The Song of Glory
The Song of Glory () is a 2020 Chinese television series. It is directed by Huang Bin and Li Huizhu, and stars Li Qin, Qin Hao, and Gu Jiacheng. It originally aired from 1 July to 28 August 2020 on streaming platform Tencent Video, and is based on the same source material as "The Princess Weiyoung." It tells the story of the chivalrous woman Li Ge and the governor Liu Yikang who after many tribulations, get married, join forces to defend their country, and jointly create a prosperous and peaceful nation. On 22 November 2021, "The Song  of Glory" won the International Emmy Award for Best Telenovela, becoming the first Chinese production to do so. Synopsis. During the Liu Song dynasty, powerful aristocrats have taken control of the government, throwing the country into chaos. To change this, Prince Peng Cheng, the son and regent of the Emperor, Liu Yikang (Qin Hao) introduces new policies for political reform. To break the alliance between the aristocrats, Liu Yikang enters into a marriage alliance with the Shen family, who has roots in the military. Note that in actual Chinese history Emperor Wen, son of Emperor Wu, had the personal name  of Liu Yilong and Prince Peng Cheng or Liu Yikang was his younger brother. In this story, Prince Peng Cheng is named Liu Yikang and his fiancé turns out to be Shen Lige (Li Qin), whom he has previously met at a dance house. Shen Lige actually took the identity of her martial arts sister A Nu. A Nu was stolen as an infant from the Shen family. However, because Lige wearing A Nu's bracelet, Mother Shen and the rest of the family come to believe she is their long lost daughter Jia. General Shen, Shen Lige's father , allows her to officially enter the family as Shen Lige rather than Shen Jia. Her younger cousin, Shen Leqing becomes jealous that she loses her place as the eldest daughter. Shen Leqing creates many issues for Shen Lige, before, during, and after marriage to Liu Yikang. After marriage, Li Ge assists Liu Yikang in dealing with their political opponents and implementing new policies. However, in response, the aristocrats ally together to suppress Li Ge and the Shen family, who is later massacred. Pained by her loss, Li Ge vows to take revenge for her family. Note that in actual Chinese  history, during the Liu Song dynasty, Liu Yilong became Emperor Wu, and was married to Consort Shen, who later became Empress Dowager Shen. "The Song of Glory" appears to pattern the life of Emperor, also known as Liu Yilong, but use the name of Liu Yikang. Production. Development. The series is produced by the same producers and headed by the same crew behind "The Princess Weiyoung". It's based on the second part of the novel "The Poisonous Daughter" (Chinese: 庶女有毒) by Qin Jian, the same source material of "The Princess Weiyoung". Filming. In March 15, 2019, the production crew  started principal photography. Wen Weiji and Wang Deming acted as martial arts directors. Shen Zhi, Shen Tingzhang and Shen Mu, together with Song Zhiyan and Yuan Bin, senior group special administrators of Hengdian Actors Guild, organized more than 200 Hengdian actors/extras to film. The series finished filming in Hengdian Studios on July 27, 2019, and entered post-production. Original soundtrack. Hong Kong Reception. Critical response. Upon its release, "The Song of Glory" has received mixed reviews. On an article published by Sohu, the plot was described as "weak" and "cliché", although the performances of the lead actors were described  as "unflawed". Some scenes were described as "nonsensical". The female lead was described as lacking character development, making her hard to empathize with. The article concludes by saying that "the series failed to show the process of how the outcomes are achieved", adding that "there is no logical reasoning behind emotions to support viewers’ understanding" of the characters. A review published by Soompi, on the other hand, was more favourable. It described the plot as "captivating", and "with a dreamy love story", while also praising the series' "gorgeous production values". The review also complimented the series for its costumes, which  are "memorable without crossing into ostentatious", and its sets, which have a "very distinctive decor and atmosphere". The fighting scenes and several points of the plot, such as female friendship, and family dynamics were also singled out for praise. Ratings. The combined weekly ratings of "The Song of Glory" on TVB channels Jade and myTV SUPER is the following: