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MEANING OF TITLE The meaning behind the title is rather interesting. Phonetically, at least in Cantonese, the title sounds exactly like the Chinese phrase "金枝玉葉", which is used to describe prestigious, unmarried women at the time. The phrase can also be used to vaguely describe a woman who has a prestigious background. The title itself is a play on the original phrase, with the third and fourth character being replaced by two other characters which described the main themes of the entire series. The characters "玉" (jade) and "葉" (leaf) were replaced by "慾" (lust) and "孽" (evilness, nemesis). Thus, the title itself describes the entire plot, which roughly translates to "women from prestigious backgrounds with lusts for power and evilness". Owing to the prolific use of the character "慾" (lust) in pornographic films and productions, some people believed in the beginning that the show is pornographic in nature. While the show does deal with the workings Forbidden City's inner harem (which, in turn, invariably deals with sex), the show is not pornographic in nature. CAST
SYNOPSIS This show was set in the Forbidden City , in Qing Dynasty China in the late years of Emperor Jiaqing 's rule. It focused on the power struggle between various Royal concubines trying to secure the Emperor's favor, with corruption, intrige and outright deceit being the weapons of choice. These women were willing to manipulate, betray and even kill just about anyone in order to get what they wanted. Throughout the later parts of the series, the inevitable results of this corruption become increasingly apparent. The main characters start to lose everything they care for, while being forced to conclude that they have only themselves to blame. In the meantime, corruption takes its toll on the outside world as well: the entire empire is destabilizing. But none of that is a deterrent to the scheming women. On the contrary: even when the rebels make their way into the Forbidden City, the manipulators' first thoughts are as to how this situation may be used to their advantage. In the end, corruption itself is the only clear winner and many of those involved die or are forced to flee the City forever. Ending of Main Characters At the end of the series, many things came to a head. As the corruption of Qing Politics became all the more prevalent, the country began to have armed rebellion. The fact that these rebels were going to invade the palace opened up some interesting opportunities, especially for the Empress who tried to kill off opposition while blaming the rebels. Dr Sun made an attempt to use the situation to escape with Yuk-Ying. However the Empress was already aware of their affair, and while they were in Yuk-Ying's residence the Empress' guards boarded up the entrances and set it on fire, causing both to be burned alive. On-Sin, whose plan to exact revenge on the Queen for her grandmother's death was abortive, hatched plans to leave the palace along with Hung-Mo and Yi-Suun (who had lost all will to live in the Palace after her adoptive father died). Yu-Yuet had also been invited to leave by the three people, but she refused to because she entered the palace at the age of 16, and is unaccustomed to civilian life. Having survived an attack by guards dressed up as rebels and having realized the true fate of Dr Sun and Yuk-Ying, she went on to confront the Empress directly and seemed to be in a superior political position. All was not yet over for the ones who left. As the trio tried to leave the palace, On-Sin was shot by a stray arrow which she would die of soon afterwards. At the end, only Hung-Mo and Yi-Suun left the palace and started a new life. POPULARITY AND CRITICISM This drama was very popular, almost unexpectedly so. Amongst Hong Kong's office workers, the feuding and shifting alliances of the Imperial women, with greater issues being sacrificed for personal piques and gains was taken as a metaphor for the office politics familiar to many. Other support for the show came from the devoted fans of three of the female leads Charmaine Sheh, Gigi Lai and Maggie Cheung Ho Yee. The exploits of their characters were followed in minute detail in online forums, with each betrayal or stab in the back leading to flaming, denunciations, accusations and denials amongst the rival factions. The show was not without its critics. Many sociologists, psychologists, and academics have criticized the show as promoting hatred and backstabbing as a "natural" matter in society, and fears that the drama will twist the youth's perception of social relationships in general. However, many ordinary citizens simply believe the show was a reflection of the real world. AWARDS Three of the actresses playing the concubines, Charmaine Sheh, Gigi Lai, Sheren Tang, were nominated for TVB's "Drama's Most Popular Actress of 2004", with Gigi Lai winning. Amongst some this led to hotly debated controversy, due to the fact that it seemed that Sheren had clearly outperformed Gigi in terms of acting, and many argued that Sheren deserved the award. It was said that Gigi simply won the award because TVB wanted to extend her contract with the TV station, and presented her with the award as a sign of good will. The counter argument was that the award was for the most popular actress and not the best one. Nevertheless, there was close contention for the award (the hottest in recent years), thus the idea of the award being used politically is debatable. Life seemed to imitate art in the way the actresses battled for the award in a manner akin to the way their characters had battled for the emperor's praise in the show. TVB's "Drama's Most Popular Actor of 2004" award went to Bowie Lam for his role as a Chinese medical doctor/official in the show. In 2006, Charmaine Sheh won "Favourite Leading Actress" in Malaysia' satellite TV; Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards 2005 for her role as Yi-Suun. HOME VIDEO ''War and Beauty'' was released on DVD and VCD a few months after its finale, and was a bestseller. It also became the first TVB drama to receive a DVD release, albeit a limited one. The DVD box was made of shiny gold cloth, with the drama's title woven on it with gold thread. SEE ALSO |