The Emperor in Han Dynasty
DVD cover art
Also known as	The Emperor Han Wu
Traditional Chinese	漢武大帝
Simplified Chinese	汉武大帝
Literal meaning	Great Emperor Wu of Han
Hanyu Pinyin	Hàn Wǔ Dà Dì
Genre	Historical drama
Written by	Jiang Qitao
Directed by	Hu Mei Yang Jun Sai Fu
Presented by	Zhu Tong Yang Buting Li Bolun Wang Songshan
Starring	Chen Baoguo Gua Ah-leh Lin Jing Jiao Huang Yang Tongshu Tao Hong
Theme music composer	Zhang Hongguang Ruan Kunshen
Opening theme	Zuihou De Qingsu (最后的倾诉) performed by Han Lei
Ending theme	Dengdai (等待) performed by Han Lei
Composer	Asia Philharmonic Orchestra
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of episodes	58
Production
Executive producers	Jiang Tao Wang Guohui Liu Dehong Song Zhenshan Luo Liping Huo Qi
Producers	Han Sanping Wu Hongliang Hu Mei
Production location	China
Cinematography	Chi Xiaoning Zhang Yuefu Cui Weidong Niu Guotai
Editors	Liu Miaomiao Zhao Kun
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production companies	China Film Group Corporation CCTV 21st Century Hero Film Investments Beijing Hualubaina Film & TV Shanghai Jinde Films
Original release
Network	CCTV

The Emperor in Han Dynasty,^[1] also released under the title The Emperor Han Wu in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It uses the historical texts Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han as its source material.

Plot

The series covers the life of Emperor Wu from his early childhood to his death and some events in the reign of Emperor Jing (Emperor Wu's father and predecessor), such as the Rebellion of the Seven States. It follows the conflicts that defined the pivotal war between the Han Empire and the Xiongnu, and depicts the major victories that the Han scored over the Xiongnu during Emperor Wu's reign. Prominent historical figures such as the generals Li Guang, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, as well as the diplomats Su Wu and Zhang Qian, also make appearances as supporting characters in the series.

Cast

Note: Some cast members played multiple roles. The roles are separated by a slash.

Production and reception

The production cost for The Emperor in Han Dynasty ran high, with a budget of 50 million yuan, covering extensive battle scenes, period costumes, props and huge backdrops. The crew chose various scenic locations in China, such as Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan and Zhejiang, to capture the vast expanse of the Han Empire and its frontiers. The casting featured four different actors playing Emperor Wu at different stages of his life, with the lead actor Chen Baoguo receiving the most screen time portraying the emperor's adult years. The shooting of the series began in 2003 and coincided with the SARS outbreak, causing manpower shortage and delays in production. Post-production began in 2004 and marketing clips started to appear on television talk shows and the Internet later that year.

The series was aired on CCTV-1 on 2 January 2005 to great enthusiasm from audience. While some liberties were taken with historical details, The Emperor in Han Dynasty was generally well received by viewers as a faithful portrayal of history. The series was acclaimed and won the 2005 Flying Apsaras Award for Best Long Television Series, Best Director (Hu Mei) and Best Lead Actor (Chen Baoguo).

List of featured songs

• Zuihou De Qingsu (最后的倾诉; The Final Outpour), the opening theme song, performed by Han Lei.
• Dengdai (等待; Wait), the ending theme song, performed by Han Lei.
• Xinling Shui Guo De Difang (心灵睡过的地方; Places Where My Soul Rested Before) performed by Han Lei
• Qianbai Nian Hou Shei Hai Jide Shei (千百年后谁还记得谁; Centuries and Millenniums Later Who Still Remembers Who) performed by Han Lei

References

• Facts and flaws make up epic TV tales

External links

• (in Chinese) The Emperor in Han Dynasty official page on CCTV website
• (in Chinese) The Emperor in Han Dynasty on Sina.com