The Chinese name is: Cheng Ji Si Han and it's available at US Yes Asia for $29.00 US
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-...section-videos/

What about from Sui/Tang?

隋唐英雄转 - Great movie, more accurate than Qin Wang Li Shi Min.
秦王李世民 - Ugh... Not that accurate but...

Han Wu emperor (汉武大帝）
I think it was one of the best TV series made in mainland China in recent years, worth to watch!!!

Ugh is right. I wouldn't dream of calling this series historical...or even particularly entertaining. Maybe if the actor who played Li Shi Min's elder brother played Li Shi Min himself I would've been more interested

Overall this series seemed rather lame, even just looking at it as pure entertainment.

You prefer a more mature and serious looking 严宽 to tries-to-be-moody 何润东?

So I admit I enjoy the increasing numbers of good-looking actors appearing nowadays. (Finally!) And yes, 严宽's on my list

But it's not just actor choice that bothered me. I do like Peter He as an actor; he's been pretty good in some things, but the way he portrayed Li Shi Min's character was just too cursory. But then again, I probably shouldn't have expected too much seriousness in the first place.

One quite enjoyable series (actually there are several)are about the Emperor Kang Xi who would travel in disguise around China to see what was really going on. He travelled with a court Monk and a eunuch who tried to keep him out of trouble. He also had an eye for the ladies. The series is fictional but is based on the real Kang Xi who did travel in disguise. Action and humor abound. Click on the link which will take you to one of the series and the go down the page to Other artists and click on Zhang Guo Li (Kang Xi)and you can find more Kang Xi series.
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-...section-videos/

There is another chinese historical drama titled ''The Dynasty;set during between the Late Ming and Early Qing.
It is a good historical drama.The early episodes are about how was Wei Zhongxian's dominance of the Ming Government ended and the ascension of Emperor Chongzhen to te Dragon Throne.

A new series i just watched is 'jiang shan feng yu qing', focusing on the reign of Chongzhen and the rise of the Qing dynasty. Its got a fine cast of actors whom most people will recognise from other series.

Heres a link:
http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/...videos/did-106/

Oh....I see....That's the chinese historical drama that I am currently watching in Malaysia....

Kang Xi Wei Fu Si Fang's a really funny series (so is its sequel), but also points some fingers at modern issues. Love those thinly-veiled critiques Along these lines, Ji Xiao Lan's also a half-funny, half-serious, probably not very historically accurate series, but it was still intellectually stimulating.

How is this serie?

Is it big? Big battles? Historical authentic?

The series has good acting, the series is fairly lite on battle scenes. More focused with politics

Yea......Moreover,it has nice battle scene and one also can easily catch up with political situation during that period as it is well arranged....

In the show, Chong Zhen was really very bad luck. When some thing good happen, it follows by a immediate series of bad luck for him. When Ming cornered the rebels, the Manchus invade. When the Manchus were chased off, the rebels found a way out of the entrapment. When the Ming killed off a small Manchu army, next episode, their main army was destroyed. ***** bad luck.

In the end was very sad for Chong Zhen and his family. He tried so hard to govern the country but always make bad decisions. He suffer from insomia because of the problems in Ming. In the end, everyone except his family, all of his court has deserted him. So sad.

the series Xiao Zhuang epic was mentioned earlier, was this serie historically correct?

the the two following it, the Royal Prince Secret History and the Ancestor's Secret History. were they historically correct?

i highly doubt Royal Prince was, cos it was so romantically involved. but what about the other two?

hi...

is there anyone in Singapore who has this set of VCD 'jiang shan feng yu qing', and is willing to sell me or loan me ?

Please email or send a private message to exchange phone numbers.. thanks

It's a really sad story, since you know all the characters would die in the end. The actor playing ZhenYuanYuan needs to learn how to act on playing an instrument too.

i strongly recomend Kangxi Empire康熙帝国, Yongzheng Dyansty雍正王朝, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms三国演义. i suggest watching sit-coms made by mainland china, because i think they are not changed as much.

yeah, it's really sad. but it has been changed a lot from history, so i suggest we don't watch it as real history.

Hi there - Need your help.
I have the set of RTK but unfortunately without the English subtitles. Anyone can kindly help point me to the site /page where I can get the subtitles in English. Many thanks in anticipation.

try
http://www.chinesemall.com/romofthrekin3.html , you can purchase online RoTK with english subtitles

I think there are subtitles from this websites.

http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/torrents.ph...gdoms&sort=name

For my suggestion it is to watch every drama series with a pinch of salt as they are produced for viewers to watch for fun & to follow real history it is better for documentary

The Han Wu da Ti showed Li Guang battling to his death in his final battle as it is a better ending for the general

I once watched a tv serial about the ming dynasty era after the "tu mu zhi bian" called da ming wang chao, i think but I can't seem to find the dvd in Spore anymore. Has anyone seen it? That was another show called "Han Guang Wu Liu Xiu" acted by the guy who acted as Lu Bu in RTK. Has anyone watched that show? Is it good?

This is the best historic series ever made...

This isn't a drama, but has anyone seen 百家讲坛 or Lecture Room?
It's basicly a series of lectures that's on about noon everyday in China, and covers the typical topics like the classics and also a lot on correct (as they say) History.

Also looking foreword to a new drama series about Goujian and Fuchai.
trailer 1 of 2, 2 of 2

Not sure how much was lost during the crash.
As someone who has watched quite a number of these historical dramas (and will continue to do so), perhaps I can rekindle the discussion here.

Below the my TOP 20 in chronological order, my ratings and comments. Feel free to object!
Keep in mind, like someone already said: such TV series are meant to contain good drama so that we can enjoy, yet historical content not grossly distorted. So do not let the historical accuracy part spoil it. If you want history only, you should watch history documentaries instead.

1. Sun Zi Bing Fa *** highly watchable, educational even
2. Spring & Autumn plus Warring States *** very long story, somewhat boring, but accurate, I believe
3. Qin Shihuang *** just about OK
4. Chu Han Feng Liu *** sometimes Liu Pang gets comical; some intermittent commentaries are humerous; some are questionable, e.g. Roman arrows range 110m, Qin arrows 150m, so what happens if they clash?
5. Han Wu Da Di **** excellent, great costumes, decor, 陳寶國 at his best
6. Da Han Tian Zi *** more appealing to those who prefer pretty boys and girls like Huang Xiao Ming
7. Da Han Tian Zi 2 ** don't bother
8. ROTK ***** the grand classic, needs no introduction
9. Kai Chuang Sheng Shi **** fairly new one on fall of Sui, rise of Tang, Li Yuan, rise of Li Shihmin as emperor
10. Da Song Ti Xing Guan **** watch Song forensics at work, better than CSI
11. Genghis Khan **** some may find it boring, I love it
12. Da Ming Tian Zi *** a bit of Zhu Yuanzhang, mostly Zhu Di's aspiration and plot to seize the throne
13. Zhu Yuanzhang, 陳寶國 *?* still watching
14. Jiang Shan Feng Yu Qing (Affaire in Swing Age or Dynasty?) ***** superb drama
15. Da Qing Feng Yun *** great costumes, great battles, drama went a bit too far to remind you of Romeo and Juliet
16. Kang Xi Di Guo ***** one the best available
17. Yongzheng Dynasty *** slow can be boring
18. Qianlong Emperor ** so-so drama, some parts pretty boring
19. Towards (or For the Sake of ) the Republic **** I find it highly educational; portrayal of Sun Yat Sen wasa little strange
20. Long March (Tang Kuo Chiang as Mao) *** slow, but accurate story, I believe

Has anyone watched Da Dun Huang? Is it any good?

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

To those who have seen “Kang Xi Di Guo” or have read the book by the same title, can you guys please verify the historical validity of this series or book? I mean was it purely based on official historical records? Can I rely on most of the information given in “Kang Xi Di Guo” in a historical debate without being laughed at for not having a clue what I am talking about? I am not so certain if this series/book has a lot of historical accuracies since I did find some parts to be not somewhat convincing as to what could have happened during that time.

Xie Xie,

Rong,
As no one has responded to you, you must be somewhat frustrated.
That series is one of the best I have seen. I also checked the validity of it against a couple other sources.
I am quite sure the main stories including Kangxi's grandma's role, the Taiwan issue, pacifying the nothern tribes are correct.
I believe that series was based on a historical novel, so like such novels, a lot more drama has have been added.
Like other series, the childhood adventures and romance are probably exaggerated or invented.
Hope this helps.

Zunjing de Rooster,

Thanks for your response! Nah, since I have posted so many unanswered questions in here, I would really be frustrated daily. Hehehe!

I guess I should have clarified which points I was trying to confirm. Since this series portrayed Emperor Kang Xi in a much more favorable light, it really seems to have greatly forgotten about Emperor Kang Xi’s failures to keep control of his sons’ factional fighting!

Anyway, there are two things I would like to ask. First, was the third princess who married the Mongolian chief really Emperor Kang Xi’s favorite daughter? Did the Emperor really have a special relationship with her? Also, was Concubine Rong posthumously conferred with the title of Empress Xiao Ci Ren? From what I have read from Wikipedia, Emperor Kang Xi left the position of Empress vacant after Empress Xiao Cheng Ren died in childbirth.

I know these seem to be so trivial, but I am still very interested in finding out the answers. Hehehe!

Xie Xie,

Zunjing de Rooster,

Yeah, I will always love to watch historical dramas! In fact, I have developed my passion for Chinese History initially through watching these historical dramas. I only let historical accuracies spoil the entire drama for me when the director distorts actual history to the point of being unacceptable. I personally view historical dramas as a revival for historical events. I can never actually watch historical documentaries as they are so boring to me. I would much rather read numerous books than to watch any of the documentaries!

It is so awesome that you have seen all these TV Series! I would like to ask you a few questions regarding three historical dramas that I have not seen, but would love to know if they are worth viewing or not.

Kai Chuang Sheng Shi depicts the fall of the Sui Dynasty, the rise of the Tang Dynasty, and Tang Taizong’s fratricides during the Xuan Wu gate incident. I would like to know how accurate is this series? Does it really touch on some of the controversial issues regarding Tang Taizong’s character. I really hate it when fictional romance is thrown into a historical drama just for entertainment purposes; hence, are there a lot of love stories in here? If you have seen “Qin Wang Li Shimin,” can you please tell me if this series is quite similar to that one or not?

Lastly, I would like to know why this series has the title “Kai Chuang Sheng Shi?” Since Tang Taizong took the reign name of “Zhen Guan,” I would think this series would have the title “Zhen Guan Sheng Shi” instead?

Unlike most historical dramas set in the early Qing Dynasty, “Da Ching Feng Yun” depicts the rise and fall of the Manchurian hero, Prince Dorgon. Again, I would like to know how accurate this series is? I have always been a fan of early Qing Dynasty series. I surmise the love story is inevitable in here. However, I would like to ask if this series touches on some controversial issues over whether Empress Xiao Zhuang and Prince Dorgon actually had an affair after the death of Emperor Huang Taiji or not? Also, were Prince Dorgon and Empress Xiao Zhuang both portrayed in a favorable light?

Qian Long Emperor was the third installment of the Qing Dynasty Emperors series after “Kang Xi Di Guo,” and “Yong Zheng Wang Chao.” The only criticism I have really heard regarding this series was that it only discussed the reign of Emperor Qian Long during his middle and final years, unlike the first two installments. I have always wanted to see a series actually depicting the reign of Qian Long since most series I have seen were fictional accounts of Emperor Qian Long disguising as a commoner wandering around numerous cities outside of the capital. Did this series ever mention of Emperor Qian Long’ possible Han origins?

Lastly, your rating of series can be a little bit confusing. Is it just based on a scale of one to four star(s)?

Xie Xie,

My written chinese is quite poor, but think "Kai Chuang" literally means "open window" - nothing to do with emperor names. I have only cross checked the accuracy of this series on a broad level which tells me, again like many others, the main stories are correct, the romances are suspect... This series is worth watching. No, I have not watched Qin Wang Li Shihmin as the cover looked more like wuxia to me. Don't know if I am mistaken.

Dorgon's story with Xiaozhuang had always been vague and incomplete. I would not recommend this to you unless you like romantic dramas a fair bit. In the show, yes, both of them are "heroes" at the end.

This Qianlong series is quite boring, but does provide a lot of details about He Shen and the Qing early encounters with the west. No, I can't recall this series discussing his birth circumstances.

Yes, * = don't bother, ***** = excellent... to me only.

I find watching such series very enjoyable. And crosschecking the stories with other sources on internet or books make it even more enjoyable. However, I suggest you watch documentaries too. They are the GREAT resource. I watched the fairly new CCTV Gu Gong (Palace Museum/Forbbiden City) and Silk Road 2005 (or something like that) - excellent sources of accrate information.

Zunjing de Rooster,

Hmm, maybe I have to watch “Kai Chuang Sheng Shi” to fully understand the meaning of the title and why it was used for this TV Series. If you say that this TV Series is worth watching, then of course, I will take your word for it. May I ask when this series begins and ends? I think you have made a wise choice for not watching Qin Wang Li Shimin since it is much more of a wuxia story than a historical drama as fictional characters and romances took up too much of the time and of the storyline. One of the downsides was that this series ended with Qin Wang ascended to the throne only . Well, this is at least my opinion of it since I would rather watch scenes where Tang Taizong showed everyone what a great Emperor he would become.

Hmm, why do you think Prince Dorgon’s story with Empress Xiao Zhuang has always been vague and incomplete? Is it because this part of history was not very well-documented in history? Well, I don’t really like love stories; however, I surmise I can treat this series as a fun Wuxia drama if they were both portrayed as heroes. May I ask if there are a lot of political schemes and military strategies alongside the love story?

I surmise most of the interesting things we like about Emperor Qian Long were the adventures outside of Beijing, which were most likely fictional accounts. TV Series-wise, we have not really seen and truly enjoyed a historical Emperor Qian Long. I guess this series had decided to go deeper into the relationship between Emperor Qian Long and He Shen, and why the Emperor gave him so much favor. I am sure the Qing’s early encounter with the West would not be that boring as it was important to know why China became isolated.

Xie Xie,

has anyone heard of a series called bai yin gou 白銀溝 about cixi taihou. Iwas just told about it but have not been able to locate any reference to it.


Yin Zhen

Was it a new drama series?

Unlike most historical dramas set in the early Qing Dynasty, “Da Ching Feng Yun� depicts the rise and fall of the Manchurian hero, Prince Dorgon. Again, I would like to know how accurate this series is? I have always been a fan of early Qing Dynasty series. I surmise the love story is inevitable in here. However, I would like to ask if this series touches on some controversial issues over whether Empress Xiao Zhuang and Prince Dorgon actually had an affair after the death of Emperor Huang Taiji or not? Also, were Prince Dorgon and Empress Xiao Zhuang both portrayed in a favorable light?

This story is historically inaccurate although the main characters are historical, Xiaozhuang, Fu Lin, Dorgon, Dodo, Ajige, Haoge, Oboi, Jirgalang, Daisan and even Holohui. But some facts are changed to suit the drama ie the nature of Haoge's death, Dorgon's love with Xiaozhuang, his death and the circumstances before his death, the dates and stuff too have been altered.

But there are a few fictional characters like Fan Haozheng (possibly a combination of Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou), Suoguo (Daisan's grandson, no such person, i believe), and the eunuch Liu Guangcai.

Also, were Prince Dorgon and Empress Xiao Zhuang both portrayed in a favorable light?[/i]

Both of them were portrayed favourably, especially Dorgon. The historical Dorgon did not relinquish the regency, did not marry Xiaozhuang, did not actually attempt to dethrone Fu Lin, had all his title expunged 2 months after his death including his adopted son, nephew Dorbo, lost the title Prince Rui, and possibly had his tomb desecrated, his head severed, hence lost all his glory after his death (only when Qianlong reviewed the founding fathers of the dynasty that his contributions were acknowledged)

However, i am impressed with the costume and dialogue, of which persuaded me to finish the show albeit the historical inconsistencies (and to my horror one scene depicted Oboi and Dodo "flying" and fighting in the air!!!)

Overall, an interesting drama but don't rely too much on facts and historical accuracy.

Dear Rong Qin Wang and all forum members,

I've literally just finished the last 2 episodes of KangXi DiGuo drama. And like you, I'm very curious about Concubine Rong. A search on Wikipedia seemed to suggest there is no such person during KangXi's time as all search on "Rong Fei" leads me to Rong Fei or Xiang Fei during QianLong's reign. In going through KangXi's empress list, there appeared to be one empress who has the closest match with the "Rong Fei" in the drama - "Xiao Yi Ren Empress" who only had daughter/s and was given the empress title post-humourously. However, this empress died young (after giving birth to a daughter) and was called "Tong Fei". Maybe this is a wrong guess altogether, but it seemed rather queer that the TV drama would create a fictional empress and a princess who marries the Mongolian Khan (Galdan) after all the effort to include true historical information. If this 2 female characters are fictional, wouldn't it be easier to leave them out altogether to give the drama more creditability??

I'm interested to know whether there has been any further answers to Rong Qing Wang's query!!??

Moreover, I highly recommend KangXi DiGuo as well - a drama worth watching. It gave me much food for thought!!!

Hi

Thanks for giving so much info. I already watched one two of them (RTK and Sun Tzu), but still wondering about the remaining. Could you pls tell me, if you have info, where can I find torrent files to get the drama ? By the way, does any1 here ever heard the news about the making of "Battle of Red Cliff" ?

I heard it early this year, but since I was lack of updates, I dunno how is the progress now. Last time I heard that it was going to be set sometime in April 2007. It would be directed by Zhang Yi Mou

Dear all,

I've never watched all these shows before but juding from what you guys have said, they sound quite interesting. However, I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me whether the contents in the shows are accurate and true?

Some shows change the content of what really happened in real life.

Thanks a million

Liu Bang

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

If possible, I would like to withdraw every wonderful things I have said regarding historical dramas, especially the one about “historical dramas being the revivals of the classics!” I only coined this quote when I was a young and naïve idiot! Now that I have been educated by other CHF members as to what is real history, I am gradually maturing into a decent student of Chinese history!

I have just recently been made aware of the precarious nature of historical dramas due to the distorted history and brainwashing of people‘s minds. Current historical dramas have certainly created more harm than ever. Since companies have been producing historical dramas for so many years, they really do need new topics, this would mean alterations to historical figures and events just for the purpose of entertainment. If it is difficult enough for history student to differentiate between facts and fictions, then there is little hope for regular fans to come to the realization that historical dramas can never be completely trusted! In addition, a lot of fans might be crushed to even think that their supposedly wonderful historical characters actually received bad reputations in historical records.

Dramas, in general (whether historical or not), should be only taken as mere entertainment! Other than sharing similar names, true historical figures and historical characters created by TV series have virtually no other common characteristics!

There is a direct variation between the increasing amount of time I spend in CHF and the rising displeasure I feel for the so-called historical dramas!

Of course, it would be ideal for one to view TV series for entertainment and take history seriously as a different subject at the same time! However, not very many people would be successful at accomplishing this task.

Even though I will continue to watch a few of the recommended historical dramas, there is absolutely no way I can enjoy them as much as I did before!

Please note that I cannot deny that I was once contaminated by the historical dramas, but I have definitely turned myself around with the help of CHF members like Snowybeagle and Sephodwyrm! I dearly thank you these two members from the very bottom of my heart!

Xie Xie,

Hi, would any one happen to know where I can get the Sun Zi Bing Fa series that was mentioned earlier. It sounds really good. I looked it up and found this dvd. Is this one everyone is talking about?

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/aid-...pid-1004570257/

Or is it this one called Sun Zi Bing Fa 36 Ji

http://www.chinesemall.com/sunzibingfa.html

Also, I was trying to find a good version of 漢武大帝(Han Wu Da Di) with english subs because my understanding of classical Chinese isn't the greatest. I managed to find one with english subs that I plan on buying. If anyone else would like to buy it here is the link.

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.540102/qx/details.htm

Havent seen this one but you all might want to check it out. Its called The Great Revival. It stars Chen Dao Ming of Infernal Affairs fame as well as Hu Jun.

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/sect...pid-1005162627/

Also, I downloaded some pictures off the internet of a tv drama - I believe it is set in the Tang - but I dont know what the drama is called. I have been trying to figure out the name of it so I can buy the DVD but havent been able to figure it out. I'll post the pictures. Does anyone know what this series is called? I believe its rather new. The costumes and production design look absolutely amazing to say the least. Also does anyone know of any good Tang or Song Dynasty dramas? This one seems to be a Tang Dynasty one but I havent seen any Song.

Chen,

I have watched a lot of these videos. The ones you picked are good ones.

#1. Never watched this one, but have seen it in the shops, think it is not the same as #2.

#2. Yes, this is probably the one most people have watched. I have it - good.

#3. Han Wu Da Di - this version is very well done, get it.

#4. The Great Revival is a well known story. There were 3 versions made in the last 3 years. I have 2 of them. This one with Hu Jun and Chen Dao Ming is better and more "correct". It does not focus on Zixi like other versions.

#5. This one's called Zhen Guan Zhizhi, story about Li Shimin of the Tang period. A bit dry, but historically "correct". Think there is a thread on this. I bought it after reading the thread. No regrets.

About subtitles, I was like you before. After 3 years and watching dozens of these series, I found it better to have Chinese subtitles. That way, you get to learn the language!

Enjoy the shows!

I have a choice between The Conqueror's Story and The Stories of the Han Dynasty.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Conqueror's_Story
vs.
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Stories_of_Han_Dynasty

Can anyone recommend between the two? I prefer the more "sober" ones ... without the wushu and melodrama, that is ... and with good production and coverage of historical details.

Rooster, I have helped correct your Pinyin a bit for the titles and names--I hope you don't mind.

Yeah, no problem.

This thread's been very quiet.

I've since watched a couple more series:

~ Da Ming Wang Chao - story about the clean, honest and courageous civil servant, Hai Rui. I like this one very much.

~ Sin Jui - story about Hanxin's love who was snatched by Lui Bang. At the end, it showed a mysterious tomb unearthed with a dress fit for an empress, but with no name to it. She was apparently the real mother Liu Bang's son who succeded him. Is there any truth to this?

Da Qin Di Guo (大秦帝國) is part one of a series of drama that tell the stories of Qin's rise from a small and barabic nation to conquering the entire world (天下). The drama is very nicely done and pretty much accurate with slight change of events and things, but almost all historical dramas does that. At least this one is good. LOL

I watched "The Conqueror's Story (Chu3 Han4 Jiao1 Xiong2)" which was screened last year. Some of the historical details are not accurate, but if you're looking for lots of humour and the main idea between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, then this will suit you. Note that like many historical fiction shows, Liu Bang is always portrayed as the "good guy" and Xiang Yu the evil one, and this is no exception (this is pure fiction, of course, Xiang Yu was actually rather kind in real life).

I heard Chu Han Feng Yun (楚汉风云) is more "serious" than 楚汉骄雄 (The Conqueror's Story), and portrays a more accurate version of the Chu-Han Contention.