Legend of Huo Yuan Jia 霍元甲
Chinese title (trad.):
霍元甲
Chinese title (simpl.):
霍元甲
Russian title:
Легенда о Хо Юаньцзя
Other titles:
新霍元甲
Release year:
2001
Country:
China
Number of episodes:
34
Genre:
martial arts, romance
Language:
mandarin
Type:
TV series
Description:
At the mere mention of Huo Yuan-Jia, a television series from eighteen years ago springs to mind, along with the unforgettable evenings when everyone sat glued to the screen watching it. Filmed in Hong Kong as the first imported TV drama after the start of reform and opening up, it achieved a ratings miracle that emptied the streets. The classic story told in "Huo Yuan-Jia" took deep root in people's minds. Its theme song, "The Great Wall Never Falls," is still sung today. So what will this new "Huo Yuan-Jia," arriving more than a decade later, use to draw in viewers? Show more
Real Kung Fu
In today's martial arts dramas, few actors actually know martial arts — most are simply hoisted about on wires. In the new "Huo Yuan-Jia," audiences will enjoy the actors' genuine skill. The series features four national wushu champions, and all of them give outstanding performances. The kung fu of lead actor Vincent Zhao is especially remarkable. Vincent Zhao is a handsome martial arts star renowned throughout Southeast Asia, having played many heroes in films directed by Tsui Hark, such as Fang Shi-Yu and Huang Fei-Hong. In "Huo Yuan-Jia," Vincent Zhao carried forward and expanded the fight choreography of the old series, creating his own "Lost Trace Fist." On screen he displays rare, first-rate martial arts. It is said that this "Lost Trace Fist," in Vincent Zhao's own words, is "practical in life but doesn't look quite as good on television," so he added many elements to beautify it and improve the visual effect. Vincent Zhao's "Lost Trace Fist" encompasses eight styles — Cha Fist, Tongbei, Tai Chi, Bagua, Shaolin, Choy Li Fut and more. So many styles are combined to make the technique more brilliant and visually striking. According to Vincent Zhao, this style "will let viewers experience different flavors and show them what a real martial arts film should be like."
Two Threads
The new "Huo Yuan-Jia" is built around two main threads, one dramatic and one martial, which will let viewers reexamine Huo Yuan-Jia from a completely new angle. Of course, this reexamination faces the challenge of the old image of Huo Yuan-Jia in viewers' minds, but it will undoubtedly also give them a new aesthetic experience. The dramatic thread is Huo Yuan-Jia's emotional story, showing his feelings for his country, his family and his friends; the martial thread uses real kung fu to display the martial arts mastery of a great master. The dramatic content carries great weight in the series. The new Huo Yuan-Jia must not only navigate emotional entanglements with three women of different temperaments and backgrounds, but also undergo a profound inner transformation against a turbulent historical backdrop — his character is quite complex. Vincent Zhao came from a martial arts background, and many worried about whether he could handle such a heavy dramatic load. But Vincent Zhao was confident, because for the past three years he had been honing his dramatic skills. While filming "New One Cut Plum," he spent more than two hours every day studying the script and the character. He says that three years ago he truly would not have dared take on Huo Yuan-Jia so readily. But over those three years he appeared in many major productions with substantial dramatic content, received guidance from many great directors, and through diligent study quickly found his footing — now he can hold his own opposite Chow Yun-Fat. According to the director of "Huo Yuan-Jia," Vincent Zhao plays Huo Yuan-Jia with genuine ease.
Three Women
In the new "Huo Yuan-Jia," there are three women who torment the hero with love. Their emotional stories with Huo Yuan-Jia are moving and intricate, and they are a major draw for viewers. Zhao Qian-Nan is Huo's first wife, a child bride — there is affection but not love, yet Huo Yuan-Jia is a responsible man, and their scenes together are rather warm. On his travels through the world, Huo Yuan-Jia meets the innocent and rebellious Qi Yun Ge-Ge (Kei Yim). Ge-Ge loves Huo Yuan-Jia desperately. His like-minded comrade Nong Jing-Qiu (Mei Ting) is a figure in the mold of Qiu Jin, sharing much in common with Huo Yuan-Jia, who greatly admires her. What troubles Huo Yuan-Jia most is the development of his feelings for Qi Yun Ge-Ge. For his sake, Ge-Ge is willing to sacrifice her family and status, bombarding him with love; encountering such "passive" love for the first time, Huo Yuan-Jia gradually develops feelings of his own, but the revolutionaries force him to consider what forces Ge-Ge represents, and he has no choice but to reject her again and again.
In handling the emotional scenes with the three women, Vincent Zhao's acting is perfectly judged, giving Huo Yuan-Jia more charisma than in the old version. In addition, young actress Mei Ting, who appeared in "Bloody Innocence" and "Red Lovers," plays Nong Jing-Qiu and also delivers a superb performance, sharing with Huo Yuan-Jia a love-hate romance that cannot be cut or untangled. Wu Yue as Chen Zhen and Kei Yim as Qi Yun Ge-Ge also give wonderful performances.
The Story of the New "Huo Yuan-Jia"
At the great arena in Tianjin, tens of thousands witness Huo Yuan-Jia's father, Huo En-Di, defeat a Japanese master. Yet China won a match but lost a war — the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 — and this makes Huo Yuan-Jia realize that "every man is responsible for the fate of the nation." He goes to the capital to seek out Dadao Wang-Wu, only to be drawn into the affair of the "Six Gentlemen." Together with Wang-Wu he breaks into prison and storms the execution ground, and in the end witnesses the "Six Gentlemen" executed and Wang-Wu slain.
As the Eight-Nation Alliance attacks the capital, Huo Yuan-Jia leaves Beijing to find Wang-Wu's daughter and happens upon Chen Zhen. Unbeknownst to him, Chen Zhen has just returned from his studies in Japan and is looking for Huo En-Di to avenge his father's death. But En-Di is already dead — the father's debt passes to the son, and Chen Zhen and Huo Yuan-Jia face off in a duel.
Though Huo Yuan-Jia is a great martial arts master, he is clumsy at expressing his feelings. He rescues Qi Yun Ge-Ge, daughter of Prince Rong, who had been kidnapped by reformists. Ge-Ge falls in love with him at first sight, but Huo Yuan-Jia wants to love and cannot. Nong Jing-Qiu, daughter of a wealthy Shanghai merchant, secretly loves Huo Yuan-Jia, but he can only refuse her, not daring to confess. To save Huo Yuan-Jia, Qi Yun is at last forced to marry Watari. Determined to possess Qi Yun entirely, Watari sends Huo Yuan-Jia a challenge.
Yuan-Jia fights a Russian strongman, then an English boxing champion, then a Japanese master, then the Wu family's Tai Chi, then Prince Rong — and so establishes himself as a great master of martial arts.
Real Kung Fu
In today's martial arts dramas, few actors actually know martial arts — most are simply hoisted about on wires. In the new "Huo Yuan-Jia," audiences will enjoy the actors' genuine skill. The series features four national wushu champions, and all of them give outstanding performances. The kung fu of lead actor Vincent Zhao is especially remarkable. Vincent Zhao is a handsome martial arts star renowned throughout Southeast Asia, having played many heroes in films directed by Tsui Hark, such as Fang Shi-Yu and Huang Fei-Hong. In "Huo Yuan-Jia," Vincent Zhao carried forward and expanded the fight choreography of the old series, creating his own "Lost Trace Fist." On screen he displays rare, first-rate martial arts. It is said that this "Lost Trace Fist," in Vincent Zhao's own words, is "practical in life but doesn't look quite as good on television," so he added many elements to beautify it and improve the visual effect. Vincent Zhao's "Lost Trace Fist" encompasses eight styles — Cha Fist, Tongbei, Tai Chi, Bagua, Shaolin, Choy Li Fut and more. So many styles are combined to make the technique more brilliant and visually striking. According to Vincent Zhao, this style "will let viewers experience different flavors and show them what a real martial arts film should be like."
Two Threads
The new "Huo Yuan-Jia" is built around two main threads, one dramatic and one martial, which will let viewers reexamine Huo Yuan-Jia from a completely new angle. Of course, this reexamination faces the challenge of the old image of Huo Yuan-Jia in viewers' minds, but it will undoubtedly also give them a new aesthetic experience. The dramatic thread is Huo Yuan-Jia's emotional story, showing his feelings for his country, his family and his friends; the martial thread uses real kung fu to display the martial arts mastery of a great master. The dramatic content carries great weight in the series. The new Huo Yuan-Jia must not only navigate emotional entanglements with three women of different temperaments and backgrounds, but also undergo a profound inner transformation against a turbulent historical backdrop — his character is quite complex. Vincent Zhao came from a martial arts background, and many worried about whether he could handle such a heavy dramatic load. But Vincent Zhao was confident, because for the past three years he had been honing his dramatic skills. While filming "New One Cut Plum," he spent more than two hours every day studying the script and the character. He says that three years ago he truly would not have dared take on Huo Yuan-Jia so readily. But over those three years he appeared in many major productions with substantial dramatic content, received guidance from many great directors, and through diligent study quickly found his footing — now he can hold his own opposite Chow Yun-Fat. According to the director of "Huo Yuan-Jia," Vincent Zhao plays Huo Yuan-Jia with genuine ease.
Three Women
In the new "Huo Yuan-Jia," there are three women who torment the hero with love. Their emotional stories with Huo Yuan-Jia are moving and intricate, and they are a major draw for viewers. Zhao Qian-Nan is Huo's first wife, a child bride — there is affection but not love, yet Huo Yuan-Jia is a responsible man, and their scenes together are rather warm. On his travels through the world, Huo Yuan-Jia meets the innocent and rebellious Qi Yun Ge-Ge (Kei Yim). Ge-Ge loves Huo Yuan-Jia desperately. His like-minded comrade Nong Jing-Qiu (Mei Ting) is a figure in the mold of Qiu Jin, sharing much in common with Huo Yuan-Jia, who greatly admires her. What troubles Huo Yuan-Jia most is the development of his feelings for Qi Yun Ge-Ge. For his sake, Ge-Ge is willing to sacrifice her family and status, bombarding him with love; encountering such "passive" love for the first time, Huo Yuan-Jia gradually develops feelings of his own, but the revolutionaries force him to consider what forces Ge-Ge represents, and he has no choice but to reject her again and again.
In handling the emotional scenes with the three women, Vincent Zhao's acting is perfectly judged, giving Huo Yuan-Jia more charisma than in the old version. In addition, young actress Mei Ting, who appeared in "Bloody Innocence" and "Red Lovers," plays Nong Jing-Qiu and also delivers a superb performance, sharing with Huo Yuan-Jia a love-hate romance that cannot be cut or untangled. Wu Yue as Chen Zhen and Kei Yim as Qi Yun Ge-Ge also give wonderful performances.
The Story of the New "Huo Yuan-Jia"
At the great arena in Tianjin, tens of thousands witness Huo Yuan-Jia's father, Huo En-Di, defeat a Japanese master. Yet China won a match but lost a war — the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 — and this makes Huo Yuan-Jia realize that "every man is responsible for the fate of the nation." He goes to the capital to seek out Dadao Wang-Wu, only to be drawn into the affair of the "Six Gentlemen." Together with Wang-Wu he breaks into prison and storms the execution ground, and in the end witnesses the "Six Gentlemen" executed and Wang-Wu slain.
As the Eight-Nation Alliance attacks the capital, Huo Yuan-Jia leaves Beijing to find Wang-Wu's daughter and happens upon Chen Zhen. Unbeknownst to him, Chen Zhen has just returned from his studies in Japan and is looking for Huo En-Di to avenge his father's death. But En-Di is already dead — the father's debt passes to the son, and Chen Zhen and Huo Yuan-Jia face off in a duel.
Though Huo Yuan-Jia is a great martial arts master, he is clumsy at expressing his feelings. He rescues Qi Yun Ge-Ge, daughter of Prince Rong, who had been kidnapped by reformists. Ge-Ge falls in love with him at first sight, but Huo Yuan-Jia wants to love and cannot. Nong Jing-Qiu, daughter of a wealthy Shanghai merchant, secretly loves Huo Yuan-Jia, but he can only refuse her, not daring to confess. To save Huo Yuan-Jia, Qi Yun is at last forced to marry Watari. Determined to possess Qi Yun entirely, Watari sends Huo Yuan-Jia a challenge.
Yuan-Jia fights a Russian strongman, then an English boxing champion, then a Japanese master, then the Wu family's Tai Chi, then Prince Rong — and so establishes himself as a great master of martial arts.
Movie crew
presenter:
producer:
Tang Yong, Qi Xiao-Hong, Zhu Yong-Lei, Wu Xiao-Ming, Jiang Li-Bin, Huang Chang-Jun, Huang Xing-Zi, Jia Yun
27 m.
Zhu Yong-Lei
10 m.
Jia Yun
Aged 35 years
3 m.
Tang Yong
3 m.
Qi Xiao-Hong
27 m.
6 m.
Wu Xiao-Ming
4 m.
Jiang Li-Bin
4 m.
Huang Chang-Jun
1 m.
Huang Xing-Zi
10 m.
Aged 35 years
planning:
Chen Hai, Lin Yue-Wu, Liu Yu-Hua, Sun Yi, Kang Xi-Long, Wang Xiao-Zhong, Liu Feng-Zhou
15 m.
Chen Hai
15 m.
3 m.
Lin Yue-Wu
12 m.
Liu Yu-Hua
8 m.
Sun Yi
1 m.
Kang Xi-Long
1 m.
Wang Xiao-Zhong
1 m.
Liu Feng-Zhou
script supervisor:
assistant director:
cinematographer:
art director:
costume designer:
makeup:
lighting:
editor:
props:
action director:
Actors
Actors
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