King's War, also known as Legend of Chu and Han, is a Chinese television series based on the events in the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty. It started airing on Anhui TV, Zhejiang TV, Jiangxi TV and Tianjin TV on 28 December 2012.
| King's War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Poster | |||||||
| Also known as | Legend of Chu and Han Chu Han Chuanqi | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 楚漢傳奇 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 楚汉传奇 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Genre | Historical drama | ||||||
| Written by | Wang Peigong Wang Hailin Yan Gang | ||||||
| Directed by | Gao Xixi Shen Yan Guo Miaoxin | ||||||
| Presented by | Yu Dong Chi Yufeng Ouyang Changlin Yang Shoucheng Zhang Suzhou Wan Ke Wang Tongyuan Wang Xiaodong Zhao Shuqing Gu Yongqiang Luo Hao He Ling | ||||||
| Starring | Chen Daoming Peter Ho Duan Yihong Qin Lan Li Yixiao Sun Haiying Yang Lixin Huo Qing Yu Hewei You Yong Elvis Tsui Yu Bin | ||||||
| Opening theme | Tianxia Yingxiong (天下英雄) performed by Han Lei | ||||||
| Ending theme | Wei Ai Er Sheng (为爱而生) performed by Song Zuying | ||||||
| Composer | Xu Peidong | ||||||
| Country of origin | China | ||||||
| Original language | Mandarin | ||||||
| No. of episodes | 80 | ||||||
| Production | |||||||
| Executive producers | Zhao Hongmei, Zhang Huali, Kong Lingquan, Cheng Weidong, Gu Shunkun, Zhao Duojia, Guo Man, Zheng Gang, Xue Huixuan, Ding Yilan, Guo Li, Xiao Rong, Guo Yan, Ma Baozhou, Zhang Heng, Yang Yuming, Yu Wanqin, Liu Jun | ||||||
| Producers | Lu Guoqiang, Li Chaoyang, Feng Weiwei, Jiang Zhong, Mu Xiaosui | ||||||
| Production location | China | ||||||
| Cinematography | Niu Mingshan Guo Qingrui Zhang Yong Li Li | ||||||
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |||||||
| Network | Anhui TV Zhejiang TV Jiangxi TV Tianjin TV | ||||||
| Release | 28 December 2012 | ||||||
Cast
edit- Chen Daoming as Liu Bang
- Peter Ho as Xiang Yu
- Duan Yihong as Han Xin
- Qin Lan as Lü Zhi
- Li Yixiao as Consort Yu
- Yang Lixin as Xiao He
- Sun Haiying as Fan Zeng
- Huo Qing as Zhang Liang
- Zhang Jinyuan as Chen Ping
- Liu Yuxin as Concubine Qi
- Hu Dong as Ying Bu
- Wang Xinjun as Peng Yue
- You Yong as Yong Chi
- Kang Kai as Fan Kuai
- Wang Jishi as Lu Wan
- Fan Yulin as Long Ju
- Zhang Chenghao as Zhou Bo
- Xu Xiaojian as Cao Shen
- Lin Peng as Xiahou Ying
- Jiang Yongbo as Cao Wushang
- Yu Hewei as Qin Shi Huang
- Yu Bin as Qin Er Shi
- Chi Dong as Han Sheng
- Li Yuan as Ji Bu
- Li Yixin as Zhao Chuiluan
- Zheng Wei as Liu Ying
- Yu Mingjia as Lady Cao
- Cai Yida as Xiang Zhuang
- Qiu Yunhe as Xiang Di
- Yang Ziduo as Yu Ziqi
- Zhu Yanping as Xiang Liang
- Xu Maomao as Xiang Bo
- Ye Dingming as Fusu
- Ji Chenmu as King Huai of Chu
- Cao Weiyu as Zhang Han
- Miao Luoyi as Liyuan
- Gong Yirong as Ruojiang
- Liu Xiaoxiao as Jitao
- Wang Zitong as Emei
- Ye Peng as Zhongli Mo
- Elvis Tsui as Wei Bao
- Li Jianxin as Li Si
- Xu Wenguang as Zhao Gao
- Wang Shengnan as Xiaoyi
- Wu Gang as Shen Yiji
- Li Jichun as Ziying
- Shang Yue as Song Xiang
- Liao Jianheng as Liu Fei
- Sun Erchen as Li Si's youngest son
Production
editThis section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. (April 2012) |
King's War is the second historical drama television series directed by Gao Xixi, after Three Kingdoms (2010). The production cost for King's War was expected to break records, as Bona Film Group announced on 8 June 2011 that it would provide Gao Xixi with a budget of 1.7 billion yuan for the project, excluding the costs for possible future expansions.[2]
Filming started on 25 August 2011[2] and ended on 5 May 2012.
Set construction
editAccording to reports, apart from its huge budget, one of the highlights of the series is its realistic sets. The palace, along with other important locations in the television series, had to be totally reconstructed in accordance with the requirements stated in the script. The sets were expected to be completed by July 2011.[2]
Casting
editChen Daoming formally signed on to play Liu Bang, one of the lead roles in the drama.[2] On 25 August 2011, Gao Xixi appeared in public with six confirmed members of the cast, including Chen Daoming, Peter Ho, Hu Dong and Liu Yuxin. Chen Daoming had been confirmed to play Liu Bang while Peter Ho was a likely choice for the role of Xiang Yu.[3]
Script
editScreenwriter Wang Peigong spent years creating the script for King's War. Gao Xixi said in an interview, "Peigong and I would discuss about King's War when we have time. It has been four years, I believe the time is ripe now. The story will begin from Liu Bang starting off as a patrol officer in Pei County, until he established the Han dynasty and became the emperor. This series will not follow the narrative style of historical dramas. The clever part about Legend of Chu and Han lies in the word Legend."[3]
English dub
editOn 15 August 2015, an English dub of all 80 episodes was completed for release on South African Cable Television.
Reception
editThe series received average ratings, but Gao Xixi claimed that it was attracting a highly educated audience.[4]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1st Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China | Best Actor | Peter Ho | Won |
| Best Actress | Li Yixiao | Won |
International broadcast
edit| Country | Network(s)/Station(s) | Series premiere | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
 Thailand |
True4U | August 10, 2015 | ฉู่ฮั่น ศึกชิงบัลลังก์ สะท้านปฐพี (Chu Han Suek Ching Ballang Sataan Pattapi[5]) |
References
edit- ^ "King's War". Netflix.
- ^ a b c d (in Chinese) 高希希陈道明联手打造《楚汉》
- ^ a b (in Chinese) 传奇大剧《楚汉传奇》开机 何润东担纲项羽
- ^ (in Chinese) 高希希：《楚汉传奇》受众学历高
- ^ "True4U เอาใจคอหนังจีนส่ง "King's Wars ฉู่ฮั่น ศึกชิงบัลลังก์ สะท้านปฐพี" ลงจอ". asian.truelife.com. 23 August 2015. Thai: ภาษาไทย
External links
edit- King's War at IMDb
- (in Japanese) Japanese DVD trailer on YouTube