Swordsman (TV series)

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Swordsman
Swordsman (TV series).JPG
Promotional poster
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 byHu Yijuan
Huang Junwen
Creative directorLi Xianchang
Presented byPu Shulin
Ren Quan
Yu Zheng
Wan Ke
Zheng Gang
Starring Wallace Huo
Joe Chen
Yuan Shanshan
Chen Xiao
Yang Rong
Theme music composerTan Xuan
Dong Zhen
Opening themeFreedom by Wallace Huo
Ending themeLove Me by Pu Ti and Yuan Shanshan
ComposerLiu Sha
Country of originChina
Original languageMandarin
No. of episodes42 (Uncut)
Production
Executive producersLin Guohua
Kong Lingquan
Yang Yuming
Ren Xiaoli
Yu Wanqin
Guo Yan
Shen Wei
Yang Le
ProducerYu Zheng
Production locationChina
CinematographyLi Hongzhou
Ye Yunyuan
Chen Guowen
Dong Yong
Ma Lianyin
EditorZheng Weiming
Running time45 minutes per episode
Production companies
  • Cathay Media
  • Ren Quan Workshop
  • Perfect World (Beijing) Pictures
  • Hunan Satellite TV
  • Yu Zheng Workshop
  • Dongyang Xingrui Yingshi Culture Media
Original release
Network Hunan Satellite TV
Release6 February (2013-02-06) 
4 March 2013 (2013-03-04)

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.

Contents

Plot

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.

Cast

Special appearances

Renaming of Shaolin Monastery to Lingjiu Monastery

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]

Soundtrack

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Freedom (逍遥)" (Opening theme song)Wallace Huo4:25
2."Love Me (爱我)" (Ending theme song)Yuan Shanshan (female ver), Pu Ti (male ver)3:47
3."Awakened (觉悟)"Yuan Shanshan4:34
4."Wind Up (了结)" Dong Zhen 5:12

Reception

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]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
20135th China TV Drama Awards Most Popular Actress (Hong Kong/Taiwan)Joe ChenWon

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References

  1. (in Chinese) 于正版《笑傲江湖》今开机 演员阵容大曝光
  2. "少林寺缘何改名灵鹫寺 [Why Shaolin Monastery was renamed Lingjiu Monastery]". play.163.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. "Shaolin temple fights to protect trademark". The Economic Times. 1 August 2007. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. "Starring Wallace Huo, Yu Zheng's "Swordsman" Accused Of Being An Idol Drama". JayneStars.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  5. "Wallace Huo Talks "Swordsman" Love Interests". JayneStars.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.