STORY:
The synopsis of this drama honestly seems fairly bland - a young slave girl enters the palace and soon moves her way up the ranks of the inner harem to become the most powerful woman. It's a story that's been done and told before. There is the little twist of the young girl seeking revenge for the death of her sister, but overall it just doesn't seem like anything that out of the box or extraordinary. Nonetheless, being an avid fan of Chinese imperial dramas, I took on this 70 episode beast, and I'm so glad I did.
The story itself is honestly nothing very new. Inner harem fighting for the emperor's affections, trying to get their child to be favored in order to become the new emperor, etc. But the pacing of this drama was very well done and it really is the characters that bring this story to life.
Beginning with the main female lead - Wei Ying Luo. I'll definitely admit/agree that if this was more true to reality, she would've died a long time ago. The amount of things she gets away with is ridiculous and it's all just because someone (the Queen, the queen's brother, the emperor - unknowingly) cares for her and just helps her out of situations. Putting that aside, Ying Luo's character is really what made the drama for me (in combination with her relationship with the other main characters). She is not just strong and loyal, but she is ridiculously cunning and quick witted. She is caring and loving, but doesn't let that get in the way of achieving her goals (which is revenge more than it is just to win someone's affections, like these types of dramas often feature). She also has that playful side to her (whether or not it is an act or if it's really just who she is). Other people had issues with her characterization, but honestly I think it was someone somewhat new and noteworthy.
Moving past Ying Luo's actual character, her relationships with the empress, the emperor, and with the other side characters again really made this drama different and special. There was a complete and true sense of loyalty and love between Ying Luo and the empress. They both completed something for the other person that they were lacking. Ying Luo lost her older sister and mother figure and the Empress become that for her. The Empress felt that she lost her freedom and innocence to the rules and regulations of being the empress and Ying Luo was that figure of freedom that she needed.
Ying Luo's romantic relationships were both enjoyable to watch as well. With Fu Heng (the empress' brother) it was a first love that was just full of understanding and wanting what was the best for the other person. With the emperor it developed from him somewhat hating her and wanting to have her killed many times to the playful and caring relationship (with many misunderstandings along the way of course). Particularly with the emperor, this relationship she had with him was refreshing and new. They weren't just playful with each other but really played pranks on one another and were not afraid to express their real intentions for the most part.
ACTING:
The main four actors - Wu Jin Yan (Wei Ying Luo), Qin Lan (Empress), Nie Yuan (Emperor), and Charmaine Sheh (Consort Xian/Step Empress) - were all impressive and breathtaking. They all excelled at portraying their characters and bringing them all to life. There were emotional moments, angry moments, funny moments, playful moments, etc. Honestly they were all really great with their interactions with one another and really made this drama come to life.
REWATCH VALUE:
Probably because I was watching this as it aired, so the drama never felt very long or draggy to me. It flowed very well and it was always very captivating. I will admit that while watching it there were times that I felt like the events of the drama felt a bit downplayed and could have had a bigger impact (on the characters and the audience), but then I realized that this drama wasn't meant to be this huge over dramatic production and that really worked for this drama. It was supposed to resonate with people internally more than it just made people go "omg" while watching (though there were those moments as well). It was definitely worthwhile and will definitely be on my list to rewatch (especially when there are english subs available because I missed out on a lot of the political talk and the idioms and whatnot).
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This drama is in some ways your typical historical Chinese palace drama which as expected, revolves around rivalry between concubines and endless plots to take each other out of the picture. However, Yanxi Palace provides a less conformative story line with an independent and smart heroine who is loyal to those who genuinely help her and doesn't take BS from anyone (even the emperor). The plot twists within the drama were also unique and often unexpected, when watching I never knew what was going to happen next. It is these minor details that differ it from other palace dramas and make it worth a watch.
I'm sad this is over especially as who knows when I'll next find a drama that can match up to it but I wholeheartedly recommend this drama to anyone who doesn't mind seeing all the male characters with the half shaven head hairstyle (doesn't matter how many dramas I watch, still not a fan) and likes a sassy and smart heroine who stays true to herself.
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If you have doubts about this drama because you don't like harem fights, then you should continue to read my review because I'm also not very fond of those.
I'm a big fan of historical dramas but I don't like the useless fight of dumb palace women and usually historical dramas have a lot of that.
Well, guess what! This drama is centered on the fight inside the harem but[ BUUUUT ] it is completly another thing. The characters and behaviors actually make sense and the female lead isn't the typical kind and silly girl that needs someone to rescue her. SHE IS THE REAL DEAL! I love how cool, brave, loyal and smart she is. I swear I've never seen such a good character in a drama.
The story is amazing, the characters are not typical. Each character actually has reason, there aren't evil and good characters, there are only complex characters.
Usually when I watch a drama with harem fights, it feels as if a lot of characters are so unreal, so thoughtless and they are focused on one thing, like a bot in a game. In this drama, the characters feel real. Of course there are also few characters with less importance who aren't as complex as the others but even those are realistic.
Now then. What I loved the most in this drama are the characters. I really loved some of them and I bet everyone who watches this will love at least 1 or 2.
The plot is really really good and the story doesn't leave you frustrated in any moment. I think the story is flawless and with the help of the amazing characters, it takes this drama to my top 3 dramas.
The music was also good and I would actually rewatch it after some time!
11/10!
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I loved the friendship between the empress and our main character which was the main focus for first half of the drama. They just complete each other, and you can’t help but love Ying luo played dirty to protect herself and the empress. The later half of the drama focused on Ying luo’s revenge and her relationship with the emperor which just as interesting. They are one crazy pairing compared to Ying luo’s first love but i somehow feel like they also completed each other the best. You can see the progress in their relationship. Some time push and pull really goes along the way. I love when he hated her at first but end up falling for her. I know Ying luo’s character is unrealistic at times for some people but in order to survive in the palace, you need to be like her LOL. She have both luck and the brain to protect herself. This drama would not be as interesting if she’s weak and can’t do anything about her situation most of the time.
Overall, it was a nice surprise approaching this drama. Every characters, including the maids and eunuchs were all memorable. Beside it’s insane popularity in China, the hype was real in Vietnam as well. Memes and talks about this drama are every where because of the satisfying plot and diverse characters. 10/10 would recommend even if it’s long, you would still want to watch more if you end up loving it.
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This feels more modern than most since the female lead has more contemporary attitudes and, well, breaks just about every etiquette rule. In almost every episode I think “she should probably lose her head for doing that” and it never happens. She gets away with breaking nearly ever rule and somehow, someone is always protecting her, Other than being the star of the show, there’s no clear reason why she gets away with it all. That started to bug me after a while. Also, at one point, she because a pouty, airhead brat and that’s a definite turnoff. For a character that’s supposed to be brave and smart, that felt like taking 20 steps backward. Ugh.
Anyway, there are some great plot schemes and fun moments. It’s funny to see plot similarities and differences from Ruyi’s Royal Love since there are common people with wildly different interpretations.
If you like Palace Dramas, this one is a bit livelier and a fresher take, but it doesn’t feel really historically accurate.
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Great Pacing, Excellent Acting, Smart + Badass FL
Completed - 11/29/2021"The Story of Yanxi" is one of those dramas that are universally praised and one should definitely check out if you enjoy historical dramas, esp. a fan of harem. I hesitated because it's 70-episode long, and the fear that it's going to drag prevented me from watching this for a long time. I am also not a big fan of harem. However, I am pleased to inform you that it has great pacing and it's not draggy at all. At times, I feel like some events actually resolve rather too quickly.
I recommend this drama for those who enjoy:
1) Historical dramas, esp. with real historical figures
2) Harem - concubines fighting for the emperor's affection and power
3) Strong and Smart characters
4) Qing Dynasty, esp. if you don't mind the bald hairstyle - took me a little bit to get used to it.
5) Revenge and Scheming
Plot - The big overall plot is about FL's investigation and seeking revenge for her sister's death. Through her journey of revenge, she entered the Forbidden City and caused all kinds of trouble. Since the drama is based on real historical figures, if you want spoilers, you can go to Wikipedia and find out what happened to most of the characters. I did look it up and though I was somewhat spoiled on some things, I also find comfort in knowing. There are many events and schemes throughout the drama by many characters. Because of this, the drama does not feel draggy at all. It's one thing after another.
Wei Ying Luo (FL)/Wu Jin Yan - This is my first drama of Wu Jin Yan's. For some reason (and it's very personal), I have a hard time liking her portrayal of Ying Luo. Ying Luo is everyone's favorite heroine. She is smart, funny, brave, loyal, cunning and ruthless. She's a strong badass character that doesn't back off and won't forget how you treat her, good or bad. But in the beginning, I found Wu Jin Yan overacted a little bit when she's intentionally trying to act cute or innocent. But once the character matured, I believed in her much more.
Ying Luo + Fu Heng Romance - This first love is sweet and loyal. Who doesn't want a man like Fu Heng. He is the ideal, dream man who is handsome, gentle, caring and understanding. Ying Luo and Fu Heng are soulmates. They understand each other and know how to support each other silently. However, I don't think there are enough scenes between the two in the beginning to make me believe that Fu Heng has fallen so madly in love with Ying Luo.
Ying Luo + Emperor Romance - This romance is much more interesting, from enemies-to-lovers, and I feel a lot more chemistry between these two, than Ying Luo with Fu Heng. I enjoy their arguments and threats. They are very similar people and match very well intellectually. They understand each other's actions and unspoken words.
Ying Luo + Empress Rong Yin Sismance - What a lovely sismance these two women have. They are so different, yet they are able to form such a strong bond. With a drama full of scheming between women, it's so nice to see a healthy and wonderful female friendship/mentorship between these two. Empress Rong Yin is one of my favorite characters and one of the saddest.
Acting - Definitely amazing acting all around. The "villains" are great and grey. You hate them (looking at you Yuan Chun Wang) but you also feel for them because they all have a background stories that are heartbreaking. I am not a big fan of the harem, so all the cat fights aren't my cup of tea, but I still enjoy this drama, and it's due to the acting of everyone. Each concubine has her own distinct personality and that makes it easier to distinguish who's who.
Production - big time production with beautiful Qing costumes for male and female characters. It did take me a little bit to get used to the bald hairdos of the guys, and not everyone looks good with it. Luckily, I do find our two male leads (Nie Yuan and Xu Kai) look quite handsome with the Qing style. The women have beautiful costumes, jewelry and accessories. The sets look grand and real. I am no historian, so I don't know whether everything is historically accurate, but I enjoy the visuals.
Other Observations:
1) Xu Kai - one of his earlier dramas. He did well enough, but not as good as compared to the veterans.
2) I've seen Charmaine Sheh in HK dramas when I was young. Wow..her acting has come a long way. She's amazing in this drama.
3) I've seen Qin Lan in "Rational Life" and found her absolutely stunning. She's beautiful here as well and such great acting. Very different compared to Charmaine Sheh but just as good.
4) I found Yuan Chun Wang (played by Wang Mao Lei) really creepy, like stalker-ish creepy especially his evil voice.
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Bittersweet story
So I went into this, not expecting anything and I just couldn't stop watching! It's very fast-paced, very witty and smart, and very emotional.This is essentially a harem drama with some political stuff peppered in but interestingly, the harem drama was a lot smarter and engaging than the political stuff which I think can be fast-forwarded, you won't miss much. I would also say the show is not focused on the romance at all, instead, it's actually more about the female relationships and friendships in the palace and that was my favorite thing about the show.
There's a couple of things I really liked about it.
One, the female characters and their relationships. Despite being a harem drama and the main conflict just being catty fights over the favor of the emperor, the show made it nuanced and interesting. When we meet the key players in the harem, Empress Fuca, Consort Chun, Xian, and Gao, they all have very distinct personalities and very tragic stories for why they are in the Forbidden City. Each of them is clearly a victim of the political system and marriage traditions of the era. None of the harem women are happy to be there and that they have to fight to survive. The story explicitly shows how even when they fight, it's to survive. None of them is just dumb, evil, caricature characters. Gao does try her best to prove otherwise but even she reveals hidden depths later on. As a whole, the plot is traditional but it had a flair of hidden feminism and a critique of how women had to live in the Qing dynasty which I enjoyed.
Secondly, the main character is a joy. She is cunning, crafty, smart, and vengeful. I hate it when the main characters are stupid and naive and are easily taken advantage of. Wei Ying Luo does not give you a chance to blink! She obliterates her enemies in the most vicious and righteous way she can and she will never be cornered for long. She makes watching the show satisfying because she leaves no punch unanswered, she'll kick right back!
Thirdly, there is a very realistic view of love, marriage, and romance in the show. There is love and then there is marriage and the social contracts one has to abide by. I don't really buy the cinderella romance side of it all... Wei Ying Luo did what she needed to do to survive and it wasn't about love at all. I do appreciate the show acknowledging that and showing that sometimes love doesn't win and you just have to get used to another partner and that's ok, it's not the end of the world. It can work too. It was bittersweet and I enjoyed that. I would have hated it if they just pretended that the emperor has a magic d*** and every woman is just enamored by him immediately. Most of the women in the harem? they don't really care for the emperor much, they're just doing married stuff because that's all they can do!
the fourth reason I liked the show was the attempt at preserving historical facts. Now it's obviously not historically accurate. It's a very fictional story but they did try to incorporate historical information and it worked. I compare it to the Ruyi show's plot which I've heard is a good show but the fact that the creators had the main character be the childhood friend of a guy 7 years older than her just unnerves me! Yanxi palace tries to keep the ages correct. It does fail at times when actors are very far from the age they are supposed to portray, (like Wei Ying Luo is 16 when the show starts and ...ok) but they did try to keep things close and just fill up gaps where they had no historical information.
The production is also gorgeous. The clothes, the sets, the lighting, the hairstyles and makeup, and the music. Oh, I LOVED the music!
Now what I didn't like: The last 10-15 episodes after the revenge plot ends for good really did slow down the show and the characters weren't totally up to their game. I disliked the consort Shun arc. although the character was interesting, the plot was weaker than the earlier arcs in the show. I really dragged my feet through those last 10 episodes but it was ok...I mean it's 70 episodes! Some were bound to suck.
Another thing which by now I have accepted as a fact about cdramas, is really messed up timelines. There is no unified pacing to the show. It's very vague how many years or months pass from scene to scene. One cut may be minutes, but the next could be months or years but the show doesn't stay consistent with seasons or clothes so it's like one event happens in winter, then it's fall again and then spring and then fall again... it was a bit weird but it was the same with The Untamed and Ten miles of peach blossom (oh boy, that one was one messed up timeline!) so I'm just not going to think too hard about it...
Fun fact: The show has an allergy towards pregnancies so we barely see any at all in the story (especially with the mains) and I find that hilarious! (There were pregnancies but they try to show as little of them as possible. It's really funny if you pay attention to it.)
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this is probably one of the best period dramas that I have watched. there wasn't a point in the story where I got bored. this drama made me want to research the actual history around the drama.
the chemistry between the characters romantic and not is so amazing as well.
the osts are amazing as well ... i avidly went to my phone to search so I can listen to the intro and the outro of the drama
i binge-watched this drama probably every couple of months
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This review may contain spoilers
Stunning Work of Visual Art
STORY OF YANXI PALACE (Yan Xi Gong Lüe) There are no words for how beautiful this series was, especially regarding the gorgeously realistic sets, the breath-taking music (the song/visuals for Opening Credits, in particular, were mesmerizing. I couldn't bear to skip them!) and the entire cast was fantastic.The heroine Wei Yingluo (Jinyan Wu) is a stellar actress, and she plays her part excellently. Wei Yingluo is very cunning and loyal servant and hell-bent on revenge for the murder of her sister. She starts off in the Embroidery House and it was amazing to watch her journey from there. I love how this show focused on the lives of the servants, maids, guards and eunuchs as well as the nobles.
There were mainly likable and interesting characters such as kind and frugal Empress Fuca Rongyin (Lan Qin), the loyal and aloof guard Fuca Funeng (Kai Yu), the hot-headed and willful Mingyu (Zixun Jiang), the kind and thoughtful guard Hailanca (Lawrence Wong), the intelligent and patient Empress Hoifa Nara Shushen (Chamaine Sheh), the proud Emperor Qianlong / Hong Li (Yuan Nie), the sly and crafty eunuch Yuan Chunwang (Maolei Wang), the devious and scheming Gao Ningxin (ZhuoTan), and the adorable and cautious eunuch Li Yu (Enshang Lui).
There was so much to enjoy about this series such as the fascinating story, the historical details, interesting characters, intriguing plots, realistic settings, immersive atmosphere, beautiful music, artistic design and cinematography. Even though the romance between Wei Lingluo and Emperor Qianlong was not as convincing as far as chemistry (especially compared to romance with Fuca Funeng) the series was still utterly amazing and spell-binding. One of my all time favorites. Love this series. Absolutely stunning.
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Not bad
Before proceeding i'll let you know that i watch yanxi palace after ruyi's royal love (different drama with similar focus-the same emperor and era), so i'll admit that i might be biased. That being said, let's start!Yanxi palace tell the story of a palace maid wei ying luo, and her life in the qing imperial palace. It's a palace drama, so you can expect a lot of intrigue and scheming, fortunately for our heroine, she is smart, ambitious, and really got some backbone to survive. For you who are tired with damsel distress then this is the drama for you, the pace is also pretty fast unlike a lot of other costume drama that tend to drag things around, it's good drama for people who aren't used to this genre. All in all i think yanxi palace is quite an entertaining watch. The set and costume (the jewelries!!) are exquisite too, however, i feel like the cinematography is flat and boring, especially compared to ruyi and other drama like winter begonia (same maker). Yanxi palace just like many chinese cotume drama was shot in hengdian studio and the costume design was amazing as well, so i don't think the problem is caused by lack of effort or lack of money. I won't lie and say that i'm an expert, but i guess the lighting and the way they shot yanxi palace is not as dramatic and tasteful as the other two, therefore it doesn't really have the same nuance and grandeur the others successfully created.
The other problem that i have with yanxi palace is the simple writing for the character, wei ying luo is not a typical chinese drama heroine, and yet she's still a mary sue. Every step she makes is perfect and deliberate. I get it that she is the main protagonist, but i feel like in every situation that arise, the external factors really support her. For example, in the earlier episode wei ying luo is discovered by the emperor while punching the so called "spiritual tree", the emperor initially want to punish her, but she weasel her way out by speaking up the reason why she was punching the tree. It's a very simple scene, but if the action wasn't done by her and instead a side character, the emperor probably would't give her a chance to explain it in the first place. Another example would be when wei ying luo tricked one of the noble ladies in the first episode, i think it's a bit unrealistic because it was her first day in the palace, therefore she obviously doesn't know the emperor's character, then how does she know that her trick will works ? What if the emperor turns out to be a frivolous man that care about nothing but beauties, and decided to overlook the tricked noble lady's mistake. The protagonist halo is too strong.
The side characters are also a bit too simplified. i'm not sure whether if they do it accidentally or purposefully to make the main protagonist look even smarter, but everytime the empress have some troubles, there's wei ying luo to smooth the wrinkle. Either way i'm a bit disappointed with the writing, especially because court drama is always a good place to showcase abundant cast and their skill, as well as nice friendship/ally between the court ladies to overcome the antagonist, and they didn't maximize it.
That being said, yanxi palace is still a good drama to watch if you have a lot of time, there are even some impressive lines that i really like. Please don't let my complains immediately damper your will to watch it, as many of the problems that i faced while watching it were caused by my personal preference (and i'm a very nitpicky person).
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This review may contain spoilers
Wei Yingluo is a class traitor. Change my mind.
Ok so there are already like 80 reviews for Story of Yanxi Palace so I'm going to concentrate on the power politics of the show. And my god, is it juicy.First, the class politics of Yanxi Palace was what snagged my interest in the first place (I'll get to the gender politics too, don't worry). Wei Yingluo hits the bottom of the Palace rung very quickly in the story. In most palace dramas, servants are either loyal, obedient and therefore good. Or they're ambitious and put their own survival before their master's and therefore bad. In this case, we follow Wei Yingluo as she rises the ranks but she is neither demonised nor condemned by the storyline in the process.
At one point, she is literally cleaning out chamber pots and dealing with faeces everyday. Yanxi Palace is not afraid to show the ugly and brutal lower end of Palace activities, when most other Palace dramas would only ever let it happen off-screen. But it's here, at her lowest, that Wei Yingluo befriends an equally disgraced eunuch, Yuan Chunwang. Eventually, the two decide to stick by one another and promise to never betray each other.
The first half of the series sees Yingluo forge powerful protectors, even as she lands herself in trouble, and portrays her positively as a maid on a mission for revenge. In most other palace dramas, a servant who defies authority in the way she does would only get a few lines of dialogue before they're taken off to be brutally punished or killed, normally off-screen.
However, Wei Yingluo is individualistic in her ambition. And despite promises made to her confidante, Yuan Chunwang, she makes a bid for power when she finds a strategic opportunity to do so. From this point on, the class politics of Yanxi Palace folds in on itself. Yingluo ends up conforming to the same class system that had sent her to scrub faeces off barrels. She fills in the shoes of a master and plays the part.
Meanwhile, Chunwang supports a failed overthrow of the emperor and loses. He pays the ultimate price and Wei Yingluo never does provide a convincing answer when he declares that she betrayed him first. Of course, Emperor Qianlong's power is never called into question. I think you're just meant to assume he's a good emperor.
And this is where the class politics and gender politics overlap. I like harem dramas because it's all about the power pull-and-push among women who struggle in the most difficult circumstances. Because, at the end of the day, none of them hold absolute power. In the palace, that belongs to the emperor. Before marrying, that absolute power would've presumably resided with their fathers and/or leader of their clans.
So the ending of Yanxi Palace was, for me, infuriating. Yingluo now declares – after admitting many times in the past to be really only in it for the hustle – to love the emperor. Not only is this very hard to believe canonically given the lack of chemistry between the two characters, but also undermines a lot of what Yanxi Palace had going for it.
As I said before, Emperor Qianlong's power isn't really ever critiqued (even with the coup). All the evil consorts, concubines and servants have been duly punished for their deeds, and yet the emperor, despite his sins, goes unscathed. It almost feels like Yingluo has lost because she admits to falling in love with the emperor. All that work she put in to defy the odds over dozens of episodes seems to unravel.
If anything, the only score any of the women get against Qianlong is when the Fuca Rongyin refuses to play the role of Empress by taking her own life. None of Yingluo's backhanded quips compare to this 'f–– you' moment from Fuca who, even if momentarily, pulls the rug from out under Qianlong's feet.
I will finish this off with just a quick point of reference to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace given it covers the same characters and time period. While Ruyi's Royal Love did poorly on its class positioning (my review on the series goes into that more), what it does do better than Yanxi was appropriately vilify the emperor. It is interesting to see how much Yanxi Palace's depiction of Fuca Rongyin and Ruyi's Royal Love's depiction of Ruyi had in common. Both dramas are tragedies if you read them a certain way.
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