Walking into the Forbidden City
- The cries of the falling plum blossoms part 2
Writer: Yang Yuhao
Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
Image taken from Fórum (port.hu)
“兰因絮果” (relationship starting off good, but ends in separation.) is famously used by Ruyi in the final episode of the hit Chinese historical drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. Ruyi’s eventual (emotional) separation from the emperor is not uncommon in the forbidden city. However, the success of the series is not only credited to the heart-retching plot but also to its impeccable costume and site design, in conjunction with the perfect videography, creating shots that make use of architecture and environmental elements to spark strong emotions in the viewers. In this instalment of TASpeak feature, we will explore how videographers make use of architecture in the forbidden city to tell a story to the audience.
Nian Gui Fei death scene
Video taken from 甄嬛冷宫见华妃,看了这段原来她也是个可怜人,真相残酷年妃撞墙而死！ - YouTube
When I first mention the idea of this feature to my friends over dinner, many of them expressed similar sentiments, “how do you choose which scenes to dissect?”. Indeed, Chinese palace dramas are basically a collection of conflicts, schemes and deaths, we cannot elaborate on every dramatic plot point in a series. However, after reflecting upon a few series I have watched, I realized that there are only a few scenes that I remember clearly from each series. So, what makes these scenes more memorable than the rest? Following extensive rewatching of selected episodes, I found 2 common tactics that the videographers have used to imprint these scenes into my memory. Due to the sheer number of dramas available and the limited time I had, I will only use scenes from Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace and Empresses in the Palace as an example in this feature.
Gao Gui Fei death scene
Video taken from When she learned that she was poisoned and could not have children, she gave up her desire to live. - YouTube
Firstly, harsh weather elements and open spaces are used to create a feeling of emptiness. Both series made use of this technique to illustrate the last moment of the imperial concubine. In Empresses in the Palace, Nian Gui Fei (Gui Fei translates to imperial concubine) was seen sitting alone in an empty room furnished with only a chair and a small table. The stillness in the air is further heightened by a strong ray of sunlight beaming in through the slits on the door, illuminating Gui Fei’s body, and creating a stark contrast with the rest of the room. Her winter furs imply that the event took place in the middle of winter, further adding to the chilling desolation of the atmosphere. All these strong visual elements created a foundation for the plot to build upon, therefore the scene of Gui Fei committing suicide in this very room is very much amplified by the atmosphere created in this scene, leaving a lasting impression on the viewers. Similarly, in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, Gao Gui Fei’s death is set in the middle of the winter too. The heavy snow covered most of the ornamentations and plants in the garden, the only standing structure is a bamboo windchime, standing motionlessly in the middle of the heavy snow. Wrapped in only a fur coat, the imperial concubine was filmed lying in the sea of white snow, blending in with the environment and eventually passed away. The sense of nothingness and emptiness created by snow generates a similar atmosphere of desperation as the Nian Gui Fei scene in Empresses in the Palace. Both series instilled a sense of empathy in the viewers by using empty space and weather to create a strong visual language that speaks to the audience.
Ruyi exiting Cold Palace
Video taken from The emperor bestowed the most distinguished palace on Ruyi✨Ruyi's Royal Love - YouTube
Secondly, size matters. A Common theme explored by these 2 palace dramas is the feeling of being trapped within four walls, even though these women own all the riches in the world. This paradoxical contrast has been quite literally represented in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace many times throughout the length of the series with zoom shots of the empress over the forbidden city. As the plot develops, the context of the empress standing overlooking the fortress changes. As these zoom shots are planned at the end of every major arc, they serve as points of reflection for the series. Different zoom shots are carefully edited to amplify certain emotions in the viewers. For example, the first zoom shot happened at the budding stage of Ruyi’s romance. The camera is positioned behind Ruyi and the emperor, signifying their bright future in the palace. The overall warm colour tone used adds to the positive and cheerful atmosphere that the shot has created, affirming to the viewer that the future is promising between the 2 protagonists. However, this drastically changed in the second zoom shot which happened when Ruyi was eventually let out of the “Cold Palace” (a prison for concubines with wrongdoings). The overall colour tone used is cold, and the shot is focused on the contrast between the size of Ruyi to the entire forbidden palace. The walk up to the tower block is curated with shots of tall walls against Ruyi, long stairs and endless monotoned city walls. All these shots highlight the contrast between Ruyi and the monstrous size of the palace. Even though the plot suggests that the journey up to the tower block is a victory walk for Ruyi as she finally escaped the “Cold Palace” and once again claimed her place as one of the owners of the forbidden city, however, the cold atmosphere of these shots describe a state of helplessness and entrapment felt by Ruyi as she takes on the whole of the forbidden city by herself once again. Similar shots are used in Empresses in the Palace to demonstrate similar concepts. By undermining the size of the empresses against the forbidden city, these shots tell a story of excessive opulence that these women are living in but at the same time bring out the reality that they are still trapped within the complex forever. The paradox generated from these shots elevates both series and inspires deep reflection within viewers, therefore leaving a lasting impression on the mass.
Nian Gui Fei
Image taken from 她是苦孩子出身，却靠演白富美成名，哪有什么演技爆表，不过是百炼成钢 (sohu.com)
Reflecting upon many shows and movies I have watched, I realized that similar tactics have been used by directors across all films and shows. The use of architecture, space and weather to amplify emotions is not limited to palace dramas. In Chinese drama, the directors have borrowed existing architectures to generate dialogue between the show and the viewers, however, shows like the Avengers, Westworld and Harry Potter have taken architecture for films to the next level by designing the buildings to fit the theme and context of the show. Similarly, Japanese animes like Neogenesis Evangelion and Psycho-Pass have created worlds of cyberpunk and unique-looking buildings that give viewers a different visual impact. Differing from fantasy movies, Chinese palace dramas stay more truthful to history, the two shows mentioned in this article have made use of these ancient structures to not only elevate the drama but also cultivate an appreciation for traditional Chinese craft and designs. In my opinion, both shows are exemplars of palace drama and I highly recommend these shows to everyone who is interested in Chinese palace dramas.