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) in Taiwan and Hunan Broadcasting System in 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 shown on China Television in Taiwan.

Written by creator 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 some characters, the plot premise, and certain sections of the story are based on historical events and figures, considerable artistic license was employed.

Originally made with a small budget and little-known young actors, My Fair Princess became a massive hit in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and is considered the most commercially successful Chinese-language series in history.[1] Hunan Broadcasting System, after achieving ratings as high as 65% of audience shares, became China's second largest network.[2] Meanwhile, little-known cast members were made household names and teen idols over night, like the actress trio of Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin and Fan Bingbing, who are still among the biggest stars in Chinese entertainment more than 15 years later.[3]

In 2021, the drama will be produced as web series with 38 episodes.[4]

  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. ^ 赵薇林心如范冰冰 看“还珠三姐妹”在娱乐圈的惊人实力
  4. ^ "Chinese classic drama My Fair Princess is producing as web series in 2021". Asian E-News. 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2021-04-11.