This series is incredibly epic, spanning a lifetime of concubine Zhen Huan. There are many asian series set in ancient time, but none so flawlessly executed as this one. The writer of this story has been very thorough and knowledgeable in the ancient culture of the palace and you will quickly stop seeing the story from our modern cultures point of view. The story comes in waves, at times there is a feeling of melancholy and helplessness of the situation while at other times you will be jumping in your seat from excitement! Intrigues changes all the time, what was once a dear friend or ally becomes an enemy and vice versa. It's a very complicated story with a big cast which might make it difficult for some western viewers to follow if the series is not watched at a high frequency. Watching the acting in this series is a treat, the characters become very much alive and they are deeply written. You will always understand why a character behaves as he or she does. There are always motives behind their actions, and even if you might hate a character for some action they did, you will often find yourself later also feeling pity for them because you will see their reasoning behind it. One of the most popular series in China, give it a try you won't regret it!