[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] Story of Yan Xi’s Palace 延禧攻略

[ForgottenSoulx]

2 hours ago, Cedric Ong said:

Ok, the 3 chars....Fucha Empress (1st empress), Xian consort (Ruyi in Ruyi drama, Step or 2nd empress after the 1st one died) and Ling consort (Wei Yingluo in this drama, she only was named empress after she died). 

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Some stuff eg their character (meaning good or evil) aren't mentioned in history books but we can assume Xian and Ling consorts must be clever to be able to climb up to their top positions later. Usually empress esp being the 1st wife type wouldn't need that kind of effort.

 

For Xian consort and later Step empress...she got that history mention of suddenly being neglected by the emperor much later..i think to the extend of imprison her in her palace, reduce her maids, her sons weren't favoured at all etc...she died not long after that. She was given a consort funeral (instead of empress) and body buried with another consort instead of with the emperor...ironically she with Chun consort. And there was almost little mention of her or paintings still kept in the palace after her death.

 

It was said she angered him by cutting her hair which is a taboo...some rumor is she was unhappy with him being close to other consorts or females (as he was known to "survey" outside the palace). But still they suspect she being so experienced shouldnt have made such mistake. So naturally if a drama decide to portay her as someone with some dark secrets...it is quite rational.

 

But on the other hand...for Fucha empress...she got very clear mention in history for her kindness. So more people are unhappy about Ruyi story which portrayed her in negative light.

 

 

Didnt Xian's consort son become emperor or am i wrong??

 

1 hour ago, dramanoob8818 said:

from what I read, yes. IRL, Xian Fei who became Empress Ulanara in real life, suddenly lost favour with Qian Long. No one knows why. It was Consort Ling who bore the most number of children for Qian Long, who was also promoted faster than other concubine in the palace. She was eventually given the hughest rank next to empress status. Her son was named Crown Prince and she was given the title of Empress after death. Qian Long also gave her a funeral almost the same level befitting an empress status.  Whereas for Ulanara empress, he slowly stripped her of her power and status and basically put her in cold storage. When she died, her funeral was simple more befitting a junior concubine than that of Empress. So far Yanxi has not strayed far from the historical understanding of the events. Watching Yanxi so far, WYL was promoted very quickly too and gained the emperor's favour.  Some pple say WYL never loved the emperor, only Fu Heng. But I think she later grew to love him although Fu Heng was her first love.

 

Who do you mean WYL?

 

I like Ruyi's and im excited for the sequel mostly because it does not follow history 100% the history is quite heartbreaking and alot of different versions and points of view's etc..

 

In this version if you google who the main female is you can see how this will end which is quite sad. 

 

 

Story of Yanxi Palace (Chinese: 延禧攻略) is a 2018 Chinese television co-produced by Huanyu Film and iQiyi Pictures; starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan and Xu Kai. The series is based on novel Yan Xi Gong Lüe by Zhou Mo. It was broadcast on iQiyi from 19 July 2018.[1][2] The drama is distributed globally in over 70 countries worldwide

 

I got this from wiki where are these 70 countries? 

[Emily Law]

Will this drama be subbed in English? I'm currently watching the cantonese version but from previous dramas they always cut out important details to shorten the length which is incredibly frustrating. It is also extremely slow 

[Cedric Ong]

3 hours ago, Wotad said:

 

Didnt Xian's consort son become emperor or am i wrong??

 

 

Who do you mean WYL?

 

I like Ruyi's and im excited for the sequel mostly because it does not follow history 100% the history is quite heartbreaking and alot of different versions and points of view's etc..

 

In this version if you google who the main female is you can see how this will end which is quite sad. 

No, Ling Consort's son became the next emperor Jia Qing.

 

And about Fu Heng and Wei Ying Luo....their romance wasn't never mentioned in history....it's made up in novels/dramas.

 

For real history, a quick look in below link :

The ones numbered accordingly 1 Fuca Empress. 2 Xian consort (Lady Hoifa-Nara). 3 Ling consort (Lady Weigiya, her 4th child Yongyan is the next emperor). 4 is Gao consort. 5. consort by name of Fucha also (but think the drama didn't mention her).

6 Jia Consort (in drama, one died then her sister replaced her; in history, there was just only one person).

7 Chun Consort. 8 Qing Consort (the tall one who is always very nice but hardly mix into the politics).

10 Yu Consort (the one who gave birth to Yongqi while being troubled by Gao Consort)

14 Shu Consort (the quarrelsome one who was forced by the emperor to sing all night in the garden)

16 Rong Consort (not yet appear but she would be crucial in later episodes, she was rumored to the basis for Fragrant Consort in several dramas).

 

And the names in the dramas like Ying Luo, Ru Yi etc....most are made up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlong_Emperor#Family

 

Some comparison to the real paintings of the ladies.

https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/40759610

 

2 hours ago, Emily Law said:

Will this drama be subbed in English? I'm currently watching the cantonese version but from previous dramas they always cut out important details to shorten the length which is incredibly frustrating. It is also extremely slow 

So far no news yet. I don't see any of the usual sites who did english subs doing it. 

But since there's news that they are selling the drama to many overseas countries, they also mention they would sub it accordingly. Will have to wait then. 

[moon-flower]

For fans waiting for english subs, you can find recaps here: https://onetruedrama.blogspot.com/

[Cedric Ong]

Just some random thoughts/clarifications :

 

I think while many ideas/schemes are clever....the process where they are carried out....sometimes u have to ignore the doubts....eg the part where the consort mother of one prince was striked by lightning...

 

Spoiler

That prince Hong Zou is the one who raped Wei Ying Luo's sister and his mother silenced the girl later on.

The script actually mention how the cloth used to cover the external of her palace....somehow Ying Luo (probably her previous connection to the clothes and sewing dept) weaved metal threads into the cloth. Again a doubt here...how she got the time to rush it out within the day?

 

So when lightning strike the cloth and the lady touched it, she was electrocuted. BUT there are loophole here....other people might touch the cloth too. And it's too much of a coincidence that the lady would touch it at a certain timing within lightning strike. 

I read they chose not to leave out the details in the drama b'cos they fear people might copy it. Mmmm....well, it's not easy to succeed anyway. The only hint in the drama is when a maid said the cloth is so hard and rough...hinting it's not 100% the usual good quality cloth.  

 

The part where Gao Consort was burnt by the sparks. Mmm....even if u mix in faeces or urine in the molten metal, the heat would have killed off any bacteria. Shouldn't have made her wounds more infected. Unless it's in a different container and spread out separately.

 

But parts where the chars predict how others would act....are quite clever. Mind games. Eg like Ying Luo knew the emperor would take her in for himself when she asked to work for Empress Dowager. Or saving Ming Yu from Chun consort....1st making lousy cakes as offering to Fu Cha Empress, then suggest to the Emperor that Ming Yu made better ones. And not forgetting how Xian Fei affected Chun Fei with her words now and then.

 

The blank looks of some chars.....

Spoiler

Wu Jing Yan, the actress as Wei Ying Luo. Perhaps her eyes isn't as expressive as some actresses...but in other dramas and in the filming BTS clips, her eyes and expressions are much more lively than in the drama. The hints i get from interviews....adding to my own guess.....is this is the way she chose to portray the char. Strong-headed, not showing internal emotions too much. Sometimes blank look with non-blinking eyes b'cos she is thinking alot in her head.

 

But on paper it is one thing....on screen, it might fail to impress viewers. Some viewers look at her acting as bland. But overall, i still like her acting. Actually her char (and acting) is more lively later on after becoming consort and always teasing the emperor.

 

Similarly....Xu Kai as Fu Heng. He acted naturally in the beginning esp around Ying Luo. But after his marriage, his scenes are more like no emotions on his face. Perhaps he's newer in acting (compared to Wu)....but i also guess it's a way to show the char has given up on happiness in life. Perhaps it comes out as too bland.

 

It's just my personal opinions. 

 

So far the best acting (i feel) are from the actresses as as Xian Fei, Fu Cha empress, Er Qing....for actors, perhaps the Emperor..and Yuan Chun Wang. 

 

About ratings and viewership....

Spoiler

Douban is 7.1, rose abit. 

https://movie.douban.com/tv/#!type=tv&tag=热门&sort=recommend&page_limit=20&page_start=0

 

Viewership is still no 1 (dated 17 Aug, both web and TV spots) but drop compared to few days ago. One possible reason is the leaked episodes from Vietnam (i think cos they got vietnam subs). Will see tough fight next mon once Ruyi debuts.

 

 

[Prettysup]

How the back-stabbing imperial concubines of ‘The Story of Yanxi Palace’ helped China’s iQiyi set a viewership record

A 70-episode period drama about a quick-witted maidservant investigating the death of her sister amid a group of back-stabbing Qing dynasty imperial concubines has set the single-day online viewership record in China. A total of 530 million viewers tuned in on August 12 to follow the scheming on iQiyi, the nation’s biggest streaming platform.

 

Some other staggering numbers: The Story of Yanxi Palace, co-produced by iQiyi and Huanyu Film, has attracted a cumulative 5.6 billion views since its release last month, or an average of 130 million views per episode, according to Maoyan, an online ticketing and statistics provider.

The hit drama, set in the court of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), is available in more than 70 markets globally, making it one of the most widely distributed period series produced by China, according to iQiyi.

 

Hong Kong’s TVB recently bought the distribution rights for the show in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Similar distribution agreements have been made with TV channels and platforms in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

 

In one particular episode, a jealous concubine schemed to destroy some lychee trees that the emperor had shipped from southern Fujian province to Beijing, so as to embarrass the empress, who was preparing to share the fruits at a tea party. The consort’s maidservant turned the tables on the concubine by making it seem like the latter’s Pekinese dog had caused the damage.

 

In an earlier episode, a lower-ranking concubine hung herself after being humiliated by being repeatedly slapped in public. That punishment was meted out by the same vengeful concubine who destroyed the lychee trees.

 

That such a plot line can inspire hours of binge-watching among China’s couch potatoes underlines the continued interest in imperial dramas, a staple in Chinese TV fare alongside dramas about the Communist Party’s struggle against the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s.

Previous hit palace shows include The Legend of Zhenhuan in 2011, about an imperial concubine, which attracted 6.8 billion times of view online, and The Legend of MiYue, a 2015 production set in the Qin dynasty (221 to 206BC) that got 10 billion views.

 

Billions of dollars in advertising and other revenue are at stake. China is home to the world’s largest internet population, and the video-streaming market reached 95.2 billion yuan in revenue last year and is expected to hit 200 billion yuan by 2020, driven by membership fees, according to iResearch.

 

The surge in entertainment spending has also sparked a race among production houses and studios to secure the services of the most popular actors. The resulting inflation in fees has in led to cases of tax evasion and illegal offshore currency transfers, with multiple agencies recently initiating a coordinated crackdown targeting high-profile celebrities.

Over the weekend, the country’s three streaming giants – iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youkou Tudou – pledged to cap the pay of television stars at 1 million yuan (US$145,200) per episode and no more than 50 million yuan for an entire season. A government ruling in September mandated that fees to actors cannot exceed 40 per cent of the total production budget.

 

Two episodes of Yanxi Palace are being released a day on iQiyi platforms every Tuesday to Sunday. With the final episode slated to be aired on August 28 for fee-paying members, the plotting continues.

 

https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/2159591/how-back-stabbing-imperial-concubines-helped-chnas-iqiyi-set-viewership-record

[Prettysup]

New Chinese mainland dramas big hit among Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas audiences
 

 

Huge hit dramas in the Chinese mainland such as Story of Yanxi Palace and Legend of Fuyao are also seeing great success in other areas of China as well as in overseas markets. 

 

Premiering on July 19 on Chinese streaming platform iQiyi, the Chinese period drama Story of Yanxi Palace has been one of the most talked-about topics on Chinese social media over the past month. 

 

Set during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the show follows the story of an imperial court maid who manages to become one of the Qianlong Emperor's favorite concubines. The 70-episode show, which set a single-day viewership record for a series drama in the Chinese mainland with 530 million views, also simultaneously debuted on iQiyi's Taiwan site to a record-breaking 1 million views in its first week, according to local newspaper the Taipei Times.

 

Hong Kong's TVB also bought the rights to air the show in Hong Kong (on August 6), Macau, Singapore and Malaysia, the South China Morning Post reported.

Discussion and comparison

 

"This drama's visuals are the prettiest I've ever seen in a mainland drama" and "Its storyline and characterization as well as its setting and costumes are based on real history and watching this show really helps increase my knowledge" are just some of the popular reviews the drama has on TVB's site. Hong Kong actress Charmaine Sheh's performance in the show as the emperor's evil concubine-turned-empress has also received a lot of thumbs-up from local fans.

 

The mainland drama's improved production quality has also sparked worries among Hong Kong netizens about the declining quality of their own local dramas. 

 

"TVB's period dramas are incomparable to those produced by the mainland; just look at the visuals, the beautiful and exquisite setting and costumes in Story of Yanxi Palace makes Deep In the Realm of Conscience [TVB's latest period drama] look cheap by comparison," commented netizen sputnik101 on the TVB site.

 

Once a major producer of acclaimed period dramas in Asia, TVB in recent years has witnessed decreasing influence as well as a loss of some of its most well-known stars and producers - many of whom have chosen to pursue careers in the mainland. 

Overseas popularity

 

Since Story of Yanxi Palace is yet to release official English-subs, many overseas drama fans have left messages on Twitter and YouTube under the show's clips and trailers asking for them. 

 

Full article link : http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1115670.shtml

 

 

[ForgottenSoulx]

Will Fuyi air on the same platform or another one?? 

[Cedric Ong]

17 minutes ago, Wotad said:

Will Fuyi air on the same platform or another one?? 

According to chinese wiki. Ruyi will be shown on Tencent. 

iqiyi (Taiwan) in Taiwan, myTV Super in HK, Astro双星 in Malaysia, Viu in Singapore 

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/如懿傳

 

Yanxi is shown on iqiyi in both China and Taiwan.Then cantonese version on TVB Jade in HK and Astro AOD in Malaysia.

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/延禧攻略

 

* for both, there are others (channels/countries) under planning but no confirmation yet.

[ForgottenSoulx]

7 minutes ago, Cedric Ong said:

According to chinese wiki. Ruyi will be shown on Tencent. 

iqiyi (Taiwan) in Taiwan, myTV Super in HK, Astro双星 in Malaysia, Viu in Singapore 

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/如懿傳

 

Yanxi is shown on iqiyi in both China and Taiwan.Then cantonese version on TVB Jade in HK and Astro AOD in Malaysia.

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/延禧攻略

 

* for both, there are others (channels/countries) under planning but no confirmation yet.

is Iqiyi bigger then Tencent? 

[Cedric Ong]

4 minutes ago, Wotad said:

is Iqiyi bigger then Tencent? 

Sorry. I don't know. Can't help u on this.

 

[Emily Law]

10 hours ago, Wotad said:

is Iqiyi bigger then Tencent? 

I just took a quick look online and it seems Tencent is slightly more popular than Iqiyi.

[Cedric Ong]

Think the show got 1 starting song and 3 end-credits songs which reflect 3 periods of the drama. This is the 3rd one 相忘 (loosely translated as Forgetting Each Other)...it's sang by Su Qing (who played the char Er Qing). Well, it's not that good a song compared to the others....but i like the transition effects where they show the embroidery come alive and then fade back into the clothes or items wore by the chars. Can only find facebook version.

Do u know the starting song (看 or See) has lyrics? When u watch the drama itself, most of the main parts of that song are not sang...only hear the "oooo" and the opera singing at the end. Here's the full version.

 

Sidetrack abit. The 2 leads actually were in a short clip some time before this drama was filmed. And the kisses that don't happen in this drama...happened in the short clip...haha.

Spoiler

This type of clip made by some indie director is semi-professional and not much of dialogue. The theme is actually "old-story", the story started with a girl and the king, then flashback abit telling us she was a modern girl who fainted and travelled back in time. The king had fell in love with her, mix in a guard who also liked her....then one day she return back to her time....and guess someone follow her too. They used a song for the background but the lyrics aren't that related. Some ppl thought that this a trailer but it's not. That's all it is. 

 

 

 

[Cheerie]

@Cedric Ong i agree with you on Fu Heng's acting. He is bland whenever he acts with Zicheng. They are like acting on their own and not together. His parts with Yingluo and the rest are not too bad for a newbie....and he is an eye candy. 

 

I m fine with Wu Jing Yan as Yingluo. She is not a typical pretty face with nice and soft characters. She is special to me as a leading lady with flaws. None of the men fall in love with her at first sight but instead they grow to love her so deeply for her sincerity and loyalty. My favorite is the emperor and empress. Even all the evil concubines deliver so well. 

 

This drama is additive as the story and pace are great. I m at 39 and it is getting very emotional.  i m getting ready for more weeping with the story of the empress 

 

This version sang by  Qin Lan, the Fu Ca empress.

 

 

[Cedric Ong]

iqiyi is showing the drama today mondays too....meaning every day of the week. Initially it was on thu to sun...then tue to sun.

 

Well..obviously it is a strategy...but mind as well finish the drama sooner. At least no long-term fight with the other show. And more convenient for those who support both shows.

 

Still hoping they will eng sub the drama...so to extend to more viewers.

[Cheerie]

Ya its obviously their strategy to counter Ruyi, which is starting today. The final episodes on 28/8 right? Yesterday was another record high for webdrama. 

[Cedric Ong]

Below is a pic link of schedule for remaining episodes. Red is for iqiyi VIP. White is normal viewers like me (so will end on 30 aug). I know got vietnam source leak but i wont watch....anyway 90mins (2ep x 45min) per day is just right for me...haha.

 

About the vietnam source...

Spoiler

I read somewhere that the source is related to a vietnam company which tencent has shares in. And u know tencent is the china platform for Ruyi. But all this is rumors. I also don't understand how that company would have the episodes in advance in the 1st place. 

 

[etelou1]

Considering the popularity of this drama, I'm sure it'll get subbed in the future...Ruyi might even have higher ratings just for the sheer fact that English subs will be added....either way I have to stop obsessing over this drama and hope that by the end of the year, subs will be added. I saw the comparison being made about the clothes the consort wear....specifically the fact that yanxi palace clothes don't really match the history...is that true? 

[Cedric Ong]

46 minutes ago, etelou1 said:

Considering the popularity of this drama, I'm sure it'll get subbed in the future...Ruyi might even have higher ratings just for the sheer fact that English subs will be added....either way I have to stop obsessing over this drama and hope that by the end of the year, subs will be added. I saw the comparison being made about the clothes the consort wear....specifically the fact that yanxi palace clothes don't really match the history...is that true? 

I thought yanxi clothes and jewellery do match history...for that qianlong period....esp how frugal fucha empress was. They have compared to real paintings.

But i dont want to focus on that too much....bcos in various forums...they tend to argue on this alot. Different people different views...esp when come to supporters of rival dramas. 

[Cedric Ong]

Read abit from china forums...wow...so chaotic...the various opinions, dissing, speculations (eg how yanxi episodes leak happen and spread) etc.

 

I tend not to focus too much on this rivalry. I just watch for the dramas...if i enjoy one or even both of them..enough for me. Lucky they only overlap for 1 week or so.