# Scarlet Heart (2011)

> A modern woman wakes in the body of a Qing dynasty noblewoman and gets tangled in the succession struggles of Emperor Kangxi's sons.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/34651

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 76
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, fantasy, romance
- Network: Hunan Television, Zhejiang Television
- Cast: Liu Shishi, Nicky Wu, Kevin Cheng Ka-Wing, Han Dong, Yuan Hong, Lin Gengxin, Xing Hanqing, Yang Xiaobo
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2475848/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: wistful, romantic, tense, lavish

## Synopsis

Scarlet Heart (2011-2014) is a Chinese costume drama time travel romance series created for Hunan Television and Zhejiang Television. Modern woman Zhang Xiao (Liu Shishi) is pulled back to the Qing dynasty during Emperor Kangxi's reign and awakens in the body of a teenage noblewoman, Maertai Rouxi. Her daily struggle is to survive the rigid customs of the imperial court while keeping her true identity hidden. Her romantic entanglement with Prince Yin Zheng (Nicky Wu) and rival princes such as Yin Si (Kevin Cheng Ka-Wing) and Yin Ling (Han Dong) drives the story forward, pulling her into succession rivalries and political maneuvering among the emperor's sons. Across two seasons and 76 episodes, the story unfolds as one continuing serialized narrative, with each episode weaving court politics, family alliances and quiet personal moments around the central romance. The tone mixes wistful longing, lavish period atmosphere and tense palace intrigue. Set in 17th-century imperial Beijing, the series offers rich costume detail and the sense of a woman trapped between two centuries. Fans of Empresses in the Palace and Outlander will find resonance in its blend of historical grandeur and romance.

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