You Should Be Watching: Memory of Chang’an (Shi Yi Chang An: Ming Yue Ji Shi You)          

Historical, romance donghua fans, rejoice! Memory of Chang’an is now freely available for everyone to enjoy, courtesy of BiliBili.

The series is a treat to all senses, in case you’ve missed it.

Memory of Chang’an (拾忆长安, Shi Yi Chang’an: Mingyue Jishi You) is set in ancient China and follows princess Mingyue’s and prince Li Qiang’s love story… and a couple of difficult court developments beside!

With the pair having been forced into an arranged marriage, don’t expect any originality here. Court intrigues depicted in the series are not novel, either. So, why is Shi Yi Chang’an worth your time?

For one thing, the flow of the story is enjoyable and for another — animation is simply stunning. The series was produced by BiliBili and Ling San Wu Donghua, by the by.

Episodes are short — just 16 minutes in length (including OP and ED credits), so give it a go and see if it suits your donghua buds!  On a side note, anyone interested in ancient China is certain to enjoy this title.

The Memory of Chang’an donghua series is based on the manhua titled Wang Ye Bu Yao A (王爷不要啊) by Dong Man Tang, which is known in English as Please Don’t, My Prince or Prince, Don’t Do This!

The manhua synopsis reads:

“In order to fulfil her mission of bringing peace to her homeland, the Uyghur Princess Amelia travels to Chang’an and marries Emperor Dezong of Tang’s ninth prince, Li Qian. While she had been considered very capable in her homeland, the complex and foreign customs of the Tang court are something else entirely; and although she had not expected love in a political marriage, the sheer disinterest and arrogance of her husband is very hard to handle, no matter how capable and handsome he may be. Securing peace between the Uyghur Khaganate and the Tang Empire is not going to be easy, especially with a rebellion taking place in Tang.”

Memory of Chang’an has been treated to two dongua seasons (Season 2 just finished airing recently), totaling 25 episodes.

As you may guess from the synopsis, the title is so much more than a bland romance between one of many princes and a random girl from a powerful family. However, the donghua covers just a portion of the story; the manhua is up to Chapter 341 as of December 2022. It would be interesting to see if Memory of Chang’an would be getting any further seasons, as the source is plentiful.

For the time being, enjoy what’s been animated!

Where Can I Watch Memory of Chang’an?

Both Shi Yi Chang’an donghua seasons have been made freely available via the Anime Made by BiliBili YouTube channel (subtitled), as follows:

• Memory of Chang’an Season 1 (Shi Yi Chang’an: Mingyue Jishi You)
• Memory of Chang’an Season 2 (Shi Yi Chang An: Mingyue Jishi You Er)

Enjoy the romance, treachery, and thrills!