Swordsman
Promotional poster
Chinese	笑傲江湖
Hanyu Pinyin	Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú
Genre	Wuxia
Based on	The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Louis Cha
Screenplay by	Yu Zheng
Directed by	Hu Yijuan Huang Junwen
Creative director	Li Xianchang
Presented by	Pu Shulin Ren Quan Yu Zheng Wan Ke Zheng Gang
Starring	Wallace Huo Joe Chen Yuan Shanshan Chen Xiao Yang Rong
Theme music composer	Tan Xuan Dong Zhen
Opening theme	Freedom by Wallace Huo
Ending theme	Love Me by Pu Ti and Yuan Shanshan
Composer	Liu Sha
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of episodes	42 (Uncut)
Production
Executive producers	Lin Guohua Kong Lingquan Yang Yuming Ren Xiaoli Yu Wanqin Guo Yan Shen Wei Yang Le
Producer	Yu Zheng
Production location	China
Cinematography	Li Hongzhou Ye Yunyuan Chen Guowen Dong Yong Ma Lianyin
Editor	Zheng Weiming
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production companies	Cathay Media Ren Quan Workshop Perfect World (Beijing) Pictures Hunan Satellite TV Yu Zheng Workshop Dongyang Xingrui Yingshi Culture Media
Original release
Network	Hunan Satellite TV
Release	6 February (2013-02-06) – 4 March 2013 (2013-03-04)

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 2015 in Xiandu, Jinyun County, Lishui, Zhejiang.^[1] 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

Cast

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.^[2][3]

Soundtrack

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Swordsman at IMDb
• (in Chinese) Swordsman on Cathay Media's website