Adapted from the novel "A Dream Back to the Qing Dynasty" by Jin Zi.
Although the theme is similar to the 2011 hit drama Scarlet Heart, Meng Hui was written earlier as it is based on a novel that was written by Jin Zi in 2004.
According to Karen Tsai who produced both Scarlet Heart and Meng Hui, the two may have similar themes but different stories. In Scarlet Heart, Ruoxi is a reactive character. She time travels not by choice and has to follow the course of history. In Meng Hui, the heroine has more choices when it comes to her own fate.