Can I just take a moment to share this nostalgia trip with everyone? Okay? Okay.
This is the opening credits to a historical drama set during the Tang Dynasty. It is a biopic about Princess Taiping who was the only daughter of Emperor Wezetian, the only female Emperor in all Chinese history. Princess Taiping was born before 665 AD and died in 713 AD. She lived during at time where the brutality of the Tang court was matched by the riches flowing in and out of Chang'an, the capital city which was the centre of the Silk Route. China was probably the most powerful empire in the world at that point, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Ughur plains of present day Xingjiang. Princess Taiping was born during her father, Gaozu's reign, and had four elder brothers. In the struggle for power during the time, each of her four brothers were either killed or pushed aside for her mother's ambition (sometimes indirectly, but always conveniently). Taiping was her mother's favourite and thus gained much by her mother's rise. She became one of the most powerful figures at court during her mother's reign and in the immediate aftermath of her mother's death that resulted in a power struggle. Ultimately, she was sentenced to death by honourable suicide by the boy she had raised, a boy she kept by her side as a son to take the throne and the son of her favourite brother. That boy later became the most illustrious and controversial Emperor of the Tang dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong
This is my absolute favorite historical drama of all time. I can't even. Even filmed in 1999, it has all the beauty of these modern day productions with their crazy CGI and giant budgets. It beats Rome, Borgia and everything else I've ever watched afterwards. It is a childhood memory that I still cherish. Unlike most Western historical series, this one is one season and forty-something episodes long. Long enough to tell the tale in detail but captivates your interest throughout. Although not entirely historically accurate, it more than makes up for it by its sheer beauty. The scenery, the lavish riches, the wardrobe, everything is brilliant and I only wish that I can find an English sub for it so I can make everyone watch it. It also marks my endless fascination with the Tang dynasty, which the Golden Age of Chinese history but also an age of intrigue and power.
And if anyone knows where I can find English subs for this brilliant show, would you please send it to me?