The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan

The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan is a Chinese television series about the life of Ji Xiaolan. The series was directed by Zhang Guoli and consists of a total of 173 episodes shot in high definition, each 45 minutes long and containing 10 minutes of 3-D effects. The series is based on events during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing dynasty.

Season 1
Involved in several events, Ji Xiaolan always tried to achieve justice, while the corruptive Heshen and his fellows always held him back. After initial misunderstanding two swords-women Mo Chou and Du Xiaoyue joined Ji Xiaolan. Qianlong Emperor always knew what Heshen had done but never punished him severely.

In the last episodes, Mo Chou was taken as an imperial concubine after bearing the emperor a son, while Du Xiaoyue was created a princess after being adopted by the Empress Dowager and engaged to Scholar Zhu Junhao.

Season 2
Mo Chou did not reappear in the following seasons due to audience criticism and was only mentioned in a few conversations; with Zhu Junhao claimed to have died of illness before a formal marriage, Du Xiaoyue rejoined Ji Xiaolan; seldom dressed nor viewed by others as a princess, she always behaved as a common swords-woman as before.

Season 3
Due to the absence of actress Yuan Li, Du Xiaoyue never appeared, claimed to have been married off. A new girl named Lu Linlang was introduced to be her replacement, who would also be adopted by the Empress Dowager as a princess, aiming at preventing the Emperor from marrying her. Similarly she seldom dressed nor was viewed as a princess.

Season 4
Lu Linlang, claimed to have left, did not reappear; After her husband was killed by corruptive officials associated with Heshen, Du Xiaoyue again rejoined Ji Xiaolan.

Cast

 * Zhang Guoli as Ji Xiaolan
 * Wang Gang as Heshen
 * Zhang Tielin as the Qianlong Emperor
 * Yuan Li as Du Xiaoyue
 * Zhao Minfen/ Yan Minqiu/ Wang Liyuan as Empress Xiaoshengxian
 * Zhang Ting as Lu Linlang
 * Yang Xiyan/ Zhang Lei/ Liu Kaifei as Xing'er
 * Zhang Chunnian as Liu Quan
 * Cynthia Khan as Mo Chou
 * Xiang Neng as Fuk'anggan
 * Pan Xiaoli as Zhao Qing

Season 1

 * Cong Peixin as Censor Hong
 * Wu Zhen as Hong Xia
 * Shu Yaoxuan as Shang Rong
 * Liu Weihua as Royal Highness
 * Huo Siyan as Xiangcao
 * Zeng Jing as Lǚ Chang'an
 * Han Fuyi as Huang Bingtang
 * Zhang Jing as Tao Xiangyun
 * Li Xiaolei as Chen Weiyuan
 * Li Qingxiang as Businessman Jin
 * Ruan Danning as Su Qinglian
 * Yan Huaili as Chen Huizu
 * Jia Dazhong as Wang Shanwang
 * Yang Junyong as Wang Tingzan
 * Liu Yuanyuan as Chuntao

Season 2

 * Liu Yanjun as Zhao Xinjin
 * Ma Zijun as Zhang Wanjie
 * Hong Zongyi as Zuo Shankui
 * Bai Qiulin as Zhao Wenlong
 * Zou Hewei as Min De
 * Song Dong as Wu Shengqin
 * Wang Shenshen as Liao Fan
 * Ma Weifu as Xu Qingyu
 * Xu Meiling as The procuress
 * Wei Wei as Xiao Hongyan
 * Ma Yili as Yan Ruyu
 * Sun Yan as Dai Zhan
 * Gao Yuqing as Hong Zhongyu
 * Pan Guangju as Yan Ji
 * Lu Hualei as Lao Cai
 * Zhang Yuchun as Wu Shaofu
 * Lu Donglai as Ye Tingbin
 * Cui Jian as Qi Sutu
 * Zhong Yuan as Gu Dali
 * Fu Di as Li Chunmei
 * Wang Bing as Li Xiaochun
 * Zhang Jingyu as Hong San
 * Lu Xiaoyi as Qi An
 * Dang Yongde as Li San
 * Ma Jie as Hai Sheng
 * Ma Lun as Gui Ning
 * Hao Zi as Mian En
 * Wang Jingming as Wu Shenglan
 * Li Geng as Jia San
 * Guo Lihong as Xiaofang
 * Yuan Hongqi as Ren Gang
 * Lin Yongjian as Lu Chao
 * Jiang Xinyan as Yao Qin

Season 3

 * Huang Xiaolei as Changsi
 * Xu Xiaodan as Hoifa-Nara, the Step Empress
 * Li Yixiao as Honglian
 * Li Lihong as Yue Jinzhi
 * He Jinlong as Guo Min
 * Liu Naiyi as Ma Rufeng
 * Hao Subei as Yu Tiexin
 * Song Dong as Gu Yezhi
 * Chen Dacheng as A Gui
 * Zhang Yue as Mingyue
 * Wang Jianing as Chu Ming
 * Zhang Mo as Yuan Hong
 * Li Shijiang as Hua Jianmeng
 * He Shengwei as Liu Shunmin
 * Xia Lixin as Sai Huahong
 * Wu Xiaodong as Hong Hai

Season 4

 * Yan Ni as Ge Song'er
 * Hu Guangzi as He Wenjin
 * Gao Xinde as Chunhong
 * Han Yuqin as Mei Yingxue
 * Du Jun as Yi'ertai
 * Zhao Hongfei as Cui Yuyan
 * Miriam Yeung as Qianqian
 * Shi Lin as Lizhi
 * He Yongsheng as Ren Caomu
 * Li Heng as Tao Dabao
 * Liu Yong as Fugui

Inconsistencies with History
According to historical accounts:
 * Liu Quan was older than Heshen.
 * Ji Xiaolan had a good relationship with Heshen while Fuk'anggan did not.
 * Qianlong Emperor and Ji Xiaolan were 39 and 26 years senior than Heshen respectively, but in the series the three were described as peers.
 * Heshen did not have 13 concubines, while Qianlong Emperor did not have 18 daughters.
 * When Prince Yunti died, Heshen and Fuk'anggan were only 5 and 1 respectively, but in Season 1 the three were described as peers.
 * During Qing dynasty the status of actors was low, thus Du Xiaoyue would never be adopted by the Empress Dowager as a princess and married to Scholar Zhu Junhao (claimed to have died of illness at the beginning of Season 2).
 * Qing emperors were never prohibited to take Han women as imperial consorts as Seasons 1 and 3 suggested, while the mother of future Jiaqing Emperor was of Han ethnicity.
 * The event of deposing the Empress in Season 3 happened in 1765, while the event of marrying a princess to Fengšeninde in Season 1 happened in 1789, 12 years after the death of the Empress Dowager. In history the Empress was deprived of her rights as empress but never formally demoted to a consort.
 * Fuk'anggan was implied to be a bastard of Qianlong in Season 4, which actually had been proven to be fictitious.

Contradictions in Itself

 * In later versions, some dialogues of Lady Liu that claimed herself to be the biological mother of Qianlong Emperor had been edited to only claiming herself a wet nurse, but Ji Xiaolan still referred her as biological mother of the Emperor.
 * The years appeared in the series spanned widely, while the age of Du Xiaoyue changed only a little.
 * In the series Heshen was described as a former imperial guard who was considered to be good at martial arts just as historical accounts recorded, but he always seemed to be without martial ability besides several certain episodes.
 * In Season 3 the Empress Dowager comforted the Empress that Qianlong Emperor would not dare to take Han women as imperial consorts, and warned the Emperor to obey the ancestral precept and he agreed; all these events are contradicted with the early event he had taken Mo Chou as an imperial consort in Season 1.

Critical reception
The series was one of the most watched ones in mainland China while it was broadcast.