Exploring the Differences in Chinese and American Audiences’ Understanding of Chinese Costume Dramas — The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan as an Example

The Legend of Zhen Huan, the pinnacle of Chinese costume dramas, is still enduring after a decade. It has received unanimous praise from Chinese audiences since its release. Before its release in the United States, the Legend of Zhen Huan team first got it to the Cannes Film Festival to test the waters and gained success. The drama has also received mixed reactions from American audiences after its release in the US. Therefore, as one of the representatives of Chinese costume dramas, this article focuses on the different audience reactions generated by Chinese costume dramas at home and abroad, focusing on The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan, and doing research and study between the audience feedback in China and the United States. This article compares and contrasts three episodes of Legend of Zhen Huan: the blood-testing link, the protagonist’s killing with a borrowed knife, and the love for King Guo and Zhen Huan. Through the comparison, we find that the audiences of the two countries have different or opposite views on these three episodes due to the influence of different cultures.