Steve Ma
Steve Ma Jingtao (; born 14 February 1962) is a Taiwanese actor best known for acting in many Taiwanese, mainland Chinese and Singaporean television series since the early 1990s. Most of the more notable television series he acted in are of the ''wuxia'' and historical drama genres. Some of his notable roles in television series include: Zhang Wuji in ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (1994); Lü Dongbin in ''Legend of the Eight Immortals'' (1999); Linghu Chong in ''The Legendary Swordsman'' (2000); Dorgon in ''Xiaozhuang Mishi'' (2002); Nurhaci in '' Taizu Mishi'' (2005); King Zhou of Shang in ''The Legend and the Hero'' (2007). Early life Ma was born and raised in Taichung County, Taiwan, as the second of four children in his family. His ancestral home is in Suizhong County, Liaoning, China. He attended National Taichung Second Senior High School and graduated from Taipei World News Vocational School's Department of Radio and Television with a certificate in journalism. Ca ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ma (surname)
Ma () is a Chinese family name. The surname literally means "horse". As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in Mainland China and the most common surname within the Islam in China, Chinese Muslim community, specifically the Hui people, Dongxiangs, Dongxiang people and Salar people. In 2019 it was the 13th most common surname in Mainland China. A 2013 study found it to be the 13th most common, shared by 17,200,000 people or 1.290% of the population, with the province with the most being Henan. It is the 52nd name on the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' poem.K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. . The offspring of Zhao She adopted "Ma" (馬), the first word of the district Ma Fu, as their surname. Other romanizations include Mah, Beh and Mar. Hui people, Hui Muslims, Salar people, Salars, Bonan people, Bonan and Dongxiangs, Dongxiang people commonly adopted Ma as the translation for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ancestral Home (Chinese)
In Chinese culture, hometown or ancestral home () is the place of origin of one's extended family. It may or may not be the place where one is born. For instance, two people may both be born in Shanghai, but the hometowns of their ancestors may be different. Definition A subjective concept, a person's ancestral home could be the birthplace of ''any'' of their patriline ancestors. Su Shi limited it to five generations, i.e. it refers to the home of one's great-great-grandfather. Even more broadly, an ancestral home can refer to the first locality where a surname came to be established or prominent. Commonly, a person usually defines their hometown as what their father considers to be his ancestral home. In practice, most people would define their ancestral homes as the birthplace of their patriline ancestors from the early 20th century, around the time when government authorities began to collect such information from individuals. Moreover, a person's ancestral home can be defi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Huang Taizi Mishi
''Huang Taizi Mishi'' is a 2004 Chinese television series produced by You Xiaogang. The series is the second instalment in a series of four television series about the history of the early Qing dynasty. It was preceded by ''Xiaozhuang Mishi'' (2003), and followed by '' Taizu Mishi'' (2005) and ''Secret History of Kangxi'' (2006), all of which were also produced by You Xiaogang. Plot The series retells the life of Yinreng, a son and heir apparent to the Kangxi Emperor. Yinreng was installed as the crown prince and demoted twice throughout his life. His younger brother, Yinzhen, eventually takes the throne and becomes the Yongzheng Emperor. Cast * Steve Ma as Yinreng * Liu Dekai as the Kangxi Emperor * Dai Jiaoqian as Ruyu * Ning Jing as Princess Jianning * Hu Jing as Ziying * Wu Qianqian as Consort De * Zhao Hongfei as Yinzhen * Shu Chang as Princess Yun * Lü Zhong as Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang * Bai Qinglin as Shulun * Huang Leixin as Yinsi * Chen Zhihui as Yinti * Gao Ming as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yunreng
Yunreng (6 June 1674 – 27 January 1725), born Yinreng, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was the second among the Kangxi Emperor's sons to survive into adulthood and was designated as Crown Prince for two terms between 1675 and 1712 before being deposed. He was posthumously honoured as Prince Limi of the First Rank. Biography Yunreng was born of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the seventh son of the Kangxi Emperor, but was the second among the emperor's sons to survive into adulthood. He was given the infant name "Baocheng" (保成), and was renamed "Yinreng" when he became older. His mother was the Kangxi Emperor's first empress, Empress Xiaochengren from the Hešeri clan, who was also a granddaughter of Sonin (one of the four regents in the Kangxi Emperor's early reign). She died not long after giving birth to Yinreng, and was greatly lamented by the Kangxi Emperor. The Kangxi Emperor personally taught Yinreng to read and he proclaimed Yinreng as his Crown Pri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaking ethnic group who unified other Jurchen tribes to form a new "Manchu" ethnic identity. The dynasty was officially proclaimed in 1636 in Manchuria (modern-day Northeast China and Outer Manchuria). It seized control of Beijing in 1644, then later expanded its rule over the whole of China proper and Taiwan, and finally expanded into Inner Asia. The dynasty lasted until 1912 when it was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution. In orthodox Chinese historiography, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The multiethnic Qing dynasty lasted for almost three centuries and assembled the territorial base for modern China. It was the largest imperial dynasty in the history of China and in 1790 the f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, ''Xiao Ao Jiang Hu'', literally means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. Alternate English translations of the title include ''The Wandering Swordsman'', ''Laughing in the Wind'', ''The Peerless Gallant Errant'', and ''The Proud and Gallant Wanderer''. Another alternative title, ''State of Divinity'', is used for some of the novel's adaptations. Plot In ''jianghu'' or wulin (martial artists' community), there is a highly coveted martial arts manual known as the Bixie Swordplay Manual, the heirloom of the Lin family, which runs the Fuwei Security Service in Fuzhou. The Qingcheng Sect's leader Yu Canghai leads his followers to massacre the Lins and attempts to seize the manual to no success. Yue Buqun, the leader of the Mount Hua Sect—a member of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chinese Mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of the mythology involves exciting stories full of fantastic people and beings, the use of magical powers, often taking place in an exotic mythological place or time. Like many mythologies, Chinese mythology has in the past been believed to be, at least in part, a factual recording of history. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion. Many stories regarding characters and events of the distant past have a double tradition: ones which present a more historicized or euhemerized version and ones which present a more mythological version. Many myths involve the creation and cosmology of the universe and its deities and inhabitants. Some mythology involves creation myths, the origin of things, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eight Immortals
The Eight Immortals () are a group of legendary ''xian'' ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel () that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai. The Immortals are: * He Xiangu (), in modern context generally seen as the only female of the group, often depicted holding a lotus flower. * Cao Guojiu (), related to a Song dynasty emperor before he became an immortal. * Li Tieguai (), considered to be mentally disturbed and associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and Calabash bottle. * Lan Caihe (), originally pictured as female later developed an ambiguous ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jin Yong
Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia (" martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong daily newspaper ''Ming Pao'' in 1959 and served as its first editor-in-chief. He was Hong Kong's most famous writer, and is named along with Gu Long and Liang Yusheng as the "Three Legs of the Tripod of Wuxia". His wuxia novels have a widespread following in Chinese communities worldwide. His 15 works written between 1955 and 1972 earned him a reputation as one of the greatest and most popular wuxia writers ever. By the time of his death he was the best-selling Chinese author, and over 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide (not including an unknown number of pirated copies). According to ''The Oxford Guide to Contemporary World Literature'', Jin Yong's novels are considered to be of very high quality and are able to appea ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Heaven Sword And Dragon Saber
''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (), also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and ''The Return of the Condor Heroes''. It was first serialised from 6 July 1961 to 2 September 1963 in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Ming Pao''. Jin Yong revised the novel in 1979 with a number of amendments and additions. A second revision was published in early 2005, incorporating later thoughts and a lengthier conclusion. It also introduced many changes to the plot and cleared up some ambiguities in the second edition, such as the origin of the ''Nine Yang Manual''. As is typical of some of his other novels, Jin Yong included elements of Chinese history in the story, such as featuring historical figures like Hongwu Emperor, Chen Youliang, Chang Yuchun and Zhang Sanfeng. The political and ethnic clash between the Han Chinese rebel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cecilia Yip
Cecilia Yip Tung (; born 8 March 1963) is a Hong Kong actress whose work is known throughout Asia, especially in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Career She began her acting career in 1982 with ''Nomad'' for which she was nominated for the Best New Performer Award. She won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress in 1984. Yip has starred in 45 feature-length films, receiving several nominations and awards. In addition to film, Yip has expanded her acting to television and was nominated for the 30th Taiwan Golden Bell Best Actress Award for her performance in the 1993 television series ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (), also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes ...''. She also played the lead role in four stage plays. Filmography Television series Films - Refer ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kathy Chow
Kathy Chow Hoi-mei (; born 6 December 1966 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actress and singer who is widely known for her leading roles in Hong Kong TVB series during the late 1980s to 1990s such as ''The Breaking Point'' and ''Time Before Time''. Her popularity peaked in Asia following her portrayal of Zhou Zhiruo in the 1994 Taiwanese adaptation of ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. She is an ethnic Manchu, being descended from the Gūwalgiya clan of the Bordered White Banner. Career She is a former Miss Hong Kong pageant participant. During the late 1980s and 1990s, she actively modeled and starred in Hong Kong TVB series. She switched work to ATV in 1998. During this time she would occasionally be featured in Hong Kong films and appear in award shows. Kathy was only with ATV up to 2001 and later left to Beijing for new prospects in her career. After a period of time, in March 2008, Chow returned to TVB and signed on to TVB's action ''E.U.'', the sequel to '' The Aca ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |