{ "id": "epwznev36m", "slug": "unchained-love", "title": "Unchained Love (浮图缘)", "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": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-sp-to-z", "label": "Titles Sp to Z", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-sp-to-z" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "China · 2021 and later: East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Unchained Love (浮图缘, also Forbidden Love) is a 2022 Chinese costume romance drama, 36 episodes directed by Wu Qiang, adapted from You Sijie's novel Futu Ta, starring Wang Hedi and Chen Yuqi as a fake eunuch and a consort saved from sacrifice, premiered on iQIYI December 27, 2022.", "snippet": "Unchained Love (浮图缘, also Forbidden Love) is a 2022 Chinese costume romance drama, 36 episodes directed by Wu Qiang, adapted from You Sijie's novel Futu Ta, starring Wang Hedi and Chen Yuqi as a fake eunuch and a consort saved from sacrifice, premiered on iQIYI December 27, 2022.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-sp-to-z", "markdown": "# Unchained Love (浮图缘)\n\n**Unchained Love** (浮图缘) is a 2022 Chinese costume romance drama about a powerful fake eunuch, Xiao Duo, and a concubine, Bu Yinlou, who was due to be buried with the deceased emperor; the two defy fate and feudal ritual to win their freedom. It was directed by Wu Qiang, runs 36 episodes of about 45 minutes each, and stars Wang Hedi, Chen Yuqi, He Rundong, and Zeng Li.[1](https://www.focus-pictures.com/?work=%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%B3%E7%B8%81) • [2](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_1mv7j459kwd.html) The series is adapted from the novel *Futu Ta* (浮图塔, also written 浮屠塔) by the web novelist You Sijie, published on Jinjiang Literature City.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) • [4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 浮图缘; released internationally as *Unchained Love* and *Forbidden Love*[5](https://www.viki.com/tv/38666c-unchained-love?locale=en) |\n| Format | 36 episodes, about 45 minutes each; historical romance, 2022, mainland China[1](https://www.focus-pictures.com/?work=%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%B3%E7%B8%81) |\n| Director and cast | Directed by Wu Qiang; Wang Hedi, Chen Yuqi, He Rundong, Zeng Li, He Nan, Wang Yuexin[2](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_1mv7j459kwd.html) • [6](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm) |\n| Source | Novel *Futu Ta* by You Sijie, serialized on Jinjiang Literature City[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) |\n| Premiere | December 27, 2022 on iQIYI; finale January 20, 2023[6](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm) • [7](https://finance.sina.cn/2023-01-26/detail-imycppah4016741.d.html) |\n| Production cost | About HK$76 million, per producer Straw Bear's 2022 interim report[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21462102) |\n| Reception | Douban rating 7.3; iQIYI heat value passed 9000 during the run[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) • [4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nThe story is set in the Longhua period of a fictional feudal dynasty, in which the emperor has died and a young successor takes the throne amid power struggles.[10](https://wetv.vip/en/play/3i63zk2cfmhnx6b-Unchained%20Love) Xiao Duo (Wang Hedi) entered the palace years earlier under a false identity: he is not a real eunuch but an impostor who took the place of his twin brother, who died in the palace. He endured humiliation and climbed the hierarchy until, as the chief eunuch of the Zhaoding Si (昭定司掌印), he held power over the court, all to find the murderer of his brother, the Prince of Nanyuan.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105) • [11](https://www.iq.com/album/%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%BE%E7%BC%98-2022-1l0ju8w4ib1?lang=zh_cn&zeus=1yrphmgdpgulaszriylqiipemefmacafkxycjaxjs.jpg)\n\nBu Yinlou (Chen Yuqi), an unloved daughter of a Grand Tutor's household who entered the palace in her elder sister's place as a minor concubine (才人), never met the emperor before he died and was selected to be a \"chaotian lady\" (朝天女), a consort buried with the deceased emperor.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) • [12](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/3i63zk2cfmhnx6b-%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%BE%E7%BC%98) Xiao Duo saves her from the sacrifice because the new emperor, Prince Fu (He Rundong), has taken a liking to her, and installs her in his own residence, where the two grow close while hiding their feelings because of their stations.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) • [13](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_236otwu7hod.html)\n\nThe plot then follows several intertwined lines: Xiao Duo's revenge, his power struggle with the empress (Zeng Li), Prince Fu's patient rise from a seemingly harmless lantern-making prince, and the romance between the leads.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) When Xiao Duo travels to Jiangnan to supervise a silk trade with a foreign state, Bu Yinlou accompanies him, and the two finally declare their love; obstacles follow from Xiao Duo's hidden identity, the Prince of Nanyuan's threat, and the emperor's pressure at court.[13](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_236otwu7hod.html) In the finale, Bu Yinlou sets fire to the Futu Pagoda room where the tribute ladies were kept and escapes with Xiao Duo; the two flee the imperial city hand in hand.[6](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm)\n\n## Origin in the novel\n\nThe source novel is an alternate-history romance in which the eunuch Xiao Duo stands \"below one person, above ten thousand\" and effectively controls part of imperial power, while Bu Yinlou is an unloved daughter who replaced her sister in the palace.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) The author, You Sijie, a prolific Jinjiang writer known for elegant, delicate prose, has said she created the novel after becoming fond of the character Yu Huatian in [Tsui Hark](https://www.edgepedia.org/tsui-hark)'s film *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*.[7](https://finance.sina.cn/2023-01-26/detail-imycppah4016741.d.html) The pagoda of the title works as a metaphor in the story: living lives are entombed inside it by feudal institution, and the question of what invisible towers remain outside drives the plot.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html)\n\nThe adaptation kept the male lead's setup as a fake eunuch who entered the palace in his brother's place, but gave supporting characters, including the real eunuch Cao Chun'ang (Wang Yuexin), their own love lines and more attention to their circumstances.[3](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html) Critics noted the adaptation also amplified Bu Yinlou's kindness and clear-headedness and gave Xiao Duo more human warmth than the original.[14](https://wyb.chinawriter.com.cn/attachment/202301/30/f6827b7d-6973-40b9-8b7e-62622e153d45.pdf)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe drama was filmed in the summer of 2021, before Wang Hedi became a top star with *Love Between Fairy and Devil* (苍兰诀), and was originally planned as a modest A or A+ level iQIYI web drama.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) • [15](https://news.e23.cn/yule/2022-12-31/2022C3100102.html) After the series was completed it was shelved for a time; once Wang Hedi rose to fame, it was scheduled for release with S-level promotion.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) According to the producer Straw Bear's 2022 interim report, its production cost was about HK$76 million.[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21462102) Director Wu Qiang later said the role of Empress Rong'an had not been cast when filming began, and Zeng Li was signed quickly before she joined the production of *Love Like the Galaxy*.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html)\n\nThe series premiered on iQIYI on December 27, 2022, with four episodes released that evening, and ran to 36 episodes, concluding on January 20, 2023.[6](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm) • [16](https://k.sina.cn/article_2492353974_948e4db6001013njg.html) • [7](https://finance.sina.cn/2023-01-26/detail-imycppah4016741.d.html) It was distributed internationally from the first day: Rakuten Viki in North America and Europe (December 27, 2022), Starhub in Singapore (December 29), VieON TV in Vietnam (January 3, 2023), Astro in Malaysia (January 6), NOW TV in Hong Kong (January 27, 2023), and South Korea (March 13, 2023).[6](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm) In Japan it was released as *Futu En: The True Love That Blooms in a Turbulent Age* (浮図縁 ～乱世に咲く真実の愛～).[17](https://www.hulu.jp/unchained-love)\n\n## Reception\n\nCommercially the drama performed well beyond its production tier. Its iQIYI heat value passed 9000 during the run, third-party data services rated its playback S+, and it led several popularity rankings in early January 2023; within 24 hours of release, platform heat exceeded 80 million and bullet-screen comments surpassed 2 million.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105) • [8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21462102) • [9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html)\n\nCritical reception was divided. The drama held a Douban rating of 7.3, and supporters praised its fresh premise and pacing, while detractors criticized the female lead's performance and the production design.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) Commentators judged the palace-intrigue writing to be at an average level for the costume-idol genre, noting that intrigue is a weak point of You Sijie's writing that the adaptation did not avoid.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105) Other criticism targeted the tonal mix: the series opens with a grim depiction of consorts being hanged for sacrifice, yet tells much of its story as a light comedy, and reviewers argued that its \"modern consciousness\", such as the heroine's pursuit of equality, sits uneasily inside a feudal setting and leaves the characters still dependent on power.[9](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html) • [18](https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/xinwen/20230118/504426.html) The choice of a eunuch protagonist was also noted as an uncommon subject for the genre, with some critics arguing the drama's attitude toward eunuch power was ambiguous.[18](https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/xinwen/20230118/504426.html) • [16](https://k.sina.cn/article_2492353974_948e4db6001013njg.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [浮図縁～乱世に咲く真実の愛～, FOCUS PICTURES](https://www.focus-pictures.com/?work=%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%B3%E7%B8%81)\n2. [浮图缘-电视剧-全集高清正版视频在线观看, 爱奇艺](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_1mv7j459kwd.html)\n3. [《浮图缘》：你要写爱，就不能只写爱, 中国作家网 (2023-01-30)](https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2023/0130/c404027-32614071.html)\n4. [《浮图缘》播得不错，是运气还是实力？, 澎湃新闻 (2023-01-06)](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21432105)\n5. [Unchained Love, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/38666c-unchained-love?locale=en)\n6. [浮图缘, 搜狗百科](https://baike.sogou.com/m/v210261081.htm)\n7. [封\"神\"纪｜《浮图缘》原著作者尤四姐专访, 封面新闻/新浪财经 (2023-01-26)](https://finance.sina.cn/2023-01-26/detail-imycppah4016741.d.html)\n8. [平播与热播之间，只差一个王鹤棣？, 澎湃新闻 (2023-01-09)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21462102)\n9. [《苍兰诀》的成功，它复制不了, 南方plus (2023-01-09)](https://static.nfnews.com/content/202301/09/c7249787.html)\n10. [Unchained Love, WeTV](https://wetv.vip/en/play/3i63zk2cfmhnx6b-Unchained%20Love)\n11. [浮图缘 (2022) 全集, 爱奇艺国际站](https://www.iq.com/album/%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%BE%E7%BC%98-2022-1l0ju8w4ib1?lang=zh_cn&zeus=1yrphmgdpgulaszriylqiipemefmacafkxycjaxjs.jpg)\n12. [浮图缘, WeTV 中文](https://wetv.vip/zh-cn/play/3i63zk2cfmhnx6b-%E6%B5%AE%E5%9B%BE%E7%BC%98)\n13. [浮图缘-原创-高清正版视频在线观看, 爱奇艺](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_236otwu7hod.html)\n14. [文艺报 (2023-01-30), 中国作家网](https://wyb.chinawriter.com.cn/attachment/202301/30/f6827b7d-6973-40b9-8b7e-62622e153d45.pdf)\n15. [《浮图缘》：古装剧降智行为大赏, 舜网新闻 (2022-12-31)](https://news.e23.cn/yule/2022-12-31/2022C3100102.html)\n16. [《浮图缘》首播，冲突密集，权谋宫斗不断, 新浪新闻 (2022-12-27)](https://k.sina.cn/article_2492353974_948e4db6001013njg.html)\n17. [浮図縁 ～乱世に咲く真実の愛～, Hulu Japan](https://www.hulu.jp/unchained-love)\n18. [文艺评论丨《浮图缘》：古装偶像剧的现代意识内置趋势与悬浮表现, 文汇报 (2023-01-18)](https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/xinwen/20230118/504426.html)\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 Sp to Z*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 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/unchained-love", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love.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": "\"Unchained Love (浮图缘)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Unchained Love (浮图缘)](https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love](https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Unchained Love (浮图缘)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/unchained-love. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Unchained Love is a 2022 Chinese costume romance drama, 36 episodes directed by Wu Qiang, adapted from You Sijie's novel Futu Ta, starring Wang Hedi and Chen Yuqi as a fake eunuch and a consort saved from sacrifice, premiered on iQIYI December 27, 2022." }