Succession War Connection

Let’s situate Succession War in the TVB Qing Dynasty world.

As you will recall, Ben Wong played the Yongzheng Emperor in Gilded Chopsticks.

He is the father of the Qianlong Emperor, played by KK Cheung in Succession War. Qianlong retires as emperor after 60 years, passing the throne to his son, the Jiaqing Emperor.

Shaun Tam plays the Jiaqing Emperor in Succession War. It is the same character as Yu Yang in War and Beauty.

Jiaqing’s first Empress is Jess Sum. She is the mother of his eventual successor, the Daoguang Emperor, played by child actor Nono Yeung. He will grow up to be Sunny Chan in Curse of the Royal Harem.

The first Empress (Jess) has already died at the time of Succession War. Selena Li is Jiaqing's Imperial Noble Consort and will eventually become his second Empress. The character becomes Rebecca Chan in War and Beauty and is made Empress Dowager in Curse of the Royal Harem, played by Gigi Wong.

Looking at Jiaqing’s other concubines, Katherine Ho plays Concubine Yu, who will later be promoted to be Consort Yu, a character famously played by Sheren Tang in War and Beauty. Siu Hoi Yan plays Consort Hua, who is Gigi Lai in War and Beauty.

Also, notice how the imperial crown and robes has been "passed down" through the generations.

See Gilded Chopsticks Connection for map before this era

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See The Confidant and Curse of the Royal Harem Connection for map after this era

Related: Beauty At War Connection (map of the same era)

Beauty at War Connection

Recall the post about the connection between The Confidant and Curse of the Royal Harem. Beauty At War (and the original War and Beauty) occurs in the time period immediately before Curse of the Royal Harem.

The Qianlong Emperor (乾隆) abdicated after 60 years on the throne because he did not want to exceed the 61 years of service of his grandfather, the Kangxi (康熙) Emperor. The retired Qianlong took the title Taishang Huang (太上皇), but still held de facto power for the next four years until his death.
-   Christine Ng is the concubine of Qianlong. Her character does not exist in real history.

The Jiaqing (嘉慶) Emperor, played by Yu Yang, assumes the throne after his father’s abdication. War and Beauty was set 15 years into his reign. Beauty at War takes place sometime later in his reign.  

Rebecca Chan is Jiaqing’s (second) Empress in War and Beauty. One of her sons is the 4^th prince, Mianxin (綿忻), portrayed by Joel Chan in COTRH.
-   Gigi Wong’s role in COTRH is the older version of Rebecca Chan’s role.
-   The 4^th prince will be played by the actor Chris Lee in Beauty at War.

Sheren Tang correctly holds the title of Consort Yu (如妃) at the time of both series. She was posthumously named as Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun (恭順皇貴妃). She is the mother of Jiaqing’s fifth son, Mianyu (綿愉), which is child actor Pako Au in Beauty at War.
-   The 5^th prince was born in the 19^th year of Jiaqing. In Beauty at War, he is said to be seven years old, but in history, Jiaqing already died when the prince was six.
- The 5^th prince dies too early in BAW. In reality, he lives until the age of fifty.

In War and Beauty, the other concubines were named as Noble Ladies (貴人). In reality, they all held different titles at the time setting of the drama (in the 15^th year of Jiaqing).

Gigi Lai = Consort Hua (華妃). She married Jiaqing when he was a prince. She is the most senior concubine of the Consort rank, even higher than Consort Yu (Sheren Tang). She died in the 9^th year of Jiaqing, which is before WAB.

Charmaine Sheh = Imperial Concubine Chun (淳嬪). She was the daughter of the head of the national library committee. [Note that her title shares the same character as Christine Ng’s character in BAW, but they are not the same person.]

Maggie Cheung = First Class Attendant An (安常在). Unlike the ending of WAB, she actually survives the Jiaqing Emperor and is elevated to the rank of Imperial Concubine (安嬪) by his successor.

At the end of WAB, there was an invasion of Forbidden City, which is the Eight Trigrams Uprising by members of the Tianli Sect. The future Daoguang (道光) Emperor (Sunny Chan in COTRH), a prince at that time, led the defensive efforts and personally killed two rebels with his musket. It is said that his heroic actions was one of the reasons why Jiaqing (Yu Yang) ultimately named Daoguang (Sunny) as his successor. 

Note: In BAW, a 6^th prince was born to the Emperor, but in reality Jiaqing (Yu Yang) only had five sons.

See Gilded Chopsticks Connection for map before Qianlong
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Relationship map continues with The Curse of the Royal Harem & The Confidant

All-Time Favourite TVB Series

A Step into the Past – This was the drama that got me interested in Chinese history. I loved Louis Koo for his witty remarks and how he used his modern knowledge in the ancient era. Also, Raymond Lam was very good as Qin Shi Huangdi in his first major role. I could feel the power and authority coming from him as he developed into the cruel ruler of China. I’ve always wanted TVB to make a sequel and I got my wish with Three Kingdoms RPG!

War and Beauty – This series set the tone for all palace scheme dramas and nothing has been really comparable. The story is fast-paced (so much packed into 30 episodes!), there’s all sorts of evil schemes and everything was so unpredictable. From the first episode, I couldn’t stop watching. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, eager to see how the plots will turn out and how Sheren Tang’s Yue Fei always had the upper hand. A classic and a must watch!

Rosy Business – Chronicling the struggles of a poor peasant and a woman propelled to the leadership of the family business, this series is different from other family feud dramas. Exciting plot, quick pace. Every episode had its own climax. Wayne Lai and Sheren Tang lead a group of more-than-able actors. Great acting by the whole cast. I admire Wayne and Sheren’s relationship – mutual trust, mutual care, mutual understanding. Awesome through and through again!





Catch Me Now – A refreshing series that turned the tables. It was from the perspective of a group of thieves who steal from the rich and aid the poor. Damien Lau plays the leader of the thieves and he engages in a battle of wits with policeman Joe Ma. It was a brilliant showdown right to the final minute.




The Conqueror’s Story – A great telling of the legendary Chor-Han Battle. Adam Cheng’s portrayal of the carefree Lau Bong kept the drama light-hearted. Kwong Wa is always terrific as historic heroes; this time as Hong Yu was no different. The short intros at the beginning of each episode taught me a lot about that time period.






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