The Legend of Mi Yue explained

Native Name:
Child:yes
T:羋月传
S:芈月传
P:Mǐ Yuè Zhuàn
Genre:Historical fiction
Based On:Miyue Zhuan by Jiang Shengnan
Director:Zheng Xiaolong
Starring:Sun Li
Liu Tao
Alex Fong
Huang Xuan
Gao Yunxiang
Ma Su
Opentheme:Full Moon by Chen Sisi
Endtheme:Beauty is a Dream by Henry Huo
West Wind by Alu Azhuo
Country:China
Language:Mandarin
Num Episodes:81
Executive Producer:Cao Ping
Location:Inner Mongolia
Zhuzhou
Beijing Expo Park
Xiangshan
Hengdian World Studios
Company:Dongyang Flowers Film and Television Culture Co., LTD.
Ruyi Xinxin Pictures
Xianggela Film and Television Culture Dissemination Co., LTD.
Channel:Dragon TV
Beijing TV

The Legend of Mi Yue is a 2015 Chinese television series directed by Zheng Xiaolong and based on eponymous historical novel. It stars Sun Li in the title role of Mi Yue. The series aired 2 episodes daily on Beijing TV and Dragon TV from 30 November 2015 to 9 January 2016.[1]

Synopsis

This is a story about the tortuous life of Mi Yue, the first stateswoman and Queen Dowager in China's history.

Mi Yue was a young princess who lived in the Kingdom of Chu during the Warring States period. Her childhood was not peaceful, after witnessing her mother falling into the schemes of the Queen of Chu. Yet, she was on good relations with her sister, Mi Shu and her father, King Wei. She was eventually sent to Qin as a concubine as part of her sister's dowry, separating her from Huang Xie, her first love. Mi Yue gains the favor of King Ying Si and gives birth to a son named Ying Ji. This leads to the jealousy of Mi Shu, Wei Yan, the queen, and other concubines.

After King Ying Si passes away, Ying Dang becomes his successor. Mi Yue is sent as an ambassador (banishment) to the State of Yan with her son Ying Ji. However, King Ying Dang suddenly dies after lifting weights, leaving Qin in a state of chaos where Ying Si's sons are battling for the throne. Mi Yue enlists the help of the "barbarian" Yiqu army, successfully returning to Qin, suppressing political revolts and instates her son Ying Ji on the throne.

Cast

Main characters

Supporting

State of Chu

State of Qin

Yiqu peoples

State of Yan

Others

Production

Filming started on September 6, 2014, and ended on 29 January 2015.[3] The television series took place in Inner Mongolia, Zhuzhou, Beijing Expo Park, Xiangshan, and Hengdian World Studios.[4]

Soundtrack

Mainland Chinese

Reception

The series initially attracted attention due to its predecessor, Empresses in the Palace, which is also directed by Zheng Xiaolong and stars Sun Li. During its broadcast, it attained high ratings and over 20 billion views online. However, the series did not receive the same critical acclaim and only has a Douban score of 5.5/10. Viewers feel that the plot of Mi Yue, which involves court intrigue between queens and concubines, was no longer fresh. The series has also been criticized for historical inaccuracies, plot (inconsistency and slow pace) and production quality.[5]

Controversy

The production team of the series sued Jiang Shengnan, a scriptwriter on the show, for violating her contract. Jiang had published her novel, a 7,000-character section of The Legend of Mi Yue, online in August 2015 before the series aired. Jiang was dissatisfied with the production team for not recognizing her contributions to the show. The Beijing Chaoyang District Court ruled in favor of the production team. This sparked a discussion about authors writing scripts for adaptations on screen in China.[6]

Ratings

Broadcast date[7] EpisodeDragon TV CSM50 ratingsBeijing TV CSM50 ratings
Ratings (%)Audience share (%)RankRatings (%)Audience share (%)Rank
2015.11.301–21.564.1621.7264.601
2015.12.13–42.275.9511.9415.082
2015.12.25–61.9545.1311.9515.132
2015.12.37–81.8984.8822.3295.991
2015.12.49–102.1235.4822.1935.661
2015.12.511–122.1385.4112.1285.392
2015.12.613–142.1925.6822.2095.731
2015.12.715–162.3666.2212.275.982
2015.12.817–182.4246.3122.5446.601
2015.12.919–202.5376.5412.5226.492
2015.12.1021–222.6676.9612.5246.572
2015.12.1123–242.5486.5022.5766.571
2015.12.1225–262.4786.4022.727.041
2015.12.1327–282.8317.0512.7736.902
2015.12.1429–302.8217.2112.5336.462
2015.12.1531–322.8937.512.5366.572
2015.12.1633–342.7086.9912.4746.372
2015.12.1735–362.7517.0312.586.582
2015.12.1837–382.7947.1912.5656.62
2015.12.1939–402.586.5422.7016.851
2015.12.2041–422.9197.2812.8056.992
2015.12.2143–442.7127.01112.7127.0012
2015.12.2245–462.947.5912.837.292
2015.12.2347–482.9897.7712.8027.282
2015.12.2449–502.7187.2112.6867.122
2015.12.2551–522.7927.2622.8877.521
2015.12.2653–542.8627.2722.9947.481
2015.12.2755–563.3548.3213.1787.882
2015.12.2857–583.3638.7513.0838.012
2015.12.2959–603.4658.8813.2948.442
2015.12.3061–623.3958.8213.3678.742
2015.12.3163–643.2917.92913.1317.552
2016.1.165–663.3538.6323.4178.81
2016.1.267–683.5939.1713.4278.152
2016.1.369–703.7419.3123.7479.341
2016.1.471–723.879.7713.639.182
2016.1.573–743.7399.4213.5979.072
2016.1.675–763.6349.2313.4118.672
2016.1.777–783.6079.2713.468.92
2016.1.879–803.4618.8513.3648.62
2016.1.9813.3038.4713.2138.232
Average ratings2.8677.36-2.8097.21-

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominated work Result
1st China Quality Television Drama Ceremony Quality Grand Award
Audience Favorite TV Series (Dragon TV)
Outstanding Director Achievement Award
Most Popular Actress Liu Tao (also for Nirvana in Fire)
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong
Best Screenwriter Wang Xiaoping, Jiang Shengnan
Best Actress
Best Actor (Ancient Drama) Gao Yunxiang
Best Supporting Actress
Best Producer Cao Ping
Top 10 Dramas
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong
Sun Li
Best Supporting Actress Liu Tao
Outstanding Television Series
Zheng Xiaolong
Liu Tao
Ma Su
Xu Baihui
Most Popular Actress Liu Tao
3rd Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China [8] Best Drama
Best DirectorZheng Xiaolong
Best Supporting ActorXu Wenguang
3rd Asia Rainbow TV Awards[9] Best Historical Drama
Best DirectorZheng Xiaolong
Best OST"Full Moon"
2nd Sino-American Int'l TV FestivalBest ScreenwriterWang Xiaoping
12th Chinese American Film Festival[10] Golden Angel Award for Outstanding Chinese TV Series
11th National Top-Notch Television Production Award Ceremony[11] Outstanding Television Series
Best Director Zheng Xiaolong
Breakthrough Spirit Award Ma Su

Broadcast

ChannellocationBroadcast dateRemark
Beijing TV, Dragon TVMainland ChinaNovember 30, 2015Monday to Sunday 19:35 - 21:00 (two eps)
Anhui TVDecember 8, 2015Daily 22:00
Hebei TV, Zhejiang TVMay 22, 2016Daily 23:05
International broadcast
ChannellocationBroadcast dateRemark
KSCI LA18 TVLos Angeles USAMarch 2, 2016Monday to Friday 19:00 - 20:00 (One eps)
Astro Quan Jia HDMalaysiaFebruary 1, 2016Mon-fri 19:00
Jia Le ChannelSingaporeMarch 24, 2016Mon-Fri 22:00
CTS Main ChannelTaiwanApril 4, 2016Mon-fri 20:00-22:00
Oh!KSingapore,
Malaysia
Indonesia,
Philippines,
Thailand,
Hong Kong
Coming SoonWed-Fri 18:00-19:50

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'The Legend of Mi Yue' garners overseas attention. 19 November 2015. China.org.com.
  2. The name of "Mi Yue" is not the queen dowager's real personal name and the History books never tell her personal name and early life. It based on the interpretation from Professor Duan Xizhong (段熙仲) of the character "脾" in the Terracotta Warriors which Duan believed that these are two independent characters, namely "月" on the left and "芈" on the right. Chen Jingyuan (陈景元) further believes that "Yue Mi" is the real name of Queen Dowager Xuan.http://news.ifeng.com/a/20151210/46600068_0.shtml There was a report http://xm.ifeng.com/baoliao/detail_2015_12/04/4626748_0.shtml tell that in addition to the remnants of Qin Shi Huang's terracotta warriors, “Mi Yue” also comes from King Huiwen's A'fang Palace (阿房宫) as a combination of pottery inscriptions. Meanwhile, at the same time, there are reports that deny the claims of these information.
  3. News: http://ent.news.cn/2014-08/19/c_126889147.htm. zh:传奇巨制《芈月传》再曝演员阵容 9月6日正式开机 . Xinhua News Agency. 19 August 2014 . zh.
  4. News: http://ent.qq.com/a/20150130/032009.htm. zh:《芈月传》杀青 孙俪:郑晓龙改变我的人生 . Tencent. 30 January 2015. zh.
  5. Web site: Legendary viewing figures. Week in China. 8 January 2016.
  6. Web site: 1 December 2015. 'The Legend of Mi Yue' dispute raises questions about adaptations. Sina.
  7. Web site: 电视剧收视率排行榜 收视率排行. 2020-06-06. zh-CN.
  8. Web site: http://zj.people.com.cn/n2/2016/1030/c228592-29226951.html. zh:第三届"文荣奖"结果揭晓 黄轩、赵丽颖分获最佳男女主角. October 30, 2016. People's Daily. zh. May 14, 2017. December 21, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171221155905/http://zj.people.com.cn/n2/2016/1030/c228592-29226951.html. dead.
  9. Web site: http://www.ctvcc.tv/static/hjmd.html. zh:第三届亚洲彩虹奖2016获奖名单. zh.
  10. Web site: 第十二屆中美電影節星光熠熠——開幕式暨金天使獎頒獎典禮耀動洛城. cafilmfestival.org. 2017-05-15.
  11. Web site: http://ent.ifeng.com/a/20170220/42837470_0.shtml. zh:第十一届电视制片业颁奖落幕 秦海璐蒋欣等获十佳. ifeng. February 20, 2017.