The Absurdity of 'Qing Dramas' for a Decade

poster for 'The Yongzheng Dynasty (1999) '

I remeber myself growing up watching the so-called 'Qing dramas', which means the TV dramas set in the era of the Qing Dynasty. They were extremely popular after the 90s till the first several years of the new century. I used to watch everything ranging from the most ridiculous 'Princess Huanzhu' (the story of how a slum girl became the adoptive daughter of Qianlong Emperor and was in the end married to his son) to the so-called true historical drama 'Kangxi Dynasty'. However, as my intellectual consciousness grew, I gradually realized how poisonous these dramas can be, for no matter whether they were 'serious historical dramas' or simply vulgar comedies, they all sanctified authoritarianism by blindly worshipping those 'sage' emperors. Here is an excerpt on Qing dramas from an article on New York Times:

The Confucian idea of sage leadership is particularly relevant in this regard, and Chinese television has not missed the point. A wave of dramatic serials featuring the legendary figures of China's bygone dynasty glory began to dominate dramatic programming in Chinese primetime television in the mid-1990s. The trend climaxed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s with saturation programming of palace dramas set in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), what Chinese critics termed "Qing drama." Dramas set in the Qing palace had also appeared in the late 1980s, with shows like The Last Emperor (1988) and Kang-Liang Reformation (1989) earning popular and critical acclaim. Interestingly, though, while the Qing dramas of the 1980s focused on the corruption and cultural decline of the late Qing, the Qing dramas of the 1990s and the early 2000s, what I term the revisionist Qing dramas, shifted gears, paying tribute to the sage leaders of early Qing who oversaw a period of prosperity and national unity.

Revisionist Qing dramas -- Yongzheng Dynasty (1999), Kangxi Dynasty (2001), and Qianlong Dynasty (2003), among others -- feature the emperors and patriots who struggled against internal corruption and social injustice as well as external threats, feeding the public's fantasy for a time of heroic figures and events. Mesmerized by the palace politics and nostalgic for an era of upright rule that never was, the Chinese public genuinely welcomed such dramas, delighting in their contemporary relevance. Subjects and themes that would invite censorship in contemporary settings -- government corruption, political infighting and power struggles, moral cynicism, and public unrest, etc. -- get a primetime airing in revisionist Qing dramas.

Leading the charge of the revisionist Qing drama is the 44 episode primetime blockbuster Yongzheng Dynasty (YD). YD features one of the most controversial Qing Dynasty emperors, Yongzheng. In portraying a moralistic emperor who forcefully fends off his political opponents, attacks corruption, and fights to protect ordinary people, the show covertly insinuates a critical commentary on the state of affairs in contemporary Chinese society and politics. Yongzheng is deftly made to epitomize integrity and inner strength in a leader. In an era of rampant political corruption and moral cynicism, Yongzheng naturally appeals to Chinese audiences. To some, Yongzheng is suggestive of former Chinese Premier, Zhu Rongji, whose efforts to curb government corruption have earned him a reputation as a contemporary graft-buster. Zhu himself was reportedly an ardent follower of the show.

Sarcastically, an anti-authoritarian TV drama 'Towards the Republic' in 2003 was soon banned after its debut on the channel. Even in its only broadcast, its final scene, the speech by China's first republican President Dr. Sun Yat-sen on the ideals of a democratic republic was deleted.

However, I would not oppose but rather support shooting Qing dramas on Guangxu Emperor as well as his era. For his personal story as well as his era tells the horrors of authoritarianism and inspires hope for a more democratic government and liberal society. But interestingly, the Chinese media never featured Guangxu as the protagonist of a drama. Instead, he has often been depicted as a weak and incapable secondary figure. Such a depiction is strongly linked with the Chinese mentality of worshiping power while alienating those who do not have power. Sometimes, I really worry that how a civil society based on rule of law could develop if the young generation continue to enjoy watching those 'emperor worship' dramas.

Indeed, I agree that Kangxi Emperor was a sage ruler, but despite his own wisdom, the system of government was bad, as it had no checks and balances against possible tyranny. Most Chinese people nowadays are still on the thinking level of desiring a 'sage ruler' , which can partly explain why they mock at the 'stupid' French people electing such a 'terrible' president as Nicolas Sarkozy and then regretting the decision by waging nation-wide strikes. Being a Chinese myself, I cannot argue with them but only bury these words in my heart: At least they have the right to elect a president while we do not, at least they can wage strikes while we are never allowed.