Sigh of His Highness
Sigh of His Highness | |
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DVD cover art | |
Genre | Historical drama |
Written by |
Yang Xiaoxiong Gu Yi Liu Shaoling |
Directed by | Li Wenlong |
Presented by |
Shu Zhan Li Ming Zhao Qi Guo Changjian |
Starring |
Chen Baoguo Yuan Li Wang Yan Wang Gang Qin Yan Song Jia Luo Xiangjin |
Theme music composer |
Anson Hu Liang Jijue Tan Yizhe |
Opening theme |
1. Zang Yingxiong (葬英雄) performed by Anson Hu 2. Si Da Jie Kong (四大皆空) performed by Anthony Wong (Hong Kong version) |
Ending theme | Chuntian (春天) performed by Leo Ku |
Composer(s) |
Jiang Jianyi Zhou Zhihua |
Country of origin | China |
Original language(s) | Mandarin |
No. of episodes | 40 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
Chen Wenguang Chen Tanwen Ling Li Zhong Lifang Zou Xiaoli Wang Manlin |
Producer(s) |
Gao Zhiqiang Yang Ziqing Chen Yuguang Jing Shuiqing Zhang Huiling Han Xueyi Zhao Hua |
Editor(s) |
Yuan Fei Dai Tao Zhu Jun Wang Shen |
Cinematography |
Bu Xiangyi Kong Jinsheng |
Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
Production company(s) |
1. Fujian Radio Film and TV Group 2. Shanghai Soft-Trek Culture Media 3. Beijing Galloping Horse Film & TV Production 4. Wuzhou Media Centre 5. Anhui TV |
Distributor |
Shanghai Soft-Trek Culture Media Hong Shimei Sun Xiaodong Qian Li Zhang Xian |
Broadcast | |
Original channel |
Sichuan TV (China) TVB Jade (Hong Kong) |
First shown in |
26 March 2006 (China) 26 April 2007 - 16 October 2008 (Hong Kong) |
Sigh of His Highness | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 一生為奴 | ||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 一生为奴 | ||||||
Literal meaning | Slave for a Lifetime | ||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 恭親王傳奇 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 恭亲王传奇 | ||||||
Literal meaning | The Legend of Prince Gong | ||||||
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Sigh of His Highness is a Chinese historical television series based on the life of Prince Gong, a Manchu noble who lived in the late Qing dynasty. The series was first broadcast on Sichuan TV in China in 2006.
Plot
The series is set in the late Qing dynasty. Prince Gong is a younger brother of the Xianfeng Emperor, but their relationship is not strong because they were contending rivals for the succession to their father's throne. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, as the allied armies of Britain and France closed in on Beijing, the Xianfeng Emperor flees and orders Prince Gong to stay behind for the peace negotiations. Prince Gong concludes the Convention of Peking with the Western powers after enduring much humiliation, and obtains an influential position in politics for his achievement and control over the military forces of Beijing.
The Xianfeng Emperor dies in the following year and is succeeded by his young son, the Tongzhi Emperor, who is assisted by the senior minister Sushun and seven other regents. In November 1861, Prince Gong masterminds the Xinyou Coup and succeeds in removing Sushun and the regents from power. Prince Gong reaches the pinnacle of his career in the next four years as he is appointed Prince-Regent and put in charge of important state and military affairs. Besides, he also has a strong relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi and has an opportunity to take the throne, but he does not. Prince Gong spearheads the Self-Strengthening Movement and introduces a series of measures in an attempt to modernise China and maintain friendly diplomatic ties with the Western powers.
Over the years, Prince Gong's relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi gradually deteriorates as he becomes more romantically involved with Sushun's foster daughter. As a consequence, Cixi gradually distrusts him and ultimately removes him from power as her position in politics becomes increasingly prominent. Subsequently, during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor, Prince Gong is appointed to lead the Qing armies in the Sino-French War but his defeat causes him to fall from grace. Cixi relieves him from his duties and orders him to retire. Prince Gong returns to politics for the last time after the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, but fails to make any great achievements, and eventually dies of illness four years later.
Cast
- Chen Baoguo as Prince Gong
- Yuan Li as Empress Dowager Cixi
- Wang Yan as Jiajia
- Wang Gang as Sengge Rinchen
- Qin Yan as Sushun
- Feng Shaofeng as Ronglu
- Song Jia as Empress Dowager Ci'an
- Luo Xiangjin as Suyi
- Mi Yang as Jiashun Empress
- Du Zhiguo as Daoguang Emperor
- Dai Chunrong as Empress Xiaojingcheng
- Tu Liman as Bai Ling (Gulun Princess Rongshou)
- Zhu Li as Bai Ling (young)
- Wang Hui as Xianfeng Emperor
- Bai Qinglin as Consort Li
- Gu Yang as Tongzhi Emperor / Xianfeng Emperor (young)
- Wan Changhao as Tongzhi Emperor (young)
- Jin Bo as Guangxu Emperor
- Lu Yong as Baoyun
- Wang Gang as Prince Chun
- Xi Huiling as Rong'er (Yehenara Wanzhen)
- Xu Qiwen as Ming'er (Prince Gong's concubine)
- Wang Huichun as Zuo Zongtang
- Liu Wei as Wenxiang
- Pan Hongliang as Xiao'anzi (An Dehai)
- Zeng Ang as Li Lianying
- Xu Guang as Zaicheng
- Dai Yun as young Zaicheng
- Xia Zhixiang as Cao Yuying
- Ke Lin as Hede
- Wang Jianguo as Guiliang
- Guo Dong as Zeng Guofan
- Yue Ding as Zaiyuan
- Yao Jianming as Duanhua
- Ni Jiali as Yuzi
- Ren Xihong as Zeng Guoquan
- Huang Wei as Wo Ren
- Dong Zhongcheng as Xu Tong
- Zhang Wenyi as Weng Tonghe
- Zhao Le as Yicong
- Gao Wei as Shengbao
- Li Xiang as Zhiduan
Broadcasts in other regions
Hong Kong's TVB Jade first aired the series on weekday nights from 26 April 2007. Starting on 12 May, the series was broadcast on weekend afternoons instead. On 24 June, TVB stopped airing the series and the remaining episodes were broadcast from 1 September to 16 October 2008 on weekday nights.
External links
- (Chinese) Sigh of His Highness on xinhuanet.com
- (Chinese) Sigh of His Highness official page on TVB's website