| Startling by Each Step | |
|---|---|
Startling by Each Step's intertitle |
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| Also known as | Bubu Jingxin |
| Genre | Science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, costume drama, romance, historical fiction, feminist fiction |
| Format | Serial |
| Written by | Tong Hua (original story) |
| Directed by | Lee Kwok-lap |
| Starring | Cecilia Liu Nicky Wu Kevin Cheng Lin Gengxin Justin Yuan Han Dong Ye Xin Damian Lau |
| Opening theme | Yinian Zhizhuo (一念执着 / 一念執著) performed by Hu Ge and Alan Dawa Dolma Aide Lianyi (爱的涟漪 / 愛的漣漪) performed by Ailiya & Alicia |
| Ending theme | Sancun Tiantang (三寸天堂) performed by Yan Yidan Dengni De Jijie (simplified Chinese: 等你的季节; traditional Chinese: 等你的季節) performed by Cecilia Liu |
| Composer(s) | Raymond Wong |
| Country of origin | China |
| Language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Karen Tsai |
| Location(s) | China |
| Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
| Production company(s) | Chinese Entertainment Shanghai |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Hunan Broadcasting System: Hunan Satellite TV |
| Original run | 10 – 29 September 2011 |
| Startling by Each Step | |||||||
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| Promotional poster | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 步步惊心 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 步步驚心 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Bùbù Jīngxīn | ||||||
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Startling by Each Step, also known as Bubu Jingxin, is a Chinese television series based on a novel of the same title by Tong Hua. Filming for the series started on 6 December 2010 in Shanghai and ended on 22 March 2011. It was first aired in China on HBS on 10 September 2011.
Contents |
Zhang Xiao, a young Han Chinese woman from 21st century China, travels back in time to the 18th century Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor. After experiencing a combination of a traffic collision and an electrocution, she finds herself trapped in the body of one of her previous incarnations, Ma'ertai Ruoxi, one of the teenage daughters of a Manchu general. Her sister in this incarnation is Ma'ertai Ruolan, who is a concubine of the Kangxi’s eighth son, Yinsi. Initially, she tries to return to the future, but she soon adjusts to life in Kangxi's reign. While living in the past, she meets some of the emperor's other sons, including the fourth prince Yinzhen, tenth prince Yin'e, and fourteenth prince Yinti. She formed a close platonic friendship with the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang. During Ruoxi's stay at Yinsi's residence, the latter falls in love with her and she develops a crush on him as well. However, she rejects him due to her disapproval of polygamy and her sister's relationship with Yinsi.
Ruoxi eventually enters the Forbidden City and becomes the Kangxi's lady-in-waiting. During an imperial hunting excursion, romance forms between Ruoxi and Yinsi. Ruoxi, however, wants Yinsi to give up the contest to be the next Qing emperor before accepting his marriage proposal. As a time traveler from the future, she is secretly aware of his fate: that his ambition would ultimately lead him to disgrace with his faction, being expelled from the imperial household after Yinzhen succeeds as emperor and to die in custody. In a last-ditch effort to save Yinsi from his terrible fate, Ruoxi warns him to be wary of Yinzhen.
After Ruoxi's breakup with Yinsi, Ruoxi's interaction with Yinzhen changes her unfavorable opinion of the latter. Yinxiang reveals his observation that she has fallen, unknowingly, in love with Yinzhen. Meanwhile, Yinsi's faction, heeding Ruoxi's advice, frames Yinzhen for plotting against the crown prince, Yinreng, during an imperial court session in order to eliminate their potential adversary. At the critical juncture, Yinxiang steps forward to take the blame. Yinxiang is sentenced to ten years solitary confinement. Ruoxi and the princes intercede for Yinxiang and before Kangxi relents, Yinxiang is placed under house arrest instead of solitary confinement. At this time, Yinsi realizes that Ruoxi is now romantically linked with Yinzhen.
Yinreng is demoted after his notorious crimes are discovered and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Kangxi begins to show a preference for the fourteenth prince, Yinti, and eventually bestows Ruoxi upon him. Her bold refusal to obey Kangxi’s order upsets him. As a punishment, she is demoted and transferred to the laundry department.
Yinzhen decides he must succeed his father in order to save Yinxiang and Ruoxi but his schemes make Kangxi distrust Yinsi and favor Yinti. Kangxi eventually dies of illness and Yinzhen stages a coup to become the Yongzheng Emperor with military support from Longkodo and Nian Gengyao. As emperor, Yinzhen sets Yinxiang free and makes Ruoxi his lady-in-waiting while also beginning a romantic relationship with her. Ruoxi's happiness, however, is greatly marred by Yinzhen's paranoia and his ruthless suppression of Yinsi and his faction. Ruoxi is often caught in the middle among Yinzhen and Yinsi's supporters. Yinsi's wife, Guoluoluo Minghui, tells Ruoxi that her husband acted against Yinzhen years ago. A shocked Ruoxi realizes, under a predestination paradox, that she is the inadvertent instigator of the tragedy she had tried to avoid in the first place. Her despair results in a miscarriage and weakened health.
An enraged Yinzhen blames Yinsi and Minhui for the miscarriage and Ruoxi's critical illness. He issues an edict forcing Yinsi to divorce Minhui as punishment and Minhui commits suicide after the divorce. Ruoxi, fearing Yinzhen's punitive actions against his brothers, decides to tell Yinzhen and Yinxiang the truth. Yinzhen is stunned by her revelation and realizes why Yinsi plotted against him during the succession struggles. In a fit of anger, Yinzhen begins treating Ruoxi coldly. Unable to take the stress of Yinzhen's distance, Ruoxi asks Yinti to help her leave the palace. Yinti presents the late Kangxi's decree that bestows Ruoxi to him as his wife to a shocked Yinzhen. Yinsi knows Yinzhen will not allow Ruoxi to leave with or without the decree and decides to intervene. Yinsi meets with Yinzhen and reveals details of his past romance with Ruoxi. An angry Yinzhen finally allows Ruoxi to leave the Forbidden City.
Despite Yinti's excellent care, Ruoxi’s mental anguish and broken heart affect her health. Ruoxi begs Yinti to send a letter to Yinzhen, requesting a final meeting before she dies. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding between Yinzhen and Yinti causes the letter to be discarded. Ruoxi struggles to stay alive to see Yinzhen. After three days of waiting, she concludes Yinzhen's absence verifies that his love for her is over. Ruoxi dies, and when official news of her death reaches Yinzhen, he mourns and rushes to Yinti’s residence with Yinxiang. Yinzhen regrets his actions after realizing Ruoxi remains very much in love with him. Her prized possessions, a hairpin, snuff box, and an arrow, were his gifts. Yinzhen and Yinxiang pensively scatter Ruoxi's ashes in the wind to honor her last wish.
In 2011, Zhang Xiao regains consciousness in a hospital. She is informed she was in a coma for weeks after the accident, leaving her wondering whether the experiences in the 18th century were real or hallucinations. After recovering, Zhang researches the fate of Kangxi's sons and the existence of Ma'ertai Ruoxi, finding that history remains in its proper course, including that Yinsi died in custody as a disgrace after found guilty of allegedly endangering the stability of the dynasty, Yinxiang succumbed to his illness with his family on his death bed, and Yinzhen also met his own ends after thirteen years reign as the Yongzheng Emperor. There are, however, apparently no records of Ma'ertai Ruoxi. Zhang later visits a museum displaying artifacts from the Qing Dynasty, and she is able to relate to the many artifacts on display. The lady-in-waiting within Kangxi Emperor's family portrait strikingly resembles Zhang herself and is wearing a hairpin - the same one she got from Yinzhen when she was living in the past as Ma'ertai Ruoxi, thus verifying her time travel experiences during the coma.
Meanwhile, a man resembling Yinzhen also visits the exhibition and encounters Zhang. Even though the man does not recognize her, Zhang Xiao is unable to restrain her emotion and bursts into tears after seeing him. Zhang Xiao experiences heartbreak as the man walks away from her, leaving her sadly alone to reminisces over her past romance with Yinzhen as Ma'ertai Ruoxi.
| Cast | Role | Brief description |
|---|---|---|
| Cecilia Liu | Zhang Xiao (张晓 / 張曉) |
A non-descript white collar worker from the 21st century. Under an out-of-body experience, Zhang travels back in time after encountering a near-fatal accident, stranded in the 18th century for nearly 15 years in the body of her previous incarnation Ma'ertai Ruoxi, yet in the present she's in a coma for weeks. |
| Ma'ertai Ruoxi (马尔泰·若曦 / 馬爾泰·若曦) |
The young daughter of an 18th century Manchu aristocrat and Zhang Xiao's previous incarnation. She dies after being pushed by Guoluoluo Mingyu from the stairs, causing her future incarnation (Zhang Xiao) to take over her body. It is speculated that the real Ma'ertai Ruoxi's soul is reincarnated as Zhang Xiao moments after she fell, and then resulting the older Zhang to possess her body. Despite her modern outlook, she is forced to adapt to life in the 18th century. She is romantically linked with the Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinti. Ruoxi's romantic entanglement with the princes are complicates by her knowledge of their political struggles and feuds, unawares of under a predestination paradox, that she personally also has a role within their rivalry which would leads to a tragic outcome, history to be unfold as it is written in the future, and inadvertently creates a series of events which would leading her to eventually return to her own time and identity. | |
| Nicky Wu | Yinzhen (胤禛) |
The fourth prince, Yinzhen is destined to succeed his father as the Yongzheng Emperor. He is Ma'ertai Ruoxi's true love. |
| Mystery 21st century man | Meets Zhang Xiao in a museum weeks after she had returned to her own time, he is speculated to be a present-day incarnation of Yinzhen. | |
| Kevin Cheng | Yinsi (胤禩) |
The eighth prince, Yinsi is Ma'ertai's Ruoxi first love interest and also brother-in-law. |
| Lin Gengxin | Yinti (胤禵) |
The fourteenth prince, Yinzhen's full brother. He's also in love with Ma'ertai Ruoxi. |
| Damian Lau | Kangxi Emperor (康熙帝) |
The ruler of the Qing Dynasty |
| Justin Yuan | Yinxiang (胤祥) |
The thirteenth prince, Yinxiang is a bold, staunch supporter of Yinzhen and a close confidant of Ma'ertai Ruoxi. |
| Mu Tingting | Lady Ulanara (乌喇那拉氏 / 烏喇那拉氏) |
Yinzhen's wife and Ma'ertai's love rival |
| Zhang Lei | Yinreng (胤礽) |
The heir apparent to the throne. |
| Ye Zuxin | Yin'e (胤䄉) |
The tenth prince. |
| Han Dong | Yintang (胤禟) |
The ninth prince. |
| Annie Liu | Ma'ertai Ruolan (马尔泰·若兰 / 馬爾泰·若蘭) |
Ma'ertai Ruoxi's older sister and second wife of Yinsi. |
| Shi Xiaoqun | Guoluoluo Minghui (郭络罗·明慧 / 郭絡羅·明慧) |
Yinsi's wife. |
| Guo Zhenni | Lüwu (绿芜 / 綠蕪) |
Yinxiang's love interest. |
| Chai Wei | Chenghuan (承欢 / 承歡) |
Yinxiang and Lüwu's daughter. |
| Cao Xinye | Qiaohui (巧慧) |
Ma'ertai family's faithful maid |
| Ye Qing | Yutan (玉檀) |
Ruoxi best friend. |
| Kang Mingtong | Yunxiang (芸香) |
Maid in the palace working with Yutan under Ruoxi. |
| Cristy Guo | Suwangua'erjia Minmin (苏完瓜尔佳·敏敏 / 蘇完瓜爾佳·敏敏) |
Prince Suwangua'erjia's daughter, Minmin develops a crush on Yinxiang and befriends Ruoxi. |
| Ba Sen | Prince Suwangua'erjia (苏完瓜尔佳王爷 / 蘇完瓜爾佳王爺) |
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| Zheng Kai | Yi'ergen-Gioro Zuoying (伊尔根觉罗·佐鹰 / 伊爾根覺羅·佐鷹) |
Minmin's suitor and eventual husband. |
| Deng Limin | Li Dequan (李德全) |
Kangxi Emperor's personal attendant, Li Dequan was Ruoxi's benefactor and mentor. |
| Zhou Yancheng | Wang Xi (王喜) |
Ma'ertai's Ruoxi best eunuch friend and Li Dequan's godson. |
| Hu Zhonghu | Gao Wuyong (高无庸 / 高無庸) |
Yongzheng Emperor's personal attendant. |
| Chen Jingyu | Yinzhi (胤祉) |
The third Prince. |
| Wang Xiaodong | Yinqi (胤祺) |
The fifth Prince. |
| Gao Sen | Li Guangdi (李光地) |
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| Lian Teyue | Imperial Physician He (何太医 / 何太醫) |
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| Liu Yuxin | Guoluoluo Mingyu (郭络罗·明玉 / 郭絡羅·明玉) |
Yin'e's wife. |
| Dai Chunrong | Empress Xiaogongren (孝恭仁皇后乌雅氏 / 孝恭仁皇后烏雅氏) |
One of Kangxi Emperor's favorite consort. |
| Liu Jie | Consort Liang (良妃) |
The Kangxi Emperor's consort and mother of Yinsi and Yinti. |
| Ma Tianyu | Huang Di (黄棣 / 黃棣) |
Zhang Xiao's boyfriend in the 21st century. |
Producers have announced that the television series will remain faithful to the original story by Tong Hua, but actually with a new ending. In the novel, Ma'ertai Ruoxi is unable to return to her own time and ultimately succumbs to her illness, while the Yinzhen dies years later in hope of reuniting with Ma'ertai Ruoxi in death. In the series, after Ruoxi and Yinzhen's deaths, Ruoxi's soul returns to her incarnation in the 21st century. While struggling to get over the trauma from her experiences in time traveling, she ultimately meets a man who resembles Yinzhen, possibly a present-day incarnation of him.[1][2] Despite the fans' anticipation that there will be a romantic involvement between them, they did not fall in love. Instead, Zhang is heartbroken as she realizes that her romance with Yinzhen is truly over, and his appearance merely gives her necessary closure to move on with her life.[3][4]
| Startling by Each Step - Original Television Soundtrack (步步惊心-电视剧原声音乐大碟/步步驚心-電視劇原聲音樂大碟) | |
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| Soundtrack album (Audio CD/Digital download) by Raymond Wong Hu Ge Alan Dawa Dolma Cecilia Liu |
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| Released | October 2011 |
| Length | 46:50 |
| Label | Chinese Entertainment Shanghai (唐人电影/唐人電影) |
| Startling by Each Step - Original Television Soundtrack (步步惊心电视剧原声音乐大碟/步步驚心電視劇原聲音樂大碟)[5] | |||||||||
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| No. | Title | Music | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Yinian Zhizhuo (一念执着/一念執著; A Persistent Thought)" | performed by Hu Ge and Alan Dawa Dolma | 04:26 | ||||||
| 2. | "Dengni De Jijie (等你的季节/等你的季節; Waiting For Your Season)" | performed by Cecilia Liu | 04:05 | ||||||
| 3. | "Sancun Tiantang (三寸天堂; Silver Paradise)" | performed by Yan Yidan | 04:50 | ||||||
| 4. | "Bubu Jingxin (步步惊心/步步驚心; Startling by Each Step)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:03 | ||||||
| 5. | "Qi Meng (奇梦/奇夢; Qimonda)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 01:56 | ||||||
| 6. | "Bie Kongju (别恐惧/別恐懼; Do Not Fear)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:08 | ||||||
| 7. | "Bao Lei (堡垒/堡壘; Fort)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:39 | ||||||
| 8. | "Du (毒; Poison)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 01:01 | ||||||
| 9. | "Mosheng (陌生; Unfamiliar)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:29 | ||||||
| 10. | "Yu (郁; Depression)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:03 | ||||||
| 11. | "Huangshi Lailin (皇室来临/皇室來臨; The Arrival of the Imperial Family)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 00:29 | ||||||
| 12. | "Gongfu (功夫; Kung Fu)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 00:47 | ||||||
| 13. | "Qingmu (倾慕/傾慕; L'Amour)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:28 | ||||||
| 14. | "Huanxin (欢欣/歡欣; Delight)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 01:39 | ||||||
| 15. | "Qihuan (奇幻; Fantasy)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 00:40 | ||||||
| 16. | "Xiao Keai (小可爱/小可愛; Adorable)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 01:42 | ||||||
| 17. | "Qing Du (情毒; Love Poison)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 01:38 | ||||||
| 18. | "Bu Yaozou (不要走; Do Not Leave)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 03:48 | ||||||
| 19. | "Bei (悲; Sorrow)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 03:27 | ||||||
| 20. | "Zhuijing (追惊/追驚; Reminisce Dismays)" | composed by Raymond Wong | 02:23 | ||||||
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Total length:
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46:50 | ||||||||
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