Chinese Drama 2019

Queen Dugu (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

• Genre: Historical Fiction, Costume Drama, Romance, Martial Arts, Politics
• Release Date: 11 February 2019
• Origin: China; Huace Global
• CDrama: 50 Episodes

Cast:

• Joe Chen as Dugu Qieluo/Jialou
• Chen Xiao as Yang Jian
• Zhang Lu as Gao Jiong
• Qi Ji as Yuwen Yong (Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou)
• Hai Lu as Ashina (Wife of Yuwen Yong)

Huace Global has tweeted that this historical drama is finally going to be shown on 11 February 2019.

Unfortunately for us international fans reliant on YouTube,  Huace confirmed that Huace youtube channel will not be showing it.  It would be available via iQiyi, Tencent and Youku.

The story of Queen Dugu is not an unfamiliar one because several dramas have been made about her and her love life with Yang Jian (Emperor Wen).

Apparently, 13-year-old Dugu Qieluo was married off to a 16-year-old Yang Jian, who impressed Dugu Xin, father of Dugu Qieluo, who was then the great general of Northern Zhou.

The young lovers had a good loving relationship that Yang Jian easily promised Dugu Qieluo that she would be the only woman who will bore all his children. They did have 10 children together, five boys and five girls.

For a very long time. they loved and then plotted together to oust the child ruler, Emperor Jing.

Yang Jian successfully overthrew the child emperor.  He then established the Sui Dynasty.

Yang Jian had a mid-life crisis and promptly fell in love and bedded a Lady Yuchi, a beautiful granddaughter of Yuchi Jiong, who became destitute and subsequently died, leaving his granddaughter to become a slave in the palace.

When Queen Dugu heard about her hubby’s shenanigans, she promptly dispensed off Lady Yuchi and had her killed.

The besotted Emperor Wen threw a temper tantrum, he was so annoyed that he can’t be in the same palace with his Queen anymore and then went awol.

When finally his right-hand man, Gao Jiong, found him, he made the emperor see sense.  He opined, “Your majesty, how could you abandon the empire on account of a woman?”

This little gem of persuasion might have induced the emperor to return to the palace but when Queen Dugu heard that she was referred to as a woman, just a woman, she absolutely went ballistic.

She’s gone off Gao Jiong, who happened to her first love.

Gao Jiong now got caught in Queen Dugu’s radar.  Every little thing he does, she sees and found it wanting.

In the end, he lost a no-confidence vote from both the Queen and the emperor and he was demoted to being a commoner.

When the Queen was good, she was very, very good.  When she was bad, she can be evil.  LOL

When she died, the emperor was so sad and to help him get through the day without his Queen, what else can he do?  He created a harem of concubines. LOL

Joe Chen was so pretty in the trailer and Chen Xiao is gorgeous.  I think they delayed the showing of this drama because of the things Joe Chen did early in 2018 including drink driving.  But all is forgiven.  I love her!

I hope someone would add sub to this drama soon.  Anyone?  viki?  Netflix?

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Episode 1

Young Jialou first met Yang Jian during a Buddha festival.

Jialou was dressed like a young boy while helping with her family’s retinue of servants preparing street food.

Yang Jian in the meantime was with his friends walking around the market place.

Yan Jian noticed immediately that a young boy would be crushed by a wooden cabinet full of sacks of grains and flours if he did not take him away from the wobbly furniture.,

The young boy was of course Jialou.

Yang Jian seemed to have developed a protective instinct towards the boy because when they heard a girl being abducted by a local bigwig, Jialou went to the rescue of the girl and Yang Jian followed Jialou without any hesitation.

They rescued the girl and Yang Jian said that sometimes men can be of use to save damsels in distress.

Jialou said that women too can be of used.  She undid her top knot and revealed her long luxuriant tresses of hair.

Yang Jian could not take his eyes off the beautiful and suddenly feminine Jialou.

Jialou was just leaving when Yang Jian asked for her name.

She said she does not have to tell him because she doubts that they will ever meet again.

For political reasons, Dugu Xin (Jialou’s father) was forcing his young daughter to submit to a marriage alliance with the son of the Yang Family.  Jialou was not interested but she knew she did not have any choice.

Meanwhile, Yang Jian was being forced also to marry the youngest daughter of Dugu Xin.  Yang Jian was not very enthusiastic as he kept remembering the beautiful girl he met a day ago.

Just to make his father quiet, he agreed to meet the daughter of Dugu Xin.

He was surprised to see the beautiful girl with long hair and his happiness multiplied tenfold when he found out that she was the gorgeous daughter of Dugu Xin.  His intended.

The fathers gave Jialou and Yan Jian time to get to know each other.

In order to discourage Yang Jian from marrying her, Jailou told him that she wanted a husband who would love only her and would never look at another woman and would never take concubines.