Hero of the Times

Hero of the Times is a Singaporean-Taiwanese wuxia television series based on legends about Fong Sai-yuk (Mandarin: Fang Shiyu), a Chinese folk hero and martial artist who lived during the Qing dynasty. It was co-produced by the Television Corporation of Singapore and Taiwan's China Television, directed by Hu Mingkai, and starred Chinese actor Vincent Zhao as Fang Shiyu. It was first aired in Singapore on TCS Eighth Frequency (now MediaCorp Channel 8) from late 1999 to early 2000.

Plot
The series is set in China during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The emperor orders Nalan Degang, a Manchu bannerman, to form and lead a secret death squad to eliminate the Great Ming Society, a Yangzhou-based underground movement seeking to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. The death squad is named "Flying Guillotines" after the highly dreaded weapon used by its members.

Fang Shiyu is the elder son of Fang De, the governor of Yangzhou. He spends his time enjoying life with his best friend, Nalan Dekai, who is Nalan Degang's younger brother. Zhu Lingce, the Black Guardian of the Great Ming Society, is a descendant of the imperial clan of the Ming dynasty. In the past, he had a romantic affair with Miao Cuihua, Fang Shiyu's mother, but chose to give up on her to pursue his quest to overthrow the Qing dynasty. Although Miao Cuihua married Fang De and bore him two sons, she still has romantic feelings for Zhu Lingce. It turns out later that Fang De is actually the White Guardian of the Great Ming Society and he has been secretly using his position as the governor of Yangzhou to help the society in their anti-Qing activities.

Fang Shiyu and Nalan Dekai travel to Shaolin Monastery to learn martial arts and master the Yijin Jing. Their friend, Song Tiezhu, succumbs to the temptation of glory and chooses to join Nalan Degang and serve the Qing government as a spy. When Nalan Degang captures Zhu Lingce, Fang Shiyu and his friends break into prison to save him. However, Song Tiezhu betrays them, causes Zhu Lingce to get killed, and exposes Fang De's true identity as the White Guardian of the Great Ming Society. While Fang De is arrested and taken to Beijing, Fang Shiyu manages to escape and he brings along Nalan Dekai, who was injured while helping him, to Shaolin Monastery for treatment. However, Song Tiezhu leads Qing forces to attack Shaolin and capture them. Fang Shiyu defeats Song Tiezhu in a fight and permanently disables him to prevent him from harming others again.

The Yongzheng Emperor uses a scheme to create a misunderstanding between Fang De and the Great Ming Society and tricks the society into believing that Fang De betrayed them. Fang De has no choice but to commit suicide to prove his innocence. In the meantime, Fang Shiyu trains hard in martial arts with the aim of seeking justice and avenging his father. He breaks into the Forbidden City and tries to assassinate the Yongzheng Emperor, but ultimately gives up on his quest for vengeance when he realises the best option is to spare the emperor's life because there will be further chaos and bloodshed if a power vacuum is created when the emperor dies.

Cast

 * Vincent Zhao as Fang Shiyu
 * Leanne Liu as Miao Cuihua
 * Vincent Ng as Nalan Dekai
 * Yvonne Lim as Lei Xiaoti
 * Ix Shen as Nalan Degang
 * May Phua as Princess Fulu
 * Chunyu Shanshan as Song Tiezhu
 * Shirley He as You Hongxiu
 * Rayson Tan as Zhu Lingce
 * Li Wenhai as Fang De
 * Cai Yiwei as Fang Shaoyu
 * Wang Huichun as the Yongzheng Emperor
 * Huang Chung-kun as the Fourteenth Prince
 * Chen Guohua as Murong Yixiao
 * Xiang Yun as Wu Hua'niang
 * Lin Meijiao as Abbess Babao
 * Elvis Tsui as Ao Tianwei
 * Qian Zhigang as Lei Laohu
 * Wang Ailing as Xiantao
 * Lau Shun as the Kangxi Emperor
 * Chen Wencong as Zhu Qifeng
 * Dai Peng as Xie Junyuan
 * Zhou Quanxi as Princess Fulu's father
 * Chen Zhiguang as Yaoba
 * Fan Wenjie as Jinbo
 * He Saizhou as Yinhuan
 * Wang Xiuyun as Zhima Dama
 * Hong Zhaorong as Du Liaoliao
 * Liang Tian as Wuliuye
 * Zheng Wen as Feng Haichao
 * Yang Tianfu as Jiang Changzhi
 * Li Zhizhou as Sima Jin