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Ruyi's Royal Love In The Palace's not about fighting in the harem, not about being on the top, having powers. It's about Ruyi's and Hong Li's love. From flames to dust, from a beautiful rose to that of a withered one. People might not get why wouldn't Ruyi fight and kill all of those who have done her wrong. It's not because she couldn't but she doesn't want to. She, from the start of the drama until the end, her heart and endurance are all because of her most beloved Hong Li (Emperor Qian Long).
Hong Li said that she's the one who changed after she cut off a strand of her hair. But no, Ruyi has never changed. Right from the beginning until her very last breath, she's still being that Ruyi who loves Hong Li wholeheartedly.
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"Always find myself looking back at memories"
Before I begin I just want to say I first watched this drama a year ago and the story has stayed in my heart and will remain in my heart. This drama is my favourite of all time. There are no flying leaps and swishy capes. Nor is there any magic and cheesy romance. This story is heartbreaking and I still constantly think about it.Story:
One word sum up: Mesmerizing
Explanation: For anyone that doesn't know, this drama is based on real history so those complaining about the ending are arguing with history lol. This is definitely a sad story with a sad ending. It's basically is 84 episodes of heartbreak, betrayal, and angst. It shows us a relationship once filled with love and passion crumble apart. It was a relief from happy ending dramas but it is also a drama that can not be compared with others and destroys you inside & out. It was an honest and painful look at love. A thing I loved about this show is that they showed multiple different types of love: sisterly love, motherly love, unrequited love, and of course romantic love. I do not recommend this drama to anyone with a weak heart. Its a harem drama and one based on real events so if you cant take harem you won't be able to take Ruyi. I've seen a lot of reviews saying they stopped when Ruyi became empress because they couldn't bare to see her in any more pain which is understandable but something I never could do. You feel every emotion this show conveys.
Cast:
One word sum up: Perfect
Explanation: I wouldn't change one cast member. They all played their parts perfectly. Zhou Xun and Wallace Huo did such an amazing job. Watching you could really believe they were the people they were betraying. Zhou Xun showed how strong Ruyis character is. She always showed the perfect emotional reaction for Ruyi with each situation that came up. Even her just gazing out of a window makes your heart cry. Wallace Huo made me hate him with a passion because of this drama even now watching dramas with him in it I think back to the person he was betraying in this drama. You feel every emotion they betray.
Music:
One word sum up: Beautiful
Explanation: The main songs and the wordless musical ones were all spectacular. Lei Jia did an amazing job with the main ost. Every time I hear it the show's images flash in my mind. And of course, Mao BuYi & Zhou Shen did a fantastic job as with every drama ost they do.
Negatives:
Like I said do not watch this if you can't do harem drama or expect a fluffy sweet romance. This is a soul-crushing story. You would think with 84 episodes there would be a lot of filler but honestly, there wasn't except on the last few episodes but that was because of the wild situation at the end. There is a lot of drama and when I mean a lot I mean a lot. Lots of murders and torture. Everyone dies.
Positives:
They really put a lot of effort into this show and it comes through. From the food, clothing and decorations as the seasons change to the speaking manner and positions and placements of the cast in a scene. I could take 10 random screen recordings of this show and I would have an official-looking background for an ost song cover. They put so much detail into this show. The hairpins, hairstyles, and clothing all change helping understand the changing of times as this show goes on. They beautifully showed time passing and I have yet to find a drama that matches up to it.
Final words:
This drama is engraved in my mind like some of my most important memories I would rewatch right now but I'm mentally getting ready for it as it is very depressing but such a masterpiece. If you decide to start your Ruyi journey I wish you luck and hope you appreciate and love this drama as much as I do.
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An Amazing Qing Era Series
RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE (Ru Yi Zhuan) was a really well made series. I watched it right after I finished Story of Yanxi Palace, back to back, and at first I had very mixed feelings. But instead of letting my love for Yanxi interfere with my love for Ruyi's story, I decided they were both great and equally lovable, albeit different perspectives of the same era, during Emperor Hong Li (Qianlong Emperor) reign.Personally, I really loved that Ruyi's story tells almost the complete opposite story than that of Yanxi. Both are such amazing series and two of my top favorite historical dramas now. Both are stories of equally strong women and how they survive in the Forbidden City. Both drama's are almost perfect in their own ways.
Some reviewers criticize UlaNara Ruyi (Xun Zhou) for being a weak portrayal of women, but if anything, it is the exact opposite. She is exceptionally brave to endure all that she did, all the twisted schemings, and hidden dangers of the palace. Never does she whimper and try to flee, or worse-join in on the twisted schemings herself-instead she becomes a woman worthy of respect and honor. For Ruyi, there was so much brutality and backstabbing around her. For her to endure with grace, humility, and even optimism all that she did-well she's all the more a strong woman for it. She fought for her love and yet, stood up to him when it mattered most. And, compared to Yanxi's heroine (who I equally loved in her own way), Ruyi offers a more realistic portrayal of historical feminism in China. Neither should be seen as lesser.
I agree, with those that criticize the Emperor Hong Li (Wallace Huo), as it was difficult to watch as his character degrades throughout the length of the series. It became harder and harder to see what Ruyi saw in him, but the fact that she stood up and held her own made the ending so much sweeter and poignant. It was so moving. Honestly everything was so great, the cast, characters, visuals, story, music, etc. I loved this series.
For those that wish to compare and contrast it to Story of Yanxi Palace, as if the shows were rivals, don't let that make you miss out on a great historical drama that is Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. This was a unforgettable series. Brilliant.
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A historical, emotional journey
This isn't my first time watching this drama and probably won't be my last simply for the acting of Zhou Xun and Wallace Huo. Don't get me wrong, the supporting cast is outstanding but the two main leads embody their characters; it's like watching the real emperor and empress alive in an unfolding story.The hardest part of this drama is to observe the cruelty of a king and husband in middle age. He goes from youthful hope to bored tolerance and it is Wallace Huo's very nuanced portrayal that leads to a viewer understanding the heart of a king. In mid life, he rebels against the idea of not being allowed a choice of behavior. The empress calls him out on his callous indifference to a privileged life and the ensuing clash of dialogue is one I could watch daily. Masterfully written, directed and acted, it is a true to life scene between an exhausted wife and bored husband with the concluding split resulting in a husband and ruler slowly facing his flaws.
As a female viewer, it's hard for me to watch the history of harems. To love your husband and observe his pleasure with another woman is something I cannot imagine but, the history was real (pretty much in all cultures) and the emotional damage is displayed. This drama takes an unflinching approach in writing to their family dynamic and I would recommend it for anyone wishing to see a palace drama. It truly is a masterpiece.
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Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace
First of all, before I dive into a long review of this drama, I want everyone to look at the headline above. Yes, the title is ‘RUYI’S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE’, from the title itself we know this is the love story of a girl called Ruyi that happened inside the palace. Fyi, this is my first Chinese drama that I watched, that introduced me into the world of cdrama. I guess, it was worth it. Long ass of episodes, a heartbreaking drama with full of scheming, betrayals, self-reflection, falling out of love and regrets that it’s too late to emerge.To sum up, this drama is about a girl named Ruyi who have a childhood lover and later on become her husband who was at the same time the emperor of the kingdom, named Hongli. In their younger days, they vows love towards each other and promised to stay by each other’s side through tough times and happiest moment. Ruyi wants nothing but love from her husband. However, the journey inside harem is not as smooth as everyone ever dreamed of. It fulls of scheming, betrayals, pretending to be so called ‘nice’, abusing powers, and gaining the emperor’s affection. Ruyi, in her best intention, try to stay away from all these immoral values. But, as a concubine inside the harem, she can’t avoid from being schemed and hurt by other women who have jealousy towards her. This is where she realised how tiring it is to be a king’s woman but at this point, her love towards Hongli was still stronger as ever. She wants to accompany and be there for him, because she knows how lonely the title of emperor that her husband had to bear. To cut it short, years goes by, and scheming inside the harem getting more intense, and everyone was affected and even the emperor slowly losing trust on Ruyi. This is when everything started to fall apart.
This drama tell us that no matter how much you love someone, your love alone can’t change that person to become the best version of himself. Ruyi thought that the love she have for Hongli would stay deeper even after years changes. But when she looking back, the person who he loved back then was no longer exists. It is just an arrogant emperor who thought everything he did was right, lustrous and easily swayed. From this point, she gave up on her love and wanted to be in peace and free as she used to be before she marrying into the palace.
Aside from her love story, this drama also portrayed the life inside the harem, the struggle of the empresses and concubines to gain the emperor’s favour and to usurp the power. It’s a unique story that shows not only a love story, but friendships, family and even various cultures. I was amazed with the beautiful traditional costumes and how different it is with one another. I love the traditional instruments played by the concubines, the opera song, the food, the setting, etc. It was beautiful and portrayed realistically. 10/10 for the cinematography and the efforts from production team.
In addition, the acting from Zhou Xun is outstanding. No wonder she was listed as one of the Four Dan actresses in China. I love and love the way she portrayed herself as Ruyi, how she bring this character to life. Wallace Huo’s acting is equally good. I hated his character, and thats mean he nailed the character of Hongli. Other side roles are doing amazing job for their respective characters. I hated the evil characters and I pitied some of the innocent characters that was keep being stomped in this drama. Everything was perfectly written and portrayed. And yes, it’s a long drama but it’s worth every thrill, heartbreak, pain, anger and tears that being poured.
Imo, a lot of people fail to understand what this drama is all about. For those who give up just after few episodes because it was boring and pointless, I hope you find a courage to give it another try. This drama was engraved in my heart, I love every bits of it. I still remember the line Ruyi said to the emperor, the last time they met each other; “Flowers bloom and flowers fall, there is timing to them.” She wanted to remind Hongli that their love and marriage were happy at the beginning, but have a sad ending at the end.
This drama is truly a masterpiece and one that would stay in my heart for a long time.
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One of best asian drama
During the earlier episodes, I thought Wallace was underwhelming but oh boy, I changed my mind when he started his "I am the selfish emperor mode". He was a really effective villain. I hated his character. I don't understand those who didn't like his acting. He did a good job as a depressed, confused, lonely, abusive, selfish emperor. The best actor awards for me would go to the actors playing Jia and Yan Wan. They are amazing! In fact, all of them are amazing. What an outstanding cast! Everyone played their role perfectly. Ruyi, Rong Pei, Dowager, Consort Hui, the villain eunuch, etc - all of them are memorable. It's a beautiful drama albeit depressing. This perfectly showcases the emotions and life of a woman inside the palace of that era - empty and all consuming. I enjoyed Yanxi because of the lighter and comedic tones but in terms of quality and cast, I'd say Ruyi's Royal Love in the palace wins. Yay! I finished the 87 episodes! What a journey! ;)Was this review helpful to you?
This Show Perfectly Encapsulates Narcissism
There has never been a drama that so accurately depicts what happens when someone who has a very clear case of clinical narcissism is given such a degree of power. Narcissists are known for constantly gaslighting others, projecting their negative traits onto others, belittling and demeaning people to make them vulnerable for the narcissist's "empowerment", having a bunch of "mini-me's" to support your massive ego and assist in the gaslighting/projecting, delusions of grandeur / god complex, never being able to admit the capability of making a mistake, perpetual obscene emotional/physical trauma, always ready to play sick games with people for amusement, an amazing commitment to ferocious and barbarous anger/temper, and much more. Narcissists also view relationships to be a position of "ownership". They do not view relationships, especially romantic ones, to be a commitment towards one another. No, narcissists believe relationships exist for the sole purpose of the narcissist to "own" that person. Narcissists are practically lost, troubled, pathetic souls who are stuck in a small emotional cage; they completely lack any empathy whatsoever (some of them don't even understand what empathy even means). Narcissism is the complete antithesis to the empath personality. Due to these severe personal failures, narcissists are rarely capable of holding any relationships with people who share even a smidgen of empathy. If the narcissism is treated early through therapy, there may be hope; however, as time goes on, a narcissist's negative traits become worse as they get older, and they often become incredibly suspicious of anyone around them. If a narcissist is put in an environment that only feeds their ego, it only makes thing worse.What I just described above is an exact description of the Qianlong emperor, the man who picked Qingying (i.e. Ruyi) to be his Step-Empress. This is not a palace harem drama; this is a deep psychological analysis of a decaying relationship because of one man's complete inability to accept his own personal failures. From the moment Chinese emperors born, to the moment they are made Crown Prince, and then eventually gain the dragon throne, they are told that they have the Mandate of Heaven. Yes, the Emperor has advisors, rituals/rites, and customs they need to follow, but it's very evident that their origin is "divine". This has been the basis for many of the despotic regimes we have to come to know about in ancient Chinese history. Emperors deep down inside are supposed to realize they are flawed characters capable of making mistakes. It's implicit in the way the Chinese government is set-up; if the Emperor is truly a perfect "divine" being, why would they need ministers/advisors? A truly wise Emperor can admit their faults and shortcomings, and use the brainpower of intelligent and loyal ministers and military officials to come to a conclusion about a certain policy/decision. To circle back to the original topic: to complement a narcissist as "divine" is the worst thing one could possible do, as it feeds into their distorted reality. This is where everything goes downhill.
Ruyi was the only woman in Qianlong's life who dared challenge his personal failures. While all the other consorts/concubines in the harem are busy pampering the Emperor to help their clan, Ruyi was the only one who didn't care about power, wealth, or titles. Ruyi wanted one thing only: love. Very few of the consorts/concubines are actually sincere; they simply obey and prop up their clan/family. Ruyi is different. Ruyi was deeply sincere in her love for Qianlong, yet, she is treated like the most disloyal harem woman you could imagine. With narcissists, the only thing that works is pairing with another narcissist; the two egos feed off one another. Conversely, Ruyi is a complete empath; she truly cares about others, especially Hongli (the Qianlong Emperor). Ruyi is a 'straight-talker', and Qianlong even compliments her a few times during the show because of this trait. Ruyi's empath personality is ultimately her downfall. As time went on, it became clear that Qianlong viewed Ruyi as essentially a piece of property; something for him to "own" for his own pleasure. Qianlong's narcissism developed to such an extent that he couldn't believe that Ruyi didn't care for power and money; it almost seemed like an insult to him. Ruyi, the woman who I've supposedly loved for so long, not aspiring MY power and MY greatness? Well, I bet she secretly wants to spite me!
Some people claim Ruyi failed or was weak; I completely disagree. Even if she lost in the "physical world" so-to-speak, she is far more spiritually powerful than her pathetic husband. Ruyi did everything under her terms and only her terms, even if she paid the price and faced the consequences of doing so. I view Ruyi not just as a feminist figure, but an example everyone should follow. Ruyi really is the perfect role-model. While Ruyi may have had sad ending, there is no doubt she was far happier than Qianlong ever was.
If you ever want an example of who to be (Ruyi) and who not to be (Qianlong), I would not be able to think of a better show than Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. Remember this: always be yourself. Don't allow others to pressure you to do things you don't want to do. Always remain true to yourself, and commit to actions that you are fully convinced of. If you are not true to yourself, you don't know yourself, and ultimately, you will die without ever knowing who you really are as a person.
Not to mention, the show has: perfect music, astounding acting/casting, wonderful cinematography, great pacing, and managed to skip or reinvent many of the tropes we usually see in palace harem dramas. The show also has quite a bit of rewatchable scenes I love to come back to here-and-then.
If you've watched a lot of palace harem dramas and don't know if you should dedicate 87 episodes to another one, I implore to please watch this. You will not be disappointed.
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A lesbian romance steeped in tragedy
A tale where two women's love for each other never wanes, even during the darkest moments. Oh, and Wallace Huo is there. He plays the role of a glorified sperm donor.Ok but seriously, hear me out. The romance arc of this drama becomes a lot more interesting when you read Yu Hailan as gay and Ruyi as bi (and, frankly, who cares about the Emperor). The more life in the Palace beats down Ruyi, the more Yu builds her strength so she can come out batting for Ruyi. Ruyi may not cherish Yu as much as Yu cherishes Ruyi, but Ruyi confides in her more than anyone else. They live together for a while. I mean, c'mon, they raise two kids together. But, sure, tell me they're just "good friends".
I do love a good tragedy and I think this series really threw punches in the last dozen or so episodes. However, I found it really hard to support Ruyi wholeheartedly as the protagonist. That's mostly because she embodies the terrible class politics of the drama.
This drama follows the usual historical Cdrama trope of: servants who are loyal and obedient are good, servants who dare have ambition and question authority are bad. I beg to differ from one of the other reviews and I argue that Ruyi is not an underdog. She may not directly murder anyone but a lot of people die or are grievously harmed due to her failure to protect them. Her refusal to engage in palace intrigue costs lives because, up until almost the end, she believes her judicial innocence to be protection enough. A lot of people sacrifice themselves for Ruyi but, ultimately, she does little self-sacrificing in return (though she's happy to offer a lot of unhelpful pity). At the same time, Wei Yanwan is depicted to be of poor character before she even starts harming people, because she dares to be a servant who wants to break free of her status and aim high.
A natural comparison point here is Yanxi Palace which depicts the same characters, around the same time period (slightly shorter span), and was aired in the same year. In the first half, Yanxi Palace does depict the rise of an underdog – it shows a servant rising through the ranks without demonising her character in the process. That said, it does undercut its own class politics in the second half, but I explain that more in my review of the series.
I will round this off by saying the acting in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace is incredible. I found Wallace Huo to be a little lacklustre in the first half but when he switched, my god, did he switch. So I changed my mind pretty fast. Special mention goes to Vivian Wu who beautifully portrayed a deeply complicated character. I think the only reason I'd rewatch this drama would be to just focus on her and her character's development.
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This is the most well-made Qing Dynasty drama ever and also perhaps... the most well-made historical Chinese drama. Everything is just perfect. From the acting to the writing of the characters to the music and the cinematography to the chemistry between the actors. Almost every actor in this show is an A-lister or B-list star. Amazing acting
I know some people feel Wallace was overpowered by Zhou Xun but I didn't feel it. I felt the chemistry was just right. This is not a story about underdogs always beating evil villains. For a good part of the story, the villains win.
But it's really about love and the relationship between Ruyi and Hongli and how that relationship evolved over time from their youth to their deaths.
It's also about power and how the desire for power corrupts. And the insecurities of the women in the harem. I felt this show really illustrated the different motivations of women and men in the harem and the palace. Whom do they serve? Why do they serve these people? Out of fear? Out of love? Out of blind trust and loyalty?
It's just a beautifully made show.
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This drama telling whole life of qianlong
This drama is very nice, the details are good, and the timeline is also good, acting good, editing good, Although the timeline is not explained, it is very clear, but some time is a little different from the real history, like:
1.the consort name consort mei,and her son (according to wikipedia)
2.consort jia 9 prince death in history is when he is two years,but in the drama he die when born
3.the die of consort shu
4.In history qianlong 14th son die in 1760 and 16th son in 1765, but in drama they both die together
5.and the last,even hongli said ruyi not care about her empress status so he bury and arrange her funeral lower than her status,but i still it not make a sense
For the first i think this drama is to fast because from eps 1 already tell about the love about hong li and ulanara,but this is long term line drama tell all about qianlong life,so this drama is good, although the drama has a fairly long episode of 87, it isn't boring No extra scene, just right
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One of a kind! Rewatched multiple times!
Heart-wrenching and gorgeous C-drama. I love how in-depth this series was especially its focus on almost everyone and why they did the things they did bad or good. This drama does however takes some patience because of how many episodes it has however, it didn’t disappoint me at all. I especially love Zhou Xun’s acting in this one, the emotions she executed felt so real. No matter how many times I watch this drama, it felt like going on this journey with Ruyi and the obstacles she faced throughout the story. Definitely recommend to anyone who is patient enough to witness this once in a lifetime experience!Was this review helpful to you?
