After years of being teased with 5-minute trailers, oh-so-picturesque stills and then being peeved that Wallace Huo might end up the 3rd wheel, Imperial Doctress 女医明妃传 finally airs last Saturday and the first two episodes look promising.



First Impressions: Gender inequality is still a topic for discussion in this day and age so I can’t begin to fathom how women survived in ancient China where the times were far more restrictive.
Nevertheless, the drama might be exaggerating the circumstances stating that women were not even allowed to accept cure from a doctor for fear of gender differences. I have never heard or seen that before but then again, my references are mostly works of fiction so I’m hardly a reliable source.
Regardless of whether it is fake or factual, the prejudice and societal pressures that Yun Xian has to overcome makes for a very riveting account of her rise to become a royal doctor.
Liu Shi Shi knows how to choose her projects and she delivers as the strong-willed, intelligent and principled Tan Yun Xian who dives headfirst to question the blind foolishness of adhering to tradition.

The writing is fast-paced, solidly introducing many of the characters with enough depth to be intrigued by their motivations both good and bad. It is not chock-full of angst as one might have anticipated and I can’t wait for more.
For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 popular cdrama listing.
cuphead
This is one of my favourite film.