Tangren Production releases official character stills for Imperial Doctress

-
We now have a fresh glimpse of The Imperial Doctress with these newly released character stills. The costume theme is very typical of Tangren Production. However, the details and cut of the costumes in this production are perhaps one of the most accurately depicted Ming Dynasty clothing I have seen in Chinese TV productions. The colors, the intricate embroidery, elegance, and simplicity are all in line with Ming Dynasty clothing books I perused. Many will feel Ming Dynasty fashion is very reminiscent of Joseon fashion in Korean dramas. The Chinese Ming Dynasty and Korean Joseon Dynasty were two very politically and culturally connected geographies.  In fact, the Ming Dynasty had a very heavy influence on the bureaucratic structure of the Joseon government. Quite a few Ming Dynasty emperors also took Joseon noblewomen as their imperial consorts (see Emperor Yongle) and the Joseon court would pay annual "tributes" to the Ming court to show their tributary status.

I remember when I studied Ming Dynasty history in Beijing, one of my professors revealed that he had to read Joseon Dynasty history records to provide secondary perspective to Ming Dynasty history. Sometimes Joseon Dynasty history records gave a "impartial" accounts of Ming Dynasty court politics. The Joseon ambassadors who took residence in Beijing often wrote rich details of Ming Dynasty court affairs.

Well-preserved pieces of garments from the Ming Dynasty belonging to the Kong Clan that survived the Manchu purges
Imperial Doctress costume 
Anyway, the following official stills feature the three leading characters in Imperial Doctress: Tan Yunxian, Zhu Qizhen, and Zhu Qiyu. Liu Shi Shi's costumes ranges from young and flirty informal dress to the conservative and rigid court robes. Wallace Huo's imperial regalia for Zhu Qizhen looks more awkward than for Zhu Qizhe's younger brother, Zhu Qiyu. Zhu Qiyu would eventually raise in the power ranks to usurp his older brother's dragon throne and become the 7th Emperor of the Ming Dynasty while Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Mongols. 

Tan Yunxian, one of the four famous female doctors in imperial Chinese history
Zhu Qizhen, the 6th and 8th Emperor of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Qiyu, Emperor Jingtai, 7th Emperor of the Ming Dynasty


Popular Posts

Understanding the final episode of Sealed with a Kiss

-
Image
Are you unsatisfied and frustrated with the final episode? Expected a happily ever after? Apparently, the scriptwriter succeeded in getting us all hooked onto this series for 28 episodes and suddenly bombarded us with a really CRAPPY open ending. My reaction when I first finished watching the final shot of Mo Shaoqian  walking lonely toward the police station was like this...   I so expected the last scene to be the novel's ending where Tong Xue cried at the airport, and not Shaoqian at the police station!  At minimum, I think they should have put Shaoqian's police station scene before Tong Xue's airport scene. Then show us Shaoqian at the airport watching Tong Xue's cries from a distance, as described in the epilogue. To cure my poorly frustrated mood, I rushed to reread the dreamily happy epilogue that the author wrote for Sealed with a Kiss novel. After reading various analyses by different viewers online and the scriptwriter's comments about the endin
Read more

Character Guide to Nirvana in Fire 2: Wind Blows in Changlin

-
Image
Like Nirvana in Fire I, Nirvana in Fire 2: Winds Blow in Changlin has a plethora of characters that are not strictly good or evil. In terms of story execution, the sequel can be split into three phases, each driven by one of the three leading male characters. The central figure of the first phase is Huang Xiaoming's Xiao Xiaozhang whose intelligence and political shrewdness are well exhibited from Episode 1 to 25. The second phase is led by Liu Haorang's Xiao Pingjing. Although Xiao Pingjing also figures prominently in the first phase, his moment to shine is actually from Episode 28 onward. The focal character of the last phase is undoubtedly the antihero, Wu Haochen's Xiao Yuanqi. His slow progression into darkness and moral conflict bring the story into a new climate. This drama is officially being subtitled by DramaFever and Viki. You should go check out the series if you want to watch something that is not cheesy and has substance. Xiao Pingjing 萧平旌 - Second Yo
Read more

Ru Yi: The drama that brought Hawick Lau and Yang Mi together

-
Image
I'm sure many of you have heard the surprised announcement on January 8th about Yang Mi and Hawick Lau admitting to their romantic relationship on Sina weibo.  Personally, I always wanted Yang Mi to hook up with her Gong co-star, Feng Shaofeng, but that's wishful thinking. Real life is totally different from onscreen pairing. Trivia : Yang Mi was actually the producers' first choice to play Tong Xue in Sealed with a Kiss. I think she was offered the role, but she turned it down to accept another project, Beijing Love Story. I remember during the casting phase, the casting decision for Tong Xue was announced last while it was publicized pretty early that Hawick Lau would play Mo Shaoqian. Thus, many fans speculated for a long time that Yang Mi was cast as Tong Xue. Before Sealed with a Kiss ever started shooting, fans actually created a MV with Hawick as Mo Shaoqian and Yang Mi as Tong Xue, using previous existing materials from their individual series. Now I come to think
Read more

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel

-
Image
Title: Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel / Qian Shan Mu Xue / 千山暮雪续集 # Episode : 7 (~10 minute each) Release Date : 2/14/2012 Broadcasting Company : Sohu TV Cast :　Hawick Lau as Mo Shaoqian, Ying'er as Tong Xue, Li Zhinan as Song Yi, Zheng Zhenglong as Wen Hao, Wen Mengyang as Liu Yueying, Liu Kenan as Zhao Gaoxiang, Angelina Ma Wei as Lisa
Read more