The Book and the Sword (2008 TV series)

The Book and the Sword is a 2008 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on CETV-3 in China in 2009. It starred Qiao Zhenyu, Adam Cheng, Niki Chow, and Liu Dekai.

Plot
Although the flow of events is generally similar to that in the novel, Yu Wanting's role is greatly emphasised, with him being the primary antagonist instead of the Qianlong Emperor. "Yu Wanting" is actually the alter ego of the exiled prince Yintang, a younger half-brother of the Yongzheng Emperor. The power-hungry Yintang seeks vengeance and wants to usurp his nephew (the Qianlong Emperor)'s throne. Yintang knows the truth that the Qianlong Emperor is not the legitimate successor to the throne and he constantly threatens the emperor with the evidence he holds. Yintang rallies a group of martial artists in the jianghu and establishes the Red Flower Society. He instigates the society's members and some tribal peoples in northwestern China to rebel against the Qing government.

Yintang fakes his death at one point and allows his godson, Chen Jialuo, to succeed him as leader of the Red Flower Society. However, within the society, the Chang brothers, Wei Chunhua and Shi Shuangying are the only ones who know that "Yu Wanting" is still alive, and they serve as his spies by watching over Chen and the others. The series also feature a different ending from the novel, with many of the society's members meeting their ends at the hands of Yintang. The surviving ones, under Chen Jialuo's leadership, confront Yintang to put an end to his ruthless ambitions.

Cast

 * Qiao Zhenyu as Chen Jialuo / Fuk'anggan
 * Adam Cheng as Qianlong Emperor
 * Niki Chow as Huoqingtong
 * Liu Ying as Princess Fragrance
 * Liu Dekai as Yu Wanting / Yintang
 * Lu Chen as Li Yuanzhi
 * Li Chengyuan as Zhou Qi
 * Fu Hongjun as Taoist Wuchen
 * Zhang Ping as Zhao Banshan
 * Liu Naiyi as Wen Tailai
 * Zhong Liang as Chang Bozhi
 * Tan Jianchang as Chang Hezhi
 * Li Yuan as Xu Tianhong
 * Xu Xiaoming as Yang Chengxie
 * Ng Yuen-chun as Wei Chunhua
 * Lu Yuwen as Zhang Jin
 * Qi Fang as Luo Bing
 * Zhao Dongbo as Shi Shuangying
 * Zhang Kai as Jiang Sigen
 * Deep Ng as Yu Yutong
 * Sally Chen as Empress Dowager Chongqing
 * Bryan Leung as Yuan Shixiao
 * Wong Yat-fei as Cheng Zhengde
 * Yuen Qiu as Guan Mingmei
 * Li Donglin as Zhang Zhaozhong
 * You Jiahui as Bu Qianjia
 * Li Shipeng as Tong Zhaohe
 * Wang Gang as Zhou Zhongying
 * Tong Xiaomei as Zhou Qi's mother
 * Zheng Wei as Zhou Yingjie
 * Cui Gui as Ma Zhen
 * Dong Zhihua as Lu Feiqing
 * Yao Jia as Empress
 * Ren Wei as Heshen
 * Yang Yifan as Bai Zhen
 * Chen Tao as Etu
 * Hong Zongyi as Prince Zheng
 * Zhang Wei as Hong Shi
 * Shen Baoping as Yongzheng Emperor
 * Zhao Enhan as Nine Gates Commander
 * Wang Yingqi as Zhaohui
 * Gong Fangmin as Li Kexiu
 * An Ruiyun as E'ertai
 * Du Yachun as Xu Xiangping
 * Wu Lihua as Physician Cao
 * Yang Min as Yuruyi
 * Liu Hengyu as Aizhuo'er
 * Zhou Jiwei as Long Jun
 * Yan Jun as Tang Yilei
 * Jin Peng as Hahetai
 * Liu Zifei as Yuezhi princess
 * Hou Jianglong as Han Wenchong
 * Xu Xiangdong as Muzhuolun
 * Luo Ya as Xiaolan, Xiaolu, Wu Chanjuan
 * Huang Wei as Rui Dalin
 * Niu Ziqing as Meng Jianxiong
 * Liu Juntao as Yan Shizhang
 * Zhang Shaohui as Cheng Huang
 * Jiao Changdao as Zeng Tu'an
 * Yuan Ming as Wan Qinglan
 * Gan Qilin as Li Guangping
 * Wang Hong as Eunuch Li
 * Song Haitao as Yan Bogan
 * Zhang Guofeng as Ma Shanjun
 * Wang Xinchen as Gu Youlan

Reception
The series has been criticised on Guangzhou Daily by viewers, who feel that the story deviates the most from the original source among all the film and television adaptations of Louis Cha's works.