''Shaolin King of Martial Arts'' is a 2002 Chinese '' wuxia'' television series directed by Chang Hsin-yen, Liu Jiacheng and Wu Chia-tai. It starred Wu Jing, Yaqi, Chunyu Shanshan, Gao Haiyan, Huang Yi,

Yu Chenghui Yu Chenghui (16 August 1939 – 4 July 2015), sometimes credited as Yue Sing-wai, was a Chinese actor, action director and martial artist. Martial arts career Yu started practising martial arts at the age of 11, specialising in the use of the ''j ...

Ji Chunhua Ji Chunhua (; 20 July 1961 – 11 July 2018), sometimes romanized as Gai Chun Wa, was a Chinese actor and action choreographer. Just like Jet Li and Yu Chenghui, he was a Mainland China-trained wushu athlete who started his acting career in th ...

, Yu Hai and Xu Xiangdong in the leading roles.

Plot

The story is set in the late Ming dynasty, when corrupt officials dominate the government and the aggressive '' wokou'' (Japanese pirates) constantly raid China's coastal regions. General

Qi Jiguang Qi Jiguang (, November 12, 1528 – January 17, 1588), courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on the ...

and his cousin, Qi Jiyu, organise a military force called the 'Qi Family Army' to resist the invaders. They score several victories over the enemy. Oshima Masao, the ''wokou'' chief, is not content with defeat, so he bribes the eunuch Tong Dabao, a close aide of the incompetent emperor, to spread slanderous rumours about the Qi Family Army in the hope that the emperor will order the army to be disbanded. Qi Jiyu, assisted by his son Qi Shaozheng, manages to find evidence of Tong's treachery, and intends to report Tong to the emperor. However, Tong finds out, destroys the evidence, and has Qi Jiyu arrested and imprisoned. Tong then attempts to induce Qi Jiyu into accusing Qi Jiguang of treason by tempting him with promises of riches and fame but Qi Jiyu refuses. Qi Jiyu secretly tells Qi Shaozheng to escape and warn the Qi Family Army about Tong's plot. Tong Dabao is furious when he learns that his plan has been foiled. He orders the execution of Qi Jiyu and his clan, and places a huge bounty on Qi Shaozheng's head. Qi Shaozheng flees to

Shaolin Monastery Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

for refuge and is accepted by Abbot Zhiyi as a student and is renamed "Tanzhi". When Tong Dabao discovers that Qi Shaozheng has survived, he sends the Jinyiwei to surround Shaolin and threatens to destroy the monastery if the monks do not hand over Qi. The monks refuse to capitulate so Tong orders Shaolin to be burnt down. Zhiyi dies in the blaze. Before his death, Zhiyi instructed a monk called Sanjiao to protect Tanzhi and bring the latter to the

Southern Shaolin Monastery The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan. Establishment T ...

. Tanzhi and Sanjiao travel to Southern Shaolin and encounter numerous dangers along the way. While in the wilderness, Tanzhi is injured but is saved by a girl called Xiaoni, and is forced by her grandfather to marry her. The old man is a former soldier in the Qi Family Army. When he learns of Tanzhi's true identity, he decides to allow the boy to proceed with his journey, much to his granddaughter's dismay. Tanzhi and Sanjiao later join a performance troupe by accident, where Tanzhi develops feelings for the maidens Baihe and Honglian. They leave after driving away Tong Dabao's henchmen and eventually arrive in Southern Shaolin, where Tanzhi becomes a student of Abbot Yuanzhao. In Southern Shaolin, Tanzhi befriends several seniors and meets a group of young nuns living near the monastery. He also gets involved in another romantic relationship with a Japanese girl who disguised herself as a man so that she can infiltrate Shaolin and learn martial arts. Tanzhi trains hard in martial arts to fulfil his quest for justice. With strong backing and support from his friends and allies, he rebuilds the Qi Family Army and succeeds in defeating and driving away the ''wokou''. He uses the powerful skills he mastered to overcome and kill Tong Dabao and avenge his family.

Cast

* Wu Jing as Tanzhi / Qi Shaozheng * Yaqi as Xiaoni * Chunyu Shanshan as Sanjiao * Gao Haiyan as Fajing * Huang Yi as Ounü *

as Tong Dabao *

as Tanfei * Yu Hai as Shantong * Xu Xiangdong as Yuanzhao * Xu Huanshan as Old Man * Wang Yu as Zhiyi * Tan Qiao as Fayan * Xiao Yuewen as Faling * Sui Shuyang as Faneng * Chen Jianfeng as Faming * Yang Fan as Oshima Masao * Wu Yijiang as Dahan * Tian Haiyan as Baihe * Kexin as Honglian * Jin Demao as Yu Fei * Ding Xiaowa as Lihua * Shu Yan as A'xiang * Lin Jie as Meihua * Zhao Lianfen as Juhua * Shi Xiaohu as Wufan * Hao Yuan as Ruolan * Liu Fang as A'mu * Zhang Hao as Gui Silang * Lü Qiang as Badachui * Huang Haibing as Emperor

External links

''Shaolin King of Martial Arts''
on

Sina.com Sina Corporation (, "new wave") is a Chinese technology company. Sina operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, Sina Mobile, Sina Online, and Sinanet. Sina has over 100 million registered users worldwide. Sina was recognized by '' South ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaolin King of Martial Arts 2002 Chinese television series debuts Television series set in the Ming dynasty Chinese wuxia television series Mandarin-language television shows