Empresses in the Palace

Empresses in the Palace (simplified Chinese: 后宫·甄嬛传; traditional Chinese: 後宮·甄嬛傳, lit. The Legend of Zhen Huan), is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the Internet novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, it stars Sun Li in the title role of Zhen Huan. The series was first aired in China on 17 November 2011. English subtitles are available on LeTV YouTube channel.

Empresses in the Palace
Also known asThe Legend of Zhen Huan
GenreHistorical fiction
Based onHougong Zhen Huan Zhuan by Liu Lianzi
Written byLiu Lianzi
Wang Xiaoping
Directed byZheng Xiaolong
StarringSun Li
Ada Choi
Chen Jianbin
Jiang Xin
Li Dongxue
Lan Xi
Tao Xinran
Country of originChina
Original languageMandarin
No. of episodes76
Production
Production locationChina
Running time45 minutes per episode
Production companyBeijing TV Art Center
Release
Original networkShaoxing News regional channel
Original release17 November 2011 (2011-11-17)
Chronology
Followed byRuyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018)
Related showsThe Legend of Mi Yue (2015)

Background

In 1722, Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing dynasty has ascended to the throne thanks to the help of Nian Gengyao (Duke of the Second Class) and Longkodo (Duke of the First Class). Gengyao's younger sister, Consort Hua, serves as a concubine to the Emperor and wins his favor among the women in his harem. The Empress tolerates her rival in most things, allowing her to act in ways that would normally be seen as disrespectful in the actions of a normal concubine. The Empress installs a maid, Fuzi, into Consort Hua's household to keep an eye on her rival. However, Consort Hua is on to the Empress' plan, and quickly managed to get Fuzi killed. Six months into his reign, the Empress Dowager encourages her son to expand his harem and add newer, younger women to serve him and increase the family line. Among the ones who are chosen to be viewed and selected by the Emperor and Dowager Empress is Niohuru Zhenhuan. She prays at a buddhist temple with her maids, Liuzhu and Huanbi, to not be selected. Even Imperial Doctor Wen, a family friend and man who has feelings for Zhenhuan, offers her a jade vase as a promise to marry her. However, she can't as she is one of the chosen ones to appear before the royal family to selection.

Others among the selection are: Shen Meizhuang (an old friend and playmate of Zhen Huan and highborn lady); An Lingrong (a meek young girl from a low ranking officer); and Xia Dongchun (an arrogant girl from a high ranking family). When Ling-rong accidentally spills her hot tea on Dongchun's outfit, Xia ridicules her mercilessly until Zhenhuan and Meizhuang intervene. The four women are selected to serve the Emperor as Concubines. When Zhenhuan is shown to the Emperor and Dowager Empress, a startling reaction leaves her fate up in the air.

Plot

After much strife and hardship, Zhenhuan is visibly changing from the pure innocent maiden who entered the harem to the cruel and relentless heartbroken woman. Along the way she experiences a miscarriage due to mistreatment by Consort Hua, who is the second most powerful woman in the harem, second only to the Empress in rank. However, even though Consort Hua's mistreatment of Huan contributed to her miscarriage, the primary reason for it was because of an ointment that she used regularly to heal a wound. The ointment had ingredients that could induce a miscarriage, given to her by another concubine who Huan thought of as a sister, An Lingrong, the same girl she had once saved. Eventually, Consort Hua is imprisoned in the Cold Palace, a place for discarded concubines, for her many misdeeds, including murder and arson and is eventually given a death sentence and told to commit suicide. Although Consort Hua refuses at first, Huan makes a visit and tells her that the Emperor has never loved her and only favoured her to please her brother, the general Nian Gengyao. She also tells her the reason for her infertility was a special incense granted to her by the Emperor. In the end, Consort Hua commits suicide but refuses to do so in a way that was decreed.

The Empress plots against Zhenhuan, arranging things so that she ends up unknowingly wearing the Emperor's most beloved late Chunyuan Empress's clothes. The Emperor is enraged by this and grounds her to her palace, where she becomes disillusioned with him. At this time, she is pregnant, and only days after she gives birth to a daughter she is transferred over to a nunnery where she becomes a nun. While there she falls in love with the Emperor's brother, Yunli (Prince Guo). However, she eventually comes back to the Forbidden Palace when she mistakenly believes that the Emperor's brother is dead and wants to find out the truth of his death. (After this, she finds that he is still alive, but it is too late.) In the palace, she gives birth to twins, fathered by Yunli, but she convinces all that they are the Emperor's. She also adopts the fourth prince, who was looked down upon. Gradually she regains the love of the Emperor. She also erodes the power of the Empress and kills An Lingrong, who caused the death of Shen Meizhuang after she had an affair with an imperial doctor.

Finally, the Empress confesses her past crimes after Zhenhuan set her up for inducing a miscarriage and admits that she was the one who killed the late Chunyuan Empress and caused several other miscarriages. However, the Empress, who has been granted amnesty by the late Empress Dowager, is not killed but discarded. Towards the end, the Emperor suspects that Huan and Yunli, the seventeenth prince, of having an affair. He orders her to kill him to prove that she has no feelings towards him. Yunli sacrifices himself for her, and although she does not intentionally kill him, he dies. Following this incident, the Emperor makes Huan the leader of the Imperial Harem, a post that carries supreme authority in the inner palace. However, increasingly the Emperor grows suspicious regarding the paternity of his children with Zhenhuan. In order to save her children, she and a concubine named Ye Lanyi plot against the Emperor, and eventually manage to kill him. As the most senior widow, she plays a crucial role in the succession and installs her adopted son, the fourth prince Emperor Qianlong, upon the Dragon Throne instead of her own biological son as she does not want him to be burdened by the role of emperor. In the end, Zhenhuan becomes the sad and lonely Empress Dowager.

Cast

Soundtrack
Empresses in the Palace - Original Television Soundtrack (后宫·甄嬛传电视剧原声音乐大碟)
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Mishap of a Pretty Face (红颜劫)"Yao Beina 
2."Bodhisattva (菩萨蛮)" (Male version sung by Liu Huan)Yao Beina 
3."Flying Phoenix (凤凰于飞)"Liu Huan 
4."Picking Lotus (采莲)"Yao Beina 
5."Golden Silk Blouse (金缕衣)"Yao Beina 
6."Jing Hong Dance (惊鸿舞)"Yao Beina 

Cultural influence

The style of Zhen Huan

After the series became popular, audiences began to imitate the way people spoke and behaved in the show. Many individuals discuss problems or issues by using the language of this drama in forums. The drama helped promote interest in classic Chinese philosophy.

Controversial values

The drama elicits a controversial debate that divided two sides. People's Daily pointed out that in the series, it appears good characters cannot win against evil characters unless they stoop to their level of cunning. Furthermore, when evaluating the production of historical themes, the most significant critique standard should focus on the values standard instead of authenticity standard. Social media is able to shape people's mind in visible and invisible ways, and incorrect values would lead the audience to the survival of the incorrect ideas into real life. Conversely, the article of Seeking Truth holds an opposite viewpoint; and they assert this drama reveals the decadent essence of ancient Chinese feudal society and traditional and outdated lifestyle obstructs the development of society. It also praises and appreciates the brave women constantly who pursue their happiness and fight against with the forces of evil.

Ratings
The ratings of the premiere (Anhui TV, Dragon TV)[1]
Air date Episode # CSM42 City Anhui TV ratings CSM42 City Dragon TV ratings
Ratings Audience share Rank Ratings Audience share Rank
2012.03.26 1-2 0.813 2.17 3 0.601 1.61 8
2012.03.27 3-4 0.959 2.57 3 0.677 1.82 5
2012.03.28 5-6 0.854 2.22 3 0.727 1.88 6
2012.03.29 7-8 1.058 2.75 3 0.844 2.19 5
2012.03.30 9-10 1.087 2.72 3 0.930 2.32 4
2012.03.31 11-12 1.005 2.67 3 0.894 2.37 4
2012.04.01 13-14 1.080 2.85 3 0.910 2.41 4
2012.04.02 15-16 1.097 2.98 2 1.018 2.77 4
2012.04.03 17-18 1.008 2.76 3 1.036 2.86 2
2012.04.04 19-20 1.110 2.91 2 1.050 2.75 3
2012.04.05 21-22 1.105 2.95 2 1.081 2.88 3
2012.04.06 23-24 1.090 2.83 2 1.009 2.63 3
2012.04.07 25-26 1.281 3.30 1 1.035 2.67 4
2012.04.08 27-28 1.147 2.90 3 1.233 3.12 2
2012.04.09 29-30 1.332 3.46 2 1.315 3.42 3
2012.04.10 31-32 1.309 3.49 1 1.174 3.12 2
2012.04.11 32-34 1.428 3.76 1 1.296 3.41 2
2012.04.12 35-36 1.407 3.68 1 1.272 3.32 2
2012.04.13 37-38 1.377 3.66 1 1.262 3.36 2
2012.04.14 39-40 1.411 3.73 1 1.189 3.18 2
2012.04.15 41-42 1.330 3.32 1 0.897 2.29 4
2012.04.16 43-44 1.422 3.80 1 1.294 3.45 2
2012.04.17 45-46 1.519 4.06 1 1.410 3.78 2
2012.04.18 47-48 1.571 4.02 1 1.416 3.76 2
2012.04.19 49-50 1.625 4.28 1 1.513 3.99 2
2012.04.20 51-52 1.567 4.03 1 1.552 4.00 2
2012.04.21 53-54 1.652 4.43 1 1.570 4.23 2
2012.04.22 55-56 1.562 4.16 1 1.512 4.00 2
2012.04.23 57-58 1.687 4.23 1 1.444 3.82 2
2012.04.24 59-60 1.760 4.54 1 1.618 4.18 2
2012.04.25 61-62 1.753 4.68 1 1.609 4.30 2
2012.04.26 63-64 1.954 5.37 1 1.570 4.37 2
2012.04.27 65-66 1.720 4.59 1 1.670 4.47 2
2012.04.28 67-68 1.806 4.79 1 1.684 4.48 2
2012.04.29 69-70 1.878 5.21 1 1.525 4.25 2
2012.04.30 71-72 1.853 5.15 1 1.696 4.75 2
2012.05.01 73-74 1.770 4.68 1 1.710 4.52 2
2012.05.02 75-76 2.11 5.75 1 2.063 5.60 2
Average ratings 1.480 3.89 2012: 14th 1.340 3.53 2012: 23rd
  • Highest ratings are marked in red, lowest ratings are marked in blue.

Accolades
List of Accolades
Award / Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
China TV Golden Eagle Award Outstanding Television Series Won
International Emmy Award[2] Best Actress Sun Li Nominated
Shanghai Television Festival[3] Best Director Zheng Xiaolong Won
Best Actress Sun Li Nominated
China TV Drama Awards Best Television SeriesWon
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong Won
Best Actress Sun Li Won
Best Supporting Actress[4] Jiang Xin Won
Best New Actor Li Dongxue Won
Most Popular Actress (Hong Kong / Taiwan) Ada Choi Won
Macau International Television Festival[5] Best Drama Won
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong Won
Best Actress Sun Li Won
Huading Awards[6] Best TV Actor Chen Jianbin Won
Chunyan Awards Best Director Zheng Xiaolong Won
China Hengdian Film and Television Festival Best Television Series[7] Won
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong Won

International broadcast

The drama was first aired in China in 2011 on Shaoxing News, a regional channel. As it gained popularity there it was picked up by national TV channels and first aired nationwide in 2012.

In April 2015, the series was added to US region of Netflix and has since been taken off and put on Amazon Prime Video. It was edited down to six episodes, each with a ninety-minute duration. The original audio was kept intact with the addition of closed captions in English.[8]

In Thailand, the series was first aired in 2016 on Channel 7[9] and in 2018 on One31 and LINE TV.

The series was uploaded on YouTube by LeTV in 2018.

References
  1. "电视剧收视率排行榜 | 收视率排行" (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  2. "International Emmy Awards Nominees". iemmys.tv. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  3. "Winners of 18th STVF Magnolia Award". stvf.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. "Actress Jiang Xin Covers Fashion Magazine". Women of China. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  5. "葛优闲来无事亲自领奖 孙俪大S齐封后". ent.cntv. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  6. "2012华鼎奖名人满意度调查获奖名单". Sina.
  7. "1st Hengdian film,TV festival gives out awards". China.org.cn. September 19, 2012.
  8. "Empresses in the Palace coming to Netflix". Netflix Life.
  9. ""ภ.จีน ชุด "เจินหวน จอมนางคู่แผ่นดิน" (THE LEGEND OF ZHEN HUAN)"". Channel 7 (in Thai). Retrieved 26 May 2016.
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