Da Ming Wang Chao 1566 (2007)

MING DYNASTY 1566: Political Court Factions Drama

MING DYNASTY 1566 is a highly political drama of 46 episodes length. Unlike other dramas, this one focuses far less on inter personal relations, family affairs and characters and more so rather on the political stage of the time, the warring of court factions, and all the intricacies of the delicate balancing act of governance.

The story tells of a Ming Dynasty which is ruled by Emperor Jiajing and his court, over a Ming nation that now has an exploding economy and booming culture, but that golden age comes at a cost, and often times at a cost for the people of the country. It heavily focuses on how the Ming Dynasty courtiers and magistrates strive to produce more silk at behest of the Emperor (as well as tea and other high demand goods) for foreign nations, but must weigh the balance of domestic demands as well, navigating obstacles and disasters along the way. This drama might be incredibly slow to some, but is a very valuable work in terms of historical context, political understanding, and methods of governance. Very fascinating if you are into this sort of thing.

I highly recommend this series to those that value history, specifically Ming Dynasty era history, as well as those that have an intellectual interest in politics, court factions and methods of government. This was a series one must pay great attention in order to really grasp its story, but certainly an excellent one. Worth the watch.

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Complex machinations in the Ming dynasty

At the time of writing this, I’ve only finished 13 episodes, so I am not yet at the point where I can give a concrete rating. However, it’s been over 2 months since I started watching this show and I’m still not even halfway through it.

Wanted to watch this because it has an impressively high rating on Douban. So far I see why- it is extremely complex. Not much happens in terms of action and episodes are sometimes made entirely of a couple of sequences that just involve characters talking. If characters talking about politics puts you off, I would not recommend this show. However, since I enjoy those aspects, this has been an engaging show.

The characters are very realistic and there are corrupt officials, officials that want to do good, and those who think they are doing good. They’re not black or white characters but are complex beings with motivations and fears. My only complaint so far is that the two female characters I’ve seen this far on the show do not have much agency or much to do. They’re either tools in the hands of others or are treated as lesser beings. Not enjoying that aspect much, even though it might be historically accurate.

I’ll write a longer review for this when I finish it, but for now, I see this is a complex show. It is almost like watching history unfold. I highly recommend it if you like historical shows.

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