# Legend of Anle (安乐传)
**Legend of Anle** (安乐传) is a 2023 Chinese historical romance television series adapted from the novel *Di Huang Shu* (帝皇书) by Xing Ling, starring [Dilraba Dilmurat](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilraba-dilmurat), Gong Jun, and Liu Yuning. It ran for 39 episodes of about 45 minutes each on Youku, premiering on July 12, 2023 and concluding on August 6, 2023.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/134679/watch) • [3](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / other titles | 安乐传; also listed under 帝皇书 (*Di Huang Shu*)[3](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/) |
| Run | 39 episodes, July 12 to August 6, 2023, Youku[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/134679/watch) |
| Source | Novel *Di Huang Shu* by Xing Ling[3](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/) |
| Main cast | Dilraba Dilmurat as Ren Anle / Di Ziyuan; Gong Jun as Crown Prince Han Ye; Liu Yuning as Luo Mingxi[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/134679/watch) |
| Directors | Cheng Ziyu (chief), Li Hongyu, Ma Huagan, Su Fei[3](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/) |
| Production tier | S+ rated drama with a reported 500 million RMB budget[4](https://www.jaynestars.com/news/legend-of-anle-ratings-slide/) |
| Youku heat index | Broke 8000 on July 14, 9000 on July 15, and 10000 on July 17, 2023[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story is set in the fictional empire of Great Jing (大靖), said to have been founded jointly by the Han and Di families. Ten years before the drama begins, the Di family is executed for alleged treason, leaving a single daughter, Di Ziyuan, imprisoned on Mount Dai. Ten years later, a woman calling herself Ren Anle, leader of a band of pirates, arrives in the capital with 30,000 sailors and demands to marry Crown Prince Han Ye as her price for accepting amnesty. The emperor refuses the marriage but appoints her Minister of the Court of Judicial Review (大理寺卿).[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [5](https://image.chinapavilion.com.cn/uploads/files/1130/1669769524000b148.pdf)
Only Luo Mingxi, the Minister of Justice who secretly assists her, knows that Ren Anle is really Di Ziyuan, seeking to clear her family's name. She solves cases including an examination-fraud scandal and a flooding disaster in Jiangnan, and befriends Princess An Ning, who commands troops on the northwestern frontier. A false Di Ziyuan, Di Chengen, later returns to the capital to compete for the position of crown princess, deepening the palace intrigue.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
## Production and broadcast
Filming began on July 20, 2021 and wrapped on November 12, 2021, at [Hengdian World Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/hengdian-world-studios).[6](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Legend_of_Anle) The series was produced by Shanghai Film and Television Media with Youku, with scripts credited to Zhao Xuan, Li Xinran, Lu Xingxuan, and Leng Xue.[3](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/) • [6](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Legend_of_Anle) Chief director Cheng Ziyu described the drama's theme as a promise carried through the whole story, with the leads bearing responsibility for family and nation while pursuing a pure love.[7](https://e.thecover.cn/shtml/hxdsb/20230718/198473.shtml)
The drama was released without advance announcement, dropping its first episode on July 12, 2023, and taking over the top of the Maoyan and [Lighthouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/lighthouse) heat rankings the next day.[8](https://news.youth.cn/yl/202307/t20230713_14645907.htm) • [9](https://www.jiemian.com/article/9750782.html) It succeeded the drama *Hidden Love* in Youku's summer lineup.[8](https://news.youth.cn/yl/202307/t20230713_14645907.htm)
## Reception
**Early popularity.** Within days of release the Youku heat index passed 8000, then 9000, then 10000.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Reviewers who followed the early episodes praised a female lead who is mysterious and intelligent from the start, a fast-moving plot, and characters with hidden agendas, while already criticizing poor CGI in the first episode.[10](https://www.chasingdramas.com/reviews/currently-watching-the-legend-of-an-le-2023-%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0/) Some official media responded favorably: the China Art Review praised the series for bringing national sentiment and aesthetic spirit to the costume-legend genre, and the Beijing Youth Daily credited its independent expression within the costume-drama field.[11](https://star.tom.com/202308/1521209252.html) A Wenhui Daily review by Lu Jianing, an associate professor at the Communication University of China's School of Drama and Film, highlighted the drama's female characters, particularly Princess An Ning, who leaves the capital to lead troops, as an example of narrative space for women's ambition beyond palace-intrigue formulas.[12](https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/yingshi/20230803/533259.html)
**Criticism and ratings slide.** As the run continued, reviews and platform scores fell. A [Guangming Daily](https://www.edgepedia.org/guangming-daily) commentary published August 28, 2023 described the series as a "three-high" production, high capital investment, high-profile casting, and a high fan base, that drew negative reviews from its premiere onward, citing complaints that the leads' dialogue was dubbed throughout with mismatched lip-sync, formulaic plotting, and low-quality green-screen effects despite the reported 500 million RMB cost.[13](https://wenyi.neamco.com/2023-08/28/content_36792403.htm) JayneStars reported that criticism covered production, special effects, filters, cinematography, and characterization, and that the lead scriptwriter publicly stated he had written only up to episode 11 and had not participated in changes to the later parts of the 39-episode production.[4](https://www.jaynestars.com/news/legend-of-anle-ratings-slide/) Viewers also noted obvious post-production cuts, dubbing that diverged from the actors' words, and episodes in which the female lead disappeared almost entirely in favor of side characters; the same review scored the drama 7.5/10 after six episodes but 6.5/10 at the end.[10](https://www.chasingdramas.com/reviews/currently-watching-the-legend-of-an-le-2023-%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0/) A Southern Weekend review judged the plot's early small inconsistencies to grow into contradictions the story could not resolve.[14](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253212?source=124&source_1=254358)
The drama nonetheless remained among the summer's most-watched titles: industry tracking placed it in the weekly top five by broadcast index in late July and early August 2023, behind *Mysterious Lotus Casebook* and *[Lost You Forever](https://www.edgepedia.org/lost-you-forever)*.[15](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP202308061593394300_1.pdf) • [16](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H301_AP202308141594349176_1.pdf)
## International distribution
The series streamed internationally under the English title *The Legend of Anle* on Rakuten Viki, where it held a 9.2 user rating from more than 17,000 users, and on Netflix in some regions.[17](https://www.viki.com/tv/40034c-the-legend-of-anle?locale=zh) • [18](https://www.netflix.com/sg-zh/title/81712942) It aired in Malaysia on Astro QJ from August 28, 2023, and was scheduled for Japan with a first episode on Satellite Theater on December 16, 2023 and a full run from January 2024.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink) A report on Chinese drama exports cited *Legend of Anle* among costume dramas whose popularity continued overseas, noting that costume dramas were subtitled in 16 foreign languages and distributed through more than 50 overseas television and new-media platforms reaching more than 200 countries and regions.[19](https://www.ccmapp.cn/news/detail?categoryid=&categoryname=%E6%9C%AC%E7%BD%91%E5%8E%9F%E5%88%9B&id=70bff888-f13e-4b8e-831e-66043a1818e6)
## References
1. [《安乐传》百度百科](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0%E3%80%8B/54302801?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
2. [The Legend of Anle (TV Series 2023), The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/134679/watch)
3. [The Legend of Anle – Chinese Drama 2023, CPOP HOME](https://www.cpophome.com/legend-of-anle-dilraba-simon-gong-liu-yuning/)
4. ["Legend of Anle" Ratings Slide, JayneStars](https://www.jaynestars.com/news/legend-of-anle-ratings-slide/)
5. [Legend of Anle synopsis, China Pavilion](https://image.chinapavilion.com.cn/uploads/files/1130/1669769524000b148.pdf)
6. [The Legend of Anle, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Legend_of_Anle)
7. [迪丽热巴主演《安乐传》空降暑期档, 封面新闻](https://e.thecover.cn/shtml/hxdsb/20230718/198473.shtml)
8. [守家国大义、护百姓安乐、展女性力量，优酷《安乐传》高热开播, 中国青年网](https://news.youth.cn/yl/202307/t20230713_14645907.htm)
9. [《安乐传》登顶背后，最卷剧集暑期档"三大怪", 界面新闻](https://www.jiemian.com/article/9750782.html)
10. [The Legend of An Le (2023) review, Chasing Dramas](https://www.chasingdramas.com/reviews/currently-watching-the-legend-of-an-le-2023-%E5%AE%89%E4%B9%90%E4%BC%A0/)
11. [《安乐传》会员收官, TOM明星](https://star.tom.com/202308/1521209252.html)
12. [展国风画卷 诉巾帼理想——评古装传奇剧《安乐传》, 文汇报](https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/yingshi/20230803/533259.html)
13. ["三高剧"为何不讨喜, 光明网转载大众日报](https://wenyi.neamco.com/2023-08/28/content_36792403.htm)
14. [《安乐传》，真难看, 南方周末](https://www.infzm.com/contents/253212?source=124&source_1=254358)
15. [电视剧播映指数周报 (2023-07-31 至 08-05)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP202308061593394300_1.pdf)
16. [剧集播映指数数据 (2023年8月)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H301_AP202308141594349176_1.pdf)
17. [安乐传, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/40034c-the-legend-of-anle?locale=zh)
18. [观看《安乐传》, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/sg-zh/title/81712942)
19. [《古装剧出海报告》, 文旅中国](https://www.ccmapp.cn/news/detail?categoryid=&categoryname=%E6%9C%AC%E7%BD%91%E5%8E%9F%E5%88%9B&id=70bff888-f13e-4b8e-831e-66043a1818e6)
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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 Iv to My*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 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