[Elelaytet]

2012-05-06 Updated: 19:36 - China.org.cn



The 76-episode drama series "Legend of Zhen Huan" (甄嬛传) has had sweeping popularity in the Chinese
mainland over the past months, that "a whole town tunes in to watch when it airs on TV," Sina.com reported.

The series is adapted from a novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi, and the story centers on the schemes between
Emperor Yongzheng's concubines in the imperial palace during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The pure and innocent
17-year-old Zhen Huan is chosen for the emperor's harem, and after entering the palace, she finds herself caught in
the fierce infighting between the empress and the concubines. Realizing that the palace is actually a cruel and harsh place,
Zhen has to learn to survive on her own, sometimes by unscrupulous methods.

With her wits and talents, Zhen fights her way through and wins the emperor's affection, ultimately becoming the most
powerful concubine in the imperial palace and ascending to unparalleled glory and wealth. However, she also becomes a
woman with few true friends at her side, even after she is rid of all her enemies.

Some viewers have begun using the story to allude to the present and describe the schemes and trickery between rivals
in the palace as "a treasured book for survival in today's professional world."