General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

The Legend of Zhuohua (灼灼风流)

The Legend of Zhuohua (灼灼风流) is a 2023 Chinese costume drama directed by Wen Deguang (温德光), adapted from the novel Zeng Fengliu (曾风流) by Sui Yu'er'an (随宇而安), and starring Jing Tian, Feng Shaofeng, Wang Likun, Zhou Yiran, and Xu Haiqiao.¹^•² It follows Mu Zhuohua, a woman who flees an arranged marriage to sit the imperial examinations and become a female official, and her relationship with the war-hero Prince Liu Yan.²

Key fact	Detail
Format	40-episode costume romance drama, about 45 minutes per episode, produced in mainland China³^•⁴
Source	Adapted from Sui Yu'er'an's novel Zeng Fengliu (曾风流)¹
Lead cast	Jing Tian as Mu Zhuohua; Feng Shaofeng as Liu Yan; Wang Likun as Princess Roujia; Zhou Yiran and Xu Haiqiao in supporting roles²^•⁵
Production	Filmed at Hengdian from 21 September 2022; wrapped on 11 January 2023⁴
Premiere	19 August 2023 at 18:00, premiering on Tencent Video; the finale aired 18 September 2023¹^•⁶
Performance	Tencent Video heat value passed 25,000 by the evening of 20 August 2023; Douban rating 7.2 after the finale⁷^•⁶

Spoilers

Premise and setting

The story is set in a fictional dynasty in which women may study and sit the imperial examinations, though married women are barred from office, and the country's history includes a female emperor.⁸^•⁹ Mu Zhuohua (originally named Mu Qi), an unloved daughter of a wealthy Jiangnan merchant family, is betrothed to a county magistrate with a household of concubines. She flees home, renames herself, and travels to the capital to pursue an official career through the examinations.⁵^•¹⁰

On the way she encounters Liu Yan, the Prince of Ding (定王), a famed general wounded in battle and carrying grievances from the war against Northern Liang. The two begin by using each other for their own ends and gradually become allies and lovers, defending the court and the country together; the story ends with the couple establishing that married women may also hold office.²^•⁴ Liu Yan is described in official synopses as the general who petitioned to reopen the special imperial examination for women, which is what opened the path Mu Zhuohua takes.⁴

The antagonist line centers on the ambitious Princess Roujia, played by Wang Likun, whose bid for power drives the political plot of the later episodes.⁵^•¹¹

Production and release

The project was filed in March 2021, began filming at Hengdian on 21 September 2022, and wrapped on 11 January 2023.⁴ It was produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures and Zhejiang Longguo Pictures, with Wang Hong as chief screenwriter working with a team including Chang Ye, Feng Shuwen, and Yu Kun.¹^•⁶

The drama premiered on Tencent Video on 19 August 2023 at 18:00, with six episodes released to members on the first day and a schedule of daily updates through the run.¹ It also streamed internationally on iQIYI's international site and WeTV, and aired on Anhui Satellite TV from 1 February 2024.²^•³^•¹ In Japan it was broadcast with Japanese subtitles under the title 灼灼風流～宮中に咲く愛の華～.¹²

The soundtrack includes the opening theme "Xiangyang Er Sheng" (向阳而生) sung by Guo Jing, the theme and closing song "Mingming" (明明) sung by Zhou Shen, and the emotional theme "Zhuo Xin" (灼心) sung by Liu Yuning.⁴

Reception

The premiere performed strongly by platform metrics: the drama ranked first in heat on its first day, and its Tencent Video heat value passed 25,000 by the evening of 20 August 2023.⁷ By 31 August, thirteen days after release, its share of all-platform playback reached 7.99 percent and it entered the top three of the aggregate chart.¹ Industry commentary placed it among the costume dramas that dominated the 2023 summer slot, alongside Lost You Forever and Mysterious Lotus Casebook.¹³

Critical response was divided in character. A Douban reviewer praised the two romantic storylines but criticized plot logic in the political arc, particularly the princess's rebellion.¹¹ Other commentators noted flaws common to the genre, including dubbing that did not match the actors' mouths and heavy beauty filtering, while crediting the drama with more sincerity than typical "industrial sugar" romance productions.⁵ After the finale the drama recorded a Douban score of 7.2, and trade commentary described it as a slow-burning success that broke out of standard costume-romance formulas through its independent, career-focused female lead.⁶

Baidu audience data reported by industry media showed the largest viewer group aged 30 to 39 at 41.77 percent, followed by ages 20 to 29 at 20.54 percent, with viewers over 40 accounting for more than 31 percent; the commentary attributed the mature audience to the drama's themes of women controlling their own destinies through education and career.⁶

Themes

The drama's stated theme is female self-determination: Mu Zhuohua's motive is that a woman who marries has no way to change her life, so she seeks a different path through study and the examinations.⁷ The screenwriting team described their approach as "female growth-ism," developing the plot through the heroine's relationships with the surrounding cast.¹⁴ Reviewers highlighted the pairing of a career-minded heroine with a male lead who respects her ambitions, including a plot point in which Liu Yan accepts the demeaning status of an unofficial consort rather than ask her to give up her career for marriage.⁴^•¹⁵

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026