| Zhizun Hongyan | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster |
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| Also known as | Wu Meiniang Chuanqi |
| Genre | Historical drama, romance |
| Written by | Shan Zhe |
| Directed by | Hao Ran |
| Starring | Alyssa Chia Vincent Zhao Bao Jianfeng Kou Zhenhai Sun Xing Zhang Tong Yang Tongshu |
| Opening theme | Zhizun Hongyan (至尊紅顏) performed by Zhang Kefan |
| Ending theme | Yiwang (遺忘) performed by Lin Chunru |
| Country of origin | China |
| Language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Han Sanping Zhang Zhe Wang Zhiqiang |
| Producer(s) | Yu Gang Wang Yi Song Zhenshan Wu Hongliang |
| Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
| Production company(s) | China Film Group Corporation Century Hero Film Investment Company Ltd. Taihe Film Investment |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CTS (Taiwan) |
| First shown in | 2004 |
| Zhizun Hongyan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 至尊紅顏 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 至尊红颜 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Honorable Beauty | ||||||
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Zhizun Hongyan is a 2004 Chinese television series based on the biography of Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to assume the title of Empress Regnant. The series was first broadcast on CTS in Taiwan in 2004 under the Chinese title 武媚娘傳奇 (Wu Meiniang Chuanqi; literally: The Legend of Wu Meiniang).
While the story is generally based on factual history, some fictional elements have been introduced, such as the romance between the empress and Li Junxian, a general of the Tang Dynasty. The series begins with Wu Meiniang's early life as a commoner, and ends with her ascension to the throne. It is set in the Zhenguan era of the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and contains many significant historical events such as Wang Yingzhen's rebellion, the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Tujue, and the taming of the Yellow River. Throughout the series Wu Meiniang is portrayed as a simple, intelligent and kind woman who persists in love at all costs. Although she is framed by her enemies, she has never been afraid of them. Because of her fate, she has experienced various kinds of love and hatred and has been involved in intrigues in the inner palace ever since she stepped in there. She finally takes on the responsibilities of constructing her empire.