Go Princess Go
| Go Princess Go | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romance Comedy Historical Time-travel |
| Based on | Go Princess Go by Xiao Cheng |
| Written by | Qin Shuang Shang Menglu |
| Directed by | Lu Hao Ji Ji |
| Starring | Zhang Tianai Sheng Yilun Yu Menglong Zhiyuan Zhang |
| Opening theme | Can Miss But Not Say (可念不可说) by Cui Zige |
| Ending theme | The Past of the Future (以前的以后) by Sheng Yilun |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Zhang Shao Gan Wei |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Original release | |
| Network | LeTV, bilibili |
| Release | 13 December 2015 |
Go Princess Go (Chinese: 太子妃升职记; pinyin: Tàizǐfēi Shēngzhí Jì) is a 2015 Chinese web series produced by LeTV and adapted from the novel of the same name by Xian Chen. The series stars Zhang Tianai, Sheng Yilun and Yu Menglong in the lead roles, and premiered in December 2015 with 35 episodes.[1][2] The show incorporates various themes such as time travel, bisexuality and gender identity.[1] A third of the show was censored in China.
Synopsis
A modern playboy who travels back in time 1,000 years and finds himself in the body of a royal princess. A straight man inside a woman’s body, he enjoys flirting with his husband’s concubines and touching their bodies with impunity. But after discovering his more feminine side, he truly falls in love with his husband.[1]
The show has 3 endings: besides the original, the series has two alternate endings. One of them filmed long after the ending of the original two.
Cast
- Zhang Tianai as Zhang Peng Peng (Female)
- Sheng Yilun as Qi Sheng (Crown Prince)
- Yu Menglong as 9th Prince
- Zhiyuan Zhang as Zhang Peng (Male)
- Guo Junchen as Yang Yan
- Hai Ling as Lu Li
- Jiang Qi Lin as Prince Zhao
- An Yong Chang as Jiang Ying Yue
- Chen Shi as Empress Dowager
- Peng Yuchang as Eunuch Qiang
- Zai Yi Shu as Huang Liang Yuan
- Cheng Xiao Jin as Chen Liang Di
- Zheng Shu Huai as Wang Shao Xun
- Hu Yue as Li Cheng Xun
- Sun Feng Zheng as Eunuch Li - A
- Sun Feng Zhao as Eunuch Li - B
- Chen Hao as Yang Yu
- Chai Wei as Zhang Ling Ling
- Xu Yi Wen as Zhang's mother
- Zhang Chen as Doctor Song
- Ben Jie Ming as Guard Li
- Wang Wen Qiang as Guard
- Zhou Le as Guard
- Liu Yi Ning as Deliveryman
Reception
Despite its low budget of 20 million yuan (US$3 million) and cast of amateur actors, the show became highly successful and was termed as a "viral internet comedy".[1][3][4] The show has generated over $1.5 million (41 million yuan) in profit, 50,000 paid subscribers, 2.2 million new memberships, and had over 2.6 billion views in total.[1] At one point the show was a No. 1 trending topic on Weibo for 10 consecutive days.[5]
Critics attribute the success of the show to its short length of 30 minutes, thus appealing to younger audience with shorter attention span. Also, the show was broadcast online and allowed viewers to post comments and discuss the storyline with others, making the watching experience more interactive.[4] The transgender angle also makes the series more topical, helping break down barriers in discussing gender change and homosexuality.[4] Oppositely, the series has been criticized for being "lousy" and appealing to "low-brow tastes".[4]
However, it has suffered from interference by Chinese censors. The show was taken offline on January 20, 2016 following a request by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. It has been speculated that this is due to the censors' dislike of sexual scenes, vulgar language[1] and time-travel themes. The show was made available again around January 28, 2016, with a number of cuts, roughly about a third of the show – "seven to eight minutes in each episode".[5] LeTV is considering a movie sequel to the show.[5]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1st Golden Guduo Media Awards | Most Popular Web Series | Go Princess Go | Won | [6] |
| Best Actress (Web series) | Zhang Tianai | Won | |||
| Weibo Fans' Choice Popularity Award | Won | ||||
| 1st Asia New Media Film Festival | Best Cinematography (Web series) | Go Princess Go | Won | [7] |
Remake
In June 2018, it was announced that the drama will have a Korean remake which will be helmed by Fox Networks Group Asia and Endeavor China.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Huang, Zheping. "This viral internet comedy about time travel and bisexuality has suddenly been banned in China". Quartz. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "No, princess, no". www.weekinchina.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Small-budget series Go Princess Go becomes online success". Asia One. 14 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Go Princess Go an unexpected hit". MCLC Resource Center. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ a b c "Hit online drama 'Go Princess Go' is back". China Daily Asia. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "金骨朵网络影视盛典颁奖 "太子妃"张天爱获两奖项". China News (in Chinese). 18 August 2016.
- ^ "首届亚洲新媒体电影节成功举行 亚洲新媒体电影人相聚釜山电影殿堂". Ent Group (in Chinese). 30 July 2016.
- ^ "Fox Networks Asia Partners With Endeavor China; MY Entertainment Hires Discovery Exec – Global Briefs". Deadline. June 14, 2018.
External links
- 2015 Chinese television series debuts
- 2016 Chinese television series endings
- Chinese time travel television series
- Chinese romantic comedy television series
- Chinese-language television programs
- Censorship in China
- Time travel in television
- Censored works
- Chinese web series
- Television programs based on Chinese novels
- Television series by LeEco
- 2015 web series debuts