''The Great Conqueror's Concubine'', alternatively known as ''King of Western Chu'', is a Hong Kong historical drama film directed by Stephen Shin and Wei Handao, starring
Ray Lui
Ray Lui Leung-wai ( vi, Lữ Lương Vỹ, born 22 December 1956) is a Hong Kong actor. Born in Chợ Lớn, Saigon, Vietnam, he traces his ancestry to Lianjiang, Guangdong. He is best known for his role as "Ting Lik" in the 1980 Hong Kong te ...
,
Rosamund Kwan
Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam (born Kwan Kar Wai on 24 September 1962) is a Hong Kong former actress, best known for starring as the female lead "Thirteenth Aunt" in the 1990s ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series. She had since retired from acti ...
,
Zhang Fengyi
Zhang Fengyi (born 1 September 1956) is a Chinese actor best known for his role as "Duan Xiaolou" in ''Farewell My Concubine (film), Farewell My Concubine'' (1993), Jing Ke in ''The Emperor and the Assassin'' (1998), and Cao Cao in ''Red Cliff ( ...
and
Gong Li
Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoni ...
. The film is based on the events in the
Chu–Han Contention
The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered t ...
, an
interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
between the fall of the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...
and the founding of the
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
.
Cast
*
Ray Lui
Ray Lui Leung-wai ( vi, Lữ Lương Vỹ, born 22 December 1956) is a Hong Kong actor. Born in Chợ Lớn, Saigon, Vietnam, he traces his ancestry to Lianjiang, Guangdong. He is best known for his role as "Ting Lik" in the 1980 Hong Kong te ...
as
Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...
*
Rosamund Kwan
Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam (born Kwan Kar Wai on 24 September 1962) is a Hong Kong former actress, best known for starring as the female lead "Thirteenth Aunt" in the 1990s ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series. She had since retired from acti ...
as
Consort Yu
*
Zhang Fengyi
Zhang Fengyi (born 1 September 1956) is a Chinese actor best known for his role as "Duan Xiaolou" in ''Farewell My Concubine (film), Farewell My Concubine'' (1993), Jing Ke in ''The Emperor and the Assassin'' (1998), and Cao Cao in ''Red Cliff ( ...
as
Liu Bang
Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...
*
Gong Li
Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoni ...
as
Lü Zhi
Lu, Lü, or LU may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Lu (music), Tibetan folk music
* Lu (duo), a Mexican band
** ''Lu'' (album)
* Character from Mike, Lu & Og
* Lupe Fiasco or Lu (born 1982), American musician
* Lebor na hUidre, a manuscript ...
*
Chin Shih-chieh
Chin Shih-chieh (; born 29 December 1951) is a Taiwanese actor, director and playwright.
Chin is known for his work with the , the , and the . By 1980, he was known as a director, leading the performances of ''Ho Chu’s New Match'' for Lanling. H ...
as
Zhang Liang Zhang Liang is the romanization of common names like 張良, 張亮 and 張梁.
張良
* Zhang Liang (Western Han) (died 189 BC), early Han dynasty strategist
** Zhang Liang, an animation character from the animated TV series ''The Legend of Qin'', ...
* To Siu-chun as
Xiao He
Xiao He (257 BC–193 BC) was a Chinese politician of the early Western Han dynasty. He served Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty, during the insurrection against the Qin dynasty, and fought on Liu's side in the Chu–Han Co ...
* Lau Shun as
Fan Zeng
Fan Zeng (277–204 BC) was an adviser to the warlord Xiang Yu, who fought for supremacy with Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty, during the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC).
Life
Fan Zeng was from Juchao (present-day Yafu ...
*
Wu Hsing-kuo
Wu Hsing-kuo () is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera.
Wu was trained in classical ...
as Yu Ziqi
* Hsu Chan as
Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...
*
Chang Shih as
Qin Er Shi
Qin Er Shi (; (230–October 207 BCE) was the second emperor of the Qin dynasty from 210 to 207 BCE. The son of Qin Shi Huang, he was born as Ying Huhai. He was put on the throne by Li Si and Zhao Gao, circumventing Fusu, Ying's brother an ...
*
Chen Sung-young
Chen Sung-young (; 1 July 1941 – 17 December 2021) was a Taiwanese actor. He received the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor in 1989. He died on 17 December 2021, at the age of 80.
Selected filmography
*'' City of Sadness'' (1989)
*'' The Dull I ...
as
Fan Kuai
Fan Kuai (242–189 BC) was a military general of the early Western Han dynasty. He was a prominent figure of the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC), a power struggle for supremacy over China between the Han dynasty's founder, Liu Bang (Emperor ...
* Yeh Chuan-chen as Liu Bang's servant
* Yu Hai as
Xiang Liang
Xiang Liang (died 208 BC) was a military leader who led a rebellion against the Qin dynasty.
Early life
Xiang Liang was from Xiaxiang (下相; present-day Suqian, Jiangsu) and was a descendant of a family who served the Chu state in the Warring ...
* Jin Demao as
Xiang Bo
Xiang Chan (died 192 BC), courtesy name Bo, better known as Xiang Bo, was a noble of the Chu state of the Seven Warring States. He was an uncle of the warlord Xiang Yu, who competed with Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty, ...
* Xu Xiangdong as
Xiang Zhuang
Xiang Zhuang ( 206 BC) was a younger cousin of Xiang Yu, the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu". He fought on Chu's side as a military general during the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC), a power struggle for supremacy over China between Xiang Yu a ...
*
Elvis Tsui
Elvis Tsui Kam-kong (born October 12, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and artist.
Tsui is primarily known for his roles in erotic films and martial arts films, where he's more often cast as villains. Some of the famous characters he has portrayed repe ...
as
Zhongli Mo
Zhongli Mo (died 201 BC) was a military general who served the warlord Xiang Yu during the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC), a power struggle between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty. His name is sometimes i ...
*
Kwan Hoi-san
Herman Kwan Hoi-San () (born Kwan Ming-kok; October 23, 1925 – September 11, 2006) was a Hong Kong actor. His English name was Herman Kwan. Kwan started off as a Cantonese opera actor in street theatre before joining New Voice Opera Troupe ( ...
as
Zhao Gao
Zhao Gao (died 207 BC) was a Chinese politician and calligrapher. He was an official of the Qin dynasty of China. Allegedly a eunuch, he served as a close aide to all three rulers of the Qin dynasty – Qin Shi Huang, Qin Er Shi and Ziying – ...
* Yang Fan as Tian Rong
*
Ku Pao-ming
Ku Pao-ming (; 8 April 1950 – 19 March 2022) was a Taiwanese actor and comedian.
He appeared with the in ''Art'' (2003), alongside Chin Shih-chieh and Lee Li-chun, as well as ''The Apartment'' (2006). Ku also performed in ''Legitimate Crimes'' ...
as
King Huai II of Chu
* Xu Guanglin as
Cao Shen
Cao Shen or Cao Can (died 190 BC), courtesy name Jingbo (), was a chancellor of the Western Han dynasty. He participated in the Chu–Han Contention on Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of Han)'s side and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dyna ...
* Xue Liang as
Ziying
Ziying, King of Qin (, died January 206 BC) was the third and last ruler of the Qin dynasty. He ruled over a fragmented Qin Empire for 46 days, from mid-October to early December 207 BC. He is referred to in some sources with t ...
* Li Yanping as Eunuch
* Nige Mutu as Wang Li
* Zhang Lihua as
Ying Bu
Ying Bu (died 195 BC) was a warlord and vassal king who lived in the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County (六縣; present-day Lu'an, Anhui). In his early life under the Qin dynasty, Ying Bu was convicted and sentenced to ''qing'' (黥 ...
* Zhang Xuehao as
Zhang Han
* Liu Hen as
Liu Taigong
Liu Taigong (), personal name Liu Tuan (), was the father of Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of Han).
Biography
Not much is recorded about Taigong historically. He was born and likely lived his early life in present-day Feng County, Jiangsu. His personal ...
* Han Xiuli as Liu Bang's grandmother
See also
*
List of Asian historical drama films
Historical or period drama is a film genre in which stories are based on historical events and famous persons. Some historical dramas attempt to accurately portray a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical researc ...
External links
*
*
1994 films
Hong Kong films
Chinese historical films
Films set in the Chu–Han Contention
Films set in the Qin dynasty
1990s historical films
1990s Hong Kong films
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