Story of Yanxi Palace
Story of Yanxi Palace is a Chinese period drama series created by Yu Zheng. It is an original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a novel by Xiao Lian Mao. Starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan, Tan Zhuo and Xu Kai, the series premiered on iQiyi from July 19, 2018 to August 26, 2018. During its run it was streamed more than 15 billion times.
Distributed in more than 70 markets worldwide, Story of Yanxi Palace has since become a huge hit, especially in Asia. It has been named the world's most Googled TV show in 2018.
A spinoff and sequel to the series, Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventure, aired on Netflix December 31, 2019.
Synopsis
In 18th century Beijing, Wei Yingluo enters the court of the Qianlong Emperor, Aisin Gioro Hongli, as one of the palace embroiderers to secretly investigate her beloved sister's mysterious death. At first believing the imperial guard Fuca Fuheng to be the prime suspect, Yingluo schemes to approach his sister, the Empress Fuca Rongyin, and succeeds in getting transferred from her embroidery unit to the Empress's Changchun Palace as her maid. Over time, she learns that the Fuca siblings are honest and kindhearted people, innocent of the crime, and develops romantic affections for Fuheng, who is admired by many around the Palace, including Qianlong's Consort Chun who allies herself to Empress Fuca because of her crush on her brother.Though Yingluo is not noble by birth and is illiterate, the kindhearted Empress Fuca teaches her how to read and write, along with all the proper etiquette and mannerisms for noblewomen at the time. Yingluo also helps Empress Fuca survive a series of maneuvers by her chief rivals, becoming a trusted friend and confidant while never forgetting her own agenda of avenging her sister's murder. In time, Yingluo discovers that the actual murderer is a Consort of the late Emperor Yongzheng and mother of Qianlong's half brother, and hatches a plot to drive the culprit to her untimely death. Empress Fuca, for fear of Qianlong's fury over Yingluo's actions, banishes her to the palace sanitation unit to escape his decree of punishment. There, Yingluo befriends a conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang, who is subsequently revealed to be a bastard son of Emperor Yongzheng.
Without Yingluo, Empress Fuca falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao that puts her in a coma. News reaches Yingluo who secretly visits Empress Fuca's chamber to sit by her mistress's side and care for her. Yingluo's devotion to Empress Fuca convinces Qianlong to relent on his tough stance towards her and allow her to return as maid. Empress Fuca is able to wake from her coma, and becomes pregnant again. She goes through almost life-ending labor to give birth to another son, who is immediately the target of assassination by the duplicitous Consort Chun, devastated for having been rejected by Fuheng. Empress Fuca is driven to suicide when she is not able to save her newborn in a bizarre fire that rose overnight. After Empress Fuca's death, Yingluo is sent to live and guard over her mistress's grave at the Old Summer Palace. She stays there with Yuan Chunwang until one year, during an imperial visit by Qianlong and his consorts to Fuca's grave, Yingluo learns that Consort Chun was responsible for her late mistress's suicide. She decides once again to enter the Forbidden City and exact retribution on the evildoers.
In order to achieve the goal, Yingluo skillfully charms Qianlong, becoming part of his harem, and is bestowed a title, Consort Ling. With meticulous planning, she topples her rivals one after another, including the villainess, now Noble Consort Chun, even insofar as exposing her role in Empress Fuca's death, which leads to her fall in the hands of Yingluo's archrival, the newly named Empress Hoifa-Nara. Yingluo's captivation of Qianlong brings her numerous threats, such as from newcomer Concubine Shun, a beautiful and cunning woman dead set to even the score with Qianlong and Fuheng for having been forced into political marriage in the Forbidden City. Framing Yingluo for attempted assassination, Concubine Shun deftly teams up with Empress Hoifa-Nara to put Yingluo under house arrest and pull strings to starve her nearly to death. Nevertheless, Yingluo is able to reverse her situation, reveal Shun's treachery, and restore Qianlong's affections for her. Having reached stalemate at this point, Yingluo negotiates for a truce with Hoifa-Nara on the condition that they both not harm any children of the palace in spite of the rivalry.
A decade later, however, the nihilistic Yuan Chunwang betrays Yingluo and joins Hoifa-Nara, causing a series of mishaps in the palace that even force the Empress Dowager's hand and break her hold on power. Hongzhou, the Emperor's brother, also plots to sabotage Qianlong's Southern river tour. On a chosen night, a band of rebels suddenly storms onto the royal vessel just as a fire engulfs the Empress Dowager's cabin, prompting Qianlong to charge into the flaming cabin to save his mother, seemingly perishing himself in the process.
The next morning, as Hongzhou gallantly appears to restore order from the overnight coup, Qianlong and the Empress Dowager emerge safely from a secret passageway designed by Fuheng and expose Hongzhou's plan of treachery. After Qianlong sentences Hongzhou to death, Yuan Chunwang gets on his knees in front of the Emperor and claims he is a long-lost son of the Yongzheng Emperor. The Empress Dowager denies this, which drives Yuan Chunwang into madness, leaving others unable to determine whether or not it is to protect Qianlong. At this time, Consort Ling comes out of hiding under the protection of the Emperor's guards, prompting Hoifa-Nara to protest once and for all the Emperor's lavished attention for Yingluo alone. In a fit of rage and jealousy, she cuts off her own hair, a taboo in Manchu tradition analogous to an outcry for divorce, effectively cursing the entire Aisin Gioro clan.
In the end, Empress Hoifa-Nara is permitted to keep her title, but loses all of the Emperor's affections. Wei Yingluo is elevated to the most powerful title: 'Imperial Noble Consort". Remembering Empress Fuca's teachings, she embodies all the qualities of a virtuous consort, and supports the Emperor until death.
Cast
Main
- Wu Jinyan as Wei Yingluo, Noble Consort Ling
- * An upright, strong and cunning woman who is ahead of her time in terms of knowledge and reasoning. She enters the palace to investigate the murder of her sister. In the palace, she uses her innate skills to rise above the tangles of conventional palace rivalries for nobler causes and defeat her enemies. Adoptive mother of the fifth prince, Yongqi.After being a Noble consort and seek revenge.
pregnant and Slowly fell in love with the Emperor Of Qing dynasty
- Charmaine Sheh as Hoifa-Nara Shushen, Consort Xian
- * Initially a kind-hearted and virtuous woman who wanted nothing but peace, she soon realizes that her kindness only results in her being stepped on. After her family's demise, she becomes cunning woman who manipulated others for her own means.
- Qin Lan as Fucha Rongyin
- * The First Empress of Emperor Qianlong, Empress Xiaoxianchun. Kind, gentle and virtuous.
- Nie Yuan as Emperor Qianlong
- * Emperor of the Qing Dynasty a ruthless Emperor who fell in love with a cunning woman Wei Yingluo who became the empress Xiaoyichun and the mother of their childrens
- Xu Kai as Fucha Fuheng
- * Leader of the imperial guards, younger brother of Empress Xiaoxianchun. He is a foil for the Emperor, since he is a rather free man without the hamper of pomp and circumstance. In this way, he can be truer himself in love and life, and he maximizes the privilege by being upfront and forward in his feelings, without the hesitation and unease that clouds every step taken by his more powerful superior.
- Tan Zhuo as Gao Ningxin
- * Noble Consort Gao of Emperor Qianlong. Her palace strategy can be summed up as "the best defense is a strong offense." With an air of indifference, she walks and talks meaner than a viper, and for those who think lightly of her, cruelty is her specialty. However, for all that they know, she is actually a lonely child who lives by making the whole palace her stage in the hopes of catching the attention of her man.
Supporting
Qianlong's Harem
- Wang Yuanke as Su Jinghao, Consort Chun
- * Consort of Emperor Qianlong. She is initially distant from palace strife and intrigue and was a lackey of Empress Xiaoxianchun. Described as gentle, sophisticated, and talented by many. However, it's later revealed that she was in love with Fuca Fuheng and his rejection turned her into a scorned woman. After Fuca Fuheng's rejection, she went berserk and caused the death of Empress Xiaoxianchun's son, which therefore directly caused her death. She becomes ruthless on her quest for the Emperor's affections and power struggle to ensure her son becomes favored.
- Jenny Zhang as Niohuru Chenbi, Concubine Shun
- * gifted to Emperor Qianlong as a diplomatic gesture by a Qing vassal state. She has the face of pure innocence and the heart of a shrew.
- Lian Lian as Keliyete Ayan, Consort Yu
- * gave birth to Qianlong's fifth son Yongqi. Timid and cowardly, she remains reticent about her abuse until Yingluo comes to her protection. In time, she learns to be quite a machiavellian as she sacrifices herself and takes down Yingluo's rival.
- Xu Baihui as Noble Lady / Imperial Concubine Yi
- * Friend to Noble Lady Yu. An early victim of Noble Consort Gao.
- Pan Shiqi as Imperial Concubine / Noble Lady Jia
- * A daughter of Korean minister.Underling of Noble Consort Gao and mother of 4th Prince. To survive, she does Gao's dirty work and is there to take the fall for her. Her younger sister later enters the harem with a strong distaste for Yingluo and does not get very far.Moreover, younger concubine Jia is impulsive and pretensional.
- Li Chun'ai as Nalan Chunxue, Noble Lady Shu
- * One of the harem who very early handled by Yingluo and even over the course of the series, to the point of becoming comic relief.
- Li Ruoning as Lu Wanwan, Female Attendant Qing
- * Quiet but self-assured, she is a little person who can effect big changes.
- Fu Xiaoyu as Socoro Yuli, Consort Rui
- Wang Xinhui as Consort Wan
- *Timid and tactfull lady, she obeys the rules.
- Liu Lu as Consort Ying
- *She seems to be a well-informed lady with good intentions and a conformist
Female servants
- Su Qing as Hitara Erqing
- * first maid to Empress Fuca. An opportunist who will not let morals get in the way of ambition. She marries Fuca Fuheng.
- Jiang Zixin as Mingyu
- * second maid to Empress Fuca. Outspoken but dim, she is loyal to Empress Fuca unreservedly, and later becomes Yingluo's reliable friend and co-conspirator.
- Zhang Yixi as Jixiang
- * Yingluo's first friend in the embroidery unit. Got tricked by Linglong and met her death.
- Gao Yu'er as Jinxiu
- * jealous hater of Yingluo at the embroidery unit and is later punished to hard labor
- Chen Ruoxi as Linglong
- * another hater of Yingluo at the embroidery unit and is later punished to Ningguta because she stole precious threads used for Empresse's birthday present.
- He Jiayi as Supervisor Zhang
- * head of the embroidery unit and Yingluo's palace mentor at the beginning.
- Zhang Tingting as Supervisor Liu
- * head of the crew at the palace sanitation unit. Pawn of the consorts in the schemes against Yingluo.
- Yin Xu as Fang Nizi
- * second head of the embroidery unit and hates Yingluo.Framed Yingluo for having an affair with a guard and was banished.
- Fang Anna as Zhen'er
- * maid of Empress Hoifa-Nara, and becomes her lackey and partner in crime. She is loyal to Empress Hoifa-Nara.She killed herself during the Southern Tour.
- Ren Wanjing as Fangcao
- * maid of Consort Yu. She was unconsciously swapping poisonous shell powder with pearl powder with Ah'Shuang, maid of Concubine Jia during Noble Lady Yu's pregnancy.
- Qian Chenjie as Ah'Shuang
- * maid of Concubine Jia. She was giving poisonous shell powder to Fangcao, a maid of Consort Yu. Collaborated with Prince Yi Hongxiao to topple Yingluo, who led to demotion of her mistress.
- Shi Yufei as Zhilan, maid of Noble Consort Gao.
- *Arrogant and vulgar, she is ready to commit any crime for her master. She uses Chuxiu palace maids for her mistress' needs, even if it breaks the Palace law. She treats badly people inferior to her.
- Chen Mo as Yuhu, maid of Noble Consort Chun.
- *By the order of her mistress, she told supervisor of Fire Bureau to change normal coal to bursting chrysanthemum coal and to freeze the water. Thus, she played a significant role in Empress' Fuca's death.Placed silver needs on Mingyu's body.She was willing to testify against Noble Consort Chun after being interrogated by Empress Hoifa Nara
- Deng Sha as Wei Yingning, Yingluo's deceased older sister.
- *When Yingluo was born and thrown to the river, she rescued her and brought her up. As a seamstress, she changed her name into A'Man. Was raped by Prince He and killed.
- Yang Jingru as Hupo
- * Staff at Empress Fuca's Changchun House. Thinking that she and Yingluo are essentially on the same level even after Yingluo's promotions, she becomes cheeky and is punished to hard labor.
- Zhang Tianyun as Zhenzhu
- * Staff at Empress Fuca's Changchun House. She later becomes a maid for Yingluo and remains extremely loyal to her.
- An An as Manao
- * Staff at Empress Fuca's Changchun Palace.
- Zhao Mengjie as Feicui
- * Staff at Empress Fuca's Changchun Palace. Later, she served in Empresse's Immortal Room in Forbidden City.
- Gao Rui as Bailing, maid of Imperial Consort Dowager Yu. After the death of Imperial Consort Dowager Yu, she stayed at Shoukang Palace and served demoted Empress Hoifa Nara as a Momo
- Zhang Jie as Yizhu
Male servants
- Liu Enshang as Li Yu
- * Head eunuch and loyal servant of Emperor Qianlong. He can read his master by his countenance and does not mind being the butt of his aggression.
- Lawrence Wong as Hailancha
- * Imperial guard and friend of Fuca Fuheng. Falls in love with Mingyu.
- Wang Maolei as Yuan Chunwang
- * Mysterious person with a wicked mind. He believes that he and Yingluo are two of a kind, and will do whatever it takes to make her see it his way, whether or not she wants to.
- Li Peng as Zhang
- Tan Xuqi as Qijia Qingxi
- *A friend of Yingning. Drew Yingluo into the Imperial Garden and framed her for seducing him. Was punished by the emperor
- Zheng Long as Xiao Quanzi
- * The little thief who has proven his worth to Yingluo at the end.
- Sun Di as Wu Shulai
- * Eunuch supervisor of the inner courts. Rival of Yuan Chunwang.
- Chang Cheng as Desheng, junior eunuch and assistant to Li Yu.
- Yong Yi as Ye Tianshi, a talented physician.
Imperial Family
- Wang Huichun as Yongzheng Emperor
- Ma Chunyan as Empress Xiaojingxian
- *Chose Fuca Rongyin for Hongli, Qianlong Emperor.
- Song Chunli as Empress Dowager Chong Qing
- * Adoptive mother of Emperor Qianlong and a woman with some secrets of her own. Prizes a stable empire above all and will actively pursue a stable harem for her son.
- Fang Yangfei as Yongcheng, Prince Lü
- * Fourth son of Emperor Qianlong, from Noble Lady Jia. Surrogate son of Empress Hoifa-Nara. Later, he was sent to Imperial Clan Court.
- Chen Youwei as Yongqi, Prince Rong
- * Fifth son of Emperor Qianlong, from Consort Yu. Surrogate son of Yingluo when she becomes Consort Ling and potential candidate for the throne due to his many talents.
- Zhou Yicheng as Yongcong, Prince Zhe
- * Seventh son of Emperor Qianglong, from Empress Xiaoxianchun, he dies at a young age in raging flame. When he was born, he was highly favored and loved.
- Tang Jiatong as Yongyan, Jiaqing Emperor
- * Fifteenth son of Emperor Qianlong, from Consort Ling.
- Wang Herun as Princess Zhaohua
- * Seventh daughter of Emperor Qianlong, from Consort Ling but raised by the Dowager Empress.
- Bai Shan as Imperial Consort Dowager Yu
- * Consort of the Yongzheng Emperor and mother of Hongzhou. Willing to commit all kinds of evil to protect her son. She conceals her villany under the face of pious Buddhist. It was revealed, that she killed Yingluo's sister. Died by lightning strike.
- Hong Yao as Hongzhou, Prince He
- * Brother of Emperor Qianlong. Puts on an apathetic, foolhardy demeanor to conceal his ambition and lifelong disappointment of being second to Qianlong.
- Cheng Junwen as Hongxiao, Prince Yi
- * cousin of Emperor Qianlong. Collaborates with Noble Consort Gao against Yingluo and Empress Hoifa-Nara.Was sent to the Imperial Clan Court because he added salt to the sacrificial meat.
- Gong Fangmin as Yuntao, Prince Lü
Production
Velvet flowers (ronghua)
The velvet flower headwear used by the main characters was designed based on historical documents or antiques housed in the Palace Museum. Each adornment is created according to the characteristics of individual palace women. Zhao Shuxian, one of the few craftsmen still making velvet flowers, created all the headwear in the show using the art of making velvet flower. This technique dates back to the Tang Dynasty and refers to the creation of not only floral displays, but also animal shapes made by silk on a twisted wire frame.Jeweled hairpins ([tian-tsui])
Worn by the Empress and Consorts as status symbols of opulence, these are hairpins of a particular vibrant blue hue, made from the preserved feathers of the wings and back of the kingfisher bird. The technique resembles cloisonné, and when inlaid with pearls and other gemstones, are especially eye-catching the way a peacock dazzles fanning its tail.The success of the drama is due in no small part to the contributions of numerous artisans and craftspeople behind the scenes that lend to the authenticity of Qing era fashion and style visible in every frame.
Soundtrack
The original soundtrack was released as an extended play on July 23, 2018. "Willows of the Palace" by Li Chunai was released independently from the album.A 70-track studio album titled The Story of Yanxi Palace TV soundtrack was released July 19, 2018, containing the instrumental music of the series composed by Chen Guoliang. The music was recorded in J Productions House, and features flute player: Tan Baoshuo, Violin player: Leslie Ryang, Pipa player: Liu Tuotong, erhu player: Huang Leting, and Li Junzhu as the female voice. A total of 129 pieces were used in the show.
Reception
The series has generated buzz online for its engaging plot of a "Cinderella" tale with Chinese characteristics. It set the single-day online viewership record in China with a total of 530 million views, and has attracted a cumulative over 13 billion views since August 2018. The drama is the most viewed Chinese language drama of 2018. The drama was also the most Googled show on earth in 2018.Many viewers praised the story, because unlike the usual amicable heroines, the main character Wei Yingluo fights fire with fire and outmaneuvers her opponents. It also received praise for its well-developed cast of characters and exciting interpretation by the actors; beautiful cinematography and intricate costume design; as well as its accurate portrayal of history and Qing-dynasty settings. Owing to its success, there has been an increased number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing, which is where all the main characters in the show used to live in times gone by.
Ratings
- Highest ratings are marked in red, lowest ratings are marked in blue
Controversy
Awards and nominations
International broadcast
| Region | Network | Dates | Notes |
      | TVB Jade | 6 August - 6 October at 20:30. | Dubbed with Cantonese, August 26 and September 22 was not air. TVB Jade will air at pm 20:30 1 October. |
| Astro AOD | 6 August - 6 October at 20:30. | Dubbed with Cantonese, August 26 and September 22 was not air. TVB Jade will air at pm 20:30 1 October. |
 | HTV7 - Ho Chi Minh City Television | 9 August - November 2018 | Dubbed with Vietnamese |
| H1 - Hanoi Radio Television | 22 November 2018 - 20 February 2019 at 19:50:
| Air on the Film for fans timeframe.Original language with Vietnamese subtitles. This series broadcast for 77 episodes instead of 70 of the original, likely due to TVCs times. After 12 January 2019, when ended, this show was air one more episode a week in Saturday. |
| VTC1 | March - June 2019 at 17:00 | Dubbed with Vietnamese |
| LA34 - Long An Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| HGTV - Hau Giang Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| TBTV - Thai Binh Radio Television | Middle 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| NTV - Nam Dinh Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| CTV - Ca Mau Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| ATV - An Giang Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| THTG - Tiền Giang Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| VP - Vinh Phuc Radio Television | June - September 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| BRT Vung Tau Radio Television | 2019 | Original language with Vietnamese subtitles |
| SCTV2 - AMC | February - May 2019 | |
| Hub VV Drama | 20 September - | Original Language |
| Mediacorp Channel U | 8 March - 13 June | Original Language |
 | Fairchild TV 2 HD | 6 August - Present Vancouver 4:30pm, 8:30pm Toronto 7:30pm, 11:30pm | Dubbed with Cantonese |
 | ABS-CBN | 27 January - 5 May 2020 | Dubbed in Filipino |
| Asianovela Channel | 1 June 2020 - present | Dubbed in Filipino |
 | Zee TV | Coming Soon | Dubbed Hindi |
| Zee Tamil | Coming Soon | Dubbed Tamil |
| Zee Keralam | Coming Soon | Dubbed Malayalam |
| Zee Telugu | Coming Soon | Dubbed Telugu |
| Zee Bangla | Coming Soon | Dubbed Bengali |
| CTI America | From 3 September 2018 - At 7:00 PM Repeat at next day 3:00 PM | Original Language |
 | :ja:衛星劇場|Eigeki | 18 February 2019 | Original language with Japanese subtitles |
 | PPCTV Drama 10 | 10 March 2019 11:30 & 19:30 | Dubbed khmer |
| 8TV | 16 September 2019 - 22 December 2019 | Original Language with subtitles |
 | TVR 1 | 9 October 2019 - 28 January 2020 17:35 25 March - 13 July 2020 17:00 | Original Language with subtitles |
 | LNK | 4 January 2020 - 17:45 | Dubbed with Lithuanian |
 | RTP1 | Coming Soon | Original Language Within Subtitles in Portuguese |