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| Blossoms of Power Becomes China's No. 1 Drama as Meng Ziyi Responds to Early Criticism Without Saying Much. (Photo: Tencent Video) |
Blossoms of Power (百花杀) has wasted no time proving that first impressions are not always the final verdict. The historical romance starring Meng Ziyi and He Yu stormed to the top of China's drama rankings on just its second day of release after more than doubling its effective viewership share. While some early online discussions questioned everything from the costumes to the story's familiar feel, the audience numbers quietly delivered their own answer. It turns out viewers were far more interested in pressing play than pressing the complaint button.
The drama opened with a respectable 7.1% effective viewership share, placing seventh among currently airing Chinese series, according to Yunhe Data. On Tencent Video, it reached an opening-day popularity index of 24,683, a healthy start for a production entering an increasingly crowded historical drama landscape.
Day two told a completely different story. Blossoms of Power jumped to a remarkable 15.1% effective viewership share, more than doubling its premiere performance and comfortably securing the No. 1 position on Yunhe's daily rankings. At the same time, its Tencent Video popularity index climbed to 26,618, underlining just how quickly word of mouth spread after the opening episodes.
The achievement looks even stronger when compared with the competition. Love for You, starring Song Weilong and Zhang Jingyi, settled into second place with 12.4%, while Road to Success, led by Esther Yu Shuxin and Chen Jingke, followed with 9.3%. In a week packed with highly anticipated releases, Blossoms of Power managed to create enough momentum to move ahead of both rivals instead of simply keeping pace.
Adapted from Jin Huang's bestselling novel, Blossoms of Power blends palace intrigue, revenge and romance without letting any single element overwhelm the others. The story follows Gu Qingzhi, the Princess of Zhaoning Commandery, whose family is destroyed in a devastating tragedy.
Assuming the new identity of Shen Xihe, she enters the imperial court determined to expose corruption and settle old scores. Standing opposite her is Crown Prince Xiao Huayong, who hides his intelligence and ambitions behind the carefully crafted image of a weak and chronically ill royal.
Their relationship begins with suspicion, develops through political manoeuvring and eventually grows into an uneasy but compelling partnership. Neither of them trusts easily, which probably explains why watching them slowly learn to do so is half the fun.
Before the premiere, Meng Ziyi spoke warmly about what attracted her to the project. "When I first read the script, I didn't see Shen Xihe as someone driven only by revenge. I saw someone carrying enormous responsibility while trying not to lose herself. That balance was the biggest challenge for me."
She added that she wanted audiences to discover "the warmth hidden beneath her calm exterior" rather than viewing the character as simply another palace heroine seeking revenge.
The actress also revealed that she spent months preparing for the role by studying traditional etiquette, practising incense ceremonies and refining subtle expressions instead of relying purely on dramatic dialogue.
"Every movement tells part of her story," Meng Ziyi explained. "I wanted even the quiet moments to feel meaningful." She laughed that some scenes required so much restraint that "keeping a straight face was sometimes harder than memorising the script."
Her co-star He Yu shared similar enthusiasm for portraying Xiao Huayong, describing the prince as "someone who wins battles with patience instead of noise." HeYu said, "People may think he's weak when they first meet him, but that's exactly what he wants them to believe. I enjoyed playing someone whose greatest weapon is hiding what he's really thinking."
According to He Yu, the chemistry between the leads developed naturally because both characters are constantly testing one another. "They aren't falling in love because destiny says so. They're learning to admire each other through every difficult decision."
Reflecting on working alongside Meng Ziyi, He Yu joked, "She stays incredibly focused during filming, but once the director shouts cut, she'll suddenly make everyone laugh. That atmosphere really helped us build trust on screen." He Yu added that viewers should keep watching because "the relationship only becomes more layered after the opening episodes."
Not every early reaction was glowing. Some viewers argued that Blossoms of Power felt visually similar to Meng Ziyi's previous historical drama, while others suggested certain story beats echoed familiar palace romances. Costume styling also became a talking point, with a handful of netizens hoping for a fresher visual approach.
Then there was the inevitable debate from devoted drama pairing fans, who noticed reduced public interactions between Meng Ziyi and former co-star Li Yunrui, creating discussions that quickly spread across social media.
If there's one certainty in entertainment, it's that someone will always analyse every like, repost and missing congratulatory message as though solving a historical mystery.
Rather than responding directly to every criticism, Meng Ziyi chose a noticeably quieter approach. On the day of the premiere, she spent time personally thanking friends and colleagues who supported the drama online instead of engaging with negative discussions. Many praised her thoughtful replies, saying they reflected the grounded personality that has gradually reshaped her public image over the past few years.
Support from the industry arrived almost immediately. Bai Lu publicly promoted the series while organising a large cloud screening event and cheering, "Meng Jie, keep going!"
Esther Yu, Yang Zi, Yang Yang, Wang Hedi, Chen Duling, Zeng Shunxi and numerous other actors also showed support, creating what many fans jokingly described as "the entertainment industry's biggest friendship roll call."
The wave of encouragement looked less like carefully planned publicity and more like friends turning up because they genuinely wanted to. Fans matched that enthusiasm with large-scale cloud screenings of their own, reportedly organising support involving around 100,000 virtual seats.
Across Chinese social media, many praised Meng Ziyi for allowing the drama's performance to speak louder than online debates. Others pointed out that she has consistently supported fellow actors' projects over the years, suggesting the strong response reflected relationships built long before Blossoms of Power reached screens.
For long-time followers, her reaction felt familiar. Meng Ziyi has previously addressed earlier career controversies by acknowledging criticism without allowing it to define her future work. In past interviews she admitted, "Nobody is perfect. I'm not a machine. If I make mistakes, I'll learn from them and keep moving forward."
She has also spoken about believing that "as long as you're still moving ahead, things can become better," a mindset many fans believe continues to shape the way she approaches public attention today.
With ratings climbing rapidly, strong industry backing and growing viewer interest, Blossoms of Power has transformed early scepticism into one of the strongest opening performances among this season's Chinese dramas.
ICYMI: Where Was Blossoms of Power Filmed?
Whether it can maintain that momentum across its full run remains the next big question, but its first two days have already made one thing clear: sometimes the loudest response isn't a social media post at all—it's a chart climbing steadily to the top. Have you started watching Blossoms of Power yet, or do you think another historical drama deserves the crown?