TV Show Review: The Summer Palace

10

Rating

★★★★

Episodes

10

TV Show Digest

The Summer Palace, also known as the Royal Garden Museum, has a rich cultural history. There are many untapped and culturally significant areas, and in this variety show, the display of the palace will be gradual, allowing you to see a different Summer Palace. The program interprets the beauty of traditional Chinese gardens using modern aesthetic taste, shapes the contemporary and new form of traditional aesthetics in the modern era, thoroughly decodes historical and cultural classics, and expresses a new “Yi”-style life.

The Feel-Good Part

It is very aesthetically pleasing to watch. Guests frequently dress up in ancient palace attire. Each episode features a variety of games that the guests participate in, such as guess the song, charades, scavenger hunts, and much more. They even make guests take up work such as carrying a big ball of stone up many flights of stairs and cleaning the palace’s river.

The Disappointing Factor

Some viewers are worried that the episodes aired might not be respectable to the culture. Other than that, there is nothing to point particularly as a disappointing factor.

In-Depth Analysis

Beijing Television Station debuted a new cultural variety show called The Summer Palace, which cheered up many people who had not traveled in a long time. It not only provided them with an online tour of a beautiful destination with breathtaking scenery, but it also educated them on its culture, history, and philosophy. The renowned imperial garden known as the Summer Palace, located in northwest Beijing, was constructed during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. In the program, well-known stars Zhang Guoli, Zheng Shuang, Wang Ziyi, and other celebrities served as the imperial garden’s tour guides, taking viewers to some of the garden’s less-frequented spots and telling them little-known tales from fresh angles. They also play games that feature the palace and historical figures associated with it and introduce new cultural products on the spot. All the games’ designs are such that they always reveal more information about the summer palace and its long history. The first episode featured the Long Corridor, a covered walkway over 700 meters long with its beams adorned with more than 8,000 vibrant paintings depicting stories from Chinese classics and folktales, as well as the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha, which offers one of the best views of the entire garden. Yang Hua, the Summer Palace’s director, claims that before each episode aired, the garden management assembled a panel of experts to verify all of the information. The experts at Summer Palace and the film crew always collaborated to achieve the best results, balancing the show’s entertainment value with its cultural connotations. The dedication and careful work of the staff participating in the show is mainly responsible for its success.

Star Power

All the guests have excellent chemistry and entertain the viewers well, but Zheng Shuang, Dylan Wang, and Zhang Guoli stand out in particular.

Overall Opinion

It is an entertaining and educational show that any age group can enjoy. It is a must-watch if you are interested to learn about Chinese culture.