| Genre: | Historical fiction Medical Romance |
| Director: | Lee Kwok Lap |
| Starring: | Cecilia Liu Wallace Huo Huang Xuan |
| Opentheme: | Heavy Rain is Coming by Lala Hsu |
| Endtheme: | Until That Day by Sara Liu |
| Country: | China |
| Language: | Mandarin |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 50 |
| Producer: | Karen Tsoi |
| Location: | China |
| Runtime: | 42 minutes |
| Company: | New Classics Media Tangren Media |
| Channel: | JSTV, Dragon TV |
The Imperial Doctress is a 2016 Chinese television series based on the story of Tan Yunxian, a female physician during the Ming dynasty in China. It stars Cecilia Liu as the titular character. The series aired every day at 7.30pm on Jiangsu TV and Dragon TV, from 13 February to 9 March 2016.[1] [2]
Set in the Ming Dynasty during the rule of Emperor Yingzong, Tan Yunxian (Cecilia Liu) came from a long line of medicine practitioners, her family having served as court physicians for several generations. However, the practice for female physicians came to a halt when many were framed for abusing the form. Yet, Yunxian was determined to learn medicine and she did so in secrecy. Through her enthusiasm and persistence, Yunxian overcame many difficulties and rose through the ranks to become the most famous female doctor of the Ming Dynasty. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with Zhu Qizhen (Wallace Huo) and Zhu Qiyu (Huang Xuan), two royal siblings with opposite personalities who enter into a rivalry for the throne.
See also: Tan Yunxian. The titular character in the drama series, Tan Yunxian, is a real-life historical figure who came from a renowned medical family. She was one of the few female physicians/doctors that was known to exist in history. Before her death, she published a book titled "Sayings of a Female Doctor", which was passed on throughout generations.However, the romance depicted in the drama between Tan Yunxian and the two Emperors is strictly fictional. In reality, Tan Yunxian did not exist in the same time period as Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu, and naturally would not be able to work at the Zhengtong Emperor's Palace.[3] The character in the story is actually a combination of Tan Yunxian and the historical Empress Hang.
During the writing of the drama, screenwriter Zhang Wei consulted professional Chinese physicians regarding medical terminology and prescription use.[4] Lead actress Cecilia Liu reportedly took lessons with a traditional physician to learn the basics of Chinese medicine and treatment (such as acupuncture, taking pulse and massage techniques) in preparation for the role.
The series received positive feedback from the audience and topped Baidu's charts of most popular TV dramas in China. It gained attention forits exquisite costumes, showcase of traditional Chinese medicine and performance of its leads. The series was also noted for featuring a well-respected female figure in China history.[5]
The series was also commercially successful, achieving an average ratings of 1.2 on both Dragon TV and Jiangsu TV and placing first in its ratings slot nationally. It was among the highest rated dramas of the year, and ranked #9 on Huading's Top 100 Satisfaction Survey for TV series.[6] [7]
| Broadcast date[8] | Episode | Dragon TV CSM52 ratings | Jiangsu TV CSM52 ratings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratings (%) | Audience share (%) | Rank | Ratings (%) | Audience share (%) | Rank | |||
| 2016.2.13 | 1-2 | 0.893 | 2.359 | 3 | 0.782 | 2.068 | 5 | |
| 2016.2.14 | 3 | 0.918 | 2.435 | 4 | 0.646 | 1.714 | 10 | |
| 2016.2.15 | 4-5 | 1.03 | 2.666 | 4 | 0.844 | 2.19 | 7 | |
| 2016.2.16 | 6-7 | 0.978 | 2.56 | 4 | 0.902 | 2.37 | 5 | |
| 2016.2.17 | 8-9 | 0.992 | 2.55 | 3 | 0.912 | 2.35 | 5 | |
| 2016.2.18 | 10-11 | 0.988 | 2.58 | 4 | 0.956 | 2.5 | 5 | |
| 2016.2.19 | 12-13 | 0.98 | 2.495 | 2 | 0.895 | 2.285 | 4 | |
| 2016.2.20 | 14-15 | 1.127 | 2.96 | 2 | 0.881 | 2.32 | 4 | |
| 2016.2.21 | 16-17 | 1.122 | 2.86 | 2 | 1.038 | 2.65 | 4 | |
| 2016.2.22 | 18-19 | 1.09 | 2.745 | 1 | 1.029 | 2.596 | 4 | |
| 2016.2.23 | 20-21 | 1.309 | 3.416 | 1 | 1.152 | 3.014 | 2 | |
| 2016.2.24 | 22-23 | 1.279 | 3.4 | 1 | 1.228 | 3.28 | 2 | |
| 2016.2.25 | 24-25 | 1.158 | 3.079 | 2 | 1.204 | 3.206 | 1 | |
| 2016.2.26 | 26-27 | 1.205 | 3.116 | 2 | 1.244 | 3.227 | 1 | |
| 2016.2.27 | 28-29 | 1.192 | 3.169 | 1 | 1.163 | 3.104 | 3 | |
| 2016.2.28 | 30-31 | 1.36 | 3.539 | 1 | 1.32 | 3.441 | 2 | |
| 2016.2.29 | 32-33 | 1.450 | 3.92 | 1 | 1.333 | 3.593 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.1 | 34-35 | 1.540 | 4.188 | 1 | 1.260 | 3.434 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.2 | 36-37 | 1.590 | 4.237 | 1 | 1.395 | 3.725 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.3 | 38-39 | 1.530 | 4.134 | 1 | 1.260 | 3.400 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.4 | 40-41 | 1.466 | 3.791 | 2 | 1.478 | 3.832 | 1 | |
| 2016.3.5 | 42-43 | 1.521 | 3.926 | 1 | 1.471 | 3.796 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.6 | 44 | 1.481 | 3.935 | 1 | 1.306 | 3.465 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.7 | 45-46 | 1.725 | 4.52 | 1 | 1.406 | 3.69 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.8 | 47-48 | 1.792 | 4.729 | 1 | 1.527 | 4.056 | 2 | |
| 2016.3.9 | 49-50 | 2.007 | 5.118 | 1 | 1.706 | 4.375 | 2 | |
| Average ratings | 1.296 | 3.39 | - | 1.175 | 3.08 | - | ||
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominee | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1st China Television Drama Quality Ceremony | Most Influential Actress | |||
| Most Influential Actor | Wallace Huo (also for Love Me If You Dare) | ||||
| Most Popular Actor | |||||
| 3rd Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China | Best Actor | Huang Xuan | |||
| 2017 | 2nd China Quality Television Drama Quality Ceremony | Quality Drama of the Year | [9] | ||
| Audience Favorite TV Series (Dragon TV) | |||||
| Best Actress | Cecilia Liu | [10] | |||
| Top 10 Dramas |