# Love and Crown (凤凤台上)
**Love and Crown** (凤凰台上; also romanized Feng Huang Tai Shang, literally "On the Phoenix Terrace") is a 2025 Chinese historical romance television series starring [Ren Jialun](https://www.edgepedia.org/ren-jialun) (任嘉伦) and Peng Xiaoran (彭小苒), adapted from Xie Lounan's (谢楼南) 2006 web novel *Wo De Huang Hou* (我的皇后, *My Empress* or *My Queen*).[1](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/) It premiered on November 14, 2025 on Youku and Jiangsu TV, and was released internationally on Netflix and other streaming services.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) • [3](https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b964334-s36-c70-d0196.html?lang=ja) The series drew high pre-release attention but divided critics and audiences, opening at 4.8 on Douban, and became the center of a public dispute between the original novelist and the lead actress over the adaptation.[4](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941) • [5](https://i.ifeng.com/c/8oZ5FJb9mGY)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chinese title | 凤凰台上 (Feng Huang Tai Shang); English title Love and Crown, also known as Phoenix Fly[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) |
| Source material | *Wo De Huang Hou* (我的皇后), a 2006 web novel by Xie Lounan[1](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/) |
| Main cast | Ren Jialun as Emperor Xiao Huan / Bai Chifan; Peng Xiaoran as Ling Cangcang[1](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/) |
| Directors / screenwriter | Lin Feng and Zhao Xia; screenwriter Miao Wenjing[1](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/) |
| Premiere | November 14, 2025, 19:30, Youku (exclusive streaming in China) and Jiangsu TV[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) • [6](https://www.weibo.com/1642904381/5232822639132875) |
| Episodes | 35 per Viki and DramaWiki; other listings give 37 or 40[7](https://www.viki.com/tv/41141c-love-and-crown) • [8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/love-and-crown) |
| Douban score | Opened at 4.8 and remained there at the finale[4](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941) • [10](https://yule.360.com/detail/4701052) |
| International release | Netflix (Taiwan and Southeast Asia), TrueVisions Now (Thailand), VieON (Vietnam), Viu (Hong Kong), Rakuten Viki[3](https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b964334-s36-c70-d0196.html?lang=ja) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/love-and-crown) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and source material
The story is set in the Great Qi dynasty (大齐王朝). The young emperor Xiao Huan, sidelined by powerful ministers and the Empress Dowager Liu, wants to reclaim power from the Grand Tutor Ling Xuefeng (played by Gao Shuguang) and the Empress Dowager (played by Karina Zhao). He leaves the palace incognito under the alias Bai Chifan and travels south, where he meets Ling Cangcang, the chivalrous master of the Fenglai Pavilion (凤来阁), a martial-arts sect devoted to helping the oppressed. The two fight injustice together and fall in love, but a fatal misunderstanding arises after the death of Cangcang's master, and she is revealed to be the Grand Tutor's daughter, chosen to marry the emperor. They become emperor and empress, yet remain divided by old wounds; Cangcang keeps pursuing the truth and eventually learns of Xiao Huan's silent protection of her.[1](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/) • [11](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A/62561858) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/love-and-crown)
The series keeps the novel's central arc of an emperor and empress locked in love, hate, and political maneuvering, but reworks the emotional storyline. Screenwriter Miao Wenjing retained the novel's core plot point that Xiao Huan endures cold poison for Ling Cangcang, while updating the 2006 novel's dynamic, in which the male lead sacrifices himself for love, into a "dual-strong" setup in which both leads are capable political and martial actors.[5](https://i.ifeng.com/c/8oZ5FJb9mGY) • [8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746)
## Production
The series was produced by Youku with Dongyang Yehua Film, Dongyang Yuedong Media, and Horgos-based production companies, with Zhong Junyan and Zhou Jing as chief producers.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) • [12](https://www.maigoo.com/citiao/1258671.html) Filming began on January 27, 2024; DramaWiki records the period as running to July 6, 2024, while Baidu Baike and Maigoo state the production wrapped on June 20, 2024.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) • [11](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A/62561858) • [12](https://www.maigoo.com/citiao/1258671.html) The leads were announced with costume photos on the first day of filming.[12](https://www.maigoo.com/citiao/1258671.html)
Director Lin Feng had previously worked as an action director or director on productions including *Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon* and *The Battle at Lake Changjin*, and brought that action experience to the series.[13](https://www.baifen.org/a/125178.html) A review in *The Paper* described the production as using 480 historically researched costumes and 3D-printed Dunhuang-style set elements for the Phoenix Terrace scenes.[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746)
## Release and distribution
Youku announced a release calendar with the first three episodes for VIP members on November 14, 2025 at 19:30, two episodes daily from November 15 to 19, and one episode on November 20, with SVIP members getting one episode ahead each update day.[6](https://www.weibo.com/1642904381/5232822639132875) The series aired simultaneously on Jiangsu TV, a satellite-and-streaming model that industry commentary noted as extending web dramas to television screens.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown) • [8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746)
Internationally, the series began streaming on November 14 on Netflix in Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and on TrueVisions Now in Thailand, VieON in Vietnam, and Viu in Hong Kong; it is also available on Rakuten Viki with subtitles in English and other languages.[3](https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b964334-s36-c70-d0196.html?lang=ja) • [7](https://www.viki.com/tv/41141c-love-and-crown)
## Reception
Pre-release interest was high. Youku reservations exceeded 3 million, the main Weibo topic reached 1.46 billion reads, and the subtopic on the leads' "dual-strong tragic romance" passed 200 million discussions.[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746) On Maoyan's tracking of Youku heat, the series debuted at 8108.14 on November 14 and peaked at 9465.76 on November 17, 2025.[14](https://piaofang.maoyan.com/tv/1489801/networkHeat) The premiere achieved a Kuoyun (酷云) television rating above 1 on its first day.[10](https://yule.360.com/detail/4701052)
Reception then divided sharply. The Douban score opened at 4.8 and did not rise above 5 by the finale, with praise and criticism roughly split in the comment section.[4](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941) • [10](https://yule.360.com/detail/4701052) Critics and viewers faulted plot logic and what they saw as recycled tropes from a decade of costume idol dramas.[13](https://www.baifen.org/a/125178.html) Japanese-language coverage of the premiere reported polarized viewer reactions, with some calling the storytelling short-drama-like and simplistic and others recommending it, and noted that many viewers called the dubbing of some cast members by voice actors the "biggest fatal flaw," particularly regretting it for Peng Xiaoran after her live-voice performance in *An He Zhuan* (暗河传).[3](https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b964334-s36-c70-d0196.html?lang=ja) Ren Jialun's restrained "cold-faced, furrowed-brow" acting style drew two-sided responses: critics found it stiff for a young emperor, while supporters credited his micro-expressions with conveying the character's layers.[15](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A) Supporting performances were more consistently praised; commentary at the finale singled out the 59-year-old Gao Shuguang as the Grand Tutor Ling, along with two other cast members, as receiving no negative reviews.[10](https://yule.360.com/detail/4701052)
## The author-actress dispute
The largest discussion around the series came from outside it. On November 19, 2025, original author Xie Lounan posted repeatedly on social media criticizing the adaptation, saying the drama had departed from her creative intent.[15](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A) • [16](https://lmtw.com/mzw/content/detail/id/248811) She argued that the drama had cut scenes in which the heroine, Ling Cangcang, humbly serves tea to the male lead to amuse him, which she described as sweet-bitter "疏通乳腺" material, weakening the character's devoted-love trait; she also praised Ren Jialun's performance while saying Peng Xiaoran's acting made the heroine seem cold.[4](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941) Commentators read her position as objecting that the drama's strengthening of the heroine's independent personality betrayed the novel's love-above-all values.[4](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941)
Peng Xiaoran responded with a long post, stating that a drama's presentation results from many elements working together and that the adaptation was a whole creative team's effort, the current result being the most she could do.[5](https://i.ifeng.com/c/8oZ5FJb9mGY) Xie Lounan continued posting against her, and the exchange trended on Weibo.[16](https://lmtw.com/mzw/content/detail/id/248811) Industry coverage framed the fight as an instance of a broader problem in Chinese web-novel adaptations: original authors are largely marginalized in the platform- and investor-led adaptation process, typically holding no say over casting or script, and long adaptation cycles make older web novels' values and tropes feel dated by the time they reach the screen.[5](https://i.ifeng.com/c/8oZ5FJb9mGY) • [17](https://www.sohu.com/a/960854426_114941)
## References
1. [Love & Crown – Chinese Drama 2025, CPOP HOME](https://www.cpophome.com/love-and-crown-ren-jialun-peng-xiaoran/)
2. [Love and Crown, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_and_Crown)
3. [アレン・レンの時代劇「鳳凰台上」が登場、視聴者の意見は両極化, Record China (2025-11-18)](https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b964334-s36-c70-d0196.html?lang=ja)
4. [彭小苒回应《凤凰台上》原作者质疑，4.8分剧背后的创作权责乱象, 搜狐娱乐 (2025-11-25)](https://m.sohu.com/a/958405821_114941)
5. [原著作者开撕影视化女主角，IP改编左右为难, 凤凰网 (2025-11-25)](https://i.ifeng.com/c/8oZ5FJb9mGY)
6. [优酷官方微博：《凤凰台上》追剧日历 (2025-11-14)](https://www.weibo.com/1642904381/5232822639132875)
7. [Love and Crown, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/41141c-love-and-crown)
8. [《凤凰台上》：当饮鸩之爱，遭遇规训权力, 澎湃新闻·湃客 (2025-11-21)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32007746)
9. [Love & Crown – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/love-and-crown)
10. [《凤凰台上》收官，3人零差评，1人升咖，只有他差评一片被骂惨, 360娱乐 (2025-12-03)](https://yule.360.com/detail/4701052)
11. [凤凰台上（2025年林峰、赵侠执导的古装爱情剧）, 百度百科](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A/62561858)
12. [《凤凰台上》电视剧介绍, 买购网](https://www.maigoo.com/citiao/1258671.html)
13. [凤凰台上在线观看 – 2025年国产剧影评, 百分影视](https://www.baifen.org/a/125178.html)
14. [凤凰台上 – 猫眼热度](https://piaofang.maoyan.com/tv/1489801/networkHeat)
15. [凤凰台上, 求真百科](https://pediainside.com/wiki/%E5%87%A4%E5%87%B0%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%8A)
16. [古早IP,正在鸡肋化, 流媒体网 (2025-11-28)](https://lmtw.com/mzw/content/detail/id/248811)
17. [《枭起青壤》改编引争议、《凤凰台上》作者和女主吵上热搜，原作者如何看待魔改？, 搜狐娱乐 (2025-12-02)](https://www.sohu.com/a/960854426_114941)
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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 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