# Fake Princess (冒牌太子妃)
**Fake Princess** (山寨小萌主; working title 冒牌太子妃, *Mao Pai Tai Zi Fei*) is a 2020 Chinese costume romantic comedy web drama about a mountain bandit who marries the crown prince as a stand-in bride and rises to become empress. It was directed by Qin Zhen (秦榛), written by Jia Liyi, and adapted from the novel *Mao Pai Tai Zi Fei* by the writer Shui Sheng (水笙), with Zhao Yiqin and Eleanor Lee in the leading roles.[1](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 冒牌太子妃 (*Mao Pai Tai Zi Fei*), broadcast as 山寨小萌主; English titles include Replacement Princess and Counterfeit Crown Princess[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/48834/fake-princess) |
| Format | 27 episodes of about 45 minutes, Mandarin, Chinese Mainland production[1](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/) |
| Original run | Premiered 17 May 2020 on Mango TV; new episodes Sundays and Mondays at 20:00, two per night, with members six episodes ahead[3](https://linshuhaos.com/tv/maopaitaizifei/) |
| Source | Shui Sheng's novel *Mao Pai Tai Zi Fei*, serialized on Huayu Girls Network from June 2014 to October 2015 in 599 chapters[4](https://fun.youth.cn/gnzx/201905/t20190516_11955370.htm) |
| Leads | Zhao Yiqin as Crown Prince Li Che; Eleanor Lee as Chang Le / Liu Yuyao[5](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/fake-princess) |
| Production | Producer Jiang Yi; companies NIRVANA, Dule Entertainment, and Zhongheng Wenxue[1](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/) |
| IMDb rating | 7.8/10 from 69 user votes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12385972/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Chang Le is a free-spirited female bandit who loves money. Bought off with a chest of gold because her face resembles the intended bride, she enters the palace as a substitute and marries Crown Prince Li Che as a pawn in the struggle over the succession.[1](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/) • [7](https://www.sohu.com/a/330544523_584263) Inside the strict palace hierarchy she is humiliated and framed by court intrigue, and at first wants only to escape alive.[3](https://linshuhaos.com/tv/maopaitaizifei/)
Li Che, the reserved and aloof heir who has planned every step vigilantly, is gradually drawn to her liveliness. Each wears a mask to hide their own motives, and the two find comfort and support in each other; in the finale Li Che strikes back against his rivals, takes the throne, and Chang Le becomes his empress.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/fake-princess) • [8](https://asamumu.pixnet.net/blog/posts/17323346400) The iQIYI synopsis describes the story as the mutual comfort and support between Chang Le, who married into the palace for another woman, and the faithful Li Che, who eventually holds her hand.[9](https://www.iq.com/album/fake-princess-2020-2f7coq5sp7t?lang=en_us)
## Cast and production
The drama stars Zhao Yiqin as Li Che and Eleanor Lee as Chang Le, with Garvey Jin Ze as [Li Heng](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-heng), Sun Xuening as Zhu Yan, Chen Siyu as Gong Sun Mo, and Wang Yitian as Nong Ying; Song Fangyuan, Wang Jiameng, and Shao Jia appear in supporting roles.[1](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/fake-princess) Zhao Yiqin said in a 2020 interview with Singapore's *Lianhe Zaobao* that Lee's cheerful, lively personality closely matched the bandit-turned-princess role, and that screenwriter Jia Liyi told him the adaptation departed considerably from the novel, advising him not to use it as reference.[10](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zentertainment/movies-and-tv/story20200621-1062783)
**Production history.** The series held its opening ceremony on 16 May 2019 at Hengdian, Zhejiang, under director Qin Zhen and chief producer Jiang Yi, with the young cast assembled for the first time.[4](https://fun.youth.cn/gnzx/201905/t20190516_11955370.htm) Filming wrapped in July 2019, with Lee posting wrap photos showing both her bandit and princess costumes.[7](https://www.sohu.com/a/330544523_584263) Lee later said the hardest scene put her in a water tank filled with smoke from burning charcoal, and that dirty water entering her lungs left her with chest pain for which she was examined after returning to Beijing.[11](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zentertainment/movies-and-tv/story20200520-1054653)
## Release and reception
The drama premiered on Mango TV on 17 May 2020, one day before [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video)'s *The Romance of the Tiger and Rose*, and both were promoted as hits of the season.[3](https://linshuhaos.com/tv/maopaitaizifei/) • [12](https://developer.cloud.tencent.com/news/628376) Viewership figures for the first two days differ between sources: one entertainment account reported the series had passed 100 million views within two days,[12](https://developer.cloud.tencent.com/news/628376) while *Lianhe Zaobao* reported cumulative plays of over 55.5 million in the same period.[11](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zentertainment/movies-and-tv/story20200520-1054653) On IMDb the series holds a 7.8/10 rating from 69 votes.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12385972/)
**Availability.** As a Mango TV original the series streams on that platform in China, and internationally it has been carried with English subtitles on iQIYI and YouTube through the MangoTV Drama channel.[9](https://www.iq.com/album/fake-princess-2020-2f7coq5sp7t?lang=en_us) • [13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mX9gSCqA0) In the United States it is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and its ad-supported tier, or as a purchase on Amazon Video.[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/fake-princess)
## References
1. [Fake Princess – Chinese Drama 2020, CPOP HOME](https://www.cpophome.com/fake-princess-zhao-yiqin-eleanor-lee/)
2. [Fake Princess – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/48834/fake-princess)
3. [电视剧山寨小萌主剧情简介（1-27集）, 林书豪剧情网](https://linshuhaos.com/tv/maopaitaizifei/)
4. [《冒牌太子妃》开机 最反套路的"太子妃"成长记, 中国青年网](https://fun.youth.cn/gnzx/201905/t20190516_11955370.htm)
5. [Fake Princess – streaming tv series online, JustWatch (UK)](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/fake-princess)
6. [Fake Princess (TV Series 2020) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12385972/)
7. [李凯馨新剧《冒牌太子妃》杀青 上演山野少女励志逆袭, Sohu](https://www.sohu.com/a/330544523_584263)
8. [〖山寨小萌主(冒牌太子妃)〗替嫁太子妃, PIXNET](https://asamumu.pixnet.net/blog/posts/17323346400)
9. [Fake Princess (2020) – iQIYI](https://www.iq.com/album/fake-princess-2020-2f7coq5sp7t?lang=en_us)
10. [赵弈钦：李凯馨贴合假太子妃角色, 联合早报](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zentertainment/movies-and-tv/story20200621-1062783)
11. [李凯馨三部剧中国霸屏 《山寨小萌主》播出外号多, 联合早报](https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zentertainment/movies-and-tv/story20200520-1054653)
12. [芒果腾讯新剧上映仅隔1天，部部都是"爆款", 腾讯云开发者社区](https://developer.cloud.tencent.com/news/628376)
13. ["Fake Princess" EP1 with English subtitles – MangoTV Drama, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mX9gSCqA0)
14. [Fake Princess – streaming tv show online, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/fake-princess)
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*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 Cr to In*
*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*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license