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*Princess Der Ling*
Princess Der Ling
	Der Ling (left in red), portrayed by Zhang Jingjing, and her sister Roung Ling, portrayed by Sun Yifei.
Also known as	Secret Files of the Qing Imperial Palace: Princess Der Ling
Genre	Historical drama
Based on	Princess Der Ling; by Xu Xiaobin
Written by	Xu Xiaobin; Li Xuebing
Directed by	Han Gang
Starring	Zhang Jingjing; Sun Yifei; Lü Zhong; Jonathan Kos-Read;
Country of origin	China
Original languages	Chinese; English; (occasionally French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish)
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	29
Production
Executive producers	Wang Guohui; Yuan Mei
Producers	Zhu Tong; Xue Guizhi; Wang Wei
Cinematography	Wu Fei
Editor	Wang Yue
Running time	43 minutes
Production companies	Beijing Qixinran Film and Television Culture
Budget	CN¥16,000,000
Original release
Network	CCTV-8
Release	30 August 2006

Princess Der Ling (traditional Chinese: 德齡公主; simplified Chinese: 德龄公主; pinyin: Délíng Gōngzhǔ), also known as Secret Files of the Qing Imperial Palace: Princess Der Ling (清宮秘檔之德齡公主; 清宫秘档之德龄公主; Qīnggōng Mìdàng zhī Délíng Gōngzhǔ), is a Chinese period drama television series based on the historical novel of the same name written by Xu Xiaobin. The series premiered on CCTV-8 on 30 August 2006,^[3] and had been broadcast on Top TV [zh] in Taiwan since 2009, with Taiwanese Hokkien dubbing.^[4] It is the first and only television dramatisation of Der Ling's life.^[5]

Synopsis

Upon their return to China from France, Der Ling (Zhang Jingjing) and Roung Ling (Sun Yifei), daughters of the Qing-dynasty diplomat Yu Keng [fr] (Liu Wenzhi), are installed as court ladies to the Empress Dowager Cixi (Lü Zhong). The Yu sisters, with the feeling of reforming an ancient empire, eventually realise its impossibility of change, and witness the dynasty's gradual demise. Der Ling's relationship with Kevin White (Jonathan Kos-Read; based on her real-life husband Thaddeus Cohu White) was highly romanticised in the series.

According to the Peking University professor Chen Xiaoming, in Xu Xiaobin's novel, as well in the series adaptation, "Der Ling and Roung Ling are symbols of Western civilisation". Despite being born in the Qing Empire, "they are the messengers of modern Western civilisation rather than daughters of ancient Eastern civilisation. They enter the ancient palace carrying within themselves a modern concept, a modern lifestyle and a modern aesthetic, bringing a free spirit to a society of rigid stratification, which is fresh and more humane."^[6]

Cast and characters

Zhang Jingjing as Princess Der Ling
Sun Yifei as Nellie Yu Roung Ling
Lü Zhong as Empress Dowager Cixi
Jonathan Kos-Read as Kevin White
Pam as Amy White
Sylvia as Katharine Carl
Xu Jian [zh] as John Yu Shuinling
Liu Wenzhi [zh] as Yu Keng [fr]
Huang Meiying [zh] as Lady Yu Keng (Louisa Pierson)
Huang He as Guangxu Emperor
Yan Zi as Empress consort of Guangxu
Wang Zi as Consort Jin
Wu Liping [zh] as Li Lianying
Zhou Yinghong as the Fourth Princess [zh]
Zhang Yajun as Princess Rongshou
Han Xinmin as Ronglu
Sun Ning as Wu Tingfang
Lu Chang'en as Sun Yu
Sha Jingchang [zh] as Yuan Shikai
Jia Dazhong as Zhang Zhidong
Zou Zheng as Xiaowenzi
Wang Wentao as Xiaoshizi
Zhang Ge as Musashi
Ken'ichi Miura [ja] as Uchida Kōsai
Yuka Ishizaki as wife of Uchida Kōsai (Uchida Masako)
Peter as Edwin H. Conger
Maresa as wife of Edwin H. Conger (Sarah J. Conger)
Galia as wife of Georgy Planson [ru]
Xing Jun as Consort Yu
Wang Shuai as Barong

DVD release

The series was released in a DVD boxset on 7 September 2006. The set includes ten discs containing all the episodes.^[7]

References

^ Tsai, Shan-ling (25 December 2021). "慈禧身邊大紅人德齡公主傳奇" [The legend of Princess Der Ling, Cixi's favourite]. tw.news.yahoo.com (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ "电视连续剧《德龄公主》将开机大腕托红花" [The Production of Princess Der Ling Will Start Soon]. cn.ent.yahoo.com (in Simplified Chinese). 14 March 2004. Archived from the original on 7 December 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Fu, Wenjia, ed. (30 August 2006). "特殊视角看清宫电视剧《德龄公主》开播" [Princess Der Ling, the TV series set in the Manchu imperial palace will launch tonight]. chinadaily.com.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ "德齡公主" [Princess Der Ling]. top.tv (in Traditional Chinese). 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Zhao, Nannan (8 March 2004). "《德龄公主》在京开机中西合璧女人讲清宫故事" [The production of Princess Der Ling started in Beijing, 'Eurasian woman' telling the story of the Qing imperial palace]. ent.tom.com (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 31 December 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Chen, Xiaoming (28 May 2007). "评徐小斌的《德龄公主》" [Comments on Xu Xiaobin's Princess Der Ling]. chinawriter.com.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ "Qing Gong Mi Dang Zhi De Ling Gong Zhu (Ep.1-29) (End) (China Version) DVD Region All". yesasia.com. 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2022.