As the online costume drama Story of Yanxi Palace wrapped up Monday, it has become another popular small screen work featuring concubines in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) after the 2011 TV series Empresses in the Palace.

Based on palace intrigue, called gong dou, these dramas mainly center on fights among a group of concubines of an emperor.

Full of tricks, conspiracies, revenge and affairs, stories and dramas of this kind have spawned a whole new genre. Despite plethora of similar versions in recent years, the genre has not lost its appeal.