''Huo Yuanjia'' is a 2001 Chinese television series loosely based on the life of the Chinese martial artist

Huo Yuanjia Huo Yuanjia (18 January 1868 – 9 August 1910),wushu.org.cn
states that the Chin Woo Athletic Association ...

. It includes a subplot about Chen Zhen, a fictional apprentice of Huo Yuanjia and the protagonist of the 1972 film ''

Fist of Fury ''Fist of Fury'' is a 1972 Hong Kong action martial arts film written and directed by Lo Wei, produced by Raymond Chow, and starring Bruce Lee in his second major role after ''The Big Boss'' (1971). Lee, who was also the film's action choreogr ...

''. The series was directed by Jia Yun and starred

Vincent Zhao Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (born 10 April 1972), sometimes credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known for playing the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film an ...

, Wu Yue,

Mei Ting Mei Ting (Chinese: 梅婷, born 30 April 1975) is a Chinese actress. She received the Best Actress awards at the 22nd Cairo International Film Festival and 5th Huabiao Awards for her performance in "A Time to Remember". Early life In the 1980s, ...

, Qi Yan, and He Yin in the lead roles. A sequel, ''

Jingwu Yingxiong Chen Zhen ''Jingwu Yingxiong Chen Zhen'', also known as ''Legend of Chen Zhen'', is a Chinese television series based on the story of Chen Zhen, a fictional apprentice of the Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia. The series is a sequel to the 2001 television ...

'', was released later in the same year.

Plot

During the late

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-speak ...

, China has suffered humiliating defeats in battles against foreign powers such as Britain and Japan and has been forced to sign unequal treaties and cede territories. In

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, even though Chinese martial artist

Huo Endi Huo Endi () (1836–1917) was a Chinese martial artist and the father of famous Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia. Huo Endi, a 6th-generation successor of Mizongyi was a well-known martial artist who served as a bodyguard for caravans travell ...

defeats his Japanese opponent in a ''

lei tai The ''lei tai'' is an elevated fighting arena, without railings, where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle martial arts tournaments were once held. "Sanctioned" matches were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides. F ...

'' match, his triumph is insignificant as China has just lost to Japan in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

, with Chinese naval fleet completely destroyed.

Huo Yuanjia Huo Yuanjia (18 January 1868 – 9 August 1910),wushu.org.cn
states that the Chin Woo Athletic Association ...

, Huo Endi's son, travels to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

to meet his father's friend, "Great Sword" Wang Wu, and unwittingly gets involved in the politics of the

Hundred Days' Reform The Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform () was a failed 103-day national, cultural, political, and educational reform movement that occurred from 11 June to 22 September 1898 during the late Qing dynasty. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu E ...

. Wang Wu attempts to rescue the " Six Gentlemen" who lead the reformists after they have been imprisoned on

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

's order. Huo Yuanjia joins Wang Wu in his quest but they fail and the six men are publicly executed, while Wang Wu dies a gruesome death later when he tries to avenge them. Through his experiences, Huo Yuanjia realises that China needs to change in order to survive in the future. Later, he meets members of the

Tongmenghui The Tongmenghui of China (or T'ung-meng Hui, variously translated as Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance, United Allegiance Society, ) was a secret society and underground resistance movement ...

, a secret society planning to overthrow the imperial government and establish a republic in China, and supports them in their covert activities. Huo Yuanjia travels to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, where he establishes the Jingwu School to train Chinese martial artists to defend China from foreign intrusion and boost national morale. He makes his name after defeating a Russian wrestler in Tianjin and a British boxer in Shanghai. At the same time, he meets the hostile Chen Zhen, who seeks vengeance on him. Chen Zhen's father had died in a fight against Huo Endi years ago and since Huo Endi is already dead, Chen Zhen turns on Huo Yuanjia to settle the feud. In an attempt to make peace, Huo Yuanjia accepts Chen Zhen as an apprentice and trains him in martial arts. Huo Yuanjia's love relationships are in a mess because he is in love with Qiyun and Nong Jingqiu, who stand on opposing sides: Qiyun is the daughter of

Prince Rong Prince Rong of the First Rank, or simply Prince Rong, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912). As the Prince Rong peerage was not awarded "iron-cap" status, this meant that each successiv ...

, a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

noble tasked by the imperial government to destroy the Tongmenghui; Nong Jingqiu is the sister of Nong Jinsun, a Tongmenghui member and co-founder of the Jingwu School. Besides that, Huo Yuanjia faces love rivals: Watanabe Ichiro, a Japanese consul, is in love with Qiyun; Zheng Yefeng, Nong Jingqiu's godbrother, has a crush on his godsister.

Cast

Huo Yuanjia Huo Yuanjia (18 January 1868 – 9 August 1910),wushu.org.cn
states that the Chin Woo Athletic Association ...

* Wu Yue as Chen Zhen *

as Nong Jingqiu * Qi Yan as Princess Qiyun * Ma Kui as Nong Jinsun * Huang Huiyi as Zhao Qiannan * He Yin as Wang Xiang'er * Feng Jingao as Hu Zishi * Yue Yueli as

* Su Ke as Zheng Yefeng * Chen Kai as Liu Zhensheng * Lu Xingyu as Watanabe Ichiro (Dubian Yilang) * Feng Peng as Zhou Tiezhu * Xie Yunshan as Tietou * Shu Chang as Ju'er * Qin Jiahua as Ōhashi (Daqiao) * Li Zhenqi as Wang Wu * Liu Haijun as Huang Tianba * Yangzi as Chu Chu

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huo Yuanjia Martial arts television series 2001 Chinese television series debuts Television series set in the Qing dynasty Mandarin-language television shows Chinese action television series