Story of Kunning Palace (2023)

A Tale of Dark Obsession vs Courage and Redemption



This series by mutual agreement is proving to be the most captivating of all we are currently watching. And there are at least 5 serious contenders at the moment. So if period/costume series are your genre......do not miss it. I promise you will adore it.

It is primarily about one woman named Jiang Xuening (played by Bai Lu) who had an overwhelming and insatiable lust for power. Her obsession became her downfall as it ended up destroying her and all of those who had trusted her. She was so focused on her quest to become the next Empress, that she scarcely noticed the trail of destruction behind her. 
She had but one goal…and whatever it cost, that she was willing to do. But once she had achieved the position she had sought...there was little joy. 
Her ruthlessness had gained her few allies and multiple enemies. 

But of those who had once cared for her...there was one man, a very disillusioned man named Zhang Zhe
(played by Wang Xingyue) who because of her ...now awaited his death in prison.
Still she carried on...until the palace, roiled by unrest, became her prison too.
With the loss of her freedom, she realizes she has only one card left to play. So she strikes a deal with Xie Wei (Zhang Ling) to save Zhang Zhe from prison. If he will agree..she will offer her own life as collateral. When he agrees... she took her life. 

But by a strange twist of events…she awakens later in her family home… only as her much younger self. 
After the shock wears off, she realizes she has been given a second chance at life. This time she purposes she WILL make all the right choices. 

So with the benefit of her past as her guide…she attempts to change her future and her fate. This is her story of redemption. 



It is played by a stellar cast:
*Bai Lu as Jiang Xuening is utterly captivating...acting dual parts flawlessly. 

A role this complicated and the focus of so many scenes required a especially skillful actress, and wow, is she ever the one!

*Zhang Ling as Xie Wei is a very complex character....shaded by both light and shadow. 

We loved him in My Journey to You, but this more challenging role highlights the range of his talent. 

He is leaving it all on the table in this one, after this..he said he hopes to do a modern series as this one took a toll on him and I believe it. 
He is so sinister at times…that the nape of my neck tingles, yet he can wordlessly look at her with such care..that my toes curl. 
He conveys an element of mystery (never giving the game away) and a masterful presence that suits the dangerous setting of the court. 
The scriptwriter deserves props for giving him such a wonderful role but... in my view ...he is outperforming expectations.
 By far, he is the most fascinating male lead in any series that I have seen in a while. 

I simply cannot wait for the fireworks between them...one hug was mesmerizing. He understands her, because he is her match.

*Wang Xingyue as Zhang Zhe is also riveting. I don’t typically fall for the SL and I did not expect that anyone could compete with Zhang Ling in this one. Yet somehow….Wang Xingue manages to do just that. His face is fascinating. And because the chemistry between him and Bai Lu simmers every time they meet that also seems tantalizing. Lol.
But although he is an upright and honorable man, it doesn't appear that he is right for her. Even if he loved her..it is doubtful he could understand her. 
They are vastly different in every conceivable way.

Both men are beautifully defined with strengths and weaknesses, but neither are perfect.
They are complicated and mysterious men which makes them oh.... so.... fascinating to watch! Lol.

So here is your setting for the story…and as always I will be back with an update.


Enjoy..this one is gonna be one to rave about!

@Final: This series was epic to the end. The wrap up was perfect, I couldn't fault one thing. I even loved the brief modern scene with the writer where she opens the door and there he is. Perfect tiny tidbit. Likewise...I loved the special episode they included at the end and the behind the scenes were fun as well.
It is clear that this entire cast enjoyed each other and that bonding on set..contributed to the success of this project. Congratulations to everyone involved in this beautiful drama, thank you for all the thrills, the laughter and the tears..it was a wonderful experience. I am happy to recommend this series to you. It will immediately go in my fave rewatch list.

Happy Watching!

Leggi di Più

This drama is literally one of the best drama this year.

I will definitely recommend this drama to my friends and family. The story is epic. The casting is PERFECT. Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He deserves more than just a praise and I demand another drama casting them as Main Leads.
Knowing that I already finished watching the episodes, I'm going crazyyyy. Hands up to the director, the casts, the DRAMAAAAA ...
I will definitely recommend this drama to my friends and family. The story is epic. The casting is PERFECT. Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He deserves more than just a praise and I demand another drama casting them as Main Leads.
Knowing that I already finished watching the episodes, I'm going crazyyyy. Hands up to the director, the casts, the DRAMAAAAA ...

Leggi di Più

heart-warming in more ways than one

I am filled with emotions after just finishing the drama so this might contain spoilers.

This is my most highly-anticipated drama and it did NOT disappoint! I might have a few issues but they're mostly on the technical side. Everything about this drama will invoke different sets of feelings from viewers (yes even the technical stuff ie the director's lighting choices, is a hot topic in the comments section lol).

Story: Rebirth/Reincarnation trope isn't anything new but once perfectly executed, it can be a gem on its own and Story of Kunning Palace is just that. The screenwriter/s were able to adapt the novel with full respect to the source material while also keeping the audience in mind. It's very compelling and would keep the audience guessing. Each side story tugs at the viewer's heartstrings making every character or scene memorable. The ending is also very satisfactory, every character was addressed and the main leads were given their deserved spotlight despite their slow burn romance.

Acting/Casting: I read the novel with the intention of only knowing the important bits about the characters. I wanted the drama to handle the rest as I've my own bad experiences from reading the novel before the drama aired. (Note: I still haven't finished the drama so some of my understandings about the characters might be off or lacking.) I personally think the cast especially BL and ZLH did a splendid job understanding and acting out Jiang Xuening and Xie Wei. Due to their spot on acting that the viewers are drawn to their story. The side character actors are also spot on. Everyone brought their A game to this drama and that's what elevated SOKP to its heights. ZLH is honestly a revelation here.

Music: The OSTs are amazing. I gave a 9.5 due to the editing. I think it could've been better. But the songs themselves are perfect for this drama. Bai Lu's OST is a personal favorite. I'll for sure have a sweet smile every time I'll hear it in the future since the scenes are forever etched in my memory plus her sweet voice.

Rewatch Value: I was already itching to rewatch as soon as I finished it. It's that good.

Story of Kunning Palace is a masterful storytelling about second chances, maturity, love, friendship, family, politics, and mental struggles. It makes you think and feel. This drama now has a special place in my heart.

Leggi di Più

Disappointingly overrated

Ning an Ru Meng started off very well and somewhere around the 15th episode I was convinced this was one of the best historical dramas this year, It certainly had all the right elements: a potential redemption arc, political intrigue, interesting characters.

Let's start with the positives: I enjoyed many things on the show. The flashbacks to the previous "life" were very engaging and well tied to the present. I enjoyed many of the characters and their little arcs. Among them the characters with the most engaging character arcs were You Fangyin (whose arc kind of ended very early on) and the princess (a very good performance from Liu Xie Ning). The political drama was overall quite enjoyable till the second half of the show, although a lot of it wasn't particularly complex or unseen before.

Now the negatives:

The romance. Yes, the “romance”. Replace the handsome Zhang Linghe with a not-so-pleasant-faced actor and many of the things he did to Ning will appear creepy. Yes, very very creepy. A teacher who has power over her - who can kiss her forcibly and make her cry. And how many times did Xie Wei do this? Episode 32, episode 34, ep 36. This toxic love story is sold to audiences at fantastic paces. In episode 34 Ning tells XW that she does not love him, so what is his response? Basically it was something on the lines of- “the things you’ve done for me prove you love me” and then he drags her outside and forces her to plunge a knife into his stomach. Hmm. Ning has done a lot of good things for many people- does that mean that she loves them all?

Well, that brings me to the person she actually loved for most of the show - Zhang Zhe. She loved him so much that she died for him in the previous “life”, and she retained those feelings. It soon became obvious that the two of them loved each other. So, circumstances allowed his feelings for her to grow - he was certain she loved him too, and in this life there were no real barriers to them being together. In fact, as it is established later on, her father would have readily chosen Zhang Zhe as a son-in-law. Yet, the novelist/screenwriter decided to put an end to this love story in the most ridiculous way possible. No-one breaks up with the one they love when their beloved is suffering. Soon after his mother died, Ning decides to break up with him and she chooses to do it by pretending that she never loved him, wringing his heart dry. It was absolutely convenient for the story not to show Zhang Zhe much later either, and neither do we watch Ning weep over him.

What was the reason for that breakup? Truly insignificant. In order to prevent him from hurting further, she hurt him even more. It truly makes no sense. Are the novelist and screenwriters suggesting that good people don’t end well? Evidently, one need not look further than Zhang Zhe to find that.

In truth the purpose of cutting short this love story short is to allow the male lead and female lead to get together. By episode 34 however, she herself says that she doesn’t love Xie Wei. Of course, everyone is busy convincing her that she DOES love him. The music is suggesting that, and all of XW’s crazy, obsessive behaviour suddenly appear romantic.

Show don’t tell- evidently the screenwriter forgot that.

Xie Wei kisses Ning’s forehead after she is flogged by Xue Shu. As I said earlier- replace ZLH with someone ugly and this won’t fly that well. Her father happens to see this and confronts XW indirectly, but XW’s reaction is hardly apologetic. Instead it’s almost as though he owns her. Then when he goes “crazy” he kisses her forcibly. The background music really presents it as the most romantic scene ever.

This toxic “love” story is presented as the most beautiful one and that is truly a concern. The wrist-pulling, force-kissing abusive ML is presented as an ideal partner? Is it 2023?

I think had this story been placed in the back burner I would have been somewhat okay with it, but when the screenwriter decided that the ML and FL must be together the plot turned to ridiculous mush. All the palace politics that had held my attention earlier dissipated.

This show started off solid - it was interesting, and then it nosedived its way into a toxic “romance” with the historical bits taking . The performances have been good, and ZLH may have received his best role so far. I really enjoyed several characters and I wish the show makers had spent more time on those character arcs.

Overall I am so so disappointed. and I think 8 is already too high.
(My actual rating: 7.75)

Leggi di Più

Ultimate slow-burn in the bustling nerve wrecking imperial palace

This one genuinely won hearts; it won’t leave you craving for more because they gave us everything.
The initial lack of romance pointed out, is a crucial stepping stone for the development of the relationship between the main characters. This might change from person to person but the trust, bond, and belief they had in each other that came together the way it did due to all those episodes that literally serve this purpose.

In many dramatic works, the characters are often portrayed as one-dimensional and lack the depth that is required to fully engage the audience. However, this particular drama stands out in that each character possesses a unique set of traits and motivations. The character, Xue Shu, is a prime example of this well-developed and multi-faceted approach to characterisation. Her actions not only facilitated the meeting between the female lead and the second male lead, but also had a profound impact on the entire court, leaving the powerful Duke Xue speechless in the process. Moreover, her actions served to reverse the plans of the female lead which was a strong move from Fl’s side. This is a rare and impressive feat in the realm of dramatic works and serves as a testament to the author's ability to craft complex and nuanced characters.

Initially, I thought that there would be a couple of episodes specifically devoted to flashbacks. However, it turned out to be surprising as we were able to get an idea of the events and storyline from the past through brief glimpses, without actually having to witness them visually.

Kudos to the actors who made those characters alive.
Jiang Xuening is definitely a rebel to the social norms back then when it came down to the people she cared about, she went all the way to not let the past repeat.
Xie Wie, if confident, visionary, scheming, cold, possessive, and talented was a person he is the one. He’s a 10 (only for the FL *cough possessive cough*) but definitely can’t fight.
Yan Lin grabbed us with his charming, extroverted personality, let’s not mention the fight scene which definitely hooked and gave us relief with his entry when Duke Xue surrounded Xie Wie and Zhang Ze.
Zhang Ze (the righteous man who can’t be real) has the kind of judgement everyone would crave, his vision into other's perceptions and diverse view of the situations will leave you all wondering his IQ level. He’s a 10 and there’s no but…
Xue Dingfei, Dao Qin, Lyu Xian, You Fangyin, Xiao Bao, Princess and Jiang family each have unique personalities, which will keep us invested in their character build up. Each of them true to their character had one or another scene where the attention to the drama reaches maximum.
Duke Xue, Xue Shu, The Emperess and Zhou Yinzhi will keep the edge and rage alive, that itself says how well the characters were portrayed.

Even though politics and drama rule this drama, the scenes cut to a different level will bring you back to laughter immediately from the tense situation. The realization of getting finally attached might be too late. For me, it was You Fangyin’s fate that made me realize this.

The scheming plots were executed with great precision, and many aspects of the plan felt natural and logical. The decisions made were not forced or repetitive, and everything flowed smoothly even in the most challenging situations. This was definitely a 10/10 for me.

Leggi di Più

What a good series, and honestly, Zhang Ling He!

I have to admit I had a little trouble following the story at first, but that's me. Once I got the characters down, I couldn't walk away. Despite some very unkind comments I have read, the ensemble cast gave wonderful performances and made me really like (or despise) the characters.

The couples were endearing and believable - and the chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He was sizzling hot!! (He would have electricity with a stone, I tell you!) The villains!! What superb acting - I despised them intensely; proof of the great job they did bringing their evil characters to life. The characters that people thought were weak or unimportant, really had their purpose - and it took some care and attention to realize that. Even the character of Xie Wei - he was so broken, so lonely, a product of his past longing for the love he desperately needed to heal.

I especially liked the time and attention to the final episode, and that bonus episode was just the icing on the cake!!! Loved that for the most part, they tied up the loose ends nicely - meting out justice and Karma, but wrapping up the characters' stories. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the end story of Xie Wei's two loyal aides and Xue Ding Fei. But I absolutely loved the lead couple's ending the best. The scene with Xie Wei and his kids was hilarious!

Now... why did I not go for it and give this a perfect 10? You Fang Yin & Lu Xian. They deserved so much more - and a little of the happiness that everyone else received. That broke my heart, especially for Lu Xian. Sorry, writer & director - that one cost you a perfect rating.

I will definitely be re-watching this, probably time and time again.

Leggi di Più

GREAT STORY WITH BRILLIANT CAST

I will say the adaptation is the best, they remove some scene and make link to every story arc so is fit 38 episode.

Jiang Xue Ning, she is someone who has regret and willing to fix it. She try to help people around her and changing their fate for something better, she's not perfect but she'll try.
Xie Wei, he complicated person. He use to have everything then lose all of it in a day. He had traumatic past, he know that people is cruel. Like he said he is not a saint. He schemes everything not care about the world.

Their relationship grow a long time, JXN use to afraid XW but then she became to trust him.

For novel reader the ending little bid difference, they tone down some character. They connect story so is more fit and not feeling rush. And of course is HAPPY ENDING.

For me is pity they don't make longer episode, they are a few scene from novel I think gonna make this drama more greater that ever.

BEST

Leggi di Più

Different cdrama with some great politics

Greetings!!
I am writing review for this because i think this drama shows different side of chinese dramas and not just the typical romantic story i mist say it started low but the value is certainly increased even if you are struggling in first few just go through it till 3 or 4 then you will understand the whole thing.
This drama has the cast like the perfection for their each role Zhang Ling He and Bai Lu play the character slightly different this time but also showing their talents and it just remind me of Xianxia "Till the End of the Moon" where Luo YunXi and Bai Lu slayed their role and so in this Zhang Ling He and Bai Lu also slayed together and also Bai Lu's on-going drama "only for love" is also the great hit in modern romance.

The story showing some interesting politics also and that's what i love to see the more you watch the more you want to see the head strong Jiang Xue Ning who can do anything to become an empress, manipulated many people, betrayed and control them then died by killing herself in regret to exchange life for someone else and whereas Xie Wei who killed entire palace help of Yan Lin who is betrayed by Jiang Xue Ning as his lover and Zheng Zhe almost played important role of Xue Ning's lover and he has his seperate charm also his character play is great anyways not spoiling the second part of story enough for catching your intrest maybe and the most important part that it is not like the other show "My Journey to you" that drama's script was not very liking to me but this is just amazing you are drawn to this drama.

The OST: I would say that i didn't get to know all of the songs but those i have listed it feels straight to heart you can definitely feel the music like every person says you should feel yes that feel! you know what I mean...

Overall this is a very good drama with amazing costume and scenes also contains comedy with some romance i enjoyed watching it and a little disclosure, THIS DRAMA WON THE “HALL OF HONOUR” AT IQIYI SCREAM NIGHT 2023
Thankyou ^^

Leggi di Più

Well written and satisfying drama

Such a well written and satisfying drama....Truly loved it!!
The level of acting is phenomenal, pacing is beautiful and the best part for me is that it doesn't has infinite number of evil character plus the one who are evil are handled flawlessly by our leads which makes me enjoy the drama much more, as it shows that writer focus on content more than filling it will unnecessary negative schemes and plots.
The chemistry between BaiLu + Zhang Ling He is sizzling....it has slow start but its gripping till the end. It was worth my time and i feel satisfied with the end
The best part is that it has a HE as i usually avoid sad ending dramas plus it has such breathtaking kisses & it was done beautifully❤️ All in all its a 10/10 for me:)

Leggi di Più

If only the secondary characters had been allowed more room to bloom.

I almost dropped it at episode 32.
I really tried to like this drama but by episode 10+, I realised I was slowly starting to look forward to the secondary characters story and would have stayed if they have been given say...five minutes tops every episode from 10 upwards. And then when episode 32 happened, I just couldn't fake it anymore 😭.
I couldn't pretend even for the dramatics of Dingfei and I really wanted to see more of the Jie-hui and Lu-Yin couple. Oh the story it could have been!
I was highly expectant of cast and story even after the basicality it decided to adhere to right after the sixth episode. That commonly plot vice of going back in time and wondering why the new timeline is not sticking to the script after hijacking it, then scrambling around trying to make it work and causing disastrous results. It ain't that drama for me, but you could enjoy it. Try it.

Leggi di Più

One of the Best Chinese Dramas 2023

I really like the drama. Really deserves to be one of my favorite dramas this year!

It's slow going at first, but I advise you to be patient and pay close attention to the storyline. The more you watch, the more addictive you will become.

Even though there are flaws in the editing, I like the action scenes in this drama. The prison scenes at episode 20 and at the Shangqing Temple just amazing.

The chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Linghe is also great. Their acting is perfect and makes this drama even more worth watching.

I also love all the OST. Just amazing
Solid 10/10

Leggi di Più