''The Vigilantes in Masks'' is a 2010 Chinese television series based on folktales of a

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

-style hero who lived in the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

. Produced by

Chinese Entertainment Shanghai Tangren Media Co. Ltd. (), formerly known as Chinese Entertainment Shanghai Limited (), is a Chinese entertainment and media company established in 1998 that provides investment, production and publishment of films, TV series, and cartoons. It ...

, the series star

Wallace Huo Wallace Huo Chien-hwa (, born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and producer. He is known for his roles in ''At Dolphin Bay'' (2003), ''Chinese Paladin 3'' (2009), ''Swordsman'' (2013), '' Battle of Changsha'' (2014), ''The Journey of ...

, Cecilia Liu,

Ma Tianyu Ma Tianyu (; born 12 July 1986), also known as Ray Ma, is a Chinese Mandopop singer and actor of Hui ethnicity. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy. Career 2006–2008: Debut as a singer In 2006, Ma Tianyu entered the ''My Hero'' compe ...

and Shi Xingyu. Previous adaptations include a 1960 Hong Kong television series, a 1994 film, a 2005

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and ...

production, a 2008 SBS South Korean television drama, ''

Iljimae ''Iljimae'' (; literally "One blossom branch") is a 2008 South Korean period-action television series, starring Lee Joon-gi in the title role of Iljimae. It is loosely based on the comic strip ''Iljimae'', published between 1975 and 1977, writ ...

'', and a 2009 MBC South Korean adaptation ''

The Return of Iljimae ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''.

Synopsis

Li Gexiao is a master in martial arts with intelligence matching his skills. Previously a high ranking

Embroidered Uniform Guard The Embroidered Uniform Guard () was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369 it became an imperial militar ...

with great judicial authority. However, after framed with a crime he had not commit and his family executed, the former marshal had no choice but to become a fugitive. Years later (beginning of the series), he came out of hiding to help a former colleague recover a cargo of stolen gold for disaster relief. He and three chivalrous strangers, thief Yan Sanniang, grifter He Xiaomei, and strongman Chai Hu, unite to form a heroic band of masked vigilantes called "Yi Zhi Mei" (One Blossom Branch) that steals from the wealthiest and the most corrupted to help the people in need, always leaving a plum flower at the scene as their calling card. In the ''

jianghu ''Jianghu'' () is a term that generally refers to the milieu, environment, or sub-community in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set. The term is used flexibly, and can be used to describe a fictionalized version of Historical China (usually ...

'', they are also a renowned team that fights against injustice, corruption and oppression by the government.

Cast

Soundtrack

* ''Tiandi Meihua Kai'' (天地梅花開; ''The Opening of the World and Plum Blossoms'') by

Hu Ge Hu Ge (, born 20 September 1982), also known as Hugh Hu, is a Chinese actor and singer. While studying at the Shanghai Theater Academy, he was invited to play the leading role Li Xiaoyao in the 2005 television series '' Chinese Paladin'', an ...

* ''Tiantang Niao'' (天堂鳥; ''Bird of Paradise'') by Zheng Jiajia

External links

*
''The Vigilantes In Masks''
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 ...

Chinese wuxia television series 2010 Chinese television series debuts 2011 Chinese television series endings Television series set in the Ming dynasty Serial drama television series Television series by Tangren Media Television shows based on Chinese novels Shenchuan Television original programming Jiangsu Television original programming {{China-tv-stub