Startling By Each Step (DVD) (End) (China Version) DVD Region All

Bu Bu Jing Xin revolves around a modern-day woman who gets injured in an accident, and wakes up as a teenage girl during the reign of Kangxi. Though pitched as a time-travel drama, Bu Bu Jing Xin's premise is different than say Palace or The Myth, which physically transported characters into the past. Here, our heroine, played by the beautiful Cecilia Liu Shishi, has the mind and memories of 25-year-old Zhang Xiao, but through a time blip, she has somehow become Ruo Xi, the sister-in-law of the 8th Prince.

With her curious, headstrong personality setting her apart from other girls in the royal family, Ruo Xi makes friends and trouble quickly in her early days of Qing Dynasty life. She befriends the 10th Prince (Ye Zuxin), 13th Prince (Yuan Hong), and 14th Prince (Lin Gengxin), and flutters the hearts of the 8th Prince (Kevin Cheng) and the 4th Prince (Nicky Wu). The bonds formed grow stronger over the years as Ruo Xi enters the palace and becomes Emperor Kangxi's trusty tea servant, but her relationships with the 8th Prince and the 4th Prince are complicated by the brothers' increasingly fierce rivalry for the throne.

The historical ending of the princes' succession struggle is clear to Ruo Xi and to the audience from the very beginning. The 4th Prince eventually becomes Emperor Yongzheng, who is remembered for being coldly efficient and cruelly unforgiving to his enemies. The 8th Prince dies in captivity, and the 9th Prince (Han Dong), 10th Prince, 13th Prince, and 14th Prince all meet difficult fates of their own. Between now and then, there are some twenty years in which Ruo Xi struggles with love, loyalty, friendship, and self-preservation in the Forbidden City.

Bu Bu Jing Xin is a period romance, not a flat out historical series, so it's Ruo Xi's love for the 8th Prince and the 4th Prince that serves as the drama's most important storyline. What makes her relationships and conflicts so compelling, however, are the historical context: the romanticized representations of Kangxi's sons, the inherent tragedy of brother turning against brother for the throne, and the way in which the drama brings the characters step by step down a known timeline. Like the heroine, the audience knows the results but not the process, and Bu Bu Jing Xin makes the process interesting, surprising, and heartwrenching.

Much of the narrative credit goes to the strong source material. Tong Hua's original novel is fairly particular with historical details and accuracy in terms of timeline and characterizations. Save for a few additional scenes and the much talked about ending, the drama stays very faithful to the source, following the novel's events almost scene for scene and often using dialogue straight from the book. In comparison to the first-person novel though, the drama is able to more directly portray the ups, downs, and character quirks of the princes, making them more relatable in the drama than in the novel.

To many (female) audiences, the handsome lineup of princes probably outshines even the heroine. For the leading men, Tangren brought in outside help in the form of idol-turned-actors Nicky Wu and Kevin Cheng to play two princes of starkly different personalities but equally aggressive ambitions. Tangren courted Nicky Wu multiple times to take the role - he was initially reluctant to shave his head - and their persistence paid off. Wu often plays cool roles but he becomes downright cold as the formidable 4th Prince, whose icy expression melts only in the presence of Ruo Xi. Kevin Cheng is the tragic romantic figure as the gentle and genteel 8th Prince, whose royal dream leads to his own demise. The casting of Nicky Wu and Kevin Cheng is really a case of perfect balance; having two actors of comparable weight portray the 4th Prince and the 8th Prince seals the characters' presence and rivalry right away.

Both Nicky Wu and Kevin Cheng have their share of supporters and detractors, but few dispute the casting of Tangren staple Yuan Hong as the strong-willed, freedom-loving 13th Prince, the one person who understands Ruo Xi's modern thinking. Tangren newcomer Lin Gengxin, who reminds of a younger Hu Ge, also makes a strong debut as the immensely likable 14th Prince - expect to see a lot more of him in coming years. Though the various princes are on opposite ends of a brutal succession crisis, the cast succeeds in making both sides equally daunting and sympathetic as stubborn, self-aware players in a cruel battle they're helpless to change.

Production values on Bu Bu Jing Xin are generally solid, especially on photography and costumes, but not even Tangren's budget was enough to adequately recreate the grandeur of palatial life. There's a suspicious dearth of extras and sets, and occasional awkward use of CGI for backdrop (including the fakest lily pond ever). These are just small complaints though as everything else falls so wonderfully into place. The production gets the visual details right most of the time, and there are some beautifully memorable scenes in the drama, such as Ruo Xi and the 8th Prince's walk in the snow. As an adaptation, Bu Bu Jing Xin does justice to the original story, with a strong cast giving their all to portray love, hate, power, and misgiving in the Forbidden City.

The translated English title for Bu Bu Jing Xin that's being widely used is "Startling by Each Step". A more fitting translation for the four-character expression though would be "Startling surprises at every step" or "Every step startles the heart", alluding to the unpredictable dangers of palace life and matters of the heart. Bu Bu Jing Xin makes every emotional and political step matter over 35 exciting, heartrending episodes that feel far too short. Inspiring a fervent online following during its broadcast, Bu Bu Jing Xin is one of those rare dramas - up there with Chinese Paladin, Condor Hero, and Princess Returning Pearls - that can bring new and jaded audiences to the Chinese period genre. It certainly brought me back: Bu Bu Jing Xin stands as my favorite TV drama of 2011 in any language.