''Drunken Hero'' is a 2002 Chinese ''

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

'' television series which tells a story of two brothers who were separated at birth, raised differently, and forced to become rivals. The series starred Vincent Zhao,

Max Mok Max Mok ( zh, t=莫少聰; born 2 December 1962 in Hong Kong; also credited as Benny Mok, Benny Mok Siu-chung and Max Mok Siu-chung) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Mok was recruited by the Shaw Brothers Studio and has been a major film star si ...

Kristy Yang Kristy Yang (born 7 January 1974), also known as Yang Gongru, is a Chinese-born Canadian actress based in Hong Kong. Early life Yang was born in Shanghai, China, to a Chinese father and Jenny Liu, a half American-half Chinese. Ms.Liu was invited ...

and Yang Ruoxi in the lead roles.

Plot

Wentian and Wanxin are the sons of the Jianwen Emperor of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. They were separated at birth when the emperor's uncle, Zhu Di, launched a coup to seize the throne from his nephew. The emperor forced Wentian and Wanxin to consume the magical Water and Fire orbs respectively and ordered his bodyguards to bring the infant princes out of the palace before he disappeared mysteriously. In the midst of the chaos, Wanxin was taken away by the

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

Chu Tianxing, who serves Zhu Di, while Wentian was delivered to safety by the bodyguards. Wentian was raised by Mi Jiutou, one of the bodyguards, and he grows up to become a gregarious martial artist who values friendship and righteousness. On the other hand, Wanxin, who was raised as Chu Tianxing's godson, develops a cruel, cold and power-hungry personality under the influence of his evil godfather. The orbs in their bodies often cause them to experience strange fits of agony — Wentian suffers from chills while Wanxin feels like he is on fire. However, their prowess in inner energy have also increased due to the power of the orbs. Wentian and Wanxin meet each other by coincidence and strike up a friendship, becoming sworn brothers in the process and without knowing each other's true identities. Both Wentian and Wanxin fall in love with Bai Yutong, a maiden from a wealthy family who disguises herself as "Golden Swallow", a bandit who robs the rich to help the poor. Xiaowan, Mi Jiutou's daughter, is also in love with Wentian. Their love relationships become more complicated. Wentian and Wanxin eventually realise that they are actually brothers. In a dramatic twist of events, Wanxin is castrated on his godfather's order. He becomes emotionally scarred and gradually becomes consumed by his darker personality. After Chu Tianxing is killed by an enemy, Wanxin takes over his godfather's place and follows in the latter's brutal and ruthless ways. Meanwhile, Wentian masters a set of martial arts, based on different styles of

Drunken Fist Drunken boxing () also known as Drunken Fist, is a general name for all styles of Chinese martial arts that imitate the movements of a drunk person. It is an ancient style and its origins are mainly traced back to the Buddhist and Daoist relig ...

, with each style named after a type of alcoholic drink. The warm effect of alcohol helps him to suppress the cool energy from the Water Orb, relieving him of his agony. He roams the '' jianghu'' as a ''

youxia ''Youxia'' () was a type of ancient Chinese warrior folk hero celebrated in classical Chinese poetry and fictional literature. It literally means "wandering vigilante", but is commonly translated as "knight-errant" or less commonly as "cavalier", ...

'' to uphold justice and help the poor with his new skills, earning himself the nickname of "Drunken Hero". At the end of the series, Wentian faces Wanxin in a final fight to put an end to his brother's rampage.

Cast

* Vincent Zhao as Wentian *

as Bai Yutong *

as Wanxin * as Mi Xiaowan * Li Yongyong as Honggu * as Hua Nongying / Yu Linglong * as Hua Canyi * as Tong Buda *

Liang Jing Liang Jing may refer to: *Liang Jing (actress) (born 1972), Chinese actress *Liang Jing (runner) (1989–2021), Chinese ultramarathon runner *Liang Jing (cyclist) (born 1985), Chinese track cyclist {{hndis ...

as Shui Linling * Zhu Yana as Hua Kui * Zhang Wei as Chu Tianxing * Xie Yunshan as Choupidan

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drunken Hero Chinese wuxia television series 2002 Chinese television series debuts Television series set in the Ming dynasty Mandarin-language television shows Television series set in the 15th century