Plot
In the mid-17th century, the Manchus conquer the territories of the fallen Ming Empire and establish the Qing Empire. Out of fear that the wulin (martial artists' community) will pose a threat to them, the Qing government forbids the common people from practising martial arts and possessing weapons. Prince Dokado, a Manchu noble, leads an army to eliminate those who defy the order. Dokado and his men kill many martial artists before assaulting Martial Village, which houses rebels from the Red Spears Society, an anti-Qing resistance movement. Two young villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, break out of the siege and follow Fu Qingzhu, a former executioner seeking to redeem himself, to Mount Heaven to seek help from Master Huiming, a reclusive martial artist and sword forger.
Huiming allows his four apprentices – Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang – to join Fu Qingzhu, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying on their quest to save the wulin from the Qing government's persecution. Each of the seven men receives a special sword from Huiming. They call themselves "Seven Swords".
The Seven Swords return in the nick of time and save the villagers from Qing forces attacking them. To avoid Dokado and his troops, the Seven Swords and the villagers flee into the mountains and hide inside a cave system. However, they soon discover that Dokado has planted a spy among them. The spy poisons their water supply, attempts to destroy their escape route, and frames Yang Yuncong for the deed. After escaping from the caves, the Seven Swords agree to split up for one year to avoid trouble. Han Zhibang and Mulang remain with the villagers, while Fu Qingzhu, Xin Longzi and Wu Yuanying go to the imperial capital to assassinate the Qing emperor.
In the meantime, Chu Zhaonan falls into a trap and gets captured by Fenghuo Liancheng, a ruthless Manchu general. He falls in love with Fenghuo Liancheng's slave, Lüzhu, but their romance ends in tragedy when she sacrifices herself to help him escape. Chu Zhaonan slays Fenghuo Liancheng and ventures far into western China, where he encounters Yang Yuncong. The two swordsmen join the Desert Eagles, an anti-Qing tribal group led by the legendary heroine Feihongjin.
During a battle against Qing forces, Yang Yuncong is wounded but is saved and nursed back to health by Nalan Minghui, a Qing general's daughter. They fall in love despite standing on opposing sides, but are not fated to be together as Nalan Minghui's father has arranged for her to marry Dokado. However, Nalan Minghui is already pregnant with Yang Yuncong's child and she gives birth to a baby girl later.
In the imperial capital, Fu Qingzhu, Xin Longzi and Wu Yuanying sneak into the palace and attempt to assassinate the Shunzhi Emperor. They end up saving the emperor from a coup staged by some nobles. In Hangzhou, Han Zhibang becomes the new leader of the Red Spears Society for his heroic actions in rescuing his comrades who were captured by Qing forces.
Following the reunion of the Seven Swords, Chu Zhaonan pretends to defect to the enemy in the hope of finding an opportunity to get close to Dokado and assassinate him. Chu Zhaonan's plan ultimately fails because Dokado sees through his ruse and manipulates him into committing atrocities against his own will. The rebels and the other six swordsmen become increasingly suspicious of where Chu Zhaonan's true allegiance lies.
Eventually, to prove his loyalty, Chu Zhaonan challenges Dokado to a battle on the banks of the Qiantang River and asks the other swordsmen to join him. Although the battle concludes with Dokado's defeat, it also causes the dissolution of the Seven Swords. Yang Yuncong is killed in action; Xin Longzi goes missing after entering a fit of insanity; Mulang returns to Mount Heaven in shame with Yang Yuncong's infant daughter after carelessly allowing the enemy to infiltrate the rebels' hideout; Chu Zhaonan is so deeply traumatised by the devastating experiences he went through that he abandons his fellows along with his conscience. While Fu Qingzhu and Wu Yuanying search for their missing comrades, Han Zhibang stays behind to help the surviving rebels rebuild their forces.
The Shunzhi Emperor, also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper. Upon the death of his father Hong Taiji, a committee of Manchu princes chose the 5-year-old Fulin as successor. The princes also appointed two co-regents: Dorgon, the 14th son of Nurhaci, and Jirgalang, one of Nurhaci's nephews, both of whom were members of the Qing imperial clan. In November 1644, the Shunzhi Emperor was enthroned as emperor of China in Beijing.
The Revolt of the Three Feudatories, also known as the Rebellion of Wu Sangui, was a rebellion lasting from 1673 to 1681 in early Qing dynasty of China, during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor. The revolt was led by Wu Sangui, Shang Zhixin and Geng Jingzhong, the three Han Chinese lords of Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian provinces whose hereditary titles were given for defecting and helping the Manchus conquer China, who rebelled after the Qing central government started removing their fiefdoms. The feudatories were supported by Zheng Jing's Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, which sent forces to invade Mainland China. Additionally, minor Han military figures, such as Wang Fuchen and the Chahar Mongols, also revolted against Qing rule.
Seven Swords is a 2005 wuxia film produced and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Sun Honglei, Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon. An international co-production between Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Netherlands, the story is loosely adapted from Liang Yusheng's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan and is completely unrelated to the novel except for some characters' names. Seven Swords was used as the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival and as a homage to Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai.
Shuai jiao is the term pertaining to the ancient jacket wrestling wushu style of Beijing, Tianjin and Baoding of Hebei Province in the North China Plain which was codified by Shan Pu Ying of the Nei Wu Fu. In modern usage it is also the general Mandarin Chinese term for any form of wrestling, both inside and outside China. As a generic name, it may be used to cover various styles of wrestling practiced in China in the form of a martial arts system or a sport. The art was introduced to Southern China in the Republican era after 1911.
Nalan Xingde, Manchu name Nara Singde, courtesy name Rongruo (容若), was a Chinese poet in Qing dynasty, famous for his ci poetry. He was born Nalan Chengde (納蘭成德), but had to change his name when the Kangxi Emperor named Yunreng his crown prince. The character cheng (成) became taboo because it was phonetic part of Yunreng's birth name.
The Emperor in Han Dynasty, also released under the title The Emperor Han Wu in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It uses the historical texts Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han as its source material.
Qijian Xia Tianshan is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng first published as a serial between 15 February 1956 and 31 March 1957 in the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao. Considered the third part of the Tianshan series of novels by Liang Yusheng, it is closely related to the first two parts, Baifa Monü Zhuan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan.
The Emperor and His Brother is a 1981 Hong Kong wuxia film based on Louis Cha's novel The Book and the Sword. Produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, the film was directed by Chor Yuen and starred Ti Lung, Jason Pai and Lo Lieh in the leading roles.
Filmography for the Indo-Chinese Hong Kong film actor and martial artist Lo Lieh:
The Mount Heaven School, also known as the Tianshan School, is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in works of wuxia fiction, most notably Liang Yusheng's Qijian Xia Tianshan. It also appears in Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils as a minor school that plays an important role in the story line of one of the three protagonists, Xuzhu. The school is named after the place where it is based, the Tian Shan mountain range in western China.
The Book and the Sword is a 2008 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on CETV-3 in China in 2009. It starred Qiao Zhenyu, Adam Cheng, Niki Chow, and Liu Dekai.
Saiwai Qixia Zhuan is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng first published as a serial between 18 August 1956 and 23 February 1957 in the Hong Kong newspaper Chou Mo Pao (周末報). Considered the second part of the Tianshan series of novels by Liang Yusheng, it serves as a sequel to the first part, Baifa Monü Zhuan, and is closely related to the third part, Qijian Xia Tianshan.
Legend of the White Hair Brides is a Singaporean television series adapted from the wuxia novels Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan and Qijian Xia Tianshan by Liang Yusheng. It was first broadcast on TCS-8 in 1996 in Singapore.
Records of Kangxi's Travel Incognito is a Chinese television series revolves around the Manchu-ruling Qing Empire monarch Kangxi Emperor and the corruption he faces as he tries to make the government run efficiently. The series was directed by Zhang Guoli and produced by Deng Jie. The series consists of a total of 144 episodes shot in high definition, each 45 minutes long. The series is based on the events in the Kangxi era of the reign of Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. The series also features Kangxi Emperor's family member and entourage in prominent roles and storylines, most notably his Concubine Yi and eunuch Sandezi and Buddhist monk Fayin, and Concubine Yi's servant girl Xiao Taohong. The program originally aired from 1998 to 2007, spanning five seasons and 144 episodes. For the first four seasons, the show starred Zhang Guoli and Deng Jie as Kangxi Emperor and Concubine Yi respectively. In the last season, John Lone and Irene Wan became the stars.
Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens, is a Chinese animated CG TV series that was released on March 10, 2016, and produced by Robin Shen and directed by Chen Qianyuan. It can also be translated as Nine Songs of the Sky. This series is the prequel to The Legend of Qin, which takes place before the time of the Qin dynasty. In an interview with Robin Shen, it was stated that although the two animated series have intersections of characters and timelines, Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens is an independent story with the focus on the creation of the Quicksand group by the Ninth Prince of Han, Han Fei.
Events from the year 1661 in the Qing dynasty.
Events from the year 1663 in China. Also known as 壬寅 4359 or 4299 to 卯年 4360 or 4300 in the Earthly Branches calendar.
