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Post by kyc on Feb 12, 2022 21:07:48 GMT
Seven Swordsmen
(From Wikipedia) Seven Swordsmen is a 2006 Chinese television series directed by Clarence Fok and produced by Tsui Hark. The series is loosely adapted from Liang Yusheng's wuxia novels Qijian Xia Tianshan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. It is also the television series counterpart to the 2005 film Seven Swords, which was also directed and produced by Tsui Hark.
Producer: Tsui Hark
Directors: Clarence Fok (霍耀良), Gary Sing (成志超)
Cast: Vincent Zhao, Ada Choi, Wang Xuebing, Ray Lui, Qiao Zhenyu, Wang Likun, Li Xiaoran
This series is like only 20% adapted from Liang Yusheng’s novels. Most of the characters are the same, but some of their personalities are changed. Most of the plot is different. The earlier parts are largely adapted from the movie. The rest involves Hamaya, Nalan Minghui and Dong Xiaowan.
Some major differences:
1) Seven Swords in LYS never refer to seven physical swords. They refer to seven swordspersons: four women, three men. In this series, they refer to seven real swords, wielded by seven swordsmen. Of the seven, only Mulang (Ling Weifeng) is part of LYS’s original seven.
2) Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong and Mulang (Ling Weifeng) are indeed sect brothers. But the order in LYS is: the eldest, Yang Yuncong; second, Chu Zhaonan; third (and much younger) Ling Weifeng.
3) In the novel Seven Swords Descend Mount Heaven, Yang Yuncong only meets Mulang just before his death. He asks the boy to take his infant daughter to Mount Heaven, after which Mulang becomes a disciple of Reverend Huiming. Since Chu Zhaonan is by then a bad guy, the three cannot descend Mt. Heaven together as sect brothers.
4) In the LYS novels, Chu Zhaonan is the antagonist, Bad Guy No. 1. In the TV series, he is a good guy, played by Vincent Zhao.
5) In the book, Xin Longzi is not a disciple of Reverend Huiming and hence not of the same sect as Yang Yuncong and his sect brothers. He is a disciple of Zhuo Yihang, the former lover of the White-Haired Demoness, Lian Nichang.
6) Green Pearl (Chu Zhaonan’s first girl in the TV series) is not a character from the novels.
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Post by kyc on Feb 12, 2022 21:13:39 GMT
I just finished this 39-episode TV series on YouTube. How do I like it? I think it’s quite good.
However, I think I like the Flying Red Sash / Hamaya (played by Ada Choi) parts best. Those episodes with her seem to be directed by a different director (Gary Sing?). The romance in the middle episodes is more convincing to me than the rest of the series. The pacing is also better. With the other director, the series sometimes drags.
The action choreography is decent but doesn’t stand out. Vincent Zhao, Yu Chenghui and Ji Chunhua are real-life martial artists.
Who I like:
1) Vincent Zhao (Chu Zhaonan). Gone are the days when he didn’t dare look his leading lady in the eye, as a wooden Wang Feihong. He acted well here. A super-nice guy in the earlier episodes.
2) Ada Choi (Hamaya/Flying Red Sash). Perfect casting. Very close to the characterization in the book. This must be one of Ada’s best roles.
3) Qiao Zhenyu (Mulang). He’s good-looking here, stole the limelight from Yang Yuncong. His love triangle with Han Zhibang and Liu Yufang is one of the highlights of the series.
4) Wang Likun (Liu Yufang). She’s pretty good, but I wish the scriptwriters develop her character a little more.
Neutral:
1) Wang Xuebing (Yang Yuncong). In the earlier parts, he just doesn’t look very heroic, always wearing a straight face. With Ada Choi’s appearance, his character becomes more interesting. I think Director B got more out of him. Still, he’s not really the Yang Yuncong of the book.
2) Bryan Leung (Liu Jingyi). Mostly on “auto-pilot” mode.
3) Ray Lui (Prince Dodo). Acted well for Director B, more on “auto-pilot” mode for Director A.
4) Zhang Bo (Han Zhibang). He plays the stereotypical “rejected guy”, but the script doesn’t offer him much scope. He has to clearly not upstage the Mulang character.
5) Sang Weilin (Wu Yuanying). An interesting face, with little to do as he has no love interest.
6) Yu Chenghui (Fu Qingzhu). Mainly here because he is a martial artist.
Who I dislike:
1) Ji Chunhua (Xin Longzi). He looks psychotic most of the time. Half the time he’s rushing to clobber someone. The scriptwriters give a psychological explanation for his weird behavior, but he just looks the odd man out in this group.
2) Edell Aidai (Green Pearl). The actress looks like she just stepped out of a 21st century HK nightclub. Her hairstyle, face and tan are anachronistic. Her acting is so-so and she lacks chemistry with Vincent Zhao.
3) Li Xiaoran (Nalan Minghui). I tried hard but couldn’t get myself to like this Nanlan Minghui. Her kindheartedness is emphasized over all her other traits. Most of the time she looks sad with only a mournful expression on her face. Not really the Nalan Minghui of the book.
4) Wang Xinfen (The White-Haired Demoness). Never thought I would say this about Lian Nichang, but she’s really a witch here, telling Ada Choi to do all sorts of evil. Thankfully, she’s a very minor character here.
I find Episodes 1-3 boring. The series picks up from Episode 4 (when Reverend Huiming gives them the swords). Still, I find the series only not bad until Ada Choi appears; another director seems at the helm from then on (Gary Sing?) for about 8 episodes or so. The romantic subplots immediately become more intriguing, the acting more involving. So the Ada Choi parts are what I like best.
On the whole, I like this series, although it’s only very loosely based on LYS. At least it still has the Xia spirit. The script changes aren’t bad, although I wish Liu Yufang doesn’t have to look after a class of children most of the time. I think it’s definitely worth watching; most of the actors are well cast and a few have real charisma.
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Post by Admin on Feb 21, 2022 7:46:54 GMT
kyc : I watched this series many years ago before I read the novel. And I liked it It's not loyal, but the story is very decent. I also like Ada Choi as Hamaya. She's really cool! I remember the fighting scene between Vincent Zhao and Ray Lui is one of the best wuxia fighting scene ever! Also, this series has beautiful theme songs. Two of the theme songs is an Uyghur language song, and one of the songs (in Chinese version) is quoting a poem by Nalan Xingde. Let me try to find the songs and post it here
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Post by Admin on Feb 21, 2022 8:01:25 GMT
This Uyghur song from Seven Swords of Mt. Heaven tv series. This song is about Fei Hongjin. GUL SA BA GUL SA BA 飛翔的紅巾 YALGUZ KAL DING DA LA DA 獨自在荒野 AY SIZ KALDI BU AH XAMLAR 這些夜晚沒有月亮,一片黑暗 AT RAP JIM JIT HM MISKIN 周圍是那麼清靜,更加感到憂傷 BAX LIMAH TA UQUX KA 慢慢地開始消失了 YU RAT TI KI XU IZ LAR 心中的痕跡不再清晰 GUL SA BA GUL SA BA 飛翔的紅巾 YU RAT TI KI XU IZ LAR 心中的痕跡不再清晰 That's according to Miss Bai(du) I posted in another thread many years ago
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Post by kyc on Feb 21, 2022 8:08:15 GMT
This Uyghur song from Seven Swords of Mt. Heaven tv series. This song is about Fei Hongjin. GUL SA BA GUL SA BA 飛翔的紅巾 YALGUZ KAL DING DA LA DA 獨自在荒野 AY SIZ KALDI BU AH XAMLAR 這些夜晚沒有月亮,一片黑暗 AT RAP JIM JIT HM MISKIN 周圍是那麼清靜,更加感到憂傷 BAX LIMAH TA UQUX KA 慢慢地開始消失了 YU RAT TI KI XU IZ LAR 心中的痕跡不再清晰 GUL SA BA GUL SA BA 飛翔的紅巾 YU RAT TI KI XU IZ LAR 心中的痕跡不再清晰 That's according to Miss Bai(du) I posted in another thread many years ago Thanks! It's really nice. LYS loved Ada Choi's Hamaya too. He stopped short of saying he liked the series cos it's so different, but was unstinting in his praise of her.
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Post by Admin on Feb 21, 2022 8:19:57 GMT
This is the song that quote some of Nalan Xingde's poem,
Here is the original poem: 山一程,水一程 The journey through vast mountains and long rivers 身向榆关那畔行 A journey from the outer wall to Yu Pass (Shanhai Guan Pass) 夜深千帐灯 Thousands of lights from the soldier's tents. 风一更,雪一更 The wind is harsh, the snow is fierce 聒碎乡心梦不成 The sound of scattering snow, an unfulfilled dream of a homeland 故园无此声 Old hometown (Beijing) has no this kind of sound
This is the song : 山一程,水一程 The journey through vast mountains and long rivers 身向天山行 A journey to the Mount Heaven 风一更,雪一更 The wind is harsh, the snow is fierce 夜深千帐灯 Thousands of lights from the soldier's tents. 剑沉沉爱深深 the sword is heavy and the love is deep 英雄儿女行 the journey of heroes 来一回去一回 come and go 岁月不留情 the time is merciless 跨越世界梦不成 an unfulfilled dream of crossing the world 起看寥落晨星 gazing the morning star 空船一去无踪影 once the empty ship is gone, it leaves no trace 苍茫误此生 the vastness of life
PS : my Chinese is not good enough to translate though. Roughly like that.
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Post by kyc on Feb 21, 2022 8:47:01 GMT
Wow, the Nalan Xingde poem is very good. So the Manchus wrote good Chinese poetry too.
The last three lines of the song is good too. Your translation is fine.
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Post by Admin on Feb 21, 2022 8:59:33 GMT
Wow, the Nalan Xingde poem is very good. So the Manchus wrote good Chinese poetry too. The last three lines of the song is good too. Your translation is fine. Yes, Nalan Xingde is really good. It's too bad that he died young. You could try and read his other poems. They are really good and touching. I don't know why, but I find it that it's easy for me to understand his poetry, compare to the other poetries from other poets.
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Post by kyc on Feb 21, 2022 9:31:39 GMT
Wow, the Nalan Xingde poem is very good. So the Manchus wrote good Chinese poetry too. The last three lines of the song is good too. Your translation is fine. Yes, Nalan Xingde is really good. It's too bad that he died young. You could try and read his other poems. They are really good and touching. I don't know why, but I find it that it's easy for me to understand his poetry, compare to the other poetries from other poets. Li He also died very young, like 25. They were all very talented. The only poem I read before of Nalan Xingde was one he wrote about his failed marriage with his female cousin. It's good but I like this one even better. Apparently Nalan Xingde wrote a lot about love which is why girls especially like his poetry. I haven't read that much Chinese poetry but another one who wrote love poetry is Li Shangyin. You must have an annotated edition explaining all his allusions though, haha. Nalan Xingde is definitely more accessible.
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Post by Admin on Feb 22, 2022 3:30:09 GMT
Yes, Nalan Xingde is really good. It's too bad that he died young. You could try and read his other poems. They are really good and touching. I don't know why, but I find it that it's easy for me to understand his poetry, compare to the other poetries from other poets. Li He also died very young, like 25. They were all very talented. The only poem I read before of Nalan Xingde was one he wrote about his failed marriage with his female cousin. It's good but I like this one even better. Apparently Nalan Xingde wrote a lot about love which is why girls especially like his poetry. I haven't read that much Chinese poetry but another one who wrote love poetry is Li Shangyin. You must have an annotated edition explaining all his allusions though, haha. Nalan Xingde is definitely more accessible. May I know which poem is about his failed marriage with his female cousin?
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Post by kyc on Feb 22, 2022 6:55:52 GMT
I probably didn't make myself clear. It's his failed intended marriage with his cousin. They didn't actually get married. Some people say the poem was written for Shen Wan (沈宛), a talented girl from Jiangnan with whom he had an affair. Since no one now knows when the poem was written, it's hard to know who exactly it refers to. 納蘭性德《採桑子‧而今才道當時錯》
而今才道當時錯,心緒淒迷。紅淚偷垂,滿眼春風百事非。 情知此後來無計,強說歡期。一別如斯,落盡梨花月又西。
My translation: NALAN XINGDE To the Tune: “Gathering Mulberries”Only now do I know that we were wrong. Forlorn, grief-stricken, her shedding crimson tears in secret. Anticipating delights to come yet all went wrong. Knowing that things from then on would be lost we forced ourselves to talk of blissful coming days then parted ways as we did. All fallen the pear blossoms: in the west that same moon yet again. I came across this poem when I read it in Xu Yuanchong's translation. I thought it a fairly simple poem, so why not try translating it myself? I didn't replicate the line pattern of the original but tried to stick close enough to the sense.
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Post by Admin on Feb 22, 2022 7:16:06 GMT
I probably didn't make myself clear. It's his failed intended marriage with his cousin. They didn't actually get married. Some people say the poem was written for Shen Wan (沈宛), a talented girl from Jiangnan with whom he had an affair. Since no one now knows when the poem was written, it's hard to know who exactly it refers to. 納蘭性德《採桑子‧而今才道當時錯》
而今才道當時錯,心緒淒迷。紅淚偷垂,滿眼春風百事非。 情知此後來無計,強說歡期。一別如斯,落盡梨花月又西。
My translation: NALAN XINGDE To the Tune: “Gathering Mulberries”Only now do I know that we were wrong. Forlorn, grief-stricken, her shedding crimson tears in secret. Anticipating delights to come yet all went wrong. Knowing that things from then on would be lost we forced ourselves to talk of blissful coming days then parted ways as we did. All fallen the pear blossoms: in the west that same moon yet again. I came across this poem when I read it in Xu Yuanchong's translation. I thought it's a fairly simple poem, so why not try translating it myself? I didn't replicate the line pattern of the original but tried to stick close enough to the sense. wow...Indeed a very nice touching poem. Yes, now I remember about the cousin of Nalan Xingde. Nobody knows what actually happened. Some speculated that the girl was brought to the palace and became one of Kangxi's concubines. And this becomes a hot topic of unofficial history about Kangxi - that Kangxi and Nalan Xingde, although close friends but they had a love contention. Anyway, this is a very nice poem. I copied and shared it to the poem section! (y)
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Post by soengyee on Feb 26, 2022 23:00:01 GMT
I just finished this 39-episode TV series on YouTube. How do I like it? I think it’s quite good. However, I think I like the Flying Red Sash / Hamaya (played by Ada Choi) parts best. Those episodes with her seem to be directed by a different director (Gary Sing?). The romance in the middle episodes is more convincing to me than the rest of the series. The pacing is also better. With the other director, the series sometimes drags. The action choreography is decent but doesn’t stand out. Vincent Zhao, Yu Chenghui and Ji Chunhua are real-life martial artists. Who I like: 1) Vincent Zhao (Chu Zhaonan). Gone are the days when he didn’t dare look his leading lady in the eye, as a wooden Wang Feihong. He acted well here. A super-nice guy in the earlier episodes. 2) Ada Choi (Hamaya/Flying Red Sash). Perfect casting. Very close to the characterization in the book. This must be one of Ada’s best roles. 3) Qiao Zhenyu (Mulang). He’s good-looking here, stole the limelight from Yang Yuncong. His love triangle with Han Zhibang and Liu Yufang is one of the highlights of the series. 4) Wang Likun (Liu Yufang). She’s pretty good, but I wish the scriptwriters develop her character a little more. Neutral: 1) Wang Xuebing (Yang Yuncong). In the earlier parts, he just doesn’t look very heroic, always wearing a straight face. With Ada Choi’s appearance, his character becomes more interesting. I think Director B got more out of him. Still, he’s not really the Yang Yuncong of the book. 2) Bryan Leung (Liu Jingyi). Mostly on “auto-pilot” mode. 3) Ray Lui (Prince Dodo). Acted well for Director B, more on “auto-pilot” mode for Director A. 4) Zhang Bo (Han Zhibang). He plays the stereotypical “rejected guy”, but the script doesn’t offer him much scope. He has to clearly not upstage the Mulang character. 5) Sang Weilin (Wu Yuanying). An interesting face, with little to do as he has no love interest. 6) Yu Chenghui (Fu Qingzhu). Mainly here because he is a martial artist. Who I dislike: 1) Ji Chunhua (Xin Longzi). He looks psychotic most of the time. Half the time he’s rushing to clobber someone. The scriptwriters give a psychological explanation for his weird behavior, but he just looks the odd man out in this group. 2) Edell Aidai (Green Pearl). The actress looks like she just stepped out of a 21st century HK nightclub. Her hairstyle, face and tan are anachronistic. Her acting is so-so and she lacks chemistry with Vincent Zhao. 3) Li Xiaoran (Nalan Minghui). I tried hard but couldn’t get myself to like this Nanlan Minghui. Her kindheartedness is emphasized over all her other traits. Most of the time she looks sad with only a mournful expression on her face. Not really the Nalan Minghui of the book. 4) Wang Xinfen (The White-Haired Demoness). Never thought I would say this about Lian Nichang, but she’s really a witch here, telling Ada Choi to do all sorts of evil. Thankfully, she’s a very minor character here. I find Episodes 1-3 boring. The series picks up from Episode 4 (when Reverend Huiming gives them the swords). Still, I find the series only not bad until Ada Choi appears; another director seems at the helm from then on (Gary Sing?) for about 8 episodes or so. The romantic subplots immediately become more intriguing, the acting more involving. So the Ada Choi parts are what I like best. On the whole, I like this series, although it’s only very loosely based on LYS. At least it still has the Xia spirit. The script changes aren’t bad, although I wish Liu Yufang doesn’t have to look after a class of children most of the time. I think it’s definitely worth watching; most of the actors are well cast and a few have real charisma. Because I am back to work now I don't have much time to post like before. I am a bit late to this but I watched this adaption about 10 years ago and I am not a huge fan like you kyc. You all know I love Liang YuSheng's novels so seeing his story butchered here is a no no for me. I admit the novel itself is not one of his best but I still prefer the story in the novel to this adaption. I find the adaption too long and draggy and not enough fighting scenes. The novel had lots more action and characters are missing in this adaption. I find Liu YuFang to be so boring and the story focused too much on her and she doesn't even seem to know martial arts here. I also find they did the same to Nalan MingHui, she is so boring and also doesn't know martial arts. It's not the actresses fault but rather the producer and script. I admit Choi Siu Fun is very good as Hamaya, but having her character killed at the end is rather stupid. She survives in the novel... Zhuo YiHang and Reverend HuiMing is combined into one character, this is travesty. Green Pearl is also a dumb character, why the need to make up this character is beyond me when there are other female characters in the novel that are missing... I agree about Vincent Zhao and Qiao ZhenYu. The two of them and Choi Siu Fun were the only reasons why I continued watching this adaption. I honestly wouldn't watch it again.
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Post by kyc on Feb 28, 2022 4:59:40 GMT
Because I am back to work now I don't have much time to post like before. I am a bit late to this but I watched this adaption about 10 years ago and I am not a huge fan like you kyc. You all know I love Liang YuSheng's novels so seeing his story butchered here is a no no for me. I admit the novel itself is not one of his best but I still prefer the story in the novel to this adaption. I find the adaption too long and draggy and not enough fighting scenes. The novel had lots more action and characters are missing in this adaption. I find Liu YuFang to be so boring and the story focused too much on her and she doesn't even seem to know martial arts here. I also find they did the same to Nalan MingHui, she is so boring and also doesn't know martial arts. It's not the actresses fault but rather the producer and script. I admit Choi Siu Fun is very good as Hamaya, but having her character killed at the end is rather stupid. She survives in the novel... Zhuo YiHang and Reverend HuiMing is combined into one character, this is travesty. Green Pearl is also a dumb character, why the need to make up this character is beyond me when there are other female characters in the novel that are missing... I agree about Vincent Zhao and Qiao ZhenYu. The two of them and Choi Siu Fun were the only reasons why I continued watching this adaption. I honestly wouldn't watch it again. To be honest I used the fast forward button quite a lot. And had Adai Choi not been in the series, I would have given it a much more lukewarm response. The actors aren't at fault I agree. They are generally good. The first 3 episodes were so draggy for me I was wondering why they couldn't condense it into 1. And the Liu Yufang actress is good, but the scriptwriters didn't really develop her character. They keep getting her to mind children. She has a crush on Vincent Zhao and the rest of her story, she's just the center of a love triangle that doesn't develop much either. The Tsui Hark film is really behind the first 14 episodes and they really stretched the material thin. I agree there's a lot of padding. Memories sometimes deceive. I was re-watching The Legend of the White Hair Brides (1996) these few days and from Episodes 6-10 I really felt like clobbering the Yang Yuncong in the series. I never felt like that when I first watched it many years back. But if there's one thing good about this series, at 21 episodes, it never drags.
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