History for Drama Lovers (1): Best 10 Chinese Series set in Ancient China

Until recently, I didn’t care about history at all when watching a Chinese historical drama. Ruyi’s Love Story in the Palace and Story of Yanxi Palace changed that. Both on the same topic but differ massively in interpretation. Although a great drama is still great even if you know nothing about history, the level of appreciation undoubtedly increases with some knowledge. This enlightenment has led me to research more about the historical backdrops of my favourite Chinese historical drama, especially Ancient China.

This post is the first post of the ongoing series History for Drama Lovers. Ancient China is typically defined to be from the first Shang Dynasty until the end of the Han Dynasty. However, I also include the warring period after the Han Dynasty in this post. For some context, check out this visualization for a (very very) brief history of Chinese imperial history.

Disclaimer: I am not a historian. I can’t read Chinese either. Wikipedia and other online articles are the basis of this post. As you already knew, they are not the most reliable source of information. Let me know in the comment if there is any error.

1600 – 771 BC: Shang & Western Zhou Dynasties

The Shang Dynasty was China’s first ancient dynasty for which clear written records remain. Most of the writings and evidence are inscriptions on oracle bones. According to folklore and the classic novel the Investiture of Gods, the last ruler of the Shang – King Zhou, is bewitched by an evil fox spirit called Daji. He oppresses his people and persecutes those who oppose him. Ji Fa, assisted by his talented strategist, Jiang Ziya, rises to oppose the suppression. Their battles involve many supernatural beings, from deities, demons, to spirits and humans with magic. Ultimately, Ji Fa wins and establishes the Zhou Dynasty. Many of humans with magic who participate in this struggle ascend to heaven and become famous deities, such as Ne Zha.

The Zhou dynasty introduced the most enduring political doctrine in Chinese History, The Mandate of Heaven. This belief justified the rule of the Emperor. The Emperor of China is the Son of Heaven, ruling over the country to maintain the natural order and the will of heaven. If an Emperor is overthrown, it means that he has lost the Mandate of Heaven. This is consistent with the above story about the founding of the Zhou. Ji Fa was assisted by gods and deities to become the emperor, according to Heaven’s will.

1. Zhaoge (upcoming)

Zhao Ge (朝歌) Trailer, with Eng Subs

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Like Water Margin, the Investiture of the Gods is one of the towering works of Chinese literature. As a result, every couple of years, there is a drama adaptation, each time strays a bit further from the origin, such as the upcoming drama The Gods (aka Investiture of the Gods) (2019). It features the love story between Erlang Shen and Daji (obviously not in the novel), starring Luo Jin and Claudia Wang. Zhaoge (2019) is another upcoming drama starring Zhehan Zhang (Legend of Banshu) as Ji Fa and Wu Jinyan (Story of Yanxi Palace) as Daji.

770 – 476 BC: Spring and Autumn Period

In 770 BC, the Zhou state collapsed into a loose association of warring states. There were 7 hegemons (from 7 states) who at some point rose to power dominating other states. The Spring and Autumn Period comes to an end with the partition of the powerful Jin State.

The powerful 7 hegemons are:

(1) Five powerful hegemon rulers of Qi, Song, Jin, Qin and Chu states. They each temporarily rose to power over other states for several years during the period 685–591 BC. This period is called the Five Hegemons:

(2) Hegemons of Wu and Yue: From 591 BC, the new states of Wu and Yue rose to power. King Helü of Wu and King Goujian of Yue became the hegemon over other states temporarily, during 506–496 BC and 496–465 BC respectively. Yue eventually defeated Wu and King Fuchai (son of King Goujian) was captured and killed.

Famous figures in this period include Sun Tzu and Lao Zi. Sun Tzu is the person who wrote the Art of War. His real background is unknown but some suggested that he was a minister under King Helu of Wu. Lao Zi is one of the most influential philosophers in Chinese history, only after Confucius. He is said to be the founder of Taoism.

The Great Revival – Episode【01】English Subtitles [2007]

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Most drama series set in this ancient Chinese period are about the epic conflict between King Goujian of Yue State and King Fuchai of Wu State. Unfortunately, their rivalry is not nearly as famous as the rivalry between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu during the Qin-Han Dynasty. Nevertheless, The Great Revival (2007) is definitely worth watching, starring Chen Daoming and Hu Jun as the 2 rival kings. The drama receives a favorable review of 7.8 on Douban (Douban is very strict that 8.0 upwards is very rare).

475 – 221 BC: The Warring States Period

The Warring States Period is the messy period before Qin Shi Huang unified everyone to form the Qin dynasty. As mentioned above in precedent Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States Period started after the powerful Jin state (a former hegemon) partitioned into 3 successor states. This period is dominated by the Seven Warring States including:

(1) Qin (former hegemon in the Five Hegemons)

(2) Han (one of 3 Jin partitions)

(3) Wei (one of 3 Jin partitions)

(4) Zhao (one of 3 Jin partitions)

(5) Qi (former hegemon)

(6) Chu (former hegemon)

(7) Yan (new comer)

So what happened to the states of Wu and Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period. As mentioned above, Wu was defeated by King Goujian of Yue. Yue was then later defeated by the Chu State. It’s also worth mentioning that Chu State initially helped Yue to defeat Wu. After finishing off the common enemy, Chu turned against Yue. The State of Qin eventually unified all other states to create the Qin Dynasty.

The Legend of Mi Yue Full Highlights x 007 Sepectre Trailer｜芈月传英文版预告

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The acclaimed Chinese drama, the Legend of Mi Yue (2015) portrays this ancient period from the eyes of Queen Dowager Xuan, from the Chu State. She became the concubine of the King Huiwen of Qin State. Her son, later on, became King Zhaoxiang. As King Zhaoxiang ascended to the throne when he was young, Queen Dowager Xuan was the effective ruler of the Qin State. She’s basically the ancestor of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of imperial China. Despite its good rating while airing, the Legend of Mi Yue receives a mediocre rating of 5.6 on Douban.

221–206 BC: Qin Dynasty

As you already knew, In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified the Seven Warring States to create the Qin Dynasty. Qin Shi Huang was a brutal tyrant. One of his most infamous deeds was the burning of books and burying of scholars. He also ordered the constructions to link the diverse state walls to form the Great Wall of China. Other emperors in the following dynasties would later continue this project. Qin Shi Huang‘s other notable achievements are the standardization of the currency and units of measurement, the construction of a vast network of roads, and the unification of various scripts at the time.

新版《寻秦记》预告 燃炸来袭 陈翔版项少龙陪你 【偶像剧场热播中】

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The three most well-known Chinese drama series about the founding of the ancient Qin Dynasty are the Legend of Hao Lan (2019), A Step into the Past (2001 TVB series), and the King’s Woman (2017). Although The Legend of Hao Lan is one of the most popular new Chinese dramas of 2019, my personal favourite for dramas set in this period is A Step into the Past. The series was so popular at the time that it has another remake in 2018. A common feature of all 3 dramas is that Qin Shi Huang‘s story is often fictionalized to explain his ruthlessness. For example, he is portrayed to have a romantic and gentle side until he is forced to turn cruel. My personal favourite is A Step into the Past (2001).

Another interesting aspect that often gets featured is his parentage. There are some doubts and rumours regarding the birth of Qin Shi Huang. Officially, he was the son of Lady Zhao and Prince Yiren. However, many historic records suggest that his biological father might actually be Lü Buwei. Lady Zhao was a concubine of Lü Buwei until she was gifted to Prince Yiren. Unsurprisingly, the scriptwriters never failed to exploit this interesting story in dramas.

206 BC – 220 AD: Han Dynasty

As Qin Shi Huang died, China fell into chaos again until Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of Han) took over to create the Han Dynasty, a golden age in Chinese history. It is well-known for creating the Silk Road trade and connecting China with Central Asia and Europe. The Han Dynasty also promoted Confucianism as the state philosophy. Buddhism made its first inroads into China. The Han Dynasty is one of the most important dynasties of China as it laid the foundations for the following dynasties.

The 2 most famous figures in this period are Liu Bang (the founder of the Han Dynasty) and his rival, Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was a very ruthless person, ordering the massacres of entire cities even after they surrendered peacefully. This often led to cities putting up strong resistance. Liu Bang, on the other hand, forbade his troops from looting the cities they captured and spared the lives of the citizens. This helped him earn their support and trust in return. Liu Bang was also one of a very few dynasty founders born from a peasant family.

楚漢傳奇主題曲 為愛而生- 宋祖英 Legend of Chu and Han

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Because of its historical importance, the founding of the Han dynasty provides unending inspirations for dramas, such a the King’s War and The Myth. King’s War (aka Legend of Chu and Han) is directed by the acclaimed director Gao Xixi. Veteran actors Chen Daoming and Peter Ho starred as the main leads. The drama also receives a favourable rating of 7.0 on Douban and was a commercial success.

If you don’t want such a serious drama, The Myth (2010) is a more fun drama that takes place in this period starring Hu Ge. Yi Xiaochua (Hu Ge) went back in time and became sworn brothers with Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. He met and fell in love with Princess Yushu (fictional) of the tribal kingdom Tu’an.

220–280: Three Kingdoms Period

As with every other dynasty around the world, the Han royal household declined as time went by. In the later years of the Han Dynasty, the central power in Chang’An was no longer in the hand of the emperor but unstably shifted between the older relatives of the royal families, the eunuch and senior officials. Political conflicts heightened and the last Han Emperor, Emperor Xian, fled Chang’An to come under the protection of Cao Cao in 196. When Emperor Xian abdicated, the three states, Shu, Wei and Wu, emerged, all claimed to be the emperor of China. Wei State is led by the Cao clan supported by the Sima clan, Shu State by the Liu clan and Wu State by the Sun clan. In 266, Sima Yan (Wei) usurped the throne of the Cao clan, then successfully unified all the three states to form the Jin Dynasty.

The Advisors Alliance Trailer

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The Three Kingdom Period is one of the most romanticized periods of China’s history, not just in China but also in Korea and Japan. The Advisor’s Alliance (2007) is the critically-acclaimed series about the life of Sima Yi, an official who lived in the reign of Emperor Xian. Watch it on Youtube with engsub | Viki (partially subbed)

There are several adaptations of the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Three Kingdoms (2010), directed by Gao Xixi, was a big-budgeted drama of over 160 million RMB (30 million USD) and took five years of pre-production work. As with most Gao Xixi’s productions, The Three Kingdoms was a commercial success, receiving a good rating of 7.8 on Douban. Available on Youtube.

The Secrets of the Three Kingdoms (2018) is a more recent and lighter adaptation starring Ma Tianyu and Elvis Han. It receives an okay rating of 6.5 on Douban. The series is on Viki.

266–420: Jin Dynasty & Sixteen Kingdoms Period

After establishing the Jin Dynasty, the Sima Clan’s hold on power was weak and temporary. As a result of the uprising of the non-Han, northern China fractured into a series of short-lived dynastic states, called the Sixteen Kingdoms. The date of when this period started differs across the sources. The sixteen kingdoms founded by ethnic Xiongnu, Xianbei, Di, Jie, Qiang, as well as Han Chinese and other ethnicities, fought against each other and the Eastern Jin dynasty which ruled southern China. No well-known drama is about this period so let’s move on!

420-589: Northern & Southern Dynasties

In the north, various states were then unified by the Northern Wei state, led by the Tuoba Clan, the rulers of the state of Dai (from Sixteen Kingdoms Period). After the unification (386–535), the Northern Wei State split again into Eastern Wei (534-550) and Western Wei (535-557). Then, fighting again and split into Northern Qi (550–577) and Northern Zhou (557–581). In the south, the Sima clan (from Jin State) died out and got replaced by a series of short-lived dynasties: Liu Song (420–479), Southern Qi (479–502), Liang (502–557) and Chen (557–589).

Comparing to the Three Kingdoms Period, there are not as many Chinese drama adaptions about this ancient period. However, Hua Mulan is actually from this period. She’s from the Northern Wei. One of the best Chinese historical dramas, Nirvana in Fire 1 & 2, also takes place in this period, particularly, the war between the Northern Wei and Southern Liang. All the main characters are however fictional and from the Liang state.

[Teaser]《独孤天下》Legend of Dugu “生死恋” 片花 安以轩徐正曦身陷宫廷纠葛

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Another drama based on real history is the Legend of Dugu (2018) which takes place at the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period. Queen Dugu is the Empress of Emperor Wen, the person who ultimately unified all the kingdoms to create the short-lived Sui Dynasty. There will also be another series on Queen Dugu in 2019, starring Taiwanese actress Joe Chen. Since we all know how quickly the Sui perished giving way to the Tang Dynasty, expect a rather sad ending for this drama.

Another great Chinese drama that takes place in this Ancient China period is the Legend of Lu Zhen, starring Zhao Li Ying. The series is about a fictional character Lu Zhen, a female prime minister during the reign of emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi. Zhao Li Ying’s international fans praise the drama for having an easy-to-follow storyline and an intelligent strong female lead. It receives a rating of 6.9 on Douban and 8.3 on MyDramaList. Available on Viki.

Conclusion

The violent and tumultuous Ancient China provides an excellent backdrop and unending inspirations for Chinese drama scriptwriters. It’s no wonder that some of the best Chinese historical dramas, such as Nirvana in Fire and the Advisor’s Alliance, chose this period as the setting.

What’s your favourite Chinese drama set in Ancient China? Anything else to recommend? Feel free to leave your comment below.

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