Tangren Production releases official character stills for Imperial Doctress

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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


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