My Fair Princess, also known as Return of the Pearl Princess or Princess Returning Pearl (), is a Chinese-language period drama jointly produced by Yi Ren Communications Co. (怡人傳播公司) of Taiwan and Hunan Economic Television (湖南經濟電視台) (now under Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS)) of China. Season 1 (1998) and Season 2 (1999) were first aired on China Television in Taiwan, followed by Hunan Economic Television in China. Season 3 (2003) was filmed with a largely different cast, receiving mixed reviews and less popularity.
Written by Chiung Yao, the story is set in 18th-century Qing dynasty during the Qianlong Emperor's reign. It follows tomboyish and innocent Xiaoyanzi, an orphaned and semi-literate vagrant in Beijing who, after befriending the emperor's illegitimate daughter Xia Ziwei, becomes a princess in place of her by accident. Although partially based on historical events and figures, the drama employs considerable artistic license.
Originally produced on a small budget with a cast of little-known young actors, My Fair Princess became one of the most successful Chinese shows of all time, launching the careers of Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin and Fan Bingbing. The frequently replayed show went off air in China from 2015 to 2017 after Chiung Yao severed ties with HBS and revoked its copyright due to her dispute with Yu Zheng over his plagiarism of her work in another HBS show. Chiung Yao reconciled with HBS and regranted the copyright in 2018. Since 2021, the first two seasons of the show have been blacklisted in China following Fan Bingbing’s tax scandal and the government’s ban on Zhao Wei.
Origin After a successful writing career which saw many of her works adapted into films and television series, Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao and her publisher husband Ping Hsin-tao established Yi Ren Communications Co. in 1985 to produce television dramas. In 1987, the Republic of China government on Taiwan began to allow visits to People's Republic of China for the first time since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. In 1988, during her first trip to China since her family relocated to Taiwan, Chiung Yao became friends with Ouyang Changlin, then a reporter working for Hunan Broadcasting System, who encouraged her to start producing dramas in China due to more diverse landscape and cheaper labor cost.湖南制造（图）
In 1989, Chiung Yao began filming for the first time in China in Changsha, Hunan, assisted by HBS and Beijing Television (BTV). Most of the actors, equipment, and production crew came from Taiwan, while the Chinese stations produced chiefly cheap labor (such as extra actors) in exchange for broadcasting rights in China. Being the first Taiwanese television production assisted by Chinese stations, the drama Wan-chun ran into many problems with the Taiwanese government. However, as years went by, restrictions in Taiwan loosened and Chiung Yao began to use more and more mainland Chinese actors and crew members in her productions, such as director Li Ping. With the reform and opening up, the quality of China's television production improved in the 1990s and the market began to grow. By 1992, HBS was no longer just a collaborator in Chiung Yao's productions but a financial partner and a co-producer.檢視/開啟 - 國立臺灣師範大學
In 1995, Ouyang founded Hunan Economic Television as a competitor to his former employer, HBS, during the government-led television reforms in Hunan. As Chiung Yao had an agreement with Taiwan's China Television (CTV) to produce two dramas for CTV for 1998, Ouyang and Chiung Yao decided to produce them together. The first drama, Tears in Heaven (蒼天有淚), featured a more established cast of Jiang Qinqin, Vincent Chiao, Athena Chu, Chen Chao-jung and Deng Jie and was anticipated to be more successful, drawing considerable resources from the companies. The second drama of the year was thus left with a limited budget.还珠十年（图）
In 1997, during a tour of Beijing, Chiung Yao passed Gongzhufen (literally "Princess's Tomb"). She was told of the story behind the place: according to legend, Qianlong Emperor had adopted a commoner-born daughter who, after her death, was buried there alone as she was deemed unfit to be buried with the Manchu princesses. Nothing else was known about her.公主坟琐记（下） Using this legend, Chiung Yao wrote My Fair Princess as the second drama series.
Cast and characters
Zhao Wei as Xiaoyanzi Ruby Lin as Xia Ziwei and Xia Yuhe (Season 1) Alec Su as Yongqi Zhou Jie as Fu Erkang Zhang Tielin as Qianlong Emperor Fan Bingbing as Jinsuo Dai Chunrong as the Empress Zhao Lijuan as Consort Ling Li Mingqi as Wet-Nurse Rong Lu Shiyu as Liu Qing Chen Ying as Liu Hong Wen Haibo as Fu Lun Liu Fang as Fu Lun's wife Xue Yan as Xiaodengzi Li Nan (Season 1) as Xiaozhuozi Liu Wei (Season 2) as Xiaozhuozi Yu Mengjie as Mingyue Liu Fangyu (Season 1) as Caixia Li Bingqiao (Season 2) as Caixia Julian Chen as Fu Ertai (Season 1) Zhang Heng as Princess Saiya (Season 1) Liu Dan as Ji Xiaolan (Season 1) Zhang Wei as Fu Heng (Season 1) You Long as E Min (Season 1) Liu Wei as Liang Tinggui (Season 1) Wang Yi as Baleben (Season 1) Miao Haojun as Sai Wei (Season 1) Zhu Jinglong as Sai Guang (Season 1) Ai Yang as Dongxue (Season 1) Dong Wei as Lamei (Season 1) Yang Dong as Cailian (Season 1) Zheng Jiaxin as Du Ruolan (Season 1) Zhao Minfen as the Empress Dowager (Season 2) Wang Yan as Qing'er (Season 2) Liu Dan as Hanxiang (Season 2) Zhu Hongjia as Xiao Jian (Season 2) Mou Fengbin as Mengdan (Merdan) (Season 2) Chen Yifang as Weina (Season 2) Zhong Xiaodan as Jina (Season 2) Yin Wei as Ali Hezhuo (Ali Khoja) (Season 2) Xu Fulai as Shop-Owner Du (Season 2) Wang Hong as Shop-Owner Du's wife (Season 2) Hu Yasi as Xiaogezi (Season 2) Zhai Yuerong as Wet-Nurse Gui (Season 2)
Casting In the mid-1990s, Taiwanese agent Lee Ching-ping was in Beijing scouting for prospective local actors when a referrer sent her a tape of the obscure 1995 Chinese drama Adventures of Sisters in Beijing (姐姐妹妹闯北京). The recommended actress left little impression, but a supporting actress "with big eyes" caught Lee's attention. Eventually Lee located that actress, Zhao Wei (Vicki Zhao), who in 1997 was a 21-year-old freshman in the Performing Institute of Beijing Film Academy. Chiung Yao was also impressed by Zhao's acting and decided to cast her in the major role of Xiaoyanzi, after reaching an agreement with her school.访谈：赵薇靠500万发迹纯造谣 李静平指遭陷害
Taiwanese actress Lee Ting-yi was originally chosen to portray the titular character Xiaoyanzi.孙树培：演员做人很重要 对角色的选择也很重要 However, about a week before filming was to begin, she could no longer participate due to scheduling conflicts with a film she was in. With little time remaining, the company asked if Zhao, who had the script and was asked to memorize Ziwei's lines, would portray Xiaoyanzi instead. As Lee Ching-ping recalled in 2007:
Other reshuffling was in order. After considering 15-year-old Fan Bingbing, who was eventually cast as Jinsuo, the company settled on 21-year-old Ruby Lin, originally cast as Princess Saiya, as Ziwei. (Zhao's classmate at Beijing Film Academy, Zhang Heng, became Saiya.) Lin had just signed with Chiung Yao's company and was better known in her native Taiwan. However, after a few days of filming, sponsors claimed Lin was not attractive enough and wanted her replaced. Her return flight to Taiwan was purchased, and her replacement, Zheng Zefan or Zheng Jiaxin, another classmate of Zhao's, arrived on set. Zheng was later cast as the minor character Du Ruolan. However, Taiwanese director Sun Shu-pei predicted correctly "Ruby Lin will be very popular one day" and insisted on casting her, and Lin stayed. She said the difficult days drew her closer to Zhao, who showed her around Beijing to cheer her up.赵薇：演《还珠格格》时差点换掉林心如 林心如直面绯闻：退出演艺圈前不会结婚林心如曝还珠交恶内幕 不提周杰恳请放过赵薇(图)
Former boyband members Alec Su (Yongqi) and Julian Chen (Fu Ertai) of the disbanded Xiao Hu Dui—neither with much acting experience—and TV star Zhang Tielin (Qianlong Emperor) were the only notable cast members. Due to budget limitations, many cast members were film school students like Zhao. Many of the older actors had limited television experience: Zhou Jie (Fu Erkang) was a stage actor with the National Theatre Company of China, while Dai Chunrong (the empress) was a qinqiang actress.
Filming Filming began on 18 July 1997 in Beijing. Unable to afford the cost of filming inside the Forbidden City, most scenes were shot in Chengde Mountain Resort, Chengde, Hebei as well as several locations in Beijing: Prince Gong Mansion, Beijing Grand View Garden, Miniature Garden of Old Beijing, and Beijing Film Studio. Sun Shu-pei remembered being jealous of the large-budget Yongzheng Dynasty, filming next to them in Chengde. To save cost, all jewelries used were made of plastic, and Zhao Wei developed an infection from reaction to the plastic earrings.
Not only did cast members all make less than ¥48,000 (roughly $5800 in 1997Currency Converter) for 5 months电视剧《还珠格格》市场化运作始末 of filming, they were also subjected to extremely long working hours. According to Sun, "the actors normally got up at night to do makeups and apply costumes, and film all the way until it was too dark to see. Sometimes they could not sleep at all." Zhang Tielin estimated "two to three hours" of sleep each night and recalled Zhao and Lin stumbling downstairs in each other's arms half-asleep, tripping and sliding to the bottom of a car as they tried to enter it in frigid weather, and sleeping on a narrow bench together at the set.张铁林贺赵薇获影后 曝其曾与林心如冬天睡冷板凳 Zhao remembered throwing up from exhaustion.Beyond Cute by Richard Corliss; Monday, Mar. 22, 2004 - Time Magazine Despite frequently having to get up at 3:30 AM, none of the young actors waited until arriving at the set to start memorizing lines, according to Li Mingqi (Wet-Nurse Rong), the oldest actor:李明启回忆拍《还珠》细节：赵薇拍打戏太苦容嬷嬷李明启专访：林心如赵薇拍戏刻苦
Season 2 began filming on 15 September 1998 with a much larger budget, owing to the unexpected success of Season 1. In addition to Season 1 locations, Season 2 was also filmed in Kangxi Grassland, Xiangshan Park, Workers Cultural Palace and Mei Lanfang's former residence (all in Beijing).
Unlike the "neglected" Season 1 where not a single outsider showed up to watch the filming,《情人范冰冰》 Season 2's filming was extensively covered by the media. Every morning, leaving the hotel was difficult for the cast members, as it was filled with fans, many from out of town. Describing the madness, Fan Bingbing wrote in 2004:
Plot
Season 1 (1998) In the year 1759, 17-year-old Xia Ziwei and her maid Jinsuo travel from Jinan to the Qing Empire capital Beijing, in an effort to meet her father, the Qianlong Emperor, for the first time. Qianlong Emperor had a relationship with her mother Xia Yuhe during a trip to Daming Lake, Jinan 18 years ago, and Xia Yuhe had held the secret away from Ziwei until her recent death, before which she told Ziwei to seek her father. Unable to enter the Forbidden City, Ziwei and Jinsuo meet adventuress Xiaoyanzi, also 17, at a wedding. An orphan since a young age, Xiaoyanzi lives with siblings Liu Qing and Liu Hong in a dazayuan (residential compound). The two girls become sworn sisters, and Ziwei informs Xiaoyanzi of her mission.