Swordsman (TV series)

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. 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.

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

 * Wallace Huo as Linghu Chong / Yang Lianting
 * Joe Chen as Dongfang Bubai
 * Yuan Shanshan as Ren Yingying / Xuexin
 * Jiang Yiyi as young Ren Yingying
 * Chen Xiao as Lin Pingzhi / Duyuan (Lin Yuantu)
 * Yang Rong as Yue Lingshan
 * Howie Huang as Yue Buqun
 * Wu Junyu as young Yue Buqun
 * Yang Mingna as Ning Zhongze
 * Heizi as Ren Woxing
 * Deng Sha as Yilin
 * Bryan Leung as Feng Qingyang
 * Zhang Zhuowen as Lu Dayou
 * Cheng Cheng as Lao Denuo
 * Bao Wenjing as Yiyu
 * Han Dong as Tian Boguang
 * Sun Binhao as Xiang Wentian
 * Lü Jiarong as Lan Fenghuang
 * Xie Ning as Laotouzi
 * Shen Baoping as Zu Qianqiu
 * Zhang Tianyang as Ji Wushi
 * Ye Qishan as Sima Da
 * Marco Li as Yu Canghai
 * Zhang Hengping as Fangzheng
 * He Jiayi as Dingyi
 * Hu Dong as Zuo Lengshan
 * Li Ruichao as Yu Renhao
 * Wang Renjun as Ping Yizhi
 * Zhang Tianqi as Jia Renda
 * Guo Dongdong as Gu Tong
 * Wang Shuang as Bai Ying
 * Zhang Jixuan as Heixiong
 * Guan Xin as Baixiong
 * Bai Hailong as Fangsheng
 * Wei Ziqian as Shangguan Yun
 * Wang Zheng as Lu Bai
 * Shao Min as Dingjing
 * Zhang Chunzhong as Mu Gaofeng
 * He Xin as Luo Renjie
 * Zhang Haoxiang as Mo Da
 * Chang Sheng as Tianmen
 * Zhou Shaodong as Wang Yuanba
 * Zhao Junlong as Wang Bofen
 * Guo Wei as Ding Mian
 * Mo Meilin as Tong Baixiong
 * Wang Kai as Feng Buping
 * Liao Xi as Cheng Buyou
 * Zhu Rongrong as Mi Weiyi
 * Cao Nan as Fei Bin
 * Gu Dechao as Adviser Yi
 * Yin Jian as Ding Jian
 * Zhang Keyan as Jia Bu
 * Xiaoshuai as Liu Jin
 * Tong Tong as Mute Granny
 * Wang Zelin as Heibao
 * Chai Ge as Zheng
 * Zhang Lei as Shi
 * Yang Yaotian as Yuqingzi
 * Guo Qiang as Yujizi
 * Wei Qianxiang as Sun Jiantong
 * Miao Luoyi as Princess Consort
 * Zhang Xueying as Lao Busi
 * Liu Shuo as Qinghai Yixiao
 * Pan Haichen as Hongye
 * Gong Sile as Yue Su
 * Shi Tianshuo as Cai Zifeng
 * Zhuo Fan as Yilin's father
 * Li Li as Yilin's mother
 * Ju Lai as Lodge Master Qi
 * Feng Jujing as Lodge Master Yi
 * Kang Jie as Swordsman
 * Wang Gang as Yue Buqun's master
 * Yin Baoying as Beauty


 * Special appearances
 * Dicky Cheung as Lüzhuweng
 * Zhang Qian as Huahua
 * Qian Yongchen as Yu Renyan
 * Hai Lu as Yuniang
 * Huang Haibing as Dugu Qiubai
 * Zhou Muyin as Liu Zhengfeng's wife
 * Ren Quan as Danqingsheng
 * Bao Bei'er as Tubiweng
 * Wang Jianxin as Huang Zhonggong
 * Zhao Liang as Heibaizi
 * Kou Zhenhai as Lin Zhennan
 * Bai Shan as Lin Zhennan's wife
 * Huo Zhengyan as Liu Zhengfeng
 * Zong Fengyan as Qu Yang

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.

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. 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.