Carol of Zhenguan

Carol of Zhenguan is a Chinese historical television series directed by Wu Ziniu. It was first aired on CCTV-1 in China in 2007. The series is based on the events in the Zhenguan era of the reign of Emperor Taizong during the Tang dynasty.

Plot
In 626 during the Tang dynasty, Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin, assassinated two of his brothers, Li Jiancheng, the Crown Prince, and Li Yuanji, the Prince of Qi, in a palace coup historically known as the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Two months later, he ascended the throne in Chang'an and changed the era name to "Zhenguan" to mark the start of his reign. Shortly after he became emperor, Li Shimin had to deal with the threat posed by the aggressive Tujue in the north while consolidating power and solidifying his control over the Tang Empire. Under Li Shimin's rule, China flourished in various aspects and the Zhenguan era is considered one of the golden ages in Chinese history.

Imperial family

 * Tang Guoqiang as Li Shimin
 * Zhang Lanlan as Princess Ankang
 * Nie Yuan as Li Ke
 * Wan Hongjie as Li Chengqian
 * Han Zaifen as Empress Zhangsun
 * Wang Donghui as Li Tai
 * Wen Hao as Li You
 * Ma Yuke as Li Zhi
 * Xi Yuli as Consort Yang

Tang imperial court

 * Du Zhiguo as Hou Junji
 * Cao Peichang as Zhangsun Wuji
 * Wang Huichun as Cen Wenben
 * Zhang Tielin as Luo Yi
 * Chen Baoguo as Du Ruhui
 * Liu Yubin as Fang Xuanling
 * Dong Ziwu as Wei Zheng
 * Sun Feihu as Feng Deyi
 * Bi Haifeng as Li Jing
 * Zhang Shan as Li Ji
 * Zhang Naiwen as Chang He
 * Li Qingxiang as Zhangsun Shunde
 * Si Yuan as Ma Zhou
 * Mou Fengbin as Chu Suiliang
 * Hu Qingshi as Zhang Xuansu
 * Bai Dezhang as Xiao Yu
 * Wang Jiahe as Dugu Mou
 * Wang Baojiang as Chai Zhewei
 * Wang Zhengjia as Cheng Huailiang
 * Zhang Xiqian as Zheng Renji
 * Liu Haibo as Quan Wanji
 * Zhang Hongming as Zhao Shida
 * Chen Ganlin as Zhao Yuankai

Tujue

 * Tu Men as Jieli Khan
 * Hong Yuzhou as Tuli Khan
 * Liu Haitao as Shiluodie
 * Li Peng as Yinan
 * Zhou Guangzhen as Zhishisili
 * Menghewuliji as Ashina Simo
 * Qinaritu as Qibiheli

Others

 * Tan Feiling as Dou Yi
 * Qi Xiaoxiao as Zheng Liwan

Fictional characters

 * Bai Qinglin as Ashina Yun
 * Tiffany Tang as Caiji
 * Rao Minli as Haitang
 * Zong Fengyan as Min Guoqi
 * Gao Chengsheng as Zhao Gongcun
 * Liu Sha as Lüxiu
 * Yan Jiansheng as Ma Xuanliang
 * Zhu Hongjia as Chang Sheng
 * Wu Qiang as Chi Deli
 * Xu Jingyi as Dou Fu
 * Zhang Danfeng as Mu Yikuan
 * Ma Dong as Cui Xian
 * Yang Hongtao as Wang De
 * Guo Yongzhen as Botie
 * Zhang Hao as Fan Xing
 * Yu Yang as Henglian
 * Sun Jie as Yuqing
 * Deng Na as Ling'er

Critical reception
On 28 January 2007, one day after Carol of Zhenguan premiered on CCTV-1, many negative comments about the drama surfaced on the internet, ranging from the inaccuracies with the costumes and filming locations to inconsistencies with historical sources. On the same day, director Wu Ziniu responded in an interview that he believed that the negative comments were unfounded and intentionally created to reduce ratings because Carol of Zhenguan was competing for viewership with other similar television series such as The Rise of the Tang Empire. Wu said, "(This is) an 82 episodes long television series, I suggest audiences watch first before commenting."

Some points raised by netizens include:
 * The costumes did not resemble the style of dress of any period in Chinese history, and the architecture of the palace resembled that of the Han dynasty rather than the Tang dynasty. Wu Ziniu replied that he had sought advice from experts on the Tang dynasty for the costumes and props, and his consultants included the president of the Chinese Tang Dynasty History Research Association and seven history professors from Peking, Renmin and Beijing Normal universities.
 * Tang Guoqiang (then 53), who portrayed Li Shimin, was too old for his role because historically the emperor was 29 when he came to the throne. Others pointed out that Zhang Tielin's character Luo Yi was too overbearing and too similar to Zhang's better known portrayal of the Qianlong Emperor in My Fair Princess. Wu Ziniu responded that the age problem had been automatically "corrected" when Li Shimin's eldest son, Li Chengqian (who historically was a child when his father became emperor), was portrayed by Wan Hongjie as a man in his early 20s. Wu Ziniu also replied that since Luo Yi was a rebel general, it would not be unexpected of him to behave arrogantly.
 * Even though Carol of Zhenguan was marketed as a historical television series, it was very similar to other costume dramas centring on themes of political intrigues and power struggles, and this could be misleading to audiences. Wu Ziniu felt that this comment was ridiculous because only two episodes of Carol of Zhenguan had been aired at the time, so viewers would not have seen the "politics" parts yet. Wu admitted that Carol of Zhenguan does have themes of war, action, conspiracy, romance, etc. that are present in many other television series, but the political intrigues in Carol of Zhenguan are "artistic recreations" based on history, so this makes the drama worth watching.
 * Only one line about Princess Ankang (portrayed by Zhang Lanlan) was recorded in historical texts. Volume 83 of the New Book of Tang stated, "Princess Ankang, married Dugu Mou." However, the princess plays a very important role in Carol of Zhenguan. Wu Ziniu mentioned that he chose her from Li Shimin's many children because she was representative of princesses of the Zhenguan era. He also stated that he did not pick Princess Gaoyang, a better known daughter of Li Shimin, because audiences are already quite familiar with her because of her illicit affair with the monk Bianji.
 * Empress Zhangsun (portrayed by Han Zaifen) was described in historical texts as a virtuous and wise woman who played a supportive role to her husband. However, in Carol of Zhenguan, she is depicted as a jealous and petty wife, and a mother who overindulges her son, Li Chengqian. Audiences find this hard to accept. Screenwriter Zhou Zhifang replied that he wanted Empress Zhangsun to be more realistic since it is natural for a wife to feel jealous when her husband loves another woman, and for a mother to unknowingly spoil her son when she showers too much care on him.