My Fair Princess (1998)

Original title

还珠格格

Directed by

Sun Shu Pei

Cast

Vicki Zhao, Ruby Lin, Alec Su, Zhou Jie, Zhang Tie Lin, Fan Bing Bing, Dai Chun Rong, Li Ming Qi

Genre

historical drama

Country

Taiwan, People's Republic of China

Length

4 seasons, 192 episodes

Rated

NR

Rating

7.7 of 10 from 47 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 18th-century Qing dynasty Beijing, a streetwise orphan named Xiaoyanzi befriends the emperor's secret daughter Xia Ziwei. Through a case of mistaken identity, Xiaoyanzi ends up taking the princess's place at court. The series follows their adventures and the chaos that ensues.

lightheartedwhimsicalsentimentalplayfulheartwarmingnostalgiccomedicromantic

What happens

My Fair Princess, also known as Return of the Pearl Princess or Princess Returning Pearl (Chinese: 還珠格格), is a Chinese-language period drama jointly produced by Yi Ren Communications Co. (怡人傳播公司) of Taiwan and Hunan Economic Television (湖南經濟電視台) (now under Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS)) of China. Season 1 (1998) and Season 2 (1999) were first aired on China Television in Taiwan, followed by Hunan Economic Television in China. Season 3 (2003) was filmed with a largely different cast, receiving mixed reviews and less popularity. Written by Chiung Yao, the story is set in 18th-century Qing dynasty during the Qianlong Emperor's reign. It follows tomboyish and innocent Xiaoyanzi, an orphaned and semi-literate vagrant in Beijing who, after befriending the emperor's illegitimate daughter Xia Ziwei, becomes a princess in place of her by accident. Although partially based on historical events and figures, the drama employs considerable artistic license. Originally produced on a small budget with a cast of little-known young actors, My Fair Princess became one of the most successful Chinese shows of all time, launching the careers of Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin and Fan Bingbing. The frequently replayed show went off air in China from 2015 to 2017 after Chiung Yao severed ties with HBS and revoked its copyright due to her dispute with Yu Zheng over his plagiarism of her work in another HBS show. Chiung Yao reconciled with HBS and regranted the copyright in 2018. Since 2021, the first two seasons of the show have been blacklisted in China following Fan Bingbing’s tax scandal and the government’s ban on Zhao Wei. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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