# The Legend of Haolan

The Legend of Haolan (Chinese: 皓镧传) is a 2019 Chinese television series starring Wu Jinyan, Mao Zijun and Nie Yuan. It was broadcast on iQiyi from January 19 to March 24, 2019, and was one of the most highly anticipated television dramas of the year.
Despite the show's good ratings, it failed to live up to the success of 2018's Story of Yanxi Palace.

## Synopsis

The series is set during the Warring States period (3rd century BC), and chronicles the rise of Li Haolan to become the Empress Dowager.
Betrayed by her family and her first love, Li Haolan finds herself in desperate circumstances at the start of the series. Her father, State Censor Li He, arranges marriage between her and the far-older Yu Ping, who treats his other wives brutally. When she tries to circumvent this fate by begging her first love, Prince Jiao, ask to marry her, Li Haolan's stepmother, Gao Min, orders her killed and thrown into the river. Surviving only by chance, Li Haolan crawls back from the brink of death to discover her reputation in tatters, as Gao Min spread the rumor that Li Haolan shamed the family by eloping with a stranger to explain the girl's disappearance. Li Haolan's mother, Wang Wan'er, a lowly concubine, has gone mad with grief over her daughter's unknown fate. Gao Min orders the murder of Li Haolan's mother and sells Li Haolan into slavery, just as Li Haolan watches her sweetheart marrying her little sister, Li Xiuyu.
Stricken with the knowledge of everyone's complicity, and unable to return home, Li Haolan vows she will never beg for another thing in her life as she tries to claw her way out of her fallen circumstances and avenge the death of her mother and the wrongs done to her. The scheming merchant Lü Buwei purchases Li Haolan and takes interest in the fate of this intelligent, unusual girl. Together, they form an unlikely partnership as they both begin to climb the ladders of power.
Through Lü Buwei's influence, Li Haolan enters Zhao's imperial court and makes a match with Ying Yiren, the captive prince of Qin. As Qin and Zhao fall into war, the balance of power changes, with Li Haolan on top.

## Cast
### Main

* Wu Jinyan as Li Haolan / Zhao Ji
** Li He's eldest daughter, by Wang Wan'er. Intelligent, talented, and kind, this favored daughter of a high official becomes a woman fiercely determined to avenge the wrongs done to her and gain enough power to ensure no one can bend her pride again after she is sold into slavery. Because they are on the same path for power, she makes a pact with Lü Buwei to act as his partner. She is unafraid to call out misbehavior and demands she be treated fairly. She eventually becomes the wife of King Zhuangxiang of Qin and the mother of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
* Nie Yuan as Lü Buwei
** A scheming merchant with a reputation for cunning and excellent business sense, Lü Buwei understands the importance of appearance and connections. Despite being from the wealthiest family in Zhao, the upper classes were allowed to step on Lü Buwei and his father due to their merchant status, causing him to vow that, one day, he would have more power and influence than them all. He often hides his altruism under the guise of profit scheming and is never afraid to take advantage of a bad situation, causing others to misunderstand him.
* Mao Zijun as Ying Yiren/Zichu
** Lord Anguo's son, by his concubine Xia Ji, adopted by his wife Lady Huayang. A prince of Qin, later known as King Zhuangxiang of Qin and the father of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Initially the insignificant 27th prince of Qin, Yiren is held in the Zhao imperial court as a royal hostage to ensure the compliance of his home country of Qin. He loves art and music, and is kind to those beneath him, but hates his captors. His warm, pleasant demeanor hides chilly depths.

### Supporting
## Production

The series was filmed from December 20, 2017, to April 8, 2018.
The series was originally slated to have 63 episodes, but the 63rd and final episode was cut due to historical inaccuracies. The new finale is a narrated voiceover at the conclusion of Episode 62.

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Category | Nominee | Results | Ref. |
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Web Series | The Legend of Haolan | Nominated | |
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Wu Jinyan | Nominated | |

## International broadcast

| Region | Network | Dates | Notes |
| Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Australia, United States, Malaysia Astro AOD and Worldwide | TVB Jade | 4 February - 14 April (Monday-Friday at 8:30 p.m) (Two Episode Back To Back for Saturday at 8:30 p.m) | Dubbed With Cantonese. |
| Hong Kong and Southeast Asia | Star Chinese Channel | 19 January-16 April 2019 Weekdays 22:00 | Selection Countries Only |
| Republic of Korea | Channel China | 4 July 2019 | |
| Thailand | Channel 3 | 1 November 2023 Everyday 02:50 | Dubbed with Thai |