The Empress of China

In 637 AD a young woman from Jingzhou, Wu Ru Yi, is chosen to serve in the Tang imperial harem. Her dancing and poise make her stand out among the other attendants, and Emperor Li Shimin takes a liking to her, giving her the name Meiniang when she is just 14 and he is 39. On the very night she first wins attention, a fellow concubine is found murdered and suspicion falls on Meiniang. Coerced into a confession through brutal methods, she is stripped of favor and sent into the Cold Palace, setting up a story of palace intrigue, suspicion, and the slow rebuilding of status within a dangerous court.

Released in 2014, the series was directed by Go Yik-Chun and created by Xu Yue. It stars Fan Bingbing as Wu Mei Niang, with Zhang Fengyi as Li Shimin, Aarif Rahman as Li Zhi, Ning Chang as Xu Hui, and Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei as Yang Shufei. The production is presented as a large-scale period drama, adapting historical episodes from the life of Wu Zetian into serialized television.

Critics and viewers respond to the show as a mix of historical drama and mystery, with an emphasis on palace politics, power struggles, and personal identity. The series leans on intricate plotting, shifting alliances, and the psychological toll of court life, while examining how a young woman negotiates authority and vulnerability within rigid structures. User ratings on some platforms reflect a positive lean, noted here as 8.0 out of 10 from a small sample.

The visual side of the series drew attention, with ornate costumes, elaborate setwork, and ceremonial scenes that made the court feel grand and theatrical. That presentation helped spark conversations about how history is portrayed on modern television, and the show is often referenced when people compare later palace dramas or discuss the aesthetics of Tang dynasty settings.

There are no widely reported major international awards associated with this series, though it did generate significant public interest and debate at the time of its broadcast, largely centered on its lead performance and production scale.