TV serial drama "Legend of Zhen Huan". [Photo/China.org.cn]

Chinese actress Sun Li recently was nominated for an International Emmy in the Best Actress category for her role in the television drama The Back Palace: Legend of Zhen Huan.

The 76-episode series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi, centers on the stories of Emperor Yongzheng‘s concubines in the Imperial Palace during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The female protagonist, Zhen Huan, played by Sun, is selected to join the emperor's harem at the tender age of 17. She gets caught in the fierce battle for the Emperor's love amongst the empress and other concubines. Zhen soon realizes that the Back Palace is a place for the beautiful and witty. She quickly grows out of her innocence and learns to survive on her own, even if she does so through unscrupulous means. She succeeds in the end, while losing both her friends and enemies.

Legend of Zhen Huan has been a Chinese mainland hit since it first aired on television. Aside from the storyline, many fans of the series originally were drawn to it because of its rich usage of Chinese poetry, beautiful wardrobes, and the depiction of court etiquette and traditional Chinese medicine. The refined and traditional dialogue spoken in the series has also become a popular favorite among the drama's Internet followers.

Sun, born in 1982, first fell under the spotlight through her work in the TV series Jade Goddess of Mercy. Ever since then she was seen as a young and promising actress in China, but her popularity skyrocketed when Legend of Zhen Huan made its television debut.

This is Sun's first International Emmy nomination.

The International Emmy, cousin to the primetime US Emmy Awards, is more than four decades old and focuses on rewarding outstanding international and non-American television programming.

Nominations from 19 countries will be competing for the award this year. The winners will be announced on November 25 in New York.