei Ying Luo (YL) who enter palace from embroiderer and rising to the top to became emperor's consort. The difference is just the motive beyond YL action. YL 1st came to the palace because of her sister rape & murder, she wanted to investigate & bring justice to her sister's death. And upon investigating, she find out, or think, the one responsible for her sister's death is Fuca Fu Heng (FH), the Empress's brother. But as time goes by, she learn the character of FH & finally trust it's not him responsible for her sister's death. How the story goes.... It's really interesting to watch how the story goes till the end.

YL is one interesting girl, she's loyal, brave, smart & quick witted girl. She's like a new wind in the palace, and her wittiness get the attention of the Empress, FH & even Emperor and later on the Empress Dowager. Her shortfall only one, she's willing & will do anything in her power to achieve her goal, no matter who obstruct her way she'll gonna strike it. And that's often bring trouble for her. But with the protection of Empress, FH, Emperor and later on the Empress Dowager, she's manage to avoid all the danger & thrive till the end.

What I like:
+ The clever FL. YL is really one smart girl that know how to manipulate situations for her advantage.
+ I finally understand the feeling of missing opportunity between FH & YL. Oh one really sadly miss opportunities for these couple. And I really quite like the chemistry between Xu Kai & Wu Jin Yan.

What i don't too like:
- A little slow pace the last 10 episode. I really hope it end when YL & 2nd Empress make peace. I mean the moment the 2nd Empress said it will gonna be peace for a couple of year, before the emperor's sons grow up. I understand they need to close the curtain when YL's revenge to Prince He is completely ending, and I really wish that happen before the emperor's sons grow up, but that's maybe what's written in the history book & I can't really blamed the writer for it.
- Watching too much of the same time period & the same person, but in different drama, make me feel the character itself blurry in the end. And the most obvious character for me is the character of the 2nd empress & the empress from Huan Zhu Ge Ge & FL from Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace is like different person although they all the same.

Overall this really one good historical drama to watch. Highly recommend.

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Normally, I do not normally write reviews, but this time I think I need to. I love everything about the show and want to see more. To the acting, to the plot- everything was well done. The lead, Wei Ying Luo, makes me laugh all the time at how smart she is. She makes you love her immediately. The actors play their roles so well and I think the producer has done an excellent job. The problem with this show is that after watching this one, it makes the other dramas boring. I already watched this drama twice and am still obsessed with it. Definitely a show you have to watch.

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Probably one of the best historical c-drama's I have seen in a while. Hands down the best drama of 2018! I'm quite picky when it comes to c-drama's. I mean the costumes, the cinematography, the style in which it was presented...I mean wow. I'm easily bored by unnecessary dragging drama's. This one is definitely in my top 5! It has a bit of everything: mind games, emotional struggles, a (sometimes weird but) fascinating love story and the usual drama of harem politics, but executed excellently!

Usually I start scrolling on my mobile phone, when I lose interest during episodes, but this drama had me hooked until the last episode. The strong acting (I love a strong and smart female lead and strong and stubborn male lead), the cleverness with which the palace game was played….sigh…. and I was even impressed by the acting skills of that crazy eunuch! Oh Eunuch...;) you had 'The Shining' written all over you....you dog you....
The villains in my opinion where formidable. Yes.....villains...as in multiple. The amazing thing was that every so-called 'villain' had u humanizing aspect to them, which made me understand were they were coming from. In some cases I rooted for the villain, but when it came to moment of truth I rooted for the leads more.

I also love how the female lead doesn't take bullshit from anyone. She fights for the ones she cares about and eliminates those who did her wrong. I'm easily annoyed by underwhelming female leads who waste my time with their almost saint-like attitude. I'm not vengeful and i believe in forgiveness, but continuously turning the other cheek to keep a female lead a pure and angel-like character, is plain boring. Nobody likes a goody two-shoes. I mean i certainly don't. I like women with integrity, good morals, passion and fighting spirit when the situation asks for it. I just like leads who play dirty, when the other side just doesn't want to back off. That's why i loved Wei Ying Luo and the actress who played her. I don't understand the crap they gave her for being an unexperienced actress. I thought she was perfect!

And Yuan Nie.......What can I say? I'm a sucker for older men of his kind. They just don't make them that way anymore…
I loved him as the emperor. He was a perfect asshole, with a bit of self-indulgence, intelligent but oblivious and lovable at the same time.

In short: Normally the Manchu style of the Qing Dynasty bothers me, but this time it totally didn't! It actually has grown on me in this drama! Don't want to spoil to much, but if you:
- can overlook the peculiar hairstyle;
- love a good historical c-drama's;
- enjoy engaging in palace politics and intrigues;
- are into love games (u know, the cat-and-mouse kind);
- love a-totally-in-denial , a somewhat childish, but somewhat adorable-at-times, unreasonably-stubborn and amazing acting Yuan Nie;
- are in need of a sometimes silly and going-overboard, but strong-and-kick-ass female lead;

than this is the one for you! Just press the button...don't hesitate….go on...you won't regret…go watch it and thank me later! ….You're welcome...;)

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Chinese Historial Drama has never been my go-to drama before this, but the decision to watch this is a decision that I am not disappointed at all. I binged watch the 70 episodes in only a week during quarantined!
What I love the most from this drama is how smart the plot is. The clever plot, interesting story line, and beautiful scene. It really is a must watch for all drama lover.

Story wise, the FL is so smart and witty, I am always being surprised. From the first episode to the last, there isn't any plot that I don't like. It is also very rare to have the kind of story where FL is this strong.

As for the casts, they are amazing. They really act well, nothing chessy, nothing too much, and less. They are perfect! I love the female lead, the emperor (even more when he acted childish around the FL), I even love the second male lead (ok, i kinda wish to find a guy like him in real life, although I ship the FL with emperor in the drama)

Music part is interesting, I won't spoil much, but you will be suprised the first moment you listen to the music choice for this drama's opening. And for this, I appreciate the music choice and varieties.

My rewatch value will be high, as I will only write lengthy review for drama I will re-watch (lol!) anyway, i will just say, watch this drama and prepare to be suprised of how well written it is. (not to forget, smart!)

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it was really, really good.

---Story---

The story is just plain awesome. The basic concept is pretty simple, but once you dive more in, the plot is super duper complex. Each scheme and detail flows into one another and the plot keeps on multiplying. We get WeiYingLuo as a maid and her graceful save lets her move up. All the plot points really just make sense and just tie together, and it's super intelligent. I especially enjoyed the first few episodes because it was WeiYingLuo's starting point, and the schemes and tricks were bold, simple, but yet still so intelligent and badass. The middle is also really great and there's also interesting schemes, but the schemes are less innovative, but the characters and new additions are really worth it. And the ending of the middle is also really intriguing and heartbreaking. The last few episodes after a certain character dies, in the last 10 episodes, the plot just loosens. The pacing kinda falls apart and it just isn't that intelligent. I'm a show finisher so I watched it but it just didn't match up with the quality of the previous 60 episodes. Though I will praise this show for its overall good pacing and great storyline.

---Characters, acting/cast---

So, the casting is a pretty good choice and I can remember everyone's face. The acting is also really good, especially for Noble Lady Gao and Emperor QianLong. The way they convey expressions, like Noble Lady Gao subtle eyebrow raise, and the Emperor's veins on his forehead when he gets angry. Awesome. All the other actors are good as well and we really get the emotions and personalities. Now, on to the characters themselves. WeiYingLuo herself is really cutthroat and I love seeing a smart and self-reliant female protagonist who can actually do stuff. Side characters, consorts, Empress, and pretty much everyone is loveable and sympathizable. Now about romance. The first relationship is cute, but the second lacks some chemistry, but it's still pretty good.

---Visuals, music---

The costumes, the props, the setting, the aesthetic. The embroidery looks actually good, and the clothes do too, and the show doesn't just pretend it's good. They show us. They flipping show us. Now, about the music. I think the music was like really, really, dope. I literally do not skip the opening because of the OST and I will never forget this song. Now about the actual music in the show. You don't hear it that much and it functions pretty well without it, but I would like to hear more.

---Conclusion---

This drama is a great, intelligent, well-written, show. I think you'd like it if you watched The Promised Neverland, or Death Note. The intensity and intelligence are on a similar level.

P.S. : If you like rom-coms, this isn't the best for you.

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Unforgettable!

I originally entered this world through Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures, which was also a part of my introduction to historical Chinese dramas. My interest was peaked because I first recognized Nie Yuan and Wu Jin Yan, who have become some of my favorite actors. When I realized this was the original story I was overjoyed and so glad I finally set aside time to dive into it! At this point i pretty much watch anything that Wu Jin Yan leads because her acting is so versatile and always pulls me in.

I absolutely love this story. From all the ups and downs to the great chemistry between all the actors. I love it much more than Legend of Haolan, but both stories captivated me nonetheless. Even though there are so many episodes I would eagerly rewatch anytime I want to take a trip back to the Forbidden City!

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One Of The Best FL C-Drama!

I just completed this marathon c-drama! I've got to say that this drama is truly one of the greatest that I've watched in China. The story is rich, and the cast is phenomenal. All of the actresses really did try hard to portray the complicated, cunning, jealousy, and evil corruption that happened during the Qing Dynasty.

This C-Drama actually has two stories. The first story, the first half, is about finding out the death of Wei Ring Luo's sister at the palace. And the second story, the last half, is about her climbing the ladder in the harem. A good analogy is peeling an onion; there are so many levels, and the more you peel, the more you shed tears. There are so many levels to this fantastic drama.

Lastly, if you really want to learn the complexity and complicated Chinese history, this is one of the dramas that I recommend watching. 70 episodes are truly long but worth every minute of it. Is it worth re-watching? I would say so if you missed a certain plot or if you didn't remember certain characters.

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Stunning !

What a magnificent series! It's based on real historical characters, filmed in a reproduction of the Forbidden City at Hengdian World Studios, and uses huge resources. The costumes, jewellery, ornaments and sets are sumptuous. The characters have real depth and interesting development, and the plot is very elaborate. The most interesting are the main characters, especially the LF, Wu Jin Yan, who plays a very intelligent (the most intelligent) and very fine character. 70 episodes (6 more if you add Princess Adventures) go by very quickly, I binged it to see how she comes out of it (if she does).


Spoiler:

The chemistry between her and the Emperor is perfect, she plays with him like crazy. It's so well done that you wonder at the end if she only loved the second lead (Xu Kai) and after having her heart broken, played with the emperor only for her to survive. There's a happy ending between the emperor and her, but we're very sad that Xu Kai didn't survive.

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