The Empress of China Season 1

The Empress of China Season 1 has built a devoted audience among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Fan Bingbing sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Empress of China Season 1 earns its spot. The writing in The Empress of China Season 1 treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Season 1 of The Empress of China includes 96 episodes. It aired from December 2014 to February 2015. This season stars Fan Bingbing, Zhang Fengyi and Aarif Rahman. Fan Bingbing and Zhang Fengyi lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2014. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with The Empress of China Season 1. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single week. Fan Bingbing is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.