Third in the series of Jin Yong’s novel adaptation by Zhang Ji Zhong, it is also known as Demi-Gods, Semi-Devils. An epic story about the lives of 3 young men with different aims in life and how their paths crossed and ended up sworn brothers.

Epic in proportion and scope as the story shifts among the 3 main characters. Plots range from the mundane romance to secret martial arts skills and to politics between the tribes outside of China and the China.

The story of Qiao Feng, the exiled Beggar Sect leader is the most reverting and the most depressing as he deals with the fact that he had killed his lover with his bare hands in a mistakened identity fight, having to bring up her younger sister who is desperately in love with him, and finally, living with the fact that he is not a Han Chinese as he had thought he was but was in reality a Khitan by birth. Thus he as shunned by the Han Chinese people that he had grew up with.

Cast

• Hu Jun as Qiao Feng
• Jimmy Lin as Duan Yu
• Gao Hu as Xu Zhu
• Liu Yi Fei as Wang Yu Yan
• Liu Tao as A Zhu

Links:
Wuxiapedia
Wikipedia

Forum Discussion:
SPCNet


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Rating: 4/5
Fully deserving of the rating due to the epic scope, huge cast, great acting all round. The only bad spot is Jimmy’s constant panda eyes. Qiao Feng has the saddest story of the three and died a hero’s death, unable and unwilling to help his own people conquer his adoptive Han country.

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This is another Jin Yong novel adapted by China’s Zhang Ji Zhong in a follow up of his earlier work on Xiao Ao Jiang Hu.
The title of this series is ????? (She Diao Ying Xiong Zhuan ), aka Brave Archer, Legend of the Condor Heroes.

As with all his much loved novels, various tv adaptations were done on this novel; with Hongkong’s TVB station having produced it twice.

The story’s centered around the 2 sons of 2 sworn brothers residing in the Cow Herders Village late Song period when the kingdom was weakened by corrupt officials who were bribed or intimidated by the surrounding hostile states, namely the Jin Empire. The young boys were separated when young and one (Guo Jing) was accepted into Genghis Khan’s clan, the other (Yang Kang) was adopted by a prince of the Jin Empire.

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This first review is based on Jin Yong’s Xiao Ao Jiang Hu (????) aka Blood Cold Proud Hot, aka State of Divinity, aka Smiling Proud Wanderer, aka Laughter in the Wind. A direct transliteration would be “Laughter at the Martial World”. This version is produced by China’s CCTV in 2001
Prior to this 2001 version there were various adaptations from Hongkong, Singapore as well as Taiwan. This version is produced by Zhang Ji Zhong.

Cast

• Li Ya Peng as Linghu Chong
• Xu Qing as Ren Ying Ying
• Wei Zi as Yue Buqun
• Miao Yiyi as Yue Ling Shan
• Li Jie as Lin Ping Zhi
• Chen Lifeng as Yi Lin
• Liu Dong as Ning Zhongze (Mrs. Yue)
• Mao Wei Tao as Dung Fang Bu Bai
• Tu Men as Zuo Leng Chan
• Ba Yin as Xian Wen Tian
• Li Qinqin as Ding Yi
• Cong Zhijun as Qu Yang
• Xiu Zongdi as Liu Zheng Feng
• Yu Cheng Hui as Feng Qing Yang
• Lu Xiao He as Ren Wo Xing

Somehow I was totally hooked the very first time when I watched it. I’d managed to get the vcd set from a sales girl who had immigrated from China, and who received it from her uncle when he came to visit her in Singapore. I paid her SGD$40 for it which was a fair price.

I was blown away by the music, the sword-fighting choreography, the incredible China scenery, the chemistry of the 2 main leads; Li Ya Peng and Xu Jing who was 29 at the time of shooting the series. Jin Yong purists condemned this version in all related discussion forums due to certain liberties taken by the producer in this adaptation. But even Jin Yong is not above making substantial changes to his novels of late.

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