Swordsman | |
---|---|
Chinese | 笑傲江湖 |
Hanyu Pinyin | Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú |
Genre | Wuxia |
Based on | The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Louis Cha |
Screenplay by | Yu Zheng |
Directed by | Hu Yijuan Huang Junwen |
Creative director | Li Xianchang |
Presented by | Pu Shulin Ren Quan Yu Zheng Wan Ke Zheng Gang |
Starring | Wallace Huo Joe Chen Yuan Shanshan Chen Xiao Yang Rong |
Theme music composer | Tan Xuan Dong Zhen |
Opening theme | Freedom by Wallace Huo |
Ending theme | Love Me by Pu Ti and Yuan Shanshan |
Composer | Liu Sha |
Country of origin | China |
Original language | Mandarin |
No. of episodes | 42 (Uncut) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Lin Guohua Kong Lingquan Yang Yuming Ren Xiaoli Yu Wanqin Guo Yan Shen Wei Yang Le |
Producer | Yu Zheng |
Production location | China |
Cinematography | Li Hongzhou Ye Yunyuan Chen Guowen Dong Yong Ma Lianyin |
Editor | Zheng Weiming |
Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Hunan Satellite TV |
Release | 6 February – 4 March 2013 |
Swordsman is a 2013 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer . The series is written and produced by Yu Zheng, and stars Wallace Huo, Joe Chen, Yuan Shanshan, Chen Xiao and Yang Rong. Shooting started on 24 March 2012 in Xiandu, Jinyun County, Lishui, Zhejiang. [1] It was first aired in China on Hunan Television from 6 February to 4 March 2013. The plot deviates significantly from the novel, with Dongfang Bubai depicted as a woman (instead of a castrated man) and having a romantic affair with Linghu Chong.
Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of Huashan Sect, is open-minded and unrestrained by nature. When he first entered Huashan, his martial arts skills were ordinary. Later, he met a master who taught him the "Nine Swords of Dugu" and accidentally obtained the essence of the swordsmanship of the Five Mountains. This aroused the suspicion of his master Yue Buqun, who expelled him from the sect on the pretext of expelling him. In fact, Yue Buqun was upright on the surface, but treacherous on the inside. In order to obtain the "Sunflower Treasure Book", a secret book of the world, he designed a plan to make the martial arts sects plot against each other, but in the end, he killed himself. Linghu Chong had been in love with Yue Lingshan, the daughter of Buqun, since childhood, but Lin Pingzhi appeared and made Yue Lingshan turn to him. Later, Linghu Chong met Ren Yingying, the only daughter of the leader of Blackwood Cliff, and the two had similar interests. After several life and death misunderstandings, they realized that they loved each other deeply, but Yingying had been poisoned and was dying. After experiencing the hegemony disputes in the world, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying finally appreciated each other and got married, and they have been proud of the world ever since.
In the series, Shaolin Monastery (or Shaolin School) is renamed Lingjiu Monastery (靈鷲寺; "Divine Eagle Monastery"). The change is believed to be because the producers wanted to avoid trademark infringement, since Shaolin Monastery has officially registered "Shaolin" as a trademark and has been involved in lawsuits with commercial companies over the use of "Shaolin" as a brand name or trademark. [2] [3]
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Freedom (逍遥)" (Opening theme song) | Wallace Huo | 4:25 |
2. | "Love Me (爱我)" (Ending theme song) | Yuan Shanshan (female ver), Pu Ti (male ver) | 3:47 |
3. | "Awakened (觉悟)" | Yuan Shanshan | 4:34 |
4. | "Wind Up (了结)" | Dong Zhen | 5:12 |
Prior to its original broadcast, Swordsman received popular attention for its teen idol cast in comparison with older adaptations of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and for major amendments made to the original story. [4] Particular attention was shed on Joe Chen's casting as Dongfang Bubai, a minor antagonist in the novel whose role was substantially rewritten in this series to portray him/her as one of two female protagonists alongside Yuan Shanshan's character, Ren Yingying.
During and following its broadcast, the series received mixed and largely polarised reviews. The series was both praised and criticised for its unfaithfulness to the novel, although producer Yu Zheng asserted that it is one of the 'most faithful' adaptations of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Nevertheless, the series maintained high ratings throughout its run. The new characterisation of Dongfang Bubai sparked controversy, even though Joe Chen's performance as a complex character was praised, and Dongfang Bubai became a feminist pop icon. Chen Xiao's portrayal of Lin Pingzhi was also critically acclaimed, but Yuan Shanshan's Ren Yingying was critically dismissed as a miscast of the original character in the novel. Attention was directed towards the prominence of romantic plotlines and subplots in the series which were similarly met with mixed reviews. However, new romantic pairings among the cast as follows were well received by younger audiences: Wallace Huo's Linghu Chong and Joe Chen's Dongfang Bubai; Han Dong's Tian Boguang and Deng Sha's Yilin; Chen Xiao's Lin Pingzhi and Yang Rong's Yue Lingshan; Lü Jiarong's Lan Fenghuang and Han Dong's Tian Boguang. [5]
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 5th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Actress (Hong Kong/Taiwan) | Joe Chen | Won |
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper Ming Pao from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, Xiao Ao Jiang Hu, literally means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. Alternate English translations of the title include The Wandering Swordsman, Laughing in the Wind, The Peerless Gallant Errant, and The Proud and Gallant Wanderer. Another alternative title, State of Divinity, is used for some of the novel's adaptations.
Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film very loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was the second part of a trilogy: preceded by The Swordsman (1990) and followed by The East Is Red (1993). Directed by Ching Siu-tung, Swordsman II starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle Reis in the leading roles. None of the original cast from the previous film return except Fennie Yuen.
Laughing in the Wind is a 2001 Chinese television series produced by Zhang Jizhong, starring Li Yapeng and Xu Qing in the leading roles. The series is an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CCTV in China in 2001.
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.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time, the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members, including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes, such as the battles of Guandu, Red Cliffs and Xiaoting, were also live-acted.
The Swordsman, also known as Swordsman, is a 1990 Hong Kong wuxia film. King Hu was credited as the director but allegedly left the project midway, and the film was completed by a team led by producer Tsui Hark. The film is loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The film was followed by two sequels: Swordsman II (1992) and The East Is Red (1993).
Three Kingdoms is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The plot is adapted from the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other stories about the Three Kingdoms period. Directed by Gao Xixi, the series had a budget of over 160 million RMB and took five years of pre-production work. Shooting of the series commenced in October 2008, and it was released in China in May 2010.
Dongfang Bubai, literally "Invincible East", is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. He is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult (日月神教), an "unorthodox" martial arts school. In his quest to dominate the wulin, he castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in a martial arts manual known as the Sunflower Manual (葵花寶典), and became a formidable martial artist after mastering those skills. His castration and supreme prowess in martial arts make him one of the most memorable characters in Jin Yong's wuxia universe even though he appears in only one chapter of the novel. His name has also become virtually synonymous with homosexuality and LGBT sexual orientations in Chinese popular culture.
The Legendary Swordsman is a Singaporean television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on TCS-8 in Singapore in 2000. It stars Steve Ma, Fann Wong, Ivy Lee, Chew Chor Meng, Jacelyn Tay, Florence Tan, Chen Tianwen, Priscelia Chan & Zheng Geping as the casts of the series.
State of Divinity is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CTV in Taiwan in 2000.
The Proud Youth is a 1978 Hong Kong film loosely based on Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Sun Chung and starred Wong Yue, Shih Szu, Michael Chan and Ling Yun.
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