My Two Cents: Story of Yanxi Palace
Story of Yanxi Palace
Year: 2018
Episodes: 70
Synopsis:
Wei Ying Luo (Wu Jin Yan) enters the palace to investigate the death of her sister, a servant/seamstress. With a spunky, daring attitude and street smarts, she quickly becomes well-known in the palace. She becomes Empress Fu Cha Rong Yin's (Qin Lan) most trusted servant. She also attracts the attention of other concubines who want to kill her and Emperor Qian Long (Nie Yuan) who is annoyed by the empress' protection of her. As she investigates her sister's death, she falls deeper and deeper into the trap that is the Forbidden Kingdom. As she maneuvers her way around jealous, evil concubines and the many rules that control the Forbidden Kingdom, she learns the truth of her sister's death and will stop at nothing to get revenge. Ying Luo ultimately becomes Consort Ling, one of Emperor Qian Long's most beloved concubines as well as the birth mother of the next emperor.
Here are my two cents about this drama.
What I Liked
Pacing
This drama is all pacing. I binged watched this drama so quickly because of the drama's pacing. In many dramas, it takes a ton of episodes for one event to happen. In Yanxi, on the other hand, things happen at lightning speed. For example, Ying Luo quickly defeats all her obstacles and is soon met with new ones. Some argue that this is unrealistic because no person can get away with things so easily. I do not mind it. She does suffer at times and sometimes she does get played by other characters, so it makes the drama more real for me. In addition to the fast pacing, Yanxi also introduces new characters every couple of episodes which really helps to spice up the drama and introduces us to more surprises.
Costumes
At first, when I saw the costumes for Yanxi, I judged them a bit. The colors are simple and the embroidery isn't as flowery and detailed compared to Empress In the Palace. It was easy on the eyes and the simplicity was very beautiful, but I was so used to seeing historical dramas with outlandishly colorful dresses and accessories. The head accessories were flowers which uncultured me thought were made out of pipe cleaners. Apparently, the costumes here are very detailed and accurate. The head accessories are not made of pipe cleaners but are made of velvet and is a rare and slowly dying form of art and fashion. The clothing is all very carefully crafted. Qian Long's robe took eight seamstresses half a year to finish. The colors were selected to be comfortable on the eye. The fans that the concubines hold are made of silk and the image was created as the fan was being made instead of being sewed on. For more information about the creation of the costumes, watch Happy Camp. Back to my opinion on the fashion of the drama. The fashion definitely grew on me. The fans are gorgeous and the clothing is very comfortable on the eye. The head accessories I still think they look weird but I now have a deeper appreciation for them.
Emperor Qian Long
Hands down my favorite character in the drama, Nie Yuan's portrayal of Emperor Qian Long is spectacular and a breath of fresh air. As one of the most celebrated Emperors in China’s history, many dramas have been filmed about him or have been filmed during his reign. This is definitely one of my favorite portrayals of Qian Long or any emperor at that. The Qian Long here is young, only around 30-40 years old which is new because I always see him in dramas as a middle-aged man. My favorite thing about him is how he has many sides. As the most powerful man in the entire kingdom, he is narcissistic but fair. He never forgets even for a second the responsibilities he carries as an emperor. To prevent himself from being affected by any emotions, he forces himself to never show emotions and to never truly fall in love which causes him to seem heartless. He is always mad (ie. kicking servants from the behind and throwing teacups) except when he is with Empress Fu Cha who he loves and greatly respects. Everyone fears him except Wei Ying Luo who is constantly tricking him. When he finally realizes that he has been played, she’s already long gone or already has a perfect excuse ready. He never understands why the Empress loves Ying Luo so much because he views her as a cunning, power-hungry servant. As time goes by, he starts to fall for her charms but is unwilling to admit his feelings for her. His expressions are priceless and his interactions with Ying Luo are so cute and funny.
Fu Heng and Ying Luo
Do I think these two are super cute together.... of course; however, I love these two for more than their love for each other. Fu Heng once said he is blessed that his loved one is also the person that understands him best. Like everyone else, I swoon over the handsome and gentlemanly Fu Heng when he protects and loves Ying Luo but even more so, I love their chemistry together. Without any words, they already know what the other person is thinking. Having someone who truly understands and respects you trumps any kind of love in my book.
What I Do Not Like
Mouths
I am so picky when it comes to the mouth/lips of the actresses in this drama. Our female lead is great in all aspects except she exaggerates her mouth shape like crazy. I kept thinking I would learn to get used to it but I did not. It actually affects my concentration on what is going on. Then there is Charmaine Sheh. As one of TVB's most popular and well-known actress, I grew up watching her dramas. From Moonlight Resonance to Heart of Greed, everything she touches is gold. Her portrayal of Hoifa-Nara Shushen did not disappoint but as a Cantonese speaker, she had to have her voice dubbed in Mandarin. As a Cantonese speaker myself, the dubbing was really distracting. I could tell what she was saying in Cantonese and her lips and the lines did not match up. I also hoped I would get used to it but sadly it did not happen.
Vague
Some things that happened were never specifically answered which throws me off a bit. Overall, the drama did a great job but I just wished I had more answers, especially when it comes to the Empress Dowager. Lots of things were open-ended.
Episodes: 70
Synopsis:
Wei Ying Luo (Wu Jin Yan) enters the palace to investigate the death of her sister, a servant/seamstress. With a spunky, daring attitude and street smarts, she quickly becomes well-known in the palace. She becomes Empress Fu Cha Rong Yin's (Qin Lan) most trusted servant. She also attracts the attention of other concubines who want to kill her and Emperor Qian Long (Nie Yuan) who is annoyed by the empress' protection of her. As she investigates her sister's death, she falls deeper and deeper into the trap that is the Forbidden Kingdom. As she maneuvers her way around jealous, evil concubines and the many rules that control the Forbidden Kingdom, she learns the truth of her sister's death and will stop at nothing to get revenge. Ying Luo ultimately becomes Consort Ling, one of Emperor Qian Long's most beloved concubines as well as the birth mother of the next emperor.
Here are my two cents about this drama.
What I Liked
Pacing
This drama is all pacing. I binged watched this drama so quickly because of the drama's pacing. In many dramas, it takes a ton of episodes for one event to happen. In Yanxi, on the other hand, things happen at lightning speed. For example, Ying Luo quickly defeats all her obstacles and is soon met with new ones. Some argue that this is unrealistic because no person can get away with things so easily. I do not mind it. She does suffer at times and sometimes she does get played by other characters, so it makes the drama more real for me. In addition to the fast pacing, Yanxi also introduces new characters every couple of episodes which really helps to spice up the drama and introduces us to more surprises.
Costumes
At first, when I saw the costumes for Yanxi, I judged them a bit. The colors are simple and the embroidery isn't as flowery and detailed compared to Empress In the Palace. It was easy on the eyes and the simplicity was very beautiful, but I was so used to seeing historical dramas with outlandishly colorful dresses and accessories. The head accessories were flowers which uncultured me thought were made out of pipe cleaners. Apparently, the costumes here are very detailed and accurate. The head accessories are not made of pipe cleaners but are made of velvet and is a rare and slowly dying form of art and fashion. The clothing is all very carefully crafted. Qian Long's robe took eight seamstresses half a year to finish. The colors were selected to be comfortable on the eye. The fans that the concubines hold are made of silk and the image was created as the fan was being made instead of being sewed on. For more information about the creation of the costumes, watch Happy Camp. Back to my opinion on the fashion of the drama. The fashion definitely grew on me. The fans are gorgeous and the clothing is very comfortable on the eye. The head accessories I still think they look weird but I now have a deeper appreciation for them.
Emperor Qian Long
Hands down my favorite character in the drama, Nie Yuan's portrayal of Emperor Qian Long is spectacular and a breath of fresh air. As one of the most celebrated Emperors in China’s history, many dramas have been filmed about him or have been filmed during his reign. This is definitely one of my favorite portrayals of Qian Long or any emperor at that. The Qian Long here is young, only around 30-40 years old which is new because I always see him in dramas as a middle-aged man. My favorite thing about him is how he has many sides. As the most powerful man in the entire kingdom, he is narcissistic but fair. He never forgets even for a second the responsibilities he carries as an emperor. To prevent himself from being affected by any emotions, he forces himself to never show emotions and to never truly fall in love which causes him to seem heartless. He is always mad (ie. kicking servants from the behind and throwing teacups) except when he is with Empress Fu Cha who he loves and greatly respects. Everyone fears him except Wei Ying Luo who is constantly tricking him. When he finally realizes that he has been played, she’s already long gone or already has a perfect excuse ready. He never understands why the Empress loves Ying Luo so much because he views her as a cunning, power-hungry servant. As time goes by, he starts to fall for her charms but is unwilling to admit his feelings for her. His expressions are priceless and his interactions with Ying Luo are so cute and funny.
Do I think these two are super cute together.... of course; however, I love these two for more than their love for each other. Fu Heng once said he is blessed that his loved one is also the person that understands him best. Like everyone else, I swoon over the handsome and gentlemanly Fu Heng when he protects and loves Ying Luo but even more so, I love their chemistry together. Without any words, they already know what the other person is thinking. Having someone who truly understands and respects you trumps any kind of love in my book.
What I Do Not Like
Mouths
I am so picky when it comes to the mouth/lips of the actresses in this drama. Our female lead is great in all aspects except she exaggerates her mouth shape like crazy. I kept thinking I would learn to get used to it but I did not. It actually affects my concentration on what is going on. Then there is Charmaine Sheh. As one of TVB's most popular and well-known actress, I grew up watching her dramas. From Moonlight Resonance to Heart of Greed, everything she touches is gold. Her portrayal of Hoifa-Nara Shushen did not disappoint but as a Cantonese speaker, she had to have her voice dubbed in Mandarin. As a Cantonese speaker myself, the dubbing was really distracting. I could tell what she was saying in Cantonese and her lips and the lines did not match up. I also hoped I would get used to it but sadly it did not happen.
Vague
Some things that happened were never specifically answered which throws me off a bit. Overall, the drama did a great job but I just wished I had more answers, especially when it comes to the Empress Dowager. Lots of things were open-ended.
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