My Fair Princess

This article is about the first two seasons (1998–1999). For the 2003 sequel, see My Fair Princess III. For the 2011 remake, see New My Fair Princess.
My Fair Princess
Promotional image of the main cast in 1998 (l-r): Back: Su, Fan and Zhou, Front: Zhao, Zhang and Lin
Also known asPrincess Returning Pearl
Princess Returned Pearl
Princess Pearl
Princess Huan Zhu
The Return Princess
Return of the Pearl Princess
Traditional Chinese還珠格格
Simplified Chinese还珠格格
Hanyu PinyinHuán Zhū Gége
JyutpingWaan4 Zyu1 Gaak3-Gaak3
Genre
Created byChiung Yao
Developed byChen Chung-wei
Written byChiung Yao
Directed bySun Shu-pei
Li Ping (Season 2 only)
Presented byChiung Yao
Ping Hsin-tao
Ouyang Changlin
Starring
Opening themeSeason 1: "Dang" (當) performed by Power Station
Season 2: "Zicong You Le Ni" (自從有了你) performed by Zhao Wei
Ending themeSeason 1: "Yu die" (雨蝶) performed by Lee E-jun
Season 2:
1. "You Yige Guniang" (有一個姑娘) performed by Zhao Wei
2. "Ni Shi Feng'er Wo Shi Sha" (你是風兒我是沙) performed by Ruby Lin and Zhou Jie
ComposerXu Jingxin
Country of origin(Taiwan)
Original languagesMandarin
some Tibetan (Season 1)
some Uyghur (Season 2)
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes24 (Season 1)
48 (Season 2)
Production
Executive producersChen Tao-lung (Season 1)
Tu Chi-chung (Season 2)
Producers
  • Ping Hsin-tao
  • Ho Hsiu-chiung
  • Wei Wenbin
Production locationsBeijing
Chengde Mountain Resort
Bashang Plateau
Running time48 minutes
Production companiesYi Ren Communications Co.
Hunan Broadcasting System
Original release
Network(Taiwan)
Release28 April 1998 (1998-04-28) –
25 June 1999 (1999-06-25)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

My Fair Princess, also known as Return of the Pearl Princess or Princess Returning Pearl (Chinese: 還珠格格), is a 1998–1999 Chinese-Taiwanese period drama jointly produced by Yi Ren Communications Co. (怡人傳播公司) of Taiwan and Hunan Broadcasting System of China. Season 1 (1998) was filmed in 1997, and Season 2 (1999) in 1998–1999. Both seasons were filmed in Beijing, Chengde and the Bashang Plateau in China, and first aired on China Television in Taiwan.

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, originally 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 employed considerable artistic license.

Originally produced with a small budget and a cast of little-known young actors, My Fair Princess became a massive hit across East and Southeast Asia. It is regarded as one of the most commercially successful Chinese-language series in history.[1] After reaching audience shares as high as 65%, Hunan Broadcasting System grew to become China’s second-largest network.[2] Meanwhile, previously unknown cast members like Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin and Fan Bingbing became household names and overnight teen idols. In 2021, the series was blacklisted in mainland China following the government’s ban on Zhao Wei.[3]

  1. ^ "瓊瑤電視戲劇風格的蛻變：《還珠格格》 ― 一個類型(genre)的分析" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
  2. ^ 湖南制造（图） Archived 2014-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "全网下架《还珠格格》，赵薇到底怎么了？ | 界面新闻". m.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.