The Kang Xi Dynasty

Title: The Kang Xi Dynasty (2001, a mainland TV series)

In Chinese: Kang Xi Di Guo

Starring:
Chen Dao Ming as Kang Xi
Ssu Chin Gao Wa as Tiao Zhuang Tai Hou

Based on the famous novels by Er Yue He, this series can be considered one of the most complete stories on the Ching emperor Kang Xi. The series starts from when Kang Xi was only 8 and his father emperor Shun Zhi left his throne to become a monk because his most beloved concubine passed away. Kang Xi then became the 4th emperor of the Ching Dynasty. Because Kang Xi was still young at that time, 4 officials helped to organize the country. Many years later, Kang Xi could tell that one official, Ao Bai, had plans to overthrow the country. The young emperor then had to come up with a plan to save his throne and to fully become the leader of China without Ao Bai making all the decisions for him. This is only one example of daily hardships and struggles of Kang Xi and the pressure that he faced. Later on, Kang Xi had to face the Mongolians, conquering Taiwan, and even problems within the family.

Kang Xi was the 4th emperor of the Ching Dynasty. His father left when he was 8, and his mother died when he was 9. So the only real role model he had was his grandmother Empress Tiao Zhuang. Tiao Zhuang guided him along the way and Kang Xi really respected her. Without Empress Tiao Zhuang, Kang Xi would truly not become the great emperor he is considered to be. Kang Xi ruled China for a total of 61 years. This is the longest any other emperor has ruled.

This series may sound a little boring because it's on the life on an emperor but this is truly a remarkable piece of work. The life of Kang Xi is really not like any of the other emperors. Kang Xi was a really determined emperor and he really cared about the people of China. There were also many touching scenes and moments in the series including when Kang Xi decided to let the powerful Mongolian leader, who was a big threat to China, marry his most beloved daughter just to save the country. It shows that Kang Xi was a loving father, but he had to sacrifice his daughter to save China. One other scene was when the mother finally saw her daughter who married the Mongolian leader for the first time in 5-6 years, they cried together and wanted to stop the fighting between Kang Xi and the Mongolians. Kang Xi would miss his daughter very much but he would never show that to others. When the daughter said she hated her father and his country because he made her marry, he bowed down to her to show how sorry he was and that he really had no choice. This was also touching and showed that Kang Xi had a really special relationship with this daughter. Kang Xi could become a good father even though his parents weren't with him for very long.

The actors and actresses in this series really did a great job. The actor who played Kang Xi (Chen Dao Ming) is a famous actor from China and so is the actress who plays the empress (Ssu Chin Gao Wa). Other actors/actresses to watch for are the people who play Rong Fei, Ming Zhu, Suo He Tu, and Lan Ji Er. I would say that every character was chosen carefully for each part and that made the series come alive. Also, the theme song and ending songs of the series were very powerful and meaningful songs and you'll be able to tell it is talking about being an emperor and the emotions. If anyone has a chance to watch the series, be sure to listen the songs.

After finishing this series, I though about it a lot. There were also some parts that made me cry because some parts were really touching and you really felt the characters. I hardly watch series from China because in the past, they gave me an impression of them being really boring and historical. But this series really changed my views on tv series. After finishing this series, you'll learn a lot including morals and about people of that time, not just on Kang Xi. I recommend everyone to see this and you won't regret it.