Zhen Huan Zhuan

Rich, captivating and enthralling. I just finished the entire show... I am at a loss for words for the beauty and cruelty of it all. Bravo!

My review and ratings depends on which "Empresses in the Palace" you are seeing. I started off watching the "complete series" in English, which consisted of 6 episodes on Prime Video. It, certainly, whet my appetite for more. I found it very interesting, but it seemed to jump too quickly from one scene and crisis to another. So, I gave it a 7, and looked for more. I found that it is a series consisting of 76 episodes! No wonder it seemed "off." How do you shrink a 76 hour program into 6 hours? The answer, not very well. Was it still entertaining, yes, but not great. The acting was great. Locations inside The Forbidden City outstanding. But, the story was just not smooth.

The 76 episodes version, on the other hand, were wonderful! I only got to see about 47 episodes, but the story was consistently terrific. I got to know and care about the characters. I watched them grow, age, mature, and change as life within the harem of the Emperor grew more and more complicated, as emotion, power, greed, and jealousy shaped their lives. And I, suddenly, understood those gaps in the "complete series."

The original episodes I got to see were on YouTube. They had English subtitles that were the work of a group to translate them all into English subtitles.

I check back every few weeks to see if more episodes have been added to those with English subtitles. They are over half way through, and I really hope they continue, because it's a 10, and well worth watching!

Think of the "complete series" as cliff notes!

The plot, the acting, the sets and landscapes, the direction-- A truly wonderful experience.

Unlike a previous subscriber who considered the Emperor a poor actor, I think he is perfectly cast, and he portrays so greatly the poise, economy of emotions and regal stillness of the Son of Heavens. He shows his bliss through two short burst of austere laughter, through small gestures of his lips, through his impassive majesty.

The female actors offer lessons of artistry and talent chapter after chapter. They are rich characters, with a complex mastery of the subtle whims of human heart, at times queens of manipulation and cunning, then goddess of deep philosophy and reflective thought.

I strongly recommend this show. It is as beautiful as interesting and rich.

What a gorgeous work this is! It just never stops filling the eyes with beauty, whether in the costumes and jewelry or the sets or in the actresses themselves. It's just a constant delight to watch. And the story never becomes dull.

It's all about a girl, Huan, in the early part of the Qing dynasty in China, who is one of the daughters of government officials called in to be reviewed as possible additions to the emperor's stable of concubines. Huan is apparently the only candidate who is not interested in leaving her previous life to live in luxury in the Forbidden City vying for the emperor's attention. Once she joins the harem, it's not long before she becomes subject to the pressures of that life, so idyllic and pampered on the outside but so uncertain and dangerous, even deadly, in reality. The plots and intrigues, conspiracies and poisonings never end. She has her setbacks but learns to survive and outlasts even the emperor. The ending is a little surprising but fits perfectly everything that has gone before.

Because this is a major Chinese production (the original version, pre-Netflix, consisted of 76 episodes), we assume a great deal of authenticity. The attention to detail in costumes and sets is astonishing, and hopefully the storyline is also accurate. We certainly get a detailed, wonderfully colourful look into what life must have been like in the Chinese court during the Qing period.

Westerners will occasionally become confused over names and titles, but usually things become clear, given a little time and patience. Certainly the story and the eye candy make it worthwhile.

Give us more, China, give us more!

This is a Chinese TV series which had 76 episodes. This is a choppy version of the series with huge gaps in what and why things are happening. The original version is on YouTube, but only 35 episodes have been translated into English so far. I liked this version, but was left scratching my head at the end.

I was very disappointed, which is why I went looking for more and found the information about the series AND its availability on YouTube. There is a group of volunteers who are supplying the English translations. They say that it takes about 2 weeks per episode to add the English, I'll be waiting for them! It's a terrific series in its original form.