Scarlet Heart

A freak accident pulls Zhang Xiao, a modern 21st-century woman, into the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, where she wakes as Maertai Rouxi, the teenage daughter of a noble family. Struggling to adapt to strict rituals and rivalries, she leans on wits and contemporary sensibilities to get by while avoiding dangerous court entanglements. Surrounded by princes, power struggles, and shifting loyalties, Zhang pieces together why she is connected to this life and how her presence alters relationships around her. The series follows her attempts to protect herself and those she cares about without revealing too much about the future.

Scarlet Heart premiered in 2011 and was directed by Lam Yuk Fan, Kwok-Lap Lee, and Steve Cheng Wai-Man. The cast includes Liu Shishi as Zhang Xiao and Nicky Wu as Yin Zheng, supported by Sun Yizhou, Damian Lau Chung-Yan, and Jiang Jinfu.

The show didn’t rack up major international awards, yet it drew regional attention for its leads and production. Performances by Liu Shishi and Nicky Wu were frequently singled out by viewers, and the series sustained steady fan engagement that kept it visible in discussions about period romantic dramas.

Over time Scarlet Heart developed a dedicated fanbase, with key scenes and the central romantic conflict often shared and discussed online. Its mix of palace intrigue and relationship drama generated fan art, forums, and replay interest, helping the series remain part of conversations about notable time-slip period dramas.

Critics and audiences generally praised the acting and emotional stakes, and the program holds an average rating of 8.1 out of 10 based on viewer votes. Themes include identity under social constraint, the costs of ambition, loyalty versus desire, and how modern instincts clash with historical expectations. Some viewers pointed to uneven pacing and heightened melodrama, but many stayed engaged for the character dynamics and the tensions between love and power.