Following a bloody battle the emperor of the Yan Kingdom is killed along with his first in command.
The succession power is unclear and his daughter is believed to be the next ruler of the Kingdom, which doesn't sit well with many.
The film touches on many topics surrounding the Ancient Chinese peninsula and the Zhou Dynasty as well as the portrayal of women of colour in history.
Synopsis
An Empress and the Warriors follows the story of Yen Feier who is the daughter of the Yan Kingdom's Emperor.
Throughout her upbringing, she trained as a warrior but still is not accepted as a warrior by the battalion force. When her father and his second in command die in battle his dying wish is that his daughter will take control of the kingdom.
This does not sit well with all of the soldiers, especially a high ranked general who becomes very agitated. This general decides to betray the Empress. He attempts to kidnap and kill Yen Feier, thereby taking control of the kingdom.
She barely escapes the attack and finds herself inches from deaths grips. Seriously wounded and far away from her kingdom, she is saved and nursed back to health by a lone farmer who lives in a forest far West of the kingdom.
The remainder of the film follows Yen Feier and her new companion as she questions whether she should live a life of bliss away from conflict or if she should go back to her warriors in the Yan Kingdom and take back her title as Empress.
Important Themes
The film tells of a story that is indicative of life in the 10 warring kingdoms of Ancient China. Moreover, it touches on many narratives surrounding the succession and historical family lines of Kingdom leaders.
The Yan Kingdom existed from the 11th century BC to 222 BC and was located around the Eastern coast of ancient China, where present day Beijing is now.
The Yan Kingdom achieved it's highest reign of power during the 8th century BC and became one of the strongest states in China.
During the warring states period from the 5th and 3rd century BC the state of Yan was one of the last states to be conquered by the armies of Qin Shi Huang, who was responsible for unifying all of the kingdoms of ancient China and giving birth to the Qin dynasty.
Furthermore, An Empress and the Warriors outlines the disparities between women and men in Ancient China. As in many periods of human history, women did not have many high positions in society. They often held menial roles and were inferior to men in almost every conceivable notion.
In An Empress and the Warriors, this level of disgust and repulsion can be seen through the actions and treachery carried out by the general and his followers.
As a whole, many Ancient Chinese heroes and significant figures in history tend to be strong male leaders who were written about in scriptures, tales and legends.
With the biggest and most notable historical figure being Zheng He, who remains to be one of the most famous figures in ancient and modern Chinese history.
Alive during the early Ming dynasty, Zheng He remains to be one of the most romanticized figures of all time as he was a very influential explorer, diplomat and leader.
Conclusion
All in all An Empress and the Warriors is a quite touching and beautiful film. It tells of a story celebrating the history, power and accomplishments of the Yan Kingdom.
The film does a good job of cultivating a storyline seamlessly merging together the genres of drama, war and romance.
An Empress and the Warriors is a film you should add to your watch list.
It is a stand out Chinese foreign film which takes a good look into how life may have been like during the Chinese warring states period.
