Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
A bit conflicted storyline.
First I d like to say as a non Chinese speaking person I was really sad at the subtitles being small, white, and barely readable. Plus no music lyrics were translated in this series nor signs, etc which I feel gives a viewer a better effect and understanding for the series effort made by all involved. I love knowing the signs on the buildings. Call me crazy but it all goes into the entire effort of the production. That being said I would like to next say I love Bin Bin in everything he does, even as a bad guy role, but honestly in this series I feel like he carried the entire series and was the good guy. I didn't like the little crybaby role of Jing as he just couldn't get through life, drinking, whining, even Han did better in moving forward in finding a path of action to feel alive . I felt Jing didn't deserve any woman he was so conflicted. I was very interested in the historical aspect of this drama but will have to look it up separately to see what was real. I am aware of the concubine issues however and how the politics of them became extremely out of control at times and eventually subdued and changed. (I think..,? ) Anyway I did not like Dal in this role, but I did not even like the female lead created for this role at all. It was extremely unbelievable. The king has this sweet memory of who she was and how she protected him but in the action she seems unaware of who he is and treats him pitifully even though choosing to go live w him to save her lover? I just didnt even find this believable. Also the sleeping together stuff. She slept w both guys but do we know if she really could be carrying the Kings child in reality and not Jings? She is so naive in general just unbelievable and then running away w/o her child. ,??? No way. Bad mom. Again not believable plus getting a soldier killed and her maidservant beaten etc. How could she not know this in these times if the king was so awful. Then comes back and tries to kill the king w a hairpin. Again I'm rolling my eyes thinking really unbelievable. How much hate and vengeance when she could have just stayed w Jing. And her reasons were like blah blah blah I have no brain. So between this crazy stuff and Jing acting even less interesting in character I really focused even more on the Kings good attributes and the harem soap operish drama scenes of the mean girls club like effect which were really funny and enjoyable to a point. I wanted to see the Dowager cut off FL s hair in prison Lol. I felt she deserved it based on her brainless behavior. Plus in real life I'm pretty sure she would have gotten worse. Also her maid comes back w no scares. C'mon people slashes across the face make scars even w the greatest of medicines. I think it would have added even better drama for the maid and Han to keep their slash scars to seal the effects of FLs selfish behavior. Plus scars on the face show great character in drama roles ...Ok anyway ..... lol . I will continue to watch this to the end only as I would like to see who lives and dies and if lil Tian really becomes a good man due to the King who seems to be the only sensible person in the lead roles. It sure wouldn't be Dil who is always full of hate and seemingly not kind or gentle with any nice redeeming qualities shown thus far. She also is a liar. Hypocrite. Calls everyone else a liar while she lies. This is why I can't buy into her character in general. (I do like her as an actress in general though, just not this character role) ...Just nothing there to like plus far too many blank face looks which shows lack of depth. In closing I absolutely loved, loved the costumery, clothing, hair, settings, and the visuals, the fight scenes and the elders cast in those drama. Fine acting there. It was all very beautiful, enticing and great work there. I loved the dress Dil wore in her sword dance. Beautiful!! The look backs get boring and tedious, had to scroll past the umpteenth time of seeing the same ones over and over again. I do like the storyline in general despite the FL s just not making any sense overall .Ok so the ending was a joke. I mean really?? FL just made no sense, had no loyalty and ruined everything she touched. She was the bad person. Not the king.
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Toxic Love Like Chains — A Beautiful Soul Trapped in
I chose this drama because of two main reasons — the male lead was Qin Shi Huang, a real historical figure 🏯, and because of Dilraba ❤️. As an actress, I’ve always loved her acting, and I was really curious to see how the story would show the world of China’s first emperor.But honestly… after watching it, I don’t even know what to say 😩. The story turned out to be such a mess.
⚡ Story & Characters
At first, it started like a typical historical romance — political conflicts, strong personalities, and emotional tension. But very quickly, it became something uncomfortable to watch 😞.
What they tried to represent as “love” felt more like control and obsession. The emperor’s actions were full of possessiveness, threats, and manipulation. He was a real maniac 👑😠 — forcing Gongsun Li to stay with him, isolating her, and doing everything to keep her under his control.
And what frustrated me the most is that the drama romanticized it. They made it look like all his cruelty and madness were just because “he loved her too much.” 😒 Like… seriously? That’s not love. That’s obsession.
Every time he hurt her or destroyed something she loved, the background music would soften and the camera would zoom in like it was some romantic moment. It made me so uncomfortable 😤.
💔 Gongsun Li’s Character
Dilraba’s acting was amazing as always 🌸, but her character was written so poorly. Gongsun Li started as a strong, loyal woman, yet slowly lost all her strength. She kept sacrificing her happiness and freedom for the emperor’s so-called “love.” Watching her trapped in that golden cage, pretending to be fine while breaking inside 💔, was truly painful.
🩸 The Emperor — Power Over Love
I know Qin Shi Huang was a ruthless and ambitious ruler in history. But here, the drama confused cruelty with romance 😶. His temper, his threats, his punishments — everything was justified as “because he loves her.”
No matter what he did, the show would twist it into a tragic love story. It almost felt like they wanted us to pity him, instead of questioning his actions. But how can someone who constantly hurts the person they love be called romantic? 💢
He was not a lover. He was a man possessed by power and insecurity — and that’s what destroyed everything.
🕯️ The Ending & The Message
The ending left me completely drained 😔. Instead of giving a sense of justice or redemption, it just showed the same cycle of pain. Gongsun Li’s death didn’t feel meaningful or powerful — it felt tragic and hopeless.
After all the suffering, there was no real growth, no true love — just loss, control, and regret. It was like watching a flower being crushed by the very hands that claimed to cherish it 🌸💀.
🏺 Overall Thoughts
Yes, the costumes and cinematography were beautiful 🎞️. The sets were grand, the lighting was gorgeous, and Dilraba looked stunning in every scene. But no amount of beauty can cover up a toxic story.
Sometimes dramas show us the dark side of love — but this one tried to make that darkness look beautiful. And that’s what I disliked the most 💔😡
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It’s pretty good. I mean end credits/ opening credits songs, really tell you all the story and plots. And it is kind of that love story we are pretty much seen a lot. But they way story carries out is not bad. It’s still entertaining.
Cast/Acting:
Acting is good. So if you have good looking actors and actresses who knows how to act, that helps a lot with this type of story. I like most of the cast in this series, they are pretty good in most TV series I have seem them.
Production Values:
I actually like the productions.... set/ costume.... they are pretty good as well as actions/ camera movement...
Expectation:
Just dont think too much about it. It’s not a bad series.
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Recommended solely if you are a fan of the actors or like historicals.
This has been on my ptw list since I joined mdl 2 almost 3 years ago. It wasn't like I was putting it off but I just honestly kept forgetting to watch- it's not bad but not all that great.My 2 issues is the story got laggy. This could have totally been cut to 30 POSSIBLY 40 episodes which could have made the story more impactful. The other issue is character development wasn't really there which to me means crappy writing.
One good thing about these historicals are the sets and costumes which this obviously had- A1.
The acting was... idk how to describe it. Like not the best but not the worst either. I've seen several of Dil and Bin Bin's dramas and at this point it's the same thing just different characters- there's no range and even though they aren't terrible, I would like to see a different side to them.
Overall I enjoyed it even though it got repetitive and I would stop paying attention during some scenes but it's to be expected with these long dramas.
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Dilaraba played the part of concubine Sun li beautifully. The ruthless emperor Ying Zheng played by Zhang bin bin , Jing Ke played by Liu Chang (found him smoking hot) , the sweet gentle eldest senior Han shen who supports Sun li in all her decisions played by Li Tian - all were awesome.
Loved the title and ending songs.
I watched till episode 14, put it on hold for months because I found the story dragging and boring. After a few months, I watched the remaining episodes and thought would put it on hold if I found it dragging. But from episode 15, I watched it non stop and even if the story gets dragging a bit somewhere in 30s episodes and in early 40s episodes, I completed all 48 episodes. What this means is story is predictable in between but it was not boring enough to put it on hold for me, hence I was able to complete all 48 episodes.
Will Sun li be able to survive the power struggle and politics of harem and the Palace? Will she be able to assist the Qin emperor Ying Zheng in his ambition in unifying the states? Will she fall for the emperor or is her heart still with Jing ke? Will Ying Zheng love Sun li's baby as his own or the baby just a means to keep Sun li by his side? Watch the drama to find out.
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This story is a palace love and intrigue set in China. It is the fictional account about the History of the first Emperor. Who was an arrogant, bad tempered, insidious, vicious, ruthless, cunning and obsessive tyrant and more negatives. He did everything to get his own way after he had been bullied during his own childhood. He abducted the woman he desired and held her captive cage like in his palace enticing her to fall in love with him. He trusted no one and continuously put the family under stress because of his distrust. His main love interest is intelligent, warm, compassionate, caring and and all round wonderful woman and yet he treats her terribly. She tries so hard to to be the woman he needs but in the ends he betrays her again and again and then finally she tricks him into killing her and hopes as she dies that this would teach him the lesson that he needs to be a great King. Parts of this movie is so totally sad but often you don’t cry but feel furious about the circumstances of what is happening. The lead actors do a wonderful job acting. Zhang Binbin being the main reason I started watching this his portrayal of this unlikable man is epic and keeps you watching despite the cruelty and violence and the contrast of Dilraba Dilmurat is supreme. She is everything he is not. Loved her martial arts skills. The fighting is much like a well coordinates dance routine and keeps you mesmerised. There is an unexpected twist at the end but you feel it coming and think yeah I thought as much. I love the costumes and much of the scenery and settings. I recommend that you watch this and stay to the end it will still your heart and stir your mind and senses and make you feel grateful that you live in this day and age especially if you are a woman. The end just justifies everything according to myself.
I’m watching this again and it even better. I may have sped through some unsavoury parts coz I couldn’t handle it but now I know whats going to happen I can relish the end and accept the middle.
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Slow-Burn Tragedy That Needed 10 Fewer Episodes
48 Episodes of 'Why Did I Watch This?' (And Why You Might Want To Too)This drama has been sitting on my watchlist for literal years. I kept putting it aside because, let’s be real, I knew it didn’t have a happy ending and I wasn't sure I was ready for the heartbreak. But as a total fan of Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang, I finally made it my mission to binge it just to see what their acting was like back in their rookie days.
In a nutshell, The King's Woman is a tragedy mostly based on the life of on the first Emperor of China, starring Dilraba Dilmurat as Gongsun Li, a compassionate and free spirited woman forced into the palace of the ruthless Qin Emperor, Ying Zheng, who is played by Vin Zhang. The catch? She’s secretly pregnant with her first love's child. Ying Zheng's toxic, possessive self decides to accept the baby anyway just to keep her by his side, creating a super messy and dark bond with Gongsun Li. Meanwhile, her childhood sweetheart, Jing Ke and father of her child, played by Liu Chang, goes down a dark ‘no way out’ path to become a legendary assassin.
Fun fact: Jing Ke and Ying Zheng are both real historical figures.
Honestly, the whole show is just a massive twist of fate. These three actually met as kids when one was in danger, and the other two saved him. Flash forward, and that little kid who they saved grows up to be the first emperor of China—and the literal reason they both die.
Yikes. So, word of advice: if you go into this expecting a fluffy romance, you are doing it wrong. I see quite a lot of hate online from people who watched this one when it came out, criticizing the actual romance. The romance in this drama is a myth. This is a tragedy, plain and simple.
And don’t forget that it’s loosely based on history; while the assassin and the Emperor were real people, Dilraba's character is fictional to make the drama interesting and actually show the real price of power. If you drop the romance expectations, it actually gives a pretty realistic look at how trapped women were in ancient China. Romanticizing the story between her and the Emperor was pretty much for the sake of viewership and dramatization and the reasons I mentioned above.
Yes, there is absolutely crazy chemistry between Dilraba and Vin Zhang and that’s the reason why this drama is controversial because people totally misinterpret the "romance" between the female lead and the king because of this chemistry. She didn't magically forget her first love. She was genuinely in love with her childhood sweetheart, the father of her kid. But she had to survive for the sake of her son.
Sure, spending years trapped in a palace with the king meant she grew to understand him, but half her heart was elsewhere. I think perhaps there was quite a lot of screen time given to them to portray them as a couple and it perhaps was a mistake because the drama gives a feel of a romantic drama with that much time given to the relationship between Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng. If writers were to concentrate on everyone’s stories equally and just take a full on ‘historical tragedy’ approach that would perhaps not have given viewers an idea that this was a romantic storyline. Also, despite the amount of the toxicity between the couple and the fact that she is forced into being his wife, there’s barely any skinship. We hardly get any intimacy. They share a few kisses on screen and that’s it. The only real romantic intimacy-filled scene is between Gongsun Li and Jing Ke at the beginning of the drama, which tells you that he was always the one despite her loving Ying Zheng in her own way.
As for the execution? The actors were super young here, but the acting is surprisingly good. That said, the pacing was a snail-paced test of patience at times. This show easily could have chopped off 10 episodes and been way better for it. On the bright side, the fight scenes actually serve and super fun to watch, considering this is a drama that was filmed more than 10 years ago. Yes, there are way too many irrelevant side characters and political filler, but hey, that’s 2017 C-drama logic for you.
The production value is a bit of a mixed bag. The costumes and sets look great, and I love that they actually shot on location instead of abusing green screens and cheap CGI. But oh my god, the makeup! Specifically for Jing Ke at the beginning? Absolutely criminal. The make up. team eventually made him look really. Bada$$. I loved it but first half of the show feels like they try to make him look ugly on purpose.
As far as the ending goes, yes, it’s extremely sad, but I was surprised at the fact that I didn’t hate it at all. Everything that the characters did and Gongsun Li’s final choice at the end made total sense. We are left with the lingering filling of the possibility of the better future for Ying Zheng. Perhaps in that fictional universe, he could be a really benevolent ruler. Obviously, historically, we know that while he did unify China, he was pretty much a dictator. But he still goes down in history as someone who ultimately did an important thing.
It’s an old drama and it’s definitely not for everyone and people who are only coming into C-drama now will probably not be able to stomach it, however, I’d still recommend it if you are in the mood for a good cry or if you love Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang and want to see them in their breakthrough roles…or just want a vintage c-drama, or if you just want to finally check it off your list since the drama community still brings it up all the time.
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The general storyline was good, but I can see where they failed to bring this story to life. There were some parts that I felt were incredibly boring and irrelevant, but thankfully your girl pulled through. The costumes were stunning, which is to be expected in a historical drama; but the cinematography will blow you away, especially where there is action. If I had to point out one thing I disliked, it would have to be all of the unresolved misunderstandings found way too common in a drama. God, I hate those.
The main reason why I decided to watch this drama in the first place is because of the main leads. They've both really impressed me in their past roles, and definitely didn't disappoint in this one either. The antagonists also did a really good job of riling up my emotions. One thing I wanted to point out—and I know this isn't the actor/actresses fault but I felt like some of the supporting characters were poorly portrayed. Again, this isn't always their fault, as a character is only as good as its script.
If you couldn't already tell by my ratings, original soundtracks are my biggest weakness. But I definitely have a preference when it comes to these. I'm kind of obsessed with soundtracks in historical dramas. I don't know what it is, but I just find them way better. I feel like they're filled with more raw emotion and I somewhat enjoy the feeling of getting my heart wrenched out of my chest (kidding, but not really).
Overall, I think I would recommend this drama BUT with fair warning, as it may not live up to everyone's expectations. So watch at your own discretion. As for whether or not I would rewatch this, the only reason why I could bring myself to do so would be to relive the romance between the two main leads.
With that said,
Llama out.
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A Tragically Beautiful Palace Drama
My earlier versions of drafts for my review of this drama went too lengthy (and detailed) so i'm choosing to make a relatively short one for MDL. I say if you enjoy Morally Grey characters, angst between the leads, and matured emotionally charged acting, you can count on this one. Despite being a relatively old drama, I fell inlove with it and found it more interesting than the newly released one I have tried.ALSO, the drama inspired me to read about the real historical figures and events that was incorporated in this drama so it's very interesting. Now my main goal is to let people know that this drama is good and deserves more appreciation and love! so please watch!!
For context, The King's Woman reminded me a lot of these dramas: Scarlet Heart Ryeo/Bu bu jing xin, because they're both palace dramas with complex MLs plus the heartbreaking ending; and Till the end of the moon, because both MLs are similar tyranic Kings who went through a dark past and the angst between the FL and ML is gonna pull you into the drama even more. Special mention of Kill me Love me since it also has a charismatic morally grey ML and the FLs are gifted with martial arts ability.
Okay so just based on the earlier paragraphs if you think this is your cup of tea, definitely check it out!
More unto the drama itself, i loved the acting so much. Despite knowing Reba as a famous actress I have never found her stuff interesting not until I discovered this drama. I like her look in this one, her natural beauty is not overly hidden by make up so she's very believable in playing such innocent righteous FL character. I have seen Binbin in Love has Fireworks and I actually liked his cameo there so I was more eager to check TKW out and it didn't disappoint me. Binbin played the charismatic complex King very well. It's like I don't even see the shy, innocent, clumsy Binbin in real life, he really absorbed Ying Zheng's character from head to toe. Not to mention the layers of emotion in order to depict such unpredictable dangerous character. Is it just me but I really love Binbin's eye acting! Reminds me a lot of Tan Jiance gege.
Anyways, the chemistry is top notch chef's kiss. The side/support characters play their roles well. Since it's a palace drama and a harem drama, expect there's a lot of plotting and scheming. Oh and also killing (*cries). It's not a love triangle for me. The FL intially has her childhood sweetheart lover but the drama progresses to her slowly getting to know the King into understanding him, and coming to love him. I know it's kind of messed up since the King basically abducted her through blackmail but HEAR ME OUT the King also had an unfortunate fate of being on the throne. He had a rough childhood and suffered so much past trauma that doesn't really quite heal for the entirety of the drama. He had bad parents and was used and abused. It's not an excuse to do wrong, but it's worth it to understand the reason of he's becoming, and I absolutely liked the way the FL is smart not just intellectually but emotionally. She was the only one capable of opening her heart to such a person and that's why I really feel sad because if only they were just ordinary people, they would be just like any ordinary couple who'll cherish a healthy relationship. Well anyways, whether it's messy or toxic it's up to you, and toxic doesn't necessarily hinder me from checking out a drama as I love analyzing complex, even troubled, characters.
I would say, the King truly loved Li Er. He just failed miserably in showing it. And yes, I hold him accountable for his mistakes and wrongdoings, but I also take sympathy because he's also having a hard time with himself. FL saw that, FL understood that, and that's why I also truly think FL genuinely really fell for the King. It's just that, life is not perfect and the drama successfully ingrained the rawness and realistic of what it's like similarly in historical times, and that's why you get a devastating but a lesson-learned ending. But really, it reminds me a lot of Scarlet Heart, and even Lost You Forever with the moral lesson that 'Being on the top is lonely, and there's always a heavy price for bearing the crown'. I never rewatch tragic dramas but Reba and Binbin's chemistry is just so good and their characters despite being put in complex situations still had some cute good moments, so I'll definitely go back to this in the future.
PS. more Reba x Binbin project juseyo TT (never say never, nothing is imposible lmao)
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Connected to the Legend of Haolan
If you watched “Legend of Haolan” that’s the story of yin zheng’s mother. In the legend of haolan it said that the father is the hostage prince of Qin, but here his father is Li Bu Wei. In the Legend of Haolan, there’s a rumor that her mother has relationship with Lao Ai and it proves here. Li Bu Wei and Haolan are from Zhao state, Li Bu Wei wants Haolan to be the queen of Qin and it really happened. I think this is the story of their son. It means Ying Zheng is really not the late King’s son. In the legend of haolan, Yin Zheng has a lover named Li Ge, i think it is Gongsun Li in this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
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Nunca tive tanto ranço de um personagem principal como tive nesse dorama
Eu comecei o dorama julgando os efeitos especiais, mas relevei por ser antigo.A história te prende logo no início, os personagens são interessantes e a trama flui bem. Porém, nunca tive tanto ranço de um personagem principal como tive desse rei.
Confesso que shippei a protagonista com o seu “irmão mais novo” durante todo o dorama. O rei ao invés de conquistar ela, escolheu o pior caminho: sequestrando-a. Isso me fez não shippar os dois. Até porque, ela só passou a “gostar dele” porque ele tratava ela “bem”, ou seja, desenvolveu ali uma síndrome de Estocolmo com seu sequestrador. Esse “amor” que Li achava que sentia pelo rei foi porque ela colocou na cabeça dela que ela nunca iria conseguir se livrar dele.
Foi uma forma dela aliviar toda a dor e medo que tinha dentro dela e aceitar seu destino infeliz.
O rei era completamente obcecado e doente por ela. Eu costumo gostar de casais com uma pitada de dark romance, mas a forma como esse se desenvolveu, não me conquistou.
A realidade é que o rei nunca amou ela, nunca pensou no bem estar e nos sentimentos dela. Ele foi apenas egoista, manipulador e possessivo e visou só o que favorecia e fazia sentido para ele.
Pra mim o ápice foi quando o rei mandou os guardas espancarem Li. Como que ela ainda poderia gostar de alguém assim? Ou melhor, ainda se rebaixou dizendo que ela que magoou ele. Ela não tem nenhum amor próprio.
Eu fiquei o dorama todo querendo que a Li acordasse dessa farsa e abrisse o olho com esse rei. E isso só aconteceu quando ela viu que ele não amava Tian Ming como ele demonstrava. Infelizmente foi tarde demais e quem realmente acabou sofrendo com tudo isso, foi a criança.
Enfim, por mim esse rei tinha que ter sofrido bem mais. As únicas pessoas que realmente permaneceram fiéis aos seus sentimentos e essencia ali foi Jing e Han. Eles não mereciam o final que tiveram.
As minhas cenas preferidas durante todo o dorama foram da Li com Jing, Han e companhia. Eles eram muito melhores e mais fortes juntos. Minha esperança era que Li conseguisse sair daquele palácio e viver a sua vida feliz ao lado de quem a amava genuinamente. Infelizmente, o oposto aconteceu.
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