Chien Lung Dynasty (2004)

Origin: China
Actors: 焦晃 (Jiao Huang) as Chien Lung, 陈锐 (Chen Rui) as He Shen
Description: A historical piece focusing on Chien Lung’s latter days and the meteoric rise and fall of his favorite official Heshen.

Chien Lung Dynasty is less dry and impersonal than Yong Zheng Dynasty as it focuses on personalities – namely Chien Lung and Heshen, rather than mainly politics. The master-servant relationship between the last great Qing emperor and last great corrupt Qing official is the centrepiece of this drama. It helps that both Chien Lung and Heshen are brighter than the dour Yong Zheng.

What to watch out for: Chen Rui. His Heshen is simultaneously an eager-to-please toady and a filial son-figure to his emperor. Chen Rui treads the fine line between flattery and devotion with ease. At times, I could not decide whether Heshen is a flatterer or someone who understood Qianlong better than he understood himself. The two often display an awareness and tacit understanding of each other’s nature.

When Qianlong took an afternoon nap, Heshen (already a first-grade official by then) a nearby tree, so their chirpings would not disturb Qianlong’s rest. I was fascinated by the complex look in Qianlong’s eyes after he woke up. The drama explains Heshen’s success in terms of his subservience and street-wiseness. He always knew where the centre of power lies and revolved around it.

Performances:
Watching Jiao Huang as Chien Lung was a little strange for me at first, but there is sufficient time laspe between 1997 and 2004 to wash away the impressions of Kangxi. It would have been nice, if they got a fresh face for this role. That way, I’ll be able to immortalize Jiao Huang as Kangxi, Tang as Yong Zheng XD.

I really loved Zhuo Xiao Qing’s performance as the effervescent Shi-ge-ge (10th princess). She lights up the screen every time she appears and makes her 15th brother (the future Jiaqing emperor) look like a bore. I can easily see why she’s a favorite of her father.

Downsides: Heshen the corrupt official, is highly sympathetically portrayed. Also I’m not too sure that Heshen, Ji Xiaolan & co. enjoyed a relationship as close as portrayed in the drama. Interesting, the drama also provides an explanation for the historically mysterious downgrading of Qianlong’s second empress.