# Eternal Love (2017) Review: Fate, Foxes and Peach Blossoms > Eternal Love is the Chinese fantasy romance that defined xianxia drama: a goddess and a heavenly prince whose love spans three lives, lush, tearful and addictive. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/eternal-love-review/ Published: 2026-07-24 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4.5/5 ## Verdict Yes. It is the essential xianxia romance, sweeping and emotionally generous, ideal for fantasy-romance fans who can forgive dated effects and a long, tear-soaked middle. ## Is Eternal Love worth watching? **Yes. Eternal Love is the fantasy romance that turned Chinese xianxia drama into a global streaming habit, and its three-lifetime love story still delivers on its enormous emotional promise.** Its strengths are a clever structure that makes each lifetime reframe the last, lavish immortal worlds and a lead pairing that carries every sigh and tear. The reservation is that its 58 episodes include long stretches of misunderstanding and suffering, and the visual effects already look dated. ## What is Eternal Love about? Also known as Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, [Eternal Love](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/eternal-love/) is set in a mythic realm of immortals, gods and demons. Bai Qian ([Yang Mi](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/china/yang-mi/)) is a high goddess of the nine-tailed fox clan. Ye Hua (Mark Chao) is the heir to the heavenly throne, promised to her in an arranged marriage she has little interest in. When they meet again after a painful history, she remembers nothing of him, yet he seems to know her far too well. The series tells their romance across three lives, moving between past and present so the audience gradually learns what happened between them. It is a Chinese production in Mandarin, adapted from Tang Qi Gong Zi's popular novel, with Lin Yufen credited as director. This review covers the complete story: a single season of 58 episodes. ## Three lifetimes, one clever structure What lifts Eternal Love above many of its imitators is its architecture. Rather than telling the lovers' story in order, it keeps returning to earlier lifetimes, so that scenes which seem light in the present gain weight once the audience learns their history. The early episodes, which follow Bai Qian in a very different guise as a young disciple, have a playful, almost screwball energy that contrasts sharply with the heartbreak that follows. That design makes the romance feel fated rather than merely declared. Every lifetime adds a layer of debt, guilt and longing between the two, and by the final stretch the show has earned the grand emotions it reaches for. ## Yang Mi and Mark Chao at the centre Yang Mi is the anchor, and she has to play several versions of one soul: a mischievous immortal, a vulnerable mortal and a queen who has buried her grief. She makes the shifts legible without overplaying them. Mark Chao's Ye Hua is a study in restraint, a prince whose cool manner hides obsessive devotion, and his quiet intensity balances Yang Mi's warmth. The supporting romance between Bai Fengjiu ([Dilraba Dilmurat](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/china/dilraba-dilmurat/)) and the aloof deity Donghua (Gao Weiguang) became a fan favourite in its own right, bright and funny where the main story is solemn. The wider ensemble of immortal relatives, rivals and scheming courtiers fills out the heavenly politics with enough intrigue to keep the plot moving. ## The trade-offs of scale Eternal Love is not a lean drama. Its middle section leans on misunderstanding, secrets and palace cruelty, and some viewers will tire of watching the heroine suffer episode after episode. The villains are drawn without much nuance, and the computer-generated creatures and battles look modest beside today's big-budget fantasy productions. The costumes and peach-blossom landscapes, however, remain genuinely beautiful, and the production's commitment to its romantic aesthetic is total. ## Who should watch Eternal Love? It is essential for fans of Chinese fantasy romance, and a strong starting point for anyone curious about xianxia and its world of immortals, clans and celestial bureaucracy. The 58 episodes make it a serious commitment, best enjoyed over several weeks. Expect emotional intensity, betrayal, grief and some fantasy violence, though little that is graphic. Where to go afterwards: - [Empresses in the Palace](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/empresses-in-the-palace-review/) for another landmark of Chinese long-form drama, trading immortals for the Qing harem's ruthless politics. - [Nirvana in Fire](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/nirvana-in-fire/), a costume epic with the same sense of long-buried history catching up with its characters. - [Hidden Love](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/hidden-love/) for a gentler, contemporary romance about devotion that grows over years. ## The verdict Eternal Love is the romantic fantasy epic that set the template for a whole wave of Chinese drama, and its three-lifetime structure still feels ambitious. The saggy middle, broad villains and dated effects are real flaws, but Yang Mi, Mark Chao and a sea of peach blossoms make it a genre essential. **Rating: 4.5/5** ## Related title - [Eternal Love (2017)](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/eternal-love/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)