{ "id": "ep11kkhbak", "slug": "the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty", "title": "The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": 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"https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-my-to-so" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年) is a 2020 iQIYI costume mystery series adapted from Meng Xishi's novel, starring Guan Hong and Fu Meng-po as detective Tang Fan and guard Sui Zhou, produced by Jackie Chan.", "snippet": "The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年) is a 2020 iQIYI costume mystery series adapted from Meng Xishi's novel, starring Guan Hong and Fu Meng-po as detective Tang Fan and guard Sui Zhou, produced by Jackie Chan.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-my-to-so", "markdown": "# The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年)\n\n**The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty** (成化十四年) is a 2020 Chinese costume mystery series adapted from Meng Xishi's (梦溪石) novel of the same title, following the sixth-rank judge Tang Fan (唐泛) and the Embroidered Uniform Guard banner commander Sui Zhou (隋州) as they solve criminal cases in the [Ming dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/ming-dynasty) during the fourteenth year of the Chenghua era.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) The 48-episode series streamed exclusively on iQIYI beginning April 1, 2020, with [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) as producer and Guan Hong (官鸿) and Fu Meng-po (傅孟柏) in the two leading roles.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) • [2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%90%E5%8C%96%E5%8D%81%E5%9B%9B%E5%B9%B4/22006203?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 成化十四年; released internationally as *The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty*[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/cheng-hua-shi-si-nian) |\n| Source | Adapted from Meng Xishi's novel of the same name[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) |\n| Broadcast | iQIYI, April 1, 2020, 48 episodes, 20:00 slots Wednesday through Friday[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%90%E5%8C%96%E5%8D%81%E5%9B%9B%E5%B9%B4/22006203?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Directors / producer | Guo Shuang, Yang Huan, and Yang Tai; produced by Jackie Chan[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) • [4](https://moviewiser.com/ch/tv/101413) |\n| Main cast | Guan Hong (Tang Fan), Fu Meng-po (Sui Zhou), Liu Yaoyuan (Wang Zhi), Alyssa Chia (Royal Consort Wan)[4](https://moviewiser.com/ch/tv/101413) |\n| Reception | Douban score of 5.5, with criticism of a forced female lead and heavy script changes[5](https://m.jiemian.com/article/4305482.html) |\n| Runtime / rating | 42-minute episodes, TV-PG, IMDb 7.5[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/cheng-hua-shi-si-nian) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and characters\n\nThe story is set in the Ming dynasty under the Chenghua Emperor, in the fourteenth year of his era. Tang Fan, a sixth-rank judge (推官) at Shuntian Prefecture, the capital's administrative organ, is known for his exceptional reasoning; Sui Zhou is a banner commander (总旗) in the Embroidered Uniform Guard (锦衣卫), the imperial secret police.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) • [6](https://www.tvq.co.jp/drama/seika/) The opening case has the two men investigating from different directions: Tang Fan looks into a death at a brothel that appears accidental, while Sui Zhou searches for a missing study companion of the crown prince, and the two cases turn out to be intertwined.[6](https://www.tvq.co.jp/drama/seika/) The iQIYI synopsis adds that the sudden death of the Marquis of Wu'an's heir makes Tang Fan a suspect, and that the eunuch [Wang Zhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/wang-zhi) (汪植), head of the [Western Depot](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-depot) (西厂), joins the investigation because the cases involve families of court officials.[7](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhskkyl.html?list=23inkrg3e22)\n\nThe two leads are drawn as opposites. Tang Fan is a laid-back food lover whose motto is that eating comes first, but he has sharp deductive ability; Sui Zhou is the show's martial-arts anchor, stern and highly skilled, and also a superb cook.[8](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7mrgu8vwJDY) • [9](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7008199497_1a1b8a34900100lx9g.html?from=ent&subch=tv) Wang Zhi, played by Liu Yaoyuan, is morally ambiguous, and the character drew a substantial fan following of his own.[10](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5737990122_15602c7ea01900mm40.html)\n\n## Production\n\nFilming ran for 130 days, from deep winter into early summer, and the production wrapped in May 2019.[8](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7mrgu8vwJDY) Jackie Chan, producing a web series for the first time, visited the set at Hengdian and personally coached the lead actors on making their fight movements clean and precise.[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%90%E5%8C%96%E5%8D%81%E5%9B%9B%E5%B9%B4/22006203?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The action was designed under the guidance of Chan's stunt team, the JC Stunt Team, and reviewers noted that the guard Sui Zhou stays grounded, with rooftop chases kept plausible rather than airborne.[9](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7008199497_1a1b8a34900100lx9g.html?from=ent&subch=tv)\n\n**Period detail and food.** The production put visible effort into Ming-era material culture. Small early cases tie into real institutions: a stolen official-horses case connects to the Ming horse administration (马政) system.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) Sets use brick-faced residential and government buildings to distinguish the period from Yuan-era earthen walls, and the furniture and restrained vermilion-and-wood color scheme follow Ming architectural taste.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) The series is also unusually food-centered: the opening episode details how to roast pork shoulder (梅肉), and dishes such as meat-sauce noodles, snow-pear soup, soy milk and fried dough sticks, osmanthus cake, and champion candy recur throughout, leading many viewers to joke that a detective drama had turned into a food show.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml) • [9](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7008199497_1a1b8a34900100lx9g.html?from=ent&subch=tv) iQIYI built a paid course, *The Great Ming Behind Chenghua Shisi Nian*, on the series to explain the period culture.[1](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml)\n\n## Screenplay dispute and reception\n\nThe series premiered on April 1, 2020, the same day as the tomb-raiding drama *Candle in the Tomb: The Worm Valley*, and early reactions split sharply: viewers who had not read the novel praised the production quality and light tone, while novel fans attacked the adaptation.[10](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5737990122_15602c7ea01900mm40.html) • [11](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/tashuo/browse/content?id=70e3fa16f430ef0e14800b2d) By late April the Douban score stood at 5.5, with recurring complaints about a forcibly added female lead, excessive changes to the plot, and a male lead rewritten as less intelligent than in the book.[5](https://m.jiemian.com/article/4305482.html)\n\nA credit dispute added to the controversy. On April 21, 2020, a Weibo user claiming to be the original screenwriter posted that the production had discarded her version: she said she had written 12 episodes plus episode and scene breakdowns across seven drafts, totaling at least 500,000 characters over a year, on a verbal promise of credit and 40,000 yuan in pay, and that after her seventh draft the director, dissatisfied with the script, brought in a new writing team for a wholesale rewrite without crediting her.[5](https://m.jiemian.com/article/4305482.html) The trade outlet 毒眸 (Dumeng) framed the case against a backdrop of similar screenwriter credit disputes over *Beijing Without a War*, *[The Legend of Mi Yue](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-legend-of-mi-yue)*, and *Forensic Doctor Qin 2*.[5](https://m.jiemian.com/article/4305482.html)\n\nRoundtable discussion among critics and viewers found the case-solving itself weak: clues were often delivered through dialogue rather than discovered, and the opening cases were judged slow and scattered, though several participants praised the everyday warmth and the depiction of Chenghua-era court politics and local life.[10](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5737990122_15602c7ea01900mm40.html)\n\n## International release\n\nThe series circulated abroad under translated titles: in Japan it aired with Japanese subtitles as *Seika Jūyonen: Miyako ni Saku Himitsu* (成化十四年～都に咲く秘密～), and in Korean-speaking markets as 성화 14년.[6](https://www.tvq.co.jp/drama/seika/) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/kr/TV-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B7%B8%EB%9E%A8/seonghwa14nyeon) Streaming aggregators list 49 episodes at 42 minutes each, one more than the 48 counted on iQIYI's Chinese listing, and the show is available with subtitles in more than ten languages on Rakuten Viki in the United States.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/cheng-hua-shi-si-nian) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/kr/TV-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B7%B8%EB%9E%A8/seonghwa14nyeon)\n\n## References\n\n1. [探案、美食……《成化十四年》背后的朝代文化, 中国新闻网 via Sina News (April 3, 2020)](https://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-04-03/doc-iimxxsth3558985.shtml)\n2. [成化十四年, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%90%E5%8C%96%E5%8D%81%E5%9B%9B%E5%B9%B4/22006203?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n3. [The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/cheng-hua-shi-si-nian)\n4. [成化十四年, MovieWiser](https://moviewiser.com/ch/tv/101413)\n5. [《成化十四年》\"魔改\"后，原编剧还没有署名权？, 界面新闻·毒眸](https://m.jiemian.com/article/4305482.html)\n6. [成化十四年～都に咲く秘密～, TVQ九州放送](https://www.tvq.co.jp/drama/seika/)\n7. [成化十四年, iQIYI](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhskkyl.html?list=23inkrg3e22)\n8. [官鸿《成化十四年》杀青 解锁古装造型上演探案之旅, 凤凰网娱乐 (May 22, 2019)](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7mrgu8vwJDY)\n9. [哪有什么必爆的双男主剧？想复制《陈情令》的国剧都醒醒, Sina News](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7008199497_1a1b8a34900100lx9g.html?from=ent&subch=tv)\n10. [《成化十四年》，真的不值得吗？|线上圆桌第13期, Sina News](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5737990122_15602c7ea01900mm40.html)\n11. [《龙岭迷窟》、《成化十四年》\"硬碰硬\"，首播过后，前者大胜, 百科TA说](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/tashuo/browse/content?id=70e3fa16f430ef0e14800b2d)\n12. [성화 14년, JustWatch Korea](https://www.justwatch.com/kr/TV-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B7%B8%EB%9E%A8/seonghwa14nyeon)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles My to So*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年)](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (成化十四年)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty is a 2020 iQIYI costume mystery series adapted from Meng Xishi's novel, starring Guan Hong and Fu Meng-po as detective Tang Fan and guard Sui Zhou, produced by Jackie Chan." }