Seven Swordsmen

Not to be confused with Seven Swords.

Seven Swordsmen
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Also known as	'Seven Swords of Mount Heaven'
Genre	Wuxia
Written by	Liang Yusheng (original story) Li Changfu
Directed by	Clarence Fok
Presented by	Zhu Tong Ma Zhongjun Deng Fan Tie Fo
Starring	Vincent Zhao Wang Xuebing Ray Lui Ada Choi Qiao Zhenyu Li Xiaoran Wang Likun
Opening theme	Ayiyahei (阿伊呀嘿) performed by Wang Yong and Yu Jiangying
Ending theme	Kong Chuan (空船) performed by Ke Yimin
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin Cantonese
No. of episodes	34
Production
Executive producer(s)	Tsui Hark Tie Fo
Producer(s)	Ma Zhongjun Wang Yong Wu Libo
Production location(s)	China
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production company(s)	Ciwen Pictures
Release
First shown in	March 2006 (China) 20 July 2006 (Hong Kong)

Seven Swordsmen
Traditional Chinese	七劍下天山
Simplified Chinese	七剑下天山
Literal meaning	Seven Swords Descend from Mount Heaven
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qī Jiàn Xià Tiān Shān Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Chat1 Kim3 Ha5 Tin1 Saan1

Seven Swordsmen is a 2006 television series directed by Clarence Fok and produced by Tsui Hark. The series is adapted from Liang Yusheng's novels Qijian Xia Tianshan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. It is also the derived counterpart of the 2005 film Seven Swords, which was also directed and produced by Tsui Hark.

Plot

In the mid-17th century, the Manchus conquer the territories of the former Ming Empire and establish the Qing Empire. Fearing that the wulin (martial artists' community) would pose a threat to them, the Qing government passes a martial arts ban forbidding the common people from practising martial arts and possessing weapons. Prince Dokado, a Manchu noble, leads an army to eliminate those who defy the order. Dokado and his men kill many martial artists before assaulting Martial Village, which houses rebels from the Red Spears Society, an anti-Qing resistance movement. Two young villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, break out of the siege and follow Fu Qingzhu to Mount Heaven to seek help from Master Huiming, a reclusive martial artist and sword forger.

Huiming allows his four students — Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang — to join the trio on their quest to save the wulin from the Qing government's persecution. Each of the seven men receives a special sword from Huiming. They call themselves "Seven Swords".

The Seven Swords return in the nick of time and save the villagers from attacking Qing soldiers. However, they decide to split up temporarily later to avoid trouble, and embark on their respective missions and adventures. Han Zhibang and Mulang remain with the villagers, while Fu Qingzhu, Xin Longzi and Wu Yuanying travel to the capital to assassinate the Qing emperor.

Meanwhile, Chu Zhaonan falls into a trap and is captured by Fenghuo Liancheng, a ruthless Manchu general. He falls in love with Fenghuo Liancheng's slave, Lüzhu, but their romance ends in tragedy when she sacrifices herself to help him escape. Chu Zhaonan meets Yang Yuncong in northwestern China, where they join the Desert Eagles, a tribal anti-Qing organisation led by the legendary heroine Feihongjin. Yang Yuncong is wounded during a battle with Qing forces, but is rescued by Nalan Minghui, an enemy general's daughter. They fall in love, despite standing on opposing sides, but are not fated to be together as Nalan Minghui's father has arranged for her to marry Dokado. However, Nalan is already pregnant with Yang's child and she gives birth to a baby girl later.

In the capital, Fu Qingzhu and company sneak into the palace and attempt to assassinate the Shunzhi Emperor, but, ironically, they end up saving the emperor from a coup staged by some nobles. In Hangzhou, Han Zhibang is elected as the new leader of the Red Spears Society for his heroic acts in rescuing his imprisoned comrades. After the reunion of the Seven Swords, Chu Zhaonan pretends to defect to the enemy and use the opportunity to get close to Dokado and assassinate him. Chu's plan fails because Dokado is aware of his intentions and manipulates him into killing some of the rebels, resulting in Chu's fellows starting to doubt his loyalty.

Eventually, to prove his innocence, Chu Zhaonan and the other six swordsmen challenge Dokado to a battle on the Qiantang River bank. Although the battle concludes with Dokado's defeat, it also causes the division of the Seven Swords. Yang Yuncong is killed in action; Xin Longzi goes missing after entering a fit of insanity; Mulang returns to Mount Heaven in shame with Yang's infant daughter after carelessly allowing the enemy to infiltrate the rebels' hideout; Chu Zhaonan is deeply traumatised by the devastating experiences he went through, and he abandons his fellows along with his conscience. While Fu Qingzhu and Wu Yuanying search for their missing comrades, Han Zhibang stays behind to help the surviving rebels rebuild their forces.

List of episodes

#	Rough translation of title (in English)	Original title (in Chinese)
1	Swordsmen from Mount Heaven	天山剑客
2	The Seven Swords	七剑
3	The battle of Boye	决战博野
4	Yufang is poisoned	郁芳中毒
5	The real and fake secret passage	真假秘道
6	The Transience's true character	青干本色
7	Mulang's blood	穆郎的血
8	The sorrowful Dragon	悲情由龙
9	Green Pearl is heartless	绿珠无情
10	Yufang's wedding	郁芳婚礼
11	The Desert Eagles	沙漠之鹰
12	Flying shadows of Red Sash	飞影红巾
13	The Transience and the Dragon	青干由龙
14	Chivalrous bones and tender feelings	侠骨柔情
15	Nalan Minghui	纳兰明慧
16	Children in a chaotic world	乱世儿女
17	A sacrifice to end the war	止战之殇
18	Iron blood and loyal heart	铁血丹心
19	Shadows of heroes in the capital	京城侠影
20	Dokado's contest for power	多格多争霸
21	Ten days siege	十日围城
22	Meeting of dragons and tigers	龙虎会
23	Gathering of heroes	聚义风云
24	The mystery of the tangerine orchard	桔园之谜
25	The Sun and Moon and the Deity	日月舍神
26	Guild Master Han Zhibang	舵主韩志邦
27	Turmoil in Hangzhou	杭州风暴
28	Crisis in the lantern corner	灯笼坊风暴
29	Pretending to surrender to Dokado	诈降多格多
30	The Dragon changes colour	变色由龙
31	Two irreconcilable powers	势不两立
32	Minghui's grand wedding	明慧大婚
33	The breaking	决裂
34	The battle of the Qiantang River	决战钱塘江

Cast

• Vincent Zhao as Chu Zhaonan, the wielder of the Dragon.
• Wang Xuebing as Yang Yuncong, the wielder of the Transience.
• Ji Chunhua as Xin Longzi, the wielder of the Star Chasers.
• Qiao Zhenyu as Mulang, the wielder of the Sun and Moon.
• Zhang Bo as Han Zhibang, the wielder of the Deity.
• Sang Weilin as Wu Yuanying, the wielder of the Heaven's Fall.
• Yu Chenghui as Fu Qingzhu, the wielder of the Unlearnt.
• Ray Lui as Dokado, a Manchu prince and the primary antagonist in the story.
• Ada Choi as Feihongjin (Flying Red Sash), the leader of the Desert Eagles.
• Li Xiaoran as Nalan Minghui, Nalan Xiuji's daughter and Yang Yuncong's love interest.
• Wang Likun as Liu Yufang, Liu Jingyi's daughter.
• Bryan Leung as Liu Jingyi, the chief of Martial Village.
• Askar Maimaiti as Ai'erjiang, a singer and Feihongjin's ex-lover.
• Sun Feifei as Dong Xiaowan, Mao Pijiang's wife who was forced to be the Shunzhi Emperor's concubine.
• Edell Ai as Lüzhu (Green Pearl), a slave girl who becomes Chu Zhaonan's first love.
• Eryang as Nalan Xiuji, a Manchu general.
• Xu Xiangdong as Niuhuru, Dokado's mentor.
• Sun Jiankui as Qi Zhenjun, a swordsman hired by Dokado to fight the Seven Swords.
• Tan Kai as Fenghuo Liancheng (Fire Wind Linked Cities), a Manchu general and former baturu.
• Gao Lu as Chuntao, Nalan Minghui's servant.
• Xie Zhenwei as the Shunzhi Emperor, the ruler of the Qing dynasty.
• Dai Chunrong as Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the Shunzhi Emperor's mother.
• Kent Tong as Aolong, an ambitious Manchu noble plotting to usurp the throne.
• Guo Hongjie as Zhang Chengbin, Dokado's deputy.
• Liu Tieyong as Zhang Kui, Dokado's deputy.
• Zhang Xin as Qiu Dongluo, a spy planted in Martial Village by Dokado.
• Wang Huarong as Zhang Huazhao, the oldest among the children of Martial Village.
• Ma Ji as Gu Sandao, a member of Martial Village.
• Chen Zhou as Zhang Laifu, a member of Martial Village.
• Zheng Li as Zhou Chaotai, a member of Martial Village.
• Zhou He as Shao Zhanpeng, a member of Martial Village.
• Milading as Ailike, the second-in-command of the Desert Eagles.
• Dilireba'ao as Manlingna, Kelimu's wife.
• Ma Jingwu as Reverend Huiming (Master Shadow Glow), a reclusive swordsman and sword forger.
• Zhu Feng as Mao Pijiang, Dong Xiaowan's husband.
• Wang Xinfen as the White Haired Demoness, Feihongjin's teacher and Reverend Huiming's ex-lover.

See also

• Seven Swords
• Legend of the White Hair Brides

External links

• Seven Swordsmen at IMDb
• (Chinese) Seven Swordsmen on Sina.com
• Seven Swordsmen on wu-jing.org