Story of Yanxi Palace (2018)

Nie Yuan is the star of the show!

Story of Yanxi Palace is my very first chinese drama and I must say this is one of my favorite asian dramas. The cast is superb! There were two actors that stood out for me. First is the actress playing Empress Nala. She was amazing. You can feel her frustrations and sadness from unrequited love. She nailed it! The star of the show for me is Nie Yuan. He had amazing chemistry with every single character on the show. I mean, seriously? Even his scenes with Li Yu were as memorable as his scenes with his concubines. I didn't see him as an actor or a character. I see him as "The Emperor". Excellent acting skills! Wu jinyan isn't so bad but she still needs to improve in my opinion. Some of her scenes are not doing it for me and seemed a bit over done. All in all, great script, good plot and outstanding performance from the actors. It was fun watching this drama. I enjoyed it!

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The best harem show I've seen

This show is by far my type of show. Though there is hardly any sensual romance, at least in my opinion, it has everything to do with loyalty and love. The relationships that evolve over time are beautiful. The characters you hate, you end up loving and vice versa.

The female lead is also a strong girl. She stood up for herself and didn't allow others to transpire behind her back, which I absolutely loved because it is very hard to find a strong female lead nowadays. Even though she has hardships, she knows how to remain coy and does not give any indication to how she is feeling to others, but behind closed doors, she lets her emotions out. It is awesome.

There is no politics in this drama, just mostly concubines fighting with each other, which I had no problem viewing.

The main couple is the emperor and female lead, not the warrior and female lead, which had many people angry and confused as they watched, which I totally understand, as the age difference is quite big. I however had no problems. If anything, it seemed like their relationship seemed far more mature and developed than her being with the second male lead.

The music was a bit interesting but not my taste, however, I would definitely watch it again.

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The Story of Yanxi Palace is a Chinese period drama series recounting the struggles of a palace maid in the court of the Qianlong Emperor. This is a historical drama following one of the most famous monarchs, who was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. It has 70 episodes in total and a full cast to set the tone or what is, in my opinion, one of the best shows ever.

The main lead of this show, Wei Yingluo, is an upright, strong and cunning young woman is ahead of her time in terms of knowledge and reasoning. She uses her innate skills to rise above tangles of conventional palace rivalries to defeat her enemies. This portrayal of a character leaves the audience hanging on every action as they watch as this palace maid skillfully talks her way out of the worst of situations, toppling even the most ruthless of enemies.

The extent of wit and subterfuge that is witnessed in the show also makes for a thoroughly enjoyable watch as there is no shortage of humor or laughable scenes. The Story of Yanxi Palace provides a comical peek into the historical Chinese palace hierarchy (concubines, etc.) as well as the inner court workings and state affairs. However, this drama is less conformative in many aspects with a multitude of unique twists and turns that the audience won't see coming.

I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone who is looking for something new to watch.

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I have to write this for my parents. They typically only watch Korean drama's, you know, a nice set 16 episodes and they're finished. After watching bits of this and the mini-series on Netflix, I talked them into trying it. They were unconvinced, thinking it was too long, but started anyway. They binged the whole thing within a week, were both sad that there was no more and hoping I could suggest something else.
The female lead is great, she's cunning but not unkind, and I loved the interactions between her and the emperor, the chemistry is great. It was nice to see a woman who didn't whine or scheme, where we weren't sure of how she'd get out of a bind until it happened. The politics between concubines was ruthless and the opening song will be recognisable for the rest of my life.

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You don't have to like her but you will respect her

Is it one of the best Cdrama I've watched? Probably.
Great story about the palace life, which involve multiple consorts, maids, eunuchs, guards and the emperor himself.
The female lead is a strong minded woman who can tell right from wrong. Her loyalty, determination and creativity made me respect her, even if at times I didn't like her ways. I think she is one of the best FL like ever, as she is also smart, hard working and confident.
Also, the drama is full with other interesting charcaters, sub-stories, heartbreaks, betrayals, intrigues and friendships. I was hooked from the start and it became even more interesting as I continued to watch (I did skiped through some episode at some point, because I was eager to know what will happen next).
I also really loved the setting and costumes, it's the first time I watched a drama about those times and everything looked majestic to me.
(I gave it a 7 in rewatch value because it's a long drama so I personally probably won't watch all of it again).

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must watch

stumbled upon 2 trailers on youtube. searched for the real thing and saw the scary "70 episodes lasting 45min". thought for myself "no, won't do it".... then was enable to forget the trailers. decided to give it a try and drop it if the first couple wasn't appealing. watched one, then 2, then 5 in a row. and thought for myself "I am so happy there is 65 more left!"

it's just so catching! I watched all 70 episodes in 9 days. slept very late twice doing so. really, be careful and strongly plan your viewing schedule. otherwise it will mess with your sleeping time.

it's just an other palace story, with intrigues and bad guys. the main character is very unique though. I was a little disappointed with the 2 last episodes, but nothing really bad. the journey was enchanting because the character development is so well done! really a must watch.

when to watch? there is some violence and the relationships between the characters are very complex. it is still suitable for teenagers over 15. the complexity of the story can lead to very interesting conversations with relatives and friends. so watch with them!

(spoilers in my comment bellow, come and let's talk about it after you watch)

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Strong female lead!

Excellent drama! Unlike most historical or period c-dramas and k-dramas, the female lead is strong minded, strong willed, knows what she wants and isn't afraid to speak up for herself and others. In other words, she isn't a damsel in distress constantly making mistakes and looking for the male lead to save her. Additionally, the script writer did an excellent job, as there isn't any super long and unnecessary conversations between the characters. I also like the fact that the plots are not dragged out for 30 episodes; each scandle is resolved within 2 episodes and I love it! This is the type of historical drama I dreamed of, but to be honest I am shocked that I found. For example, when the female lead actually defends herself, take actions, and doesn't back down, I am pleasantly surprised because I am not used to this level of female confidence in c-dramas. I love it! I was turned off by the king's character, but realIstically, in every culture throughout history, kings most likely acted like this king (e.g. rude, arrogant, hasty, etc). So, while I hated his character at first, I've grown to be okay with it because it's a realistic character trait of kings throughout history. I am currently on episode 23, at the 36 minute 45 second mark to be exact and the queen's brother as fine as he is, just made a stupid mistake. I had to pause, to remember that it was culturally acceptable back in those days to disregard women, and slaves. So I decided to write this, while I allow my emotions to cool down.

GREAT DRAMA
GREAT ACTORS
GREAT WRITING
GREAT FILM QUALITY (RESOLUTION)

Edited on 5/6/21:
One thing that kind of throws me off a bit is the fact that the emperor was going to rape the main lead but she was able to get away. She ends up falling in love with the emperor who wanted to rape her, and him with her. Most dramas have some level of toxicity but this is problematic because it romanticized rape, which is the reason why I dropped the rating from 9.5 to 9.

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"Being powerful is better than relying on those in power. "

Story of Yanxi Palace is one of the best-known dramas to have been produced in Mainland China. I was scared to pick it up- there were too many episodes, sounded too dramatic, bald guys, controversies, etc. I have never watched a drama with harem politics so this was completely unknown territory for me. I'm super glad I gave this so much of my time as this drama is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

PLOT:
It's complicated as heck. I was rooting for the female lead- Wei Ying Luo right from the get go. It reminded me a lot of Empress Ki in the aspect of a palace maid becoming the Empress of China. However, here the focus was more on her survival than the journey to royalty itself. The female lead is one of the best I have seen in any drama and she was badass, smart, witty and fearless. She's a modern woman by mind stuck in an older era. It was amazing to see how she navigated grueling circumstances and braved the storm. She has a cold heart as she values herself over others but possesses a keen sense of justice and her own way of viewing the world. Her character was deeply complex and it was interesting to her many sides. She was a protective sister, a loyal servant, a calculated lover and a fierce friend. I loved her relationship with Fuheng and also with the Empress, Empress Dowager and the Emperor himself. I couldn't hold back celebrating every time she triumphed over evildoers. She is really never scared of anything nor does she run away from any challenge.

CHARACTERS:
I've already described Ying Luo quite a bit. My next favourite characters were easily Ming Yu and Fu Heng. Ming Yu had an excellent development from evil to a supporting friend. Fu Heng was typical second lead and he succeeded in making me feel sorry for him the end. The Empress is a saint but a fool, however I loved how much she valued our female lead's service to her. The Emperor was funny at times but he was always authoritative and manipulative. I couldn't really get invested in the love story as him bedding several women made me uncomfortable as heck. I've seen Concubines in other dramas too, but never as many as in this one. The other enjoyable characters were Consort Gao and Xian- who were wonderfully wicked and never fell short of tricks to play.

ACTING:
The cast all did an excellent job at their roles. I'm super impressed with Wu Jin Yan as she played Ying Luo with perfection and no one could have done better. I was surprised to see Charmaine's role being major in this drama. She nailed the emotions and many sides to her character also - especially the twisted one. Xu Kai was lovable as Fu Heng and I'm glad he shot to stardom with such a good role in the start of his career. The others were also quite good- including the Emperor, Empress, etc.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
I know this is a historical story, but the portrayal of women in general was a little heartbreaking. They portrayed everyone as evil in the harem and there was a dialogue about self-interest being the only interest in the Forbidden City. The women are all cunning, scheming and ready to backstab each other. The Emperor treats women as object of desire and eyes our female lead as " has to made attainable by any means". Thankfully, the female lead manages to find people who give her comfort but it shows those times very bleak. It was also inspiring to see a woman stand up for herself and gives a good message about being independent and standing tall among men. It's a very feminist take on the historical times. The creative liberty the writers took clearly shows. I wish Fu Heng didn't go through what he had to because Er Qing was an evil witch. He and Ying Luo come out most memorable out of this drama.

OVERALL:
I cannot convince anyone to pick up a drama of 70 episodes. However, this is fast-paced, there are always twistsand the plot keeps progressing every episode. It became repetitive after the 58th episode and it could have done without the last arc of the new Concubine. I also wish the drama focused a bit more on the female lead as the Empress, however it continued to be about her survival in the crazy world of deranged Forbidden City inhabitants. I am quite impressed at how it maintained its quality and came out as a top-notch drama. It was well worth my time and effort.

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Sorry, didn't care too much for this Drama Series. At first, it was interesting but then I got bored. I was more disappointed that Wei Yingluo and Fuca Fuheng did not end up with one another. This story went completely to the left and did not come back to being right. A man can lead a country but a woman can destroy it or should I say women when they want what they want in this piece. This drama series was not a true romance story, there was no action but only deceitful power hungry women wanting to be the Empress. The only storyline I liked in this piece is that Wei Yingluo was trying to find out who her sister's killer was. It took over 60 episodes and 25 years later to find out who. I couldn't take it anymore.

NOTE: I gave this a very low rating and I see others have given it a 10-star rating... so let me rewatch it. I feel that I still feel the same way about how the story ends. I think I will give it a 2nd chance.

Since I decided to watch this a 2nd time. Since I said it wasn't the cast's fault of this storyline, I gave them a 10 which brings my rating up to 7. I have changed my mind to watch it a 2nd time. I just can't! lol

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