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

[Cedric Ong]

And poor Mingyu...lucky she and the female lead...

Spoiler

...act together again in Hao Lan zhuan. Not sure relationship but should be close.

 

[Cedric Ong]

Ying Luo

 

Fucha empress

 

Feel perhaps the relationship btw these 2 is the purest from start to end. Of course, we don't know in real history. Just appreciate it in the drama.

 

Credit to :

https://www.instagram.com/carrie_maoyi/

[Sobayaki]

I'm currently on episode 62. I feel there are missing scenes that have been cut...

 

Spoiler

In the scene where 舒妃 gave Chen Bi gifts, Chen Bi mentioned Yingluo and 嘉妃 were both punished. But I don't remember a scene where 嘉妃 was being punished after Chen Bi entered the palace.

 

Also, it was mentioned the script Mingyu personally forced Er Qing to drink poison but it was cut. But I remember Yingluo asked Mingyu onscreen if she regretted personally killing Er Qing. So I think it must have been filmed, it was just cut out. Kind of disappointing.

 

I also saw a BTS clip of Su Jinghao getting choked to death with kite wire but again it was not shown. I hope these clips will be released eventually as BTS.

 

[Cedric Ong]

1 hour ago, Sobayaki said:

I'm currently on episode 62. I feel there are missing scenes that have been cut...

 

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In the scene where 舒妃 gave Chen Bi gifts, Chen Bi mentioned Yingluo and 嘉妃 were both punished. But I don't remember a scene where 嘉妃 was being punished after Chen Bi entered the palace.

 

Also, it was mentioned the script Mingyu personally forced Er Qing to drink poison but it was cut. But I remember Yingluo asked Mingyu onscreen if she regretted personally killing Er Qing. So I think it must have been filmed, it was just cut out. Kind of disappointing.

 

I also saw a BTS clip of Su Jinghao getting choked to death with kite wire but again it was not shown. I hope these clips will be released eventually as BTS.

 

Spoiler

 

Ya, those death scenes are cut probably too gory or it affected the cute image of Mingyu.

As for Chen Bi...there should be scenes of her entering the palace and also dance scenes (remember that part where Ying Luo saw the Emperor watching something, very focused?)....but initially her background is from a western tribe (thus the reference to the legend of Fragrant Consort, though not exactly the same here)....she wore tribal clothes. I'm not 100% sure but the govt censor board might not like that ethnic group to be portray in a certain manner....thus they have to cut out scenes of her in tribal clothes....resulting in a slightly "disconnected" flow of the story. And her background is also changed, no mention of race.

 

Same goes for Ruyi drama....there's one consort who is of Korean descent....i think surname Jin (or Kim, a common name in Korea)....they also changed her background.

 

 

Sharing a map with english names. Yangxin palace (located west-middle, is the living quarters of the Emperor). * initially the emperor occupied Qianqing Palace (right in the middle) with empress in Kunning Palace. But Yongzheng onwards, they moved out due to some reason. So the place is only for major events. As for the Empress, they do shift a bit for each generation. Qianlong's period is Changchun Palace. 

 

Yanxi or Yenxi is on the east side....considered farther away....but others like ZhongCui palace is also quite far away.  For the dowager empress and previous ladies, usually Cining or Shoukang palaces (both left of Yangxin, side by side). On the extreme right eg Huangji Palace are reserved for retired Emperor if still alive. The princes are distributed in several small buildings, unnamed in map.

 * For ZhenHuan, her 1st location Sui Yu Xuan is non-existent, made up.

[Cedric Ong]

There's a live event of the actors, it's like a celebration of the final episode. No eng sub.

U can skip to 5:30 for the actors to start coming in.

U can close the on-screen comments with the 5th bottom-right icon (slide it).

https://live.iqiyi.com/s/19rqqjckwj.html

[shizniz00]

just did a marathon of 28eps and loved it! been waiting for engsub but ended up watching it raw. love the emperor's interaction with ling luo.

[ForgottenSoulx]

20 hours ago, Cedric Ong said:

Just some trivia on Wu Jing Yan 吴谨言.

She is already 28yo. Born in Beijing, 1990. She was a ballet dancer.

 

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Entered Beijing Dance Academy in 2000 and danced in National Ballet of China from 2007-09 but quit after injury. Then she went

 

 

 

 

Im looking forward to those two drama's both on my list ;p

 

 

16 hours ago, Cedric Ong said:

And poor Mingyu...lucky she and the female lead...

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...act together again in Hao Lan zhuan. Not sure relationship but should be close.

 

 

that picture is from this drama of hao lan zhuan

 

 

[llamallamallama0]

22 hours ago, cheeriekwan said:

Yanxi is definitely a lower budget drama. Its obvious from the cast, props and costumes. 

 

Sorry, but i think you've misunderstood some details.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Ruyi might have a higher budget because their actors are expensive

Spoiler

 

 

pls don't hate me

 

Edited August 27, 2018 by llamallamallama0

[Cheerie]

3 minutes ago, llamallamallama0 said:

 

Sorry, but i think you've got got misunderstanding

 

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https://youtu.be/urqDCeYxUwk

 

 

Ruyi might have a higher budget because their actors are expensive

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PrjKZPe-tA

 

pls don't hate me

 

Of course no hates. Please feed us more information.  Have not been getting enough news on this great drama. 

[Cheerie]

So far, the only boring part for me is Chen Bi's story. Not sure its the plot or the actress fault. Luckily it didnt take too long to kick her out. 

[Cedric Ong]

Ya. I also find Chen Bi's part abit extra. I rather they continue to focus on the step empress.

Spoiler

Perhaps i am thinking more of like Zhen Huan...there is a flow of the main bad guy from Hua consort...to the Empress. With supporting ones like An Ling Tong and Qi consort from the middle. 

 

For Yanxi, Chen Bi's part came too late at the end...and too short too. Perhaps if they bring her in much earlier and exist as a low profile char for a while. Then finally surprise us with her agenda revealed. 

 

And i thought Yuan Chun Wang is crazy enough...Chen Bi's reason is even crazier...the only ones she should blame are the ones who sent her into the palace. If she purely just wanted to do something that angered the Emperor...i will pity her.

 

And i thought she wanted to die in the 1st place....why she still need to act crazy to avoid being executed? Bug?

 

Well...on further thoughts...perhaps her part is needed for Qianlong and Yingluo to move forward from their stagnant relationship after she moved to Yuanming garden. 

 

But...my poor Mingyu and Hai Lan Cha.

 

 

[Jackie1048]

Finally, Step Empress asked Ying Luo how she managed to keep the Emperor's interest for so long. Ying Luo told the Step empress that she had made the mistake of telling the Emperor that she loved Qian Long. I suppose in not knowing how Ying Luo felt about him was the key to Ying Luo's success in keeping the Emperor by her side after these years.

 

Ying Luo finally got her revenge for her sister as the Emperor sentenced Prince Qing with poison.

 

I suppose because of her humble background she will not be named Empress. I am sure the Ministers will protest because she is Han born and not Manchu. So she got the Royal Noble Consort and she will take charge over the Inner Palace.

 

As for the ending, she never gave an answer to Qian Long's question of who is the man in her mind but she promised him that there is a lifetime to give him that answer.

 

Wu Jin Yan next drama Hao Lan Zhuan, she will play the mother of another Emperor - Qin Shi Huang.

[Cedric Ong]

Guess VIPs had already watched last ep. Probably leaked eps also got last ep. And if not full clips...some cuts are also easily avail...revealing everything. For normal viewers last ep is on thu. 

 

For me...i think slightly different...Ying Luo is clever enough to let the Emperor know she feels for him by some actions once a while (u can't 100% act cold all the time)...but at the same time, there is no need to repeat i love u or i'm yours...all the time like some of the ladies would do.

 

Another bug i realise....what happen to the feud btw the step empress and empress dowager? I thought she still had one more flame not cut yet. They didnt explain anything during Chen Bi's episodes. The explanations i can think of is the empress had given birth....so she mellowed down abit...and the dowager empress left it go due to the grandsons. Or Qianlong had guessed of their feud and mediated btw them.

[lyserose]

Greetings all.

 

I would like to say, thank you so much for creating and livening this thread. As a non-chinese speaker, this is my only go-to source for everything Yanxi. 

 

It's been a long time since I last watched a C-drama (the last being Zhenhuan and BBJX), having stick with watching K-dramas only over the years until finally, Yanxi got me invested and I am seriously loving it so far. And I thank this drama also for finally getting me out of my slump after the ending of K-drama "My Ajusshi" months ago.

 

I have only watched the drama with subs up till episode 21, so you must understand how torturous it is for me of having to wait for 8 weeks to finally be able to complete this drama. 

 

I like the female lead - she may not be outright pretty but there is something striking about her look. Her character (though a bit OTT in term of her list of impressive talents) is refreshing to watch and maybe I just simply love a smart spunky heroine and she is all that. I do like Fu Heng but the Emperor is certainly growing on me (and this probably because he is essayed by a much better and seasoned actor compared to the young actor playing Fu Heng that gave Qianlong a certain charm).

 

Hope to read more on your updates and once again, thank you.

[dramanoob8818]

Loving this all the way. So sad its come to an end. For this drama, I had to grapple with my crappy Chinese and watch without subs (where was it when I was in school!). 

 

I liked Yanxi because it had that nice balance between fact and fiction. Overall, the plot lines remained true to what happened in history. The speculative gaps were filled in with fiction - ie the relationship between Fu Heng and Ying Luo, or the coup by Hong  Zhou, or Yuan Chun Wang's character. But overall, it told the story of the concubine who came from nothing and became one of three empresses in Qian Long's life. I thought that premise was very interesting. 

 

Some criticise Wu Jinyan's acting as 'wooden' but I think she is meant to look inscrutable and without expression at least in the earlier half because of her position as a maid. Maids cannot show too much personality in public. However her scenes with her fellow seamstress maids showed her real forceful personality though. Overall I thought her acting was pretty good and she was very well supported by the rest of the cast. 

 

A lot of people tend to ship Ying Luo with Fu Heng and while I agree their love was bittersweet, kinda like a pure first love that is more idealistic than real, I think her relationship with the emperor was also warm and lasting. I loved the way she could yank his chain and literally say stuff that others cannot/dare not say and he would humour her. She was also smart about how she handled him.  For example: 

 

Spoiler

The last episode on the boat when the empress was disapproving and chiding the emperor for enjoying the dance of the 'nubiles' (haha) you can tell from his face that he hated the nagging and it was just lighting his fuse. Empress then tried to get Ying Luo's support but rather than just agree with the empress, Ying Luo turned it around and flipped the conversation to her checking out hot eunuchs which got the emperor amused but a bit jealous and he himself then halted the performance. So there are two ways of getting the job done, but Ying  Luo knew which buttons to press for the emperor while the empress, for all she claimed to love him, did not. 

 

By the time the story ended, I was quite happy with the ending. Sure, she didn't end up with Fu Heng but she did not have an unhappy life with the emperor either. In reality, she bore him 6 children, the most of all the concubines he had. He honoured her at the highest level both when she was alive and after she was dead. Her posthumous title of empress was not granted by her son the Jiaqing  Emperor (as usually was the case when a new emperor ascended the throne) but by Qian Long himself. In the last scene, they appeared happy and comfortable with each other. 

 

With the end of Yanxi, I tried to watch Ruyi to cope with post-Yanxi withdrawal symptoms but Ruyi was a real let-down.  I couldn't even get past one episode. Ironic because I was looking forward to Ruyi for the longest time and only picked up Yanxi as a stopgap while waiting for Ruyi! They may have the big budgets, but I am guessing that came from star salaries. The costumes and the overall art direction did not have the elegance that Yanxi had. And regarding budgets, I thought Yanxi's budget was not that small either - about 300million yuan? 

 

I just hope they sub it so I can re-watch and fill in the gaps where my Mandarin fell short - usually the part when the emperor was going on about the military and political stuff - haha. 

[Jackie1048]

I remembered one scene of Qian Long and Ying Luo ... maybe after the Empress miscarriage that he spoke of the expectation or burden of the women in his life. I believe he said that he is not a normal man but a monarch and therefore he will never be an ordinary man in terms of the normal sense of a husband.

 

The two empresses and the other noble consort are from the aristocracy but Ying Luo is not and therefore her approach to the Emperor is different. Ying Luo had made her relationship with Qian Long always fresh and exciting.

 

I suppose it is like my husband and I still keeping our relationship fresh and exciting by going on date nights at the movies or even for drinks .. a break from the mundane reality of life

[ForgottenSoulx]

8 hours ago, lyserose said:

 

 

Where are subs?

 

 

1 hour ago, Jackie1048 said:

 

I suppose it is like my husband and I still keeping our relationship fresh and exciting by going on date nights at the movies or even for a drinks .. a break from the mundane reality of life

 

I think thats what a marriage really needs it still needs more bonding and alone time. 

[lyserose]

11 hours ago, Wotad said:

Where are subs?

Yanxi is currently airing on Malaysia's paid cable tv Astro On Demand. They aired 7 episodes per week, one each day. I couldn't find any english sub on any streaming portal so far.

 

I have watched some raw version and since my bestie is a Chinese-speaker, she assisted me to translate since she is also watching the drama. 

[lyserose]

18 hours ago, dramanoob8818 said:

With the end of Yanxi, I tried to watch Ruyi to cope with post-Yanxi withdrawal symptoms but Ruyi was a real let-down.  I couldn't even get past one episode. Ironic because I was looking forward to Ruyi for the longest time and only picked up Yanxi as a stopgap while waiting for Ruyi! They may have the big budgets, but I am guessing that came from star salaries. The costumes and the overall art direction did not have the elegance that Yanxi had. And regarding budgets, I thought Yanxi's budget was not that small either - about 300million yuan? 

Spoiler

I also couldn't get passed one episode. Maybe the tone of the drama or what, I don't know. It seems lacking a certain charm somewhere. Ruyi reminded me a lot of K-drama, Mr. Sunshine. While the production is grand, the show itself has too much of the "trying" feel. I couldn't exactly explain what that is but it feels manufactured, lack of feel, thus not enough to sustain my interest to continue watching. Plus, it feels weird to watch Ruyi for now since the period setting and characters are the same, only that they were portrayed in the opposite direction.

 

[dramanoob8818]

33 minutes ago, lyserose said:

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I also couldn't get passed one episode. Maybe the tone of the drama or what, I don't know. It seems lacking a certain charm somewhere. Ruyi reminded me a lot of K-drama, Mr. Sunshine. While the production is grand, the show itself has too much of the "trying" feel. I couldn't exactly explain what that is but it feels manufactured, lack of feel, thus not enough to sustain my interest to continue watching. Plus, it feels weird to watch Ruyi for now since the period setting and characters are the same, only that they were portrayed in the opposite direction.

 

 Yes exactly how I felt. I tried watching Mr Sunshine too and also could not connect. Yeah, I heard lots of impressive stats but somehow something was off for me. I also could not get past 1 episode of Mr Sunshine. What can I watch now? Short of re-watching Zhen Huan and Yanxi!