Sword Stained with Royal Blood
Bi Xue Jian (???)
5th in Zhang Ji Zhong’s adaptation of Jin Yong’s wuxia novels.
Story centred around young Yuan Cheng Zhi (Bobby Dou), son of a Ming general who was executed by the emperor. Yuan ChengZhi was send away to be trained by a master swordsman but was still hunted by killers sent by the emperor. Forced to leave his hideout he embarked upon his adventures and he discovered the precious sword and martial arts manual belonging to a legendary swordsman named Xia Xue Yi. Yuan Cheng Zhi’s skills became even more powerful as a result.
Determined to aid the rebellion led by Li Zi Cheng; known as the Peasants’ King, he retrieved stolen gold meant for the rebellion. He met Qing Qing (Eva Huang), daughter of the swordsman Xia Xue Yi. Qing Qing left with Yuan Cheng Zhi after the death of her mother at the hands of her family. Together they witnessed the end of the Ming Dynasty and the eventual fall of China to the invading Manchurians.
Eventually despairing of the inability of the Chinese leaders to rally and work together against a common enemy, Yuan Cheng Zhi, together with his friends left China.
Cast:
Bobby Dou
Sun Fei Fei
Eva Huang
Links:
The story
Sina
SPCNet Forum
Jin Yong’s novel
Ratings: 4 out of 5
A great effort after the dud that was Return of the Condor Heroes, Bi Xue Jian was a return to straight forward story telling with little fluff. The acting of the main leads made this tv series a great success, although the performance of Sun Feifei was very understated when compared to that of Ping Zhong Xia Ying.
BXJ is a great show for fans of wuxia and GJ. The acting is great and the effects were not overwhelming. It was onl in the last third of the show that it starts to slow down and the protagonist gets mired in the politics of the rebel leader and his coterie.
Highly recommended for those who love wuxia.
