The Tale of Yanxi Palace (2018)

Truly worth the hype!

I watched this drama because I heard so much buzz around it and finally gave it a chance to see if it was worth the hype. And I will say yes it absolutely is worth it. This is one of the few dramas that I find to be timeless. The production is flawless and the set/costumes are one of the most accurate depictions of the Qing harem I've ever seen. Not only is the set true to its times (and shows that the set/props and costuming team really did their research), the actual plot and storyline also holds up. It's all around a really quality drama.

I also like that this drama is a lot more face paced than your typical historical cdrama and has multiple plot lines to keep you interested in Yingluo's growth throughout the years. Although Yingluo is the main FL, I am actually most invested and most impressed by the development and performance of Charmaine Sheh's character (Hoifa-nara Shushen). Her character development was perfect and Charmaine Sheh's performance was top notch. She really brought her to life.

I also loved the depiction of the different types of love that Yingluo has around her and can understand her actions at every turn.

The only critique I have of this drama is the lack of chemistry between Yingluo and Fuheng. I personally don't feel the chemistry between them and was not invested in their plot nearly as much as the other plots even though that was supposed to be a big part of the story. I think that Wu Jingyan and Xu Kai can improve in their acting/chemistry. But overall it still delivered the point and drove home their story.

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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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Excelente! ?

Muito, mas muito bom!
Excelente! Ele entrou no "top one". 70 episódios maravilhosos, se tivesse mais cem episódios, eu ainda veria. Ele não é nada cansativo, história envolvente você não sente passar enquanto vê, sem lenga lenga e a protagonista é a melhor que já assisti na vida! Ela é muito cativante, sagas, muito raposa astuta, inteligente e estratégista. Não é bobinha e muito menos submissa, não ela faz todo mundo que faz mal pra ela, e pro entes queridos dela pagar caro pela maldade!!! Era lindo de ver ela fazer o imperador comer na mão dela, apaixonado. Me diverti demais assistindo, e quando terminei, corri pra ver a continuação no Netflix. Lamento não ter mais temporadas. O figurino é sublime, lindo demais! Os cenários tbm. Drama muito bom!

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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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