China-Japan joint franchise TV series

A China-Japan joint franchise, TV series "The Pleiades" hit the small screen in Japan at the beginning of this year. Now the TV series will be on the air in China. The period drama describes the last stages of the Qing dynasty.

A China-Japan joint franchise, TV series "The Pleiades" hit the small screen  in Japan at the beginning of this year.

Lead actress Yin Tao, Takita Yojiro, Yu Shaoqun and Zhou Yiwei were on hand to promote the series ahead of its release. Japanese actress Takita Yojiro won household fame in China for starring in the Japanese TV series "Ashin" thirty years ago. She is cast as Emperor's Dowager Cixi.

Yu Shaoqun, who is well-known in China after playing youthful Mei Lanfang, in "Forever Enthralled" the epic film about the Peking opera master, plays a young eunuch who is favored by Cixi. The director adds some Peking Opera performance for his role, because Yu has been trained as an opera master.

Yin Tao plays Madame Zhang, a mysterious and glamorous lady, who owns a bar. Actually, she is the adopted daughter of Cixi, who secretly reports the things she sees, but at the same time has to conceal the love towards the man she really has a crush on. All she can do is try her best to help him. Yin Tao likes the role which is challenging. And her look in an ancient costume is stunningly beautiful, but the outfit can be bothersome.

Yin Tao, actress, said, "Applying the make-up is very time consuming. And the head adornment is very heavy. The shoes are also very inconvenient. In addition, the whole outfit is very thick and hot. But gradually I'm at ease with all of these things."

"The Pleiades" is adapted from Japanese writer Jiro Asada's novel of the same name. It hits airwaves across China on March 14th.