Story of Yanxi Palace

"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.

Read More

Mastermind

One word: Mastermind. I am absolutely blown away by this drama, I entered expecting to drop it but 2 episodes in and I was hooked! I love how powerful, smart and clever Ying Luo is. This is a beautiful well written drama that deserves 10 star rating, not only because of the beautiful costumes but also the intricate characters that moves with reason and logic. Everything is smoothly transitioning even in parts I was scared that it would be going haywire. (Ex: entering the harem)

I did not want to start this at first as I am a person of aesthetic and i did not like the baldness fajdnsajnds BUT i quickly got over it with how this is beautifully made. I just can't get over how until the end, like until the end of the drama, MC did not forget to enact her revenger. Truly a mastermind. The supporting characters and antagonists are also so good, I love them so much and I was even a bit sad when they got KO'd but ohhh, how satisfying everything was.

I am a very picky watcher and me liking this so much says so much! Watch it now!

Read More

WE need moreeeee

SUCH a good drama!! So many plot twists and a smart FL TY! Although 70 episodes is longer than any drama you would see but its totally worth it. My dumb self decided to binge watch this in 3 days 3 nights. Regretted it so much because then I didn't feel like there was a connection with me and the drama. And it sort of affected the other dramas I watch after yanxi. But that's my fault.Cried twice in this drama and some were almost forced tears lol. Usually I would cry more than that.

The storyline is good. Plot twists as I mentioned, but fuca and ming yu :( I personally prefer ying luo with fuheng just because he was her first love and they were just so PERFECT. The emperor and ying luo is also a good couple though. A chaotic one too.

Acting is on point. 100/10. The FL did a wonderful job and xu kai as well with the 'cold' personality. The acting WILL take you on a emotional roller coaster ride

Music is alright, the osts are pretty good, no complaints towards it

rewatch value: 9.0 just bc the episodes are quite long for you to go through every single one of it. There were some parts that stood out that you might want to go back and see it again.

overall: 9.5!!

Read More

Truly a masterpiece!! Must watch

Hello everyone this drama made me fall in love with Chinese dramas again. From the setting, costumes to the storyline every episode keeps you wanting more. The main actress plays a servant in the palace seeking revenge for the death of her sister and she slowly becomes the most powerful woman in the palace. Unlike many dramas the female lead isn’t a soft weak lead who cries at every obstacle. She’s smart and clever and able to navigate the palace and become on top. Xu Kai is the male lead at first but there’s a twist with her love interest which I loved! The costumes and cinematography are stunning and very accurate for the times. It’s a tale of revenge, romance, redemption and sisterhood. If you love revenge tales or historical dramas especially set in Qing Dynasty this is a must watch you will not regret!

Read More

It’s an amazing drama! Watch Worthy

I first discovered this drama from the ending theme ost, The sound of snow falling; I fell in love with the song and then watched some music videos, and then I decided to watch it. When I saw that it had 70 episodes, I thought I wasn’t going to like it; I was totally wrong. I binged this drama! I finished it in like 6 days? At first, I really shipped Fuheng and Yingluo, but after seeing how adorable the Emperor is towards Yingluo, I love their interaction. I loved the Queen so much. When she died, my eyes were balling! At first, I thought that the Emperor and Yingluo’s relationship was a little weird since he’s much older, but then I came to like it a lot! This drama is really good! Yingluo does not need a man to rescue her. It is a little unrealistic that Yingluo didn’t die from her actions towards the Emperor, but if she did die, then the drama would not be 70 episodes. Watch it!

Read More

Basically the drama is about the politics that happens between concubines in the palace. Concubines with high power will try to manipulate others for their selfish desires. We can make the story of drama in two parts
1. When Wei Ying Luo is a maid in the palace. Because of her smartness she evolves and becomes a close maid to the empress. When the empress died later she will become a concubine because of some situations
2. How she turns emperor attention towards her (I personally liked this part so much).
I like the way the drama has taken.
All characters made their best in acting and the drama is mainly about Wei Ying Luo

This drama is highly recommended for china drama lovers

Read More

My FAVOURITE show!!!

I experienced such an array of emotions whilst watching this drama it is truly amazing. The way that this story was structured, the fact that they were able to have it span over 10 years and it kept me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE time. Amazing spectacular phenomenal.

I have re-watched this drama at least five times and I still am so engaged during the entire show and even though I’ve watched it so many times I still get emotional during those emotional scenes even though I know what’s going to happen it just still gets me. I feel like at this point I’ve formed an emotional attachment to all of the characters and that’s not something that happens to me usually.

The only other drama or show that can hold a candle to this in my opinion would be Moon lovers: Scarlet Hearts of Ryeo the Korean version. So if you enjoyed this show as much as I did or even a normal amount I would highly recommend watching moon lovers.

Read More

A particularly delighful drama w possible continuity w Legend of Zhen Huan n My Fair Princess (1998)

I watched The Story of Yanxi Palace n Ruyi's Golden Love in the Palace. I found Ruyi so depressingly dismal w how the empress character relied too much on the emperor's kove n trust. Meanwhile, in Yanxi Palace, the characters Yingluo n the Emperor were basically equal. Just love the bickering between the two n how the emperor started off just being intrigued w Yingluo, starting to respect Yingluo as he discovered the depth of her characters n slowly falling in love w her w/o him realising it first. Li Yue character said in one episode where that Yingluo(Ling Fei) treated the emperor as a commoner n that's what make her special. For me, I love that it's the emperor that had to work to earn the love of Yingluo, compared to the usual trope of the heroine falling in love w the emperor first. While for Yingluo herself, we never really know if she truly love the emperor as a man or if she just come to love him as a husband. Love love the female characters in the drama, n how each character has a big moment where the dramatic focus is on them, like the Step Empress impassioned speech in ep 70, the Empress telling the emperor how she felt suffocated by the empress title, Consort Guo admitting that the emperor only pitied her, Consort Chun breakdown, etc.
While Ruyi is supposedly a sequel to Legend of Zhen Huan, I find Yanxi Palace to be a more appropriate to be called a sequel. In Zhen Huan, the heroine had to play palace politics to protect her loved ones. In Yanxi, the Empress Dowager (which could be Zhen Huan) didn't involve himself in political matters, which is reasonable as Zhen Huan wouldn't hv to protect her loved ones anymore once Yongzheng Emperor died n she became the Empress Dowager. In Yanxi, the Empress Dowager loved her deceased princess, Princess He Ang, more than anyone. Which tied in w Zhen Huan where she had a daughter w the 17th Prince, n thus would probably love her the most. In Ruyi, the emperor supposedly love Ruyi (Consort Xian). But, in Zhen Huan, Hong Li didn't like Consort Xian n actually requested Zhen Huan to replace Consort Xian w Consort Gao as his 2nd wife, which tallied w how the emperor treated Consort Xian in Yanxi n that Consort Gao was the 2nd wife. In Ruyi, the empress character was potrayed as someone evil, while in Yanxi, the empress is potrayed as good, which agreed more w how Chinese history wrote abt the empress.
Yanxi's connection w the 1998 drama My Fair Princesd is something that I personally thought of. In Yanxi, there's a period of 10 yrs between ep 64 n 65. The drama told nothing of what happened in that period but in ep 65, we know that the emperor has grown distant frm the step empress. In My Fair Princess, the emperor discovered that he had a daughter w a commoner woman, who he might hv met during one of his tours. The emperor was so taken w thus new daughter as well as her commoner best friend that he bestowed to them the title of Princess n doted on them. Ling Fei became friend w the two princesses. But, the Step Empress got jealous of them n used tactics to get the emperor to hate the princesses n punished them w death. The drama also had the character Lord Fu Heng who helped the two princesses to escape the Step Empress's threats. At the end of the drama, the emperor came to know of the Step Empress's wrongdoings. This then could be the possible reason for why the emperor was distant w the Step Empress in Yanxi, n also how the physician implied to the Step Empress to reign in her jealousy so as not to disturb her health.
So, for me, Legend of Zhen Huan, My Fair Princess (1998) n Yanxi Palace fit in so nicely w eo in term of the storyline n the characters.
Also, in Legend of Zhen Huan, My Fair Princess n Yanxi Palace, the main female characters are portrayed as smart n strong women, while in Ruyi, the main female characters are portrayed as those who are only interested to gain the emperor's love while the Step Empress was so annoyingly ineffectual that all her loved ones suffered due to her own inaction.

Read More

This drama is worth the hype and high rating. Although I really don’t like harem plots this one was an exception. I admit that the first 20 episodes or so did not impress me but after a point (I forgot when) the episodes became exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest. I like how Wei Lingyou’s character is smart and witty and that she is not a saint, she can punish and fight back when needed. The chemistry between the main leads was good even though the romantic scenes were limited and mostly implied this should not deter one from watching. Just the anticipation of when Wei Lingyou would show her love to the Emperor and how the Emperor would show his devotion to WL is enough as romance. Most of the cast did a wonderful job acting although some bits of overacting didn’t affect the drama as a whole. Cinematography was excellent. Locations, sets and costumes were high quality. My only complaint about this drama is the length. Even though the span of the story is about 25 years I think they could have shortened while keeping the span. I would have given this drama a perfect 10 if it was kept at 60 episodes or less. I love the happy ending between Wei Lingyou and the Emperor that they truly loved each other and also the promise of Wei Lingyou to protect/be together with Fuheng in her next life. Overall, this is one of my all time favorite historical dramas and I highly recommend.

Read More

My first review of 2025! I never pictured myself watching a historical Cdrama since these type of shows tend to have a lot of episodes. But despite that, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this series. Even though it did started to drag a bit towards the ending of the show, I loved how fast paced and quick the plots were introduced and resolved. I love all the drama and scheming and I loved the female lead in this.

Even though there's comments on her being a bit Mary Sue ish, I love how fierce and determined she was when it came to accomplishing her goals. It made the show much more enjoyable to watch because I don't think I will stick around this long if she was passive and crying every episode. The romance in this series don't really hit for me like I wanted it to. I originally wanted Yingluo with Fuheng but why did Fuheng gave up on her so easily?? I don't like Yingluo with the Emperor... I never got the vibe that Yingluo truly loved the Emperor and I still hold some resentment on the way he treated the original Empress.

Overall, the drama is what kept me hooked but I think the first half of the series was stronger. After the Empress died, the show was still good but I felt like certain plots were becoming too repetitive and I felt like every new girl character that was introduced was just there for the sake of hating on Yingluo. This is a show that I enjoyed quite a lot but I don't see myself rewatching the series. The episode count is a bit too much for me. Maybe in the future, I'll watch the short sequel series on Netflix. Maybe...

Read More

For me, no other drama will ever top Yanxi Palace

I could watch this every 3 months because it is the epitome of a great drama that encompasses perfect writing, beautiful cinematography, and characters with more layers than a mille-feuille. It's also one that gives the most believable depiction of the Qianlong Emperor unlike Ruyi's Love in the Palace which became all about Ruyi's martyrdom.
Also, I wonder why there aren't more strong female characters like Wei Ying Luo because if the viewing numbers are anything to go by, it at least tells us that audiences want a heroine who can triumph over adversity by the sheer power of her intellect and yet C dramaland is littered with the ghosts of limp-noodle, baby voice heroines who can't find their way out of a paper bag.

Anyway, watch this if you like a fast-paced and unpredictable plot with multiple strong female characters.

Read More

This drama is perfect. The drama is really fun and interest to watch from the start to the end. You won't disappointed.
The reason why it is so good because it's left the ideal of thought. It's really meaningful in life. (No matter how hard or struggle to survive, as long as you find a solution. you will be happy in the end of the result). This is great unlike any drama which it just lead to watch for fun and no meaning in real life.
This is not mean i addictive to watch this drama. and it's perfect in my brain. but it's really good for my type. people have different ideal. let test yourself.

Read More