'Flourished Peony' embroiled in controversy over unauthorized use of makeup and styling concepts

The Chinese series Flourished Peony has been accused of unauthorized use of makeup and styling concepts for its characters. 

Flourished Peony centers on He Wei Fang (Yang Zi), the daughter of a merchant. With the support of Jiang Chang Yang, (Li Xian), she assembles a group of artisans and investors and started a business of cultivating peonies.

As the C-drama is set in the Tang Dynasty, the production invested heavily in preparing costumes for the cast, aiming to accurately depict the Tang Dynasty culture. However, the designs were found to be identical to illustrations from a research book. The book's author, Zuo Qiu Meng said in his post, "It's not right to blatantly copy my work like this."

Author Zuo Qiu Meng's book "Chinese Makeup Bundle (Tang Dynasty)" attempts to reinterpret the fashion and makeup trends of Tang Dynasty women by comparing archaeological discoveries of Tang-era artifacts with historical records and documents. The drawings in the book were by artist Mo Chun.

Zuo Qiu Meng posted online, stating that the designs in his book are speculative and not direct artifacts. After a friend showed him stills from Flourished Peony, he realized that the costume and makeup designs in the drama indeed resemble the content of his book. One example cited is the styling of the character portrayed by Zhang Ya Qin, whose hairpin and Huadian (floral forehead makeup) are almost identical to the designs in the book. 

He said the content in the book is open for reference as long as it is for non-commercial purposes. Zuo believes the production team should have contacted him to obtain authorization before using the content, as failing to do so is inappropriate. He also wrote that they may have been "deceived by a middleman 'consultant' who resold content from my book for profit. (This has happened before. If that is the case, the production team would also be victims here.)"

In response, the team behind Flourished Peony issued an apology on January 13. "The styling of certain characters in the TV series was based on the ancient costume research book 'Chinese Makeup Bundle: (Tang Dynasty)'. During the reference process, some academic research diagrams were mistakenly regarded as artifact restoration images, leading to misunderstanding. We deeply apologize for this error. The book systematically outlines the makeup and styling of Tang Dynasty women, providing detailed reference material for the creation of the TV series."

The production team emphasized that the drama is the result of the collective effort of numerous staff members and that they approached the history with respect. They conducted extensive research, consulted with multiple experts and scholars, and referenced numerous artifacts and academic studies.

In their statement, they also expressed gratitude to the book's author, Zuo Qiu Meng, and artist Mo Chun, for their contributions. The team concluded by saying they hope this work allows viewers to revisit history and experience the rich culture of the Tang Dynasty.

Zuo Qiu Meng responded, "I have encountered malicious infringement multiple times in the past without receiving any formal response." "Copyright awareness should not be raised only after the issue arises; it should be established from the very beginning," he said. "When a creative team draws inspiration from someone's work, they should clarify the partnership in advance and find the right collaborators, rather than allowing 'middlemen' [consultants] who impersonate the original authors to interfere."

He praised the team for their timely communication afterward, writing, "The styling team of Flourished Peony was likely inspired by 'Chinese Makeup Bundle (Tang Dynasty)', using it as a reference out of admiration. The production team has responded promptly and engaged in a constructive dialogue, and I commend their attitude," and he hopes people refrain from accusing Flourished Peony of plagiarism. 

Flourished Peony is streaming on MGTV, Viki, and China Huace TV.

Sources: Global Network, Global Times