Empresses of Qing Dynasty exhibition opens in US

In fact, in the modern society, the Chinese never ceased to explore the mysterious lives of the women who once lived in the Forbidden City, including the empresses, consort, princesses and even the maids.

There are quite a number of TV dramas and films based on the life of the women.

A wave focusing on the life of the women living in the Forbidden City during the Qing Dynasty has engulfed Chinese TV screens this summer.

The Story of Yanxi Palace, a soap opera based on Qianlong Emperor's consort Empress Xiaoyichun, refreshed the record of TV dramas with 15 billion views in 43 days on iQiyi, a Netflix-like content provider in China.

Chinese social media Sina Weibo was also overwhelmed by a total of 327 hashtags generated from the series as audience discussions heated up.

The wave continued with another palace drama based on Empress Hoifa Nara, the second wife of Qianlong Emperor, dubbed Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, was released on Tencent Video.

The heat wave from the ancient palace even spread overseas, as many foreign audiences have been searching for English subtitles to the dramas.

One of the heroines of the exhibition, Empress Xiaoxian, was repeatedly represented in the shows. She was a childhood soulmate and confidant of Qianlong Emperor and was deeply loved by him.