| Seven Swordsmen | |
|---|---|
DVD cover art |
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| Also known as | Seven Swords of Mount Heaven |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Written by | Liang Yusheng (original story) Cheung Siu-yim |
| Directed by | Clarence Fok |
| Starring | Vincent Zhao Wang Xuebing Ray Lui Ada Choi Qiao Zhenyu Li Xiaoran Wang Likun |
| Opening theme | Ayiyahei (阿伊呀嘿) performed by Wang Yong and Yu Jiangying |
| Ending theme | Kongchuan (空船) performed by Ke Yimin |
| Country of origin | China |
| Language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tsui Hark Ma Zhongjun |
| Producer(s) | Ren Kelei Wang Guofei Pan Zhizhong Yang Wenhu |
| Location(s) | China Mongolia |
| Running time | 42 minutes per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | March 16 – September 2006 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Seven Swordsmen | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 七劍下天山 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 七剑下天山 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Seven Swords Descend from Mount Heaven | ||||||||||
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Seven Swordsmen is a 2006 television series directed by Clarence Fok and produced by Tsui Hark. The series is adapted from Liang Yusheng's novels Qijian Xia Tianshan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. It is also the derived counterpart of the 2005 film Seven Swords, which was also directed and produced by Tsui Hark.
Contents |
In 1664, the Manchus seize control of China and establish the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government issues a martial arts ban, forbidding 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's men kill many pugilists 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 to Mount Heaven to seek help from Master Huiming, a reclusive martial artist and sword forger.
Huiming allows his four students (Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang) to join the trio on their heroic quest to save the wulin (martial artists' community) from the Qing government's persecution. Each of the seven men receives a special sword from Huiming, and they title themselves "Seven Swords".
The Seven Swords return in the nick of time and save the villagers from attacking Qing soldiers. However, they decide to split up temporarily later to avoid trouble, and embark on their respective missions and adventures. Han Zhibang and Mulang remain with the villagers, while Fu Qingzhu, Xin Longzi and Wu Yuanying travel to the capital city to assassinate the Qing emperor.
Meanwhile, Chu Zhaonan falls into a trap and is captured by the ruthless Qing general Fenghuo Liancheng. Chu falls in love with Fenghuo Liancheng's slave girl, Lüzhu, but the romance ends in tragedy, as Lüzhu sacrifices herself to help him escape. Chu Zhaonan meets Yang Yuncong in northwestern China and they join the Desert Eagles, a tribal anti-Qing organization led by the legendary heroine, Feihongjin. Yang Yuncong is wounded during a battle with Qing forces, and is rescued by Nalan Minghui, an enemy general's daughter. They fall in love, despite standing on opposing sides, but are not fated to be together, as Nalan Minghui is engaged to Dokado. However, Nalan is already pregnant with Yang's child and she gives birth to a baby girl later.
In the capital, Fu Qingzhu and company sneak into the palace and attempt to assassinate the Shunzhi Emperor, but ironically, instead they save the emperor from a coup staged by some nobles. In Hangzhou, Han Zhibang is elected as the new leader of the Red Spears Society for his heroic acts in rescuing his imprisoned comrades. After the reunion of the Seven Swords, Chu Zhaonan pretends to defect to the enemy and use the opportunity to get close to Dokado and assassinate him. Chu's plan fails, as Dokado is aware of his intention, and manipulates him into killing some of the rebels, causing Chu's fellows to start doubting his loyalty.
Eventually, to prove his innocence, Chu Zhaonan and the other six swordsmen challenge Dokado to a battle on the Qiantang River bank. Although the battle concludes with Dokado's defeat, it also causes the division 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's infant daughter after carelessly allowing the enemy to infiltrate the rebels' hideout; Chu Zhaonan is morally weakened after the mentally devastating experiences he went through, and he abandons his fellows along with his conscience. Fu Qingzhu and Wu Yuanying embark on a search for their missing comrades, while Han Zhibang stays behind to help the surviving rebels rebuild their force.
| # | Translated title in English | Original title in Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swordsmen from Mount Heaven | 天山劍客 |
| 2 | The Seven Swords | 七劍 |
| 3 | The Battle of Boye | 決戰博野 |
| 4 | Yufang is Poisoned | 郁芳中毒 |
| 5 | The Real and Fake Secret Passage | 真假密道 |
| 6 | True Character of the Transience | 青干本色 |
| 7 | Mulang's Blood | 穆郎的血 |
| 8 | The Sorrowful Dragon | 悲情由龍 |
| 9 | The Heartless Green Pearl | 綠珠無情 |
| 10 | Yufang's Wedding | 郁芳婚禮 |
| 11 | The Desert Eagles | 沙漠之鷹 |
| 12 | Flying Shadows of Red Sash | 飛影紅巾 |
| 13 | The Transience and the Dragon | 青干由龍 |
| 14 | Chivalrous Bones and Tender Sentiments | 俠骨柔情 |
| 15 | Nalan Minghui | 納蘭明慧 |
| 16 | Children in a Chaotic World | 亂世兒女 |
| 17 | A Sacrifice to End the War | 止戰之殤 |
| 18 | Iron Blood and Loyal Heart | 鐵血丹心 |
| 19 | Trail of Heroes in the Capital | 京城俠影 |
| 20 | Dokado's Contest for Power | 多格多爭霸 |
| 21 | Ten Days Siege | 十日圍城 |
| 22 | Meeting of Dragons and Tigers | 龍虎會 |
| 23 | Gathering of Heroes | 聚義風雲 |
| 24 | The Mystery of the Tangerine Orchard | 橘園之謎 |
| 25 | The Sun and Moon and the Deity | 日月舍神 |
| 26 | Guild Master Han Zhibang | 舵主韓志邦 |
| 27 | Turmoil in Hangzhou | 杭州風暴 |
| 28 | Crisis in the Lantern Corner | 燈籠仿風波 |
| 29 | Pretending to Surrender to Dokado | 詐降多格多 |
| 30 | The Dragon Changes Colour | 變色由龍 |
| 31 | Two Irreconcilable Powers | 勢不兩力 |
| 32 | Minghui's Wedding | 明慧大婚 |
| 33 | The Breaking | 決裂 |
| 34 | The Battle of the Qiantang River | 決戰錢塘江 |