Story of Yanxi Palace

Story of Yanxi Palace (Chinese: 延禧攻略; pinyin: Yánxǐgōnglüè) is a 2018 Chinese television series recounting the struggles of a palace maid in the court of the Qianlong Emperor. It was created by Yu Zheng, with original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a novel by Xiao Lianmao. Starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan, Tan Zhuo and Xu Kai, the series premiered on iQIYI from July 19, 2018 to August 26, 2018.
Distributed in more than 70 markets worldwide, Story of Yanxi Palace became a huge hit across Asia, catapulting Wu Jinyan and Xu Kai to stardom and revitalizing the careers of Qin Lan and Charmaine Sheh. It was the most googled TV show in the world in 2018, despite Google being blocked in Mainland China, and was streamed over 15 billion times on iQIYI that year. A spin-off/sequel titled Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures was released on Netflix on December 31, 2019.
Embroidery Bureau (Episode 1–7)
During the Qing dynasty, in 18th century Beijing, Wei Yingluo enters the court of the Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) as an embroidery maid in order to secretly investigate her beloved sister, Wei Yingning's mysterious death. Yingluo survives the machinations of other embroidery maids jealous of her skills and impresses Empress Fuca with her wit.
Changchun Palace I (Episode 8–27)
At first believing the imperial guard Fuca Fuheng to be the prime suspect, Yingluo schemes to approach his sister, the Empress Fuca, and succeeds in getting transferred from the Embroidery Bureau to Changchun Palace. Yingluo serves the Empress together with head palace maids Erqing and Mingyu, where she eventually becomes a trusted confidante of the Empress and learns that the Fuca siblings are innocent of the crime. Yingluo and Fuheng also fall for each other in the meantime.
Meanwhile, the Emperor's Consort Chun allies herself with the Empress due to her crush on Fuheng.
Yingluo eventually catches the attention of the Emperor himself. Though she is not of noble birth and is illiterate, the Empress teaches her how to read and write, and the proper etiquette and mannerisms for noblewomen. The Empress also saves her several times from punishment for probing too deeply into her sister's death. In turn, Yingluo helps the Empress survive a series of schemes by her rivals. The two develop a close friendship.
Over time, Yingluo discovers that her sister was raped by Prince He, the fifth son of the late Yongzheng Emperor and a younger half-brother of the current Emperor. To cover up the shameful act, the Prince's mother, Consort Dowager Yu murdered Yingning. Yingluo successfully hatches a plot to kill the culprit.
Hard Labour Department (Episode 28–36)
The Empress feigns anger over Yingluo's acts and banishes her to the Hard Labor Department, allowing her to escape a potentially more severe punishment from the Emperor. There, Yingluo befriends a conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang.
Without Yingluo, the Empress falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao that causes a miscarriage and puts her in a coma. News reaches Yingluo, who visits the Empress' chamber to care for her. Her devotion, quick wit and defiance attracts the Emperor, causing him to develop an infatuation towards Yingluo and leading him to forbid Fuheng and Yingluo from marrying. Fuheng persists in his love despite many problems arising from it. However, when Yingluo is about to be severely punished and sentenced to death, Fuheng backs down to appease the Emperor and agrees to marry Erqing, breaking Yingluo's heart. This causes the two to become distant.
Meanwhile, Consort Xian leverages on Yingluo's plan to avenge the Empress and eventually drives Noble Consort Gao to commit suicide. The Emperor eventually relents on his tough stance towards Yingluo and allows her to return as a maid to the Empress.
Changchun Palace II (Episode 37–40)
The Empress eventually wakes from her coma and becomes pregnant again, but almost loses her life while giving birth to a son. Consort Chun, insulted by Fuheng's rejection, strives to be the Emperor's new favorite and even bears a son, which places her in direct competition with the Empress. That New Year's Eve, Consort Chun murders the Empress' baby by causing a fire in Changchun Palace and the devastated Empress commits suicide out of grief.
Imperial Gardens I (Episode 41–42)
After her death, Yingluo is sent to live and guard over her mistress' memorial tablet at the Imperial Gardens. She stays there with Yuan Chunwang until the Emperor and the imperial consorts come to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday, and Yingluo learns that Noble Consort Chun is responsible for the late Empress' suicide. She decides once again to enter the Forbidden City and exact retribution on the evildoers.
Yanxi Palace I (Episode 43–57)
In order to achieve her goal, Yingluo skillfully charms the Empress Dowager and becomes part of the Imperial Harem, being bestowed the rank of noble lady (five ranks below the empress). She quickly rises through the ranks, with the help of Mingyu, the late Empress Fuca's attendant, Hailan Qa and Fu Heng after his return, toppling her rivals including Noble Consort Chun, and exposing her role in the late Empress Fuca's death. This leads to Noble Consort Chun's demise at the hands of the newly named Step-Empress Nara. Yingluo's captivation of the Emperor and rapid promotions bring her numerous threats, especially from her former sworn brother Yuan Chunwang. Yingluo forces Erqing to drink poison after she learns the truth about her involvement in Empress Fuca's suicide. At the Step-Empress Nara's direction, Yuan Chunwang makes it known that Yingluo is secretly taking contraceptives. She instantly loses the favor of the Emperor, who has fallen for her at this point.
Yingluo teams up with the Empress Dowager, whose own relationship with the Emperor has been put to the test after the Step-Empress has revealed that the Emperor is not the biological son of the Empress Dowager, but the offspring of Lady Qian, a Han Chinese imperial consort of the late Yongzheng Emperor who had died under mysterious circumstances. It is implied that the Empress Dowager had killed Lady Qian out of jealousy for having a son and then adopted the current Emperor.
Imperial Gardens II (Episode 58)
The two women once most dear to the Emperor go into self-imposed exile, leading the Emperor to feel guilty for doubting his adoptive mother, who is undeniably the one who raised and protected him for years.
Yanxi Palace II (Episode 59–70)
A few years later, another threat in the form of newcomer Concubine Shun, a beautiful and cunning woman, calls Yingluo back to the Forbidden City. Yingluo sets out to reclaim the Emperor's favor, but finds herself befriended by her rival. However, Concubine Shun has her own agenda. Framing Yingluo for attempted assassination, she teams up with the Step-Empress Nara to put Yingluo under house arrest. Nevertheless, Yingluo is able to reverse her situation, reveal Concubine Shun's treachery, and reclaim the Emperor's affections for her. At the same time, Yingluo is discovered to be pregnant with the Emperor's child, much to his happiness. Having reached stalemate at this point, Yingluo negotiates a truce with the Step-Empress Nara on the condition that both of them will not harm any imperial offspring in spite of their rivalry.
Yingluo, who also raises the Fifth Prince Yongqi, goes on to bear two daughters and two sons over the next ten years, but one of her sons dies in infancy and her health also slowly deteriorates.
Yuan Chunwang, now the Step-Empress Nara's trusted servant, betrays his new mistress by causing a series of mishaps in the palace that destabilize her rule and affect her sanity. He gradually uses Prince He's affection for the Step-Empress to instigate a rebellion; they plot to sabotage the southern imperial boat tour in order to seize power and, in Prince He's mind, free the Step-Empress from her eroding position. One night, a band of rebels suddenly storms onto the imperial boat just as a fire engulfs the Empress Dowager's cabin, prompting the Emperor to charge into the flames to save his mother and seemingly perishing in the process.
The next morning, as Prince He gallantly appears to restore order from the overnight coup, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager emerge safely from a secret passageway designed by Fuheng and expose the plan of treachery. As it turns out, Prince He was betrayed by the Step-Empress, who has always loved the Emperor and wants to use the rebellion to prove her devotion to her husband. Just then, Yingluo comes out of hiding under the protection of the Emperor's guards, the only imperial consort to have received such protection. This clear favoritism, after all of her years of devotion, causes the Step-Empress to break down into a fit of jealous rage and cut off her hair, a taboo in Manchu tradition.
After the Emperor sentences Prince He to confinement and the Step-Empress is dragged away, Yuan Chunwang proclaims his innocence, only for Yingluo to reveal the real reason behind his hate for the Emperor. Yuan Chunwang believes he is an illegitimate son of the late Yongzheng Emperor, because of the imperial clothes that were left behind to his family. The Empress Dowager loudly denies this and claims that he is the offspring of a bandit who killed the Emperor's biological mother and later raped Yuan Chunwang's own mother, and asserts that the clothes were the same ones Lady Qian exchanged with the Yongzheng Emperor and wore to distract the bandits. Yuan Chunwang is driven into madness upon realizing that he has been misled by a lie, which led him to choose to be castrated and enter the Forbidden City for revenge. Although the Emperor desires to execute Yuan Chunwang by lingchi, the Empress Dowager suddenly asks the Emperor to spare him. When he protests, the Empress Dowager tells him to trust her this one time and it is implied that she was lying about Yuan Chunwang's backstory. Yuan Chunwang is banished to the Hard Labor Department for life, never recovering his sanity.
Back when Yingluo was being punished to work in the Hard Labor Department, the then-Consort Xian had saved her life by ordering an imperial physician to attend to her after she collapsed from illness. To repay this kindness from long ago, Yingluo pleads for leniency for the Step-Empress, who is permitted to keep her title, but loses the authority to manage the Inner Palace and all of the Emperor's affection. Prince He is given poisoned wine by the Emperor, who orders him to go back to his mansion after drinking it to make it look like he died of an illness. With Prince He executed for his crimes, Yingluo's revenge for her sister is finally complete.
Yingluo is elevated to the rank of imperial noble consort (deputy empress), and as the highest ranking consort, she is given the authority to manage the Inner Palace.
Embroidery Bureau and Hard Labour Department
Palace Eunuchs
Others
Many of the props and costumes were made using traditional Chinese crafts that are dying out, with few master-level experts remaining to pass on their skills to the next generation. The acquisition of these skills requires a lifetime of commitment, since they are unsurprisingly labor-intensive, demanding a sharp eye and tireless hands.
The velvet flower headwears used by the main characters were designed based on historical documents or antiques housed in the Palace Museum. Each adornment was created according to the characteristics of individual women. Zhao Shuxian, one of the few craftsmen still making velvet flowers, created all the pieces in the show. The technique dates back to the Tang dynasty (618–907) and refers to the creation of not only floral displays, but also animal shapes made of silk on a twisted wire frame.
Worn by the imperial consorts as status symbols of opulence, these are hairpins of a particular vibrant blue hue, made from the preserved feathers of the wings and back of the kingfisher bird. The technique resembles cloisonné, and when inlaid with pearls and other gemstones, the jewels are especially eye-catching.
The original soundtrack was released as an extended play on July 23, 2018. "Willows of the Palace" by Li Chunai was released independently from the album.
A 70-track studio album titled The Story of Yanxi Palace TV soundtrack (延禧攻略 影视剧配乐) was released on July 19, 2018, containing the instrumental music of the series composed by Chen Guoliang. The music was recorded in J Productions House, and features flute player Tan Baoshuo, violin player Leslie Ryang, pipa player Liu Tuotong, erhu player Huang Leting, and Li Junzhu as the female voice. A total of 129 pieces were used in the show.
In the Philippines, "Aahon" JMKO was released under ABS-CBN Star Music and was the show's theme song.
The series generated online buzz for its engaging plot of a "Cinderella" tale with Chinese characteristics. It set the single-day online viewership record in China with a total of 530 million views, and had attracted a cumulative 13 billion views as of August 2018. It was streamed more than 15 billion times on iQIYI in 2018, and was the most watched online drama in China for 39 consecutive days over the summer.
Many viewers praised the story, because unlike the amicable heroines they were used to seeing, the main character Wei Yingluo fights fire with fire and outmaneuvers her opponents. It also received praise for its well-developed characters and exciting interpretation by the actors, beautiful cinematography and intricate costume design, as well as its accurate portrayal of the Qing dynasty setting. Owing to its success, there has been an increased number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing.
There was uproar in China after a Vietnamese website managed to acquire episodes not yet shown in China and asked visitors to the website to answer questions confirming their Vietnamese identity before the website loads. "This service is for Vietnamese people only. Please answer the following questions: To which country do the Hoàng Sa Islands (Paracel Islands) belong? Vietnam, China, Philippines or Japan?". The only correct answer to the question was "Vietnam". Copies of the episodes were later removed from the platform.
On January 25, 2019, the Beijing Daily, an official government newspaper, criticized the program for failing to promote socialist values. Four days later, on January 29, the Chinese government cancelled the program and similar programs such as Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. CNN and other media outlets quickly reported on this incident, calling it Chinese censorship. A Hong Kong professor stated that the show was censored because it became too popular and defied social norms.
On December 31, 2019, Netflix released the six-episode spinoff Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures, which covers the marriage of Wei Yingluo's daughter, Zhaohua.
Main Cast
Recurring & Guest Cast