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*The Affaire in the Swing Age*
The Affaire in the Swing Age
	DVD cover art
Also known as	The Dynasty; Love Against Kingship
Traditional Chinese	江山風雨情
Simplified Chinese	江山风雨情
Hanyu Pinyin	Jiāngshān Fēngyǔ Qíng
Genre	Historical drama, romance
Screenplay by	Zhu Sujin
Directed by	Chen Jialin; He Xianda
Presented by	Li Kangsheng; Luo Shan; Yang Buting
Starring	Wang Gang; Tang Guoqiang; Chen Daoming; Li Qiang; Zhang Lanlan; Ding Haifeng; Liu Wei; Chen Baoguo
Opening theme	Ping'an Meng (平安梦) performed by Han Lei
Ending theme	Bianshui Liu (汴水流) performed by Han Lei and Liu Jin
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of episodes	45
Production
Executive producer	Jiang Xiaoqun
Producers	Han Sanping; Zhu Cheng
Production location	China
Cinematography	Su Li
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Original release
Network	CCTV

The Affaire in the Swing Age, also known as The Dynasty or Love Against Kingship, is a 2003 Chinese television series based on the novel Jiangshan Fengyu Qing by Zhu Sujin, who was also the screenwriter for the series. The series depicts the events in the transition of the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty in China, focusing on the lives of historical figures such as Li Zicheng, Wu Sangui, Chen Yuanyuan, the Chongzhen Emperor and Huangtaiji.

Plot

In 1627, the young Chongzhen Emperor succeeds his brother, the Tianqi Emperor, as the sovereign of the Ming dynasty, with help from the eunuch Wang Cheng'en. The hardworking Chongzhen Emperor strives to save his dwindling empire from collapse and seeks to restore it to its former glory. However, it seems impossible for him to achieve these goals because the Ming government has been plagued by corruption since his predecessors' time, and the people have also rebelled against him under the leadership of Li Zicheng. Besides, on the northern frontier, Huangtaiji, the ambitious ruler of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, is actively preparing his army for an invasion of the Ming Empire.

Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou are both capable military commanders appointed by the Chongzhen Emperor to counter the Manchu invaders, but they meet different fates – the emperor orders Yuan to be executed by slow slicing after believing false accusations that Yuan is plotting against him; Hong is forced to surrender to the Manchus after his defeat at the Battle of Songjin, and he aids the Qing forces on their campaign against the Southern Ming dynasty later.

In 1644, Li Zicheng's rebel forces capture the Ming capital, Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor commits suicide by hanging himself on a tree. Shortly after, Wu Sangui, a Ming general defending the border, defects to the Qing dynasty and opens Shanhai Pass, allowing the Qing forces to enter and overrun the rest of China. The reason behind Wu's defection is the loss of his beloved concubine, Chen Yuanyuan. Chen was initially kept as a hostage in Beijing to prevent Wu from betraying the Ming Empire. However, after the fall of Beijing, she was taken by Liu Zongmin, a rebel general under Li Zicheng. Wu is angered and he decides to ally with the Qing forces against the rebels.

Cast

Wang Gang as Wang Cheng'en
Li Qiang [zh] as the Chongzhen Emperor
Ding Haifeng [zh] as Wu Sangui
Liu Wei [zh] as Li Zicheng
Zhang Lanlan as Chen Yuanyuan
Tang Guoqiang as Huangtaiji
Chen Daoming as the Tianqi Emperor
Chen Baoguo as Zhu Changying
Bao Guo'an as Hong Chengchou
Wang Huichun [zh] as Fan Renkuan
Zhou Jie as Hou Chaozong
Li Zhi as Dorgon
Yan Kun as the Shunzhi Emperor
Deng Chao as the Kangxi Emperor
Xu Min as the Longwu Emperor
Li Ding|zh|李丁 (影視演員) as Wei Zhongxian
He Xianda as Koxinga
Niu Li [zh] as Consort Zhuang
Wang Minghu as Hooge
Zhang Xiaozhong as Yuan Chonghuan
Li Jianqun [zh] as Empress Zhou
Liu Jun as Huang Yu
Ma Jie as Lu Si
Zhang Qiuge [zh] as Liu Zongmin
Liu Yubin [zh] as Zhou Yanru
Wang Jinghua [zh] as the Tianqi Emperor's concubine
Zeng Jing as Eunuch Li
Liu Peiqing as Gao Yingxiang

List of featured songs

Ping'an Meng (《平安梦》; Dream of Peace) performed by Han Lei
Bianshui Liu (《汴水流》; The Bian River Flows) performed by Han Lei and Liu Jin
Dian Jiangchun Guiqing (《点绛唇·闺情》; Red Lips, Woman's Love) performed by Liu Jin
Biyuntian (《碧云天》; Jade Cloud Sky) performed by Liu Jin