# A Dream of Splendor (2022)

> A savvy teahouse owner travels to the Song dynasty capital to uncover the truth behind her fiancé's betrayal and teams up with an elite commander caught in an imperial conspiracy.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/125972

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 40
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Created by: Guan Hanqing
- Network: Tencent Video
- Cast: Liu Yifei, Chen Xiao, Liu Yan, Lin Yun, Joe Xu, Dai Xu, Zhang Xiaoqian, Guan Yunpeng
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20770974/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: romantic, warm, tense, whimsical

## What critics say

Reviewers broadly admire the lavish period production and the lead pair's chemistry, while finding the plotting uneven and the run overlong.

## Synopsis

A Dream of Splendor (2022) is a Chinese historical costume drama series created by Guan Hanqing for Tencent Video. Set in the Song dynasty, it follows Zhao Pan'er (Liu Yifei), a sharp teahouse owner from Qiantang who refuses to accept the betrayal of her fiancé and travels to the capital Bianjing to find the truth. Along the way she rescues her two closest friends, Sun Sanniang (Liu Yan) and Song Yinzhang (Lin Yun), who join her journey. Her path crosses with Gu Qianfan (Chen Xiao), a commander of an elite capital squadron nicknamed Living Devil, who has been set up by the very people he serves and must expose a scheme reaching into the imperial court. The two initially clash, but as they trade favors and pursue their separate goals, their wary alliance grows into something warmer. The engine of the show is practical: business negotiations, street commerce, teahouse life and court politics unfolding across a single forty-episode run. Its tone is warm and romantic, with friendship, class divides and the outsider's determination at its heart. Fans of Story of Yanxi Palace, Nirvana in Fire and Eternal Love of Dream will find resonance in its lavish period detail, its heroine who refuses to be sidelined, and its slow-burning romance wrapped in court intrigue.

## Shows like A Dream of Splendor

- [Legend of the Female General (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/157154)
- [Legend of Yun Xi (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69008)
- [Coroner's Diary (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/156947)
- [Story of Yanxi Palace (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69468)
- [Love Like the Galaxy (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/113899)
- [Joy of Life (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/80906)
- [Who Rules The World (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/105471)
- [Story of Kunning Palace (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/129469)
- [The Rise of Phoenixes (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69851)
- [Youthful Glory (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/176820)

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