Chinese Drama: Palace/Goong/Palace Lock Heart (宫-锁心玉) and Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心)

Traveling Back in Time... to the Qing Dynasty!

Ever imagined what could happen if you drop a 20th century girl into the Qing dynasty to get mixed up within the palace conflicts? There are two shows I recently watched that have plots like this. Both have twists about the Kang Xi era and how his sons fought for the throne.

Palace/Goong/Palace Lock Heart (宫-锁心玉)

Rating: 7/10

Pros: The show was interesting enough. The relationship between the main characters are quite deep. There's even a part that's similar to a different show - Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden (the hand pulling the wrong girl scene). 

Cons: The relationship between the main character and the 4th prince was too quick and too brief.

Main Cast (courtesy of DramaWiki):

• Yang Mi as Luo Qing Chuan / Guo Luo Luo / Hua Ying
• Tong Li Ya as Nian Su Yan
• Wilson Guo as Xiao Shun Zi
• Lv Jia Rong as Fei Cui
• Liu Jia Yuan as Xin Lian
• Yuan Shan Shan as Ru Bing
• Lv Yi as Yin Shuang
• Ye Si Miao as Jin Mo Mo

Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心)

Rating: 9/10

Pros: The relationships between the main characters are better developed. The romance between the main love triangle is more believable and more developed. The supporting characters play a bigger part in this series. This series played well with the whole emotional element... I was moved often.

Cons: The beginning was a bit odd and the ending sucked BIG TIME. I was extremely disappointed because it isn't a happy ending.. more like incomplete (and not the good type of incomplete where you are anticipating the next season). Also, it kind of ticked me off how generally easy her path was. She hardly had any problems to deal with.

Main Cast (courtesy of DramaWiki):

• Liu Shi Shi as Maertai Ruo Xi / Zhang Xiao
• Nicky Wu as Yin Zhen (4th Prince)
• Kevin Cheng as Yin Si (8th Prince)
• Yuan Hong as Yin Xiang (13th Prince)
• Lin Geng Xin as Yin Ti (14th Prince)
• Han Dong as Yin Tang (9th Prince)
• Ye Zu Xin as Yin'e (10th Prince)
• Damian Lau as Kangxi Emperor

There are quite some details in the shows that are similar. I wonder if these details are actual facts. For example: The 4th prince and the 14th prince have the same birth parents, but they are both on different "sides". The 13th prince and the 4th prince are really close and help one another.