The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006 TV series)

The Return of the Condor Heroes is a 2006 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. It is the second instalment of a trilogy produced by Zhang Jizhong, preceded by The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003) and followed by The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2009). It was first broadcast on 17 March 2006 in China and subsequently broadcast in other Asian countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

Synopsis
The story concerns the adventures of Yang Guo, an orphaned boy in a mid-13th Century China. From his humble beginnings, the street wise Yang Guo gets passed around from one prestigious master to another but none of them will teach him any martial arts. While escaping from the Quanzhen School's Zhao Zhijing, he meets Xiaolongnü, the girl who will become his martial arts master and eventually the love of his life.

Cast

 * Huang Xiaoming as Yang Guo
 * Xie Yunshan as Yang Guo (young)
 * Liu Yifei as Xiaolongnü
 * Wang Luoyong as Guo Jing
 * Kong Lin (actress) as Huang Rong
 * Jessey Meng as Li Mochou
 * Yang Mi as Guo Xiang
 * Kenny Bee as Gongsun Zhi
 * Chen Zihan as Guo Fu
 * Chen Anni as Guo Fu (young)
 * Wang Ning as Wu Dunru
 * Chen Yalun as Wu Dunru (young)
 * Zhao Jintao as Wu Xiuwen
 * Ye Qile as Wu Xiuwen (young)
 * Huang Xiaolei as Shagu
 * Chen Jiming as Qiu Chuji
 * Liu Naiyi as Zhao Zhijing
 * Jiang Yi as Ke Zhen'e
 * Li Yu as Qiu Qianren
 * Yang Rui as Lu Wushuang
 * Ge Shimin as Lu Wushuang (young)
 * Wang Jia as Cheng Ying
 * Wang Jiayi as Cheng Ying (young)
 * Zhao Liang as Zhou Botong
 * Di Naishe as Ouyang Feng
 * Yu Chenghui as Huang Yaoshi
 * Dali as Hong Qigong
 * Ba Yin as Jinlun Guoshi
 * Gao Hu as Huodu
 * Cheng Haofeng as Yin Zhiping
 * Wang Weiguo as Yideng
 * Fu Miao as Gongsun Lü'e
 * Sun Lihua as Wanyan Ping
 * Zhao Hongfei as Yelü Qi
 * Tian Zhong as Lu Qingdu
 * Li Mingqi as Granny Sun
 * Liang Li as Yinggu
 * Xiu Ge as Yin Kexi
 * Zhang Hengping as Lu Youjiao
 * Zhang Jizhong as Yelü Chucai
 * Li Ming as Qiu Qianchi
 * Yuan Yuan as Kublai Khan
 * Liu Kui as Möngke Khan
 * Su Mao as Wang Chuyi
 * Guo Jun as Wang Chongyang
 * Zhou Haodong as Lu Liding
 * Heizi as Feng Mofeng
 * Zhao Dandan as Hong Lingbo

Production
Shooting began in October 2004 and ended in May 2005. Locations include Zhejiang, Chongqing, Shandong, Guangdong, Liaoning, Beijing and Sichuan Jiuzhaigou Valley.

Scenes from The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003) were featured as flashbacks including the scene depicting Yang Kang's death. Zhou Jie makes a cameo appearance as Yang Kang.

Soundtrack
The music for the series was taken from motion picture scores of films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Van Helsing, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Harry Potter (film series) and Batman Begins.

The chorus from Iwasaki Taku's Shades of Revolution, a Rurouni Kenshin OVA musical score, was used in a minor fight scene between Yang Guo and Li Mochou (episode 30).

The melody of the song Dearest by Ayumi Hamasaki, famous for being in InuYasha, can be heard in the background on episode 15 during the scene where Gongsun Zhi is talking to Xiaolongnü at the Passionless Valley.

The melody used for condor appearances was taken from Hans Zimmer's "All of them", notable for being part of the OST of the 2004 film King Arthur.

Track listing
The original soundtrack was released on 13 May 2006 from Rock Records Co., LTD (滾石國際音樂股份有限公司). There are two versions of the soundtrack. The mainland Chinese release contains a total of 15 tracks while the Taiwanese release includes two bonus tracks. The original score was composed by Johnny "Bug" Chen.