The Romance of the Condor Heroes is a 2014–15 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng and adapted from Jin Yong's novel The Return of the Condor Heroes, with additional material from the preceding novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes. It stars Chen Xiao and Michelle Chen in the lead roles. The series was first broadcast on Hunan TV from 3 December 2014 to 11 March 2015.[1]
| The Romance of the Condor Heroes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster
| |||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 神鵰俠侶 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 神雕侠侣 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Genre | Wuxia | ||||||
| Based on | The Return of the Condor Heroes byLouis Cha | ||||||
| Screenplay by | Yu Zheng | ||||||
| Directed by | Lee Wai-chu Deng Wei'en Lee Tat-chiu | ||||||
| Creative director | Yu Zheng | ||||||
| Presented by | Pu Shulin Yu Zheng | ||||||
| Starring | Chen Xiao Michelle Chen | ||||||
| Composer | Tan Xuan | ||||||
| Country of origin | China | ||||||
| Original language | Mandarin | ||||||
| No. of episodes | 52 (original version) | ||||||
| Production | |||||||
| Executive producers | Bi Nengjin Chen Wen | ||||||
| Producers | Yu Zheng Ma Tian Wan Yang Yang Lihui | ||||||
| Production locations | Hengdian World Studios Xiangshan Film City | ||||||
| Cinematography | Ye Yunyuan Jiang Hongmin Liang Baoquan | ||||||
| Editors | Zheng Weiming Liu Xiang | ||||||
| Running time | 45 minutes per episode | ||||||
| Production companies | Cathay Media Yu Zheng Studio | ||||||
| Original release | |||||||
| Network | Hunan TV | ||||||
| Release | 3 December 2014 (2014-12-03) – 11 March 2015 (2015-03-11) | ||||||
The protagonist, Yang Guo, is the orphaned son of Yang Kang, the antagonist in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The couple Guo Jing and Huang Rong take Yang Guo under their care for a short period of time before sending him to the Quanzhen SchoolonMount Zhongnan for better guidance in moral values and orthodox martial arts.
In Quanzhen, Yang Guo is often bullied by his fellow seniors, and discriminated against by his master, Zhao Zhijing. Yang Guo flees from Quanzhen and ventures unknowingly into the nearby Tomb of the Living Dead, where the Ancient Tomb School is housed. He is saved by Xiaolongnü, a mysterious maiden of unknown origin, and becomes her apprentice. They live together in the tomb for many years until Yang Guo grows up.
Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü develop romantic feelings for each other, but their romance is forbidden by the prevailing norms of the jianghu (orwulin, the community of martial artists). Throughout the story, their love meets with several trials, such as the misunderstandings that threaten to tear them apart, and their encounter with Gongsun Zhi, whom Xiaolongnü almost marries at one point.
Finally, after their reunion and marriage, Xiaolongnü leaves Yang Guo again, owing to her belief she cannot recover from a fatal poison, and promises to meet him again 16 years later. While Yang Guo is wandering the jianghu alone, he meets several formidable martial artists and a giant condor, and improves his skills tremendously after training from them. His adventures gradually mould him into a courageous hero and the most powerful martial artist of his time.
Yang Guo serves his native land by helping the Han Chinese people of the Song Empire resist invaders from the Mongol Empire. At the end of the drama, he is reunited with Xiaolongnü and they leave to lead the rest of their lives in seclusion after receiving praises and blessings from the wulin.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Splendid Grandeur (浩瀚)" (Opening theme song) | Jason Zhang | |
| 2. | "You and Me (你我)" (Ending theme song) | Chen Xiao & Michelle Chen | |
| 3. | "Ask the World (问世间)" | Chen Xiang & Zhang Xinyu | |
| 4. | "Sixteen Years" | Chen Xiao & Liu Xin |
Since the series was first announced, it was wrapped up in various controversies. In particular, the casting of Michelle Chen attracted a large outcry by fans of the original novel, who called Chen the "fattest Xiaolongnü (little dragon lady)" that they have ever seen. When the show first premiered on Hunan TV, it was heavily panned for its bad writing, cheaply made actions scenes and a story that completely departs from the novel. Critics call the show "a vulgar mess possessing little artistic value", and "a production that completely destroyed the spirit of the original story".[2][3]