The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber

The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 1986

Genre – Wuxia

1986 TVB Production with 40 episodes

Tony Leung as Zhang Wuji
Kitty Lai as Zhao Min
Sheren Tang as Zhou Zhiruo
Maggie Siu as Xiao Zhao
Simon Yam as Zhang Cuishan
Carol Cheng as Yin Susu
Bau Fong as Zhang Sanfeng
Kenneth Tsang as Xie Xun

With the upcoming release of Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (HSDS) from China in 2009/2010, I felt obliged to pay respects to the classic 1986 TVB version of HSDS. I have seen four adaptations so far: TVB 1986, Taiwan 1994, TVB 2000, and China-Taiwan 2003. Out of these adaptations, I still consider the 1986 version to be the best and most enjoyable overall. The reason why I watched so many versions of the same story is because I never tire of it. The story is simply superb. HSDS is the final part of the Condor Trilogy created by the famous wuxia writer Jin Yong. It is an indirect continuation of the events in Legend of Condor Heroes and Return of Condor Heroes which altogether form the Condor Trilogy.

The story and name of HSDS was based on two powerful weapons that many people coveted: the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Where did these two swords come from? In the Return of Condor Heroes, the signature weapon of Yang Guo was the Heavy Iron Sword. This powerful sword once belonged to the legendary Sword-Demon Dugu Qiubai himself. Eventually Guo Jing and Huang Rong came into possession of this sword and re-forged it to make two weapons: the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Inside the Dragon Saber they put the legendary war tactics manual (Wu Mu Yi Shu) written by the famous general Yue Fei. In the Heaven Sword was the highly treasured martial arts manual “Jiu Yin Zhen Jing”. Guo Jing became one of the greatest martial artists by learning the internal energy cultivation methods of “Jiu Yin Zhen Jing”.

By the time of HSDS, most of the people in wulin were ignorant about the secret origins of these two swords (and the secret manuals inside them). Guo Jing’s daughter Guo Xiang was the founder of Emei and she started the tradition of passing on the secret of the two swords to the next sect leader. So by the time of HSDS, Emei leader Mie Jue was the only one in wulin who knew of the secret manuals hidden inside both the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. In fact she was already in possession of the Heaven Sword and only needed the Dragon Saber to unlock the two secret manuals hidden inside.

Eventually the Dragon Saber fell into the hands of the Golden Haired Lion King Xie Xun from the Ming Cult. With the highly coveted Dragon Saber, the rest of wulin were after him hoping they can possess the saber for themselves. Circumstances would allow Wudang disciple Zhang Cuishan and his companion Yin Susu to be stranded with Xie Xun on an unknown remote island far from the reaches of wulin. It is on this island that our main hero Zhang Wuji is born. With his parents (Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu) and godfather (Xie Xun), Zhang Wuji was taught the values of ethics and family loyalty. These core values eventually shaped Zhang Wuji to become a great and moral hero.

Simon Yam and Carol Cheng play the role of Zhang Wuji’s parents. They did a great job carrying the series throughout the entire first quarter. Xie Xun was played by the actor Kenneth Tsang who gave a magnificent performance. I was highly impressed with Kenneth’s portrayal of Huang Yaoshi in Legend of Condor Heroes (1982) so I was glad they used him for Xie Xun. Kenneth is great at playing characters that are really fierce and mean-spirited on the exterior yet kind and soft on the inside. Love him or hate him, you have to admit Kenneth’s Xie Xun was a huge presence on screen.

Aside from the Dragon Saber story, the plot also dealt with the conflict between the traditional schools of martial arts (Shaolin, Emei, Wudang, Kunlun) and the “evil” Ming Cult. The Ming Cult was a mysterious religious organization with ties to Persia. The religion itself was related to Manichaeism, a major historical Iranian Gnostic religion founded by the prophet Mani. The Chinese people were primarily Buddhists and Taoists and viewed foreign religious cults with prejudice and distrust. So it was no surprise that the Ming Cult was heavily persecuted by the traditional schools of martial arts. We eventually discover that the conflict between the two was actually escalated by Cheng Kun, the main antagonist and villain of the series. Cheng Kun collaborated with the Yuan Dynasty Mongolians in an attempt to seize control of the entire wulin by promoting strife and conflict.

The main traditional school in the story was Wudang founded by the legendary Zhang Sanfeng. Zhang Sanfeng was quite possibly the #1 fighter in wulin with his sophisticated Taijiquan (and Taiji Sword) and many years of internal energy cultivation. He was basically the "old wise sage" of the story. Unlike other leaders of wulin who were eager to “jump on the Ming Cult-hating bandwagon”, Zhang Sanfeng was wise enough to clearly distinguish good from evil. The actor Bau Fong was superb as Zhang Sanfeng. He brought out the gentle and wise nature of the highly cultivated Zhang Sanfeng with ease and style. Bau Fong is great at playing these wise and powerful characters in wuxia. He played the omnipotent Sweeper Monk in Demi Gods and Semi Devils (1997) and the reclusive Sword Master Feng Qingyang in State of Divinity (1996).

With the death of Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, Zhang Wuji became the main protagonist of the series. Through fate and circumstance, Zhang Wuji managed to discover the long lost martial art of the “Jiu Yang Zhen Jing” hidden inside a gorilla in a remote cave. Like the powerful “Jiu Yin Zhen Jing” (within the Heaven Sword), the “Jiu Yang Zhen Jing” contained secret internal energy cultivation methods enabling Zhang Wuji to become an elite fighter in a short period of time. Zhang Wuji also learned the Persian art of “Keen Kwun Dai Loi Yee” in the secret chamber inside Ming Cult further enhancing his abilities and powers. Using his new abilities, Zhang Wuji saved the Ming Cult from an all-out attack by the traditional schools of martial arts. He fought and won against the top fighters of Kunlun, Shaolin, Emei and Wudang and cemented his status as the #1 fighter in the world (not counting Zhang Sanfeng). Full of praise and gratitude (for saving their clan from extinction), the Ming Cult appointed Zhang Wuji to be their undisputed ruler.

Zhang Wuji was played by the famous actor Tony Leung. Tony Leung gave a memorable performance as Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji was hesitant and indecisive but extremely loyal and kind. Tony Leung was able to capture all of these qualities. Truth be told, Zhang Wuji is a pretty simple character that doesn’t require any special performance by the actor. But Tony Leung managed to bring his own charm into the role making the character more respectable and likeable. Even if the plot itself doesn’t hook you in, Tony Leung’s charming portrayal is bound to capture your attention.

One of the biggest aspects of the story was the love interests of Zhang Wuji. There were four girls who loved him: Yin Li, Xiao Zhao, Zhao Min, and Zhou Zhiruo. Yin Li was a brash ill-mannered girl who was a disciple of Granny Gold Flower of Ming Cult. She disfigured her face in order to master a poison-based martial art. She fell for our protagonist because he was willing to marry her even with her horribly disfigured face. Out of the four girls, she was definitely the most ruthless. Xiao Zhao was Granny Gold Flower’s secret daughter whom she sent to infiltrate the Ming Cult. She was really kind and gentle and loved Zhang Wuji for the very same qualities. She was also the most kind and caring of the four girls. Xiao Zhao was played by the lovely Maggie Siu who did a great job bringing out the kindness of her character with her natural acting. Maggie Siu’s Xiao Zhao was the most likeable female heroine in the entire series. Jin Yong himself singled out Xiao Zhao as his favorite female character.

Zhao Min was a beautiful Mongolian princess and an early antagonist in the series. She helped the Yuan Dynasty Mongolians take control of wulin and had several confrontations with Zhang Wuji. It seemed that Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min were fated to be mortal enemies. Zhang Wuji was the leader of the Ming Cult and they actively opposed the rule of the Mongolian Yuan government which Zhao Min and her family supported. But in a strange twist of fate, Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min slowly ended up falling for each other. Zhao Min was extremely cunning, witty, fun and playful unlike other wuxia heroines who tend to be more reserved. She was a perfect match for Zhang Wuji because their personalities were almost completely opposite. Zhao Min was played by the talented actress Kitty Lai. Kitty did portray all of Zhao Min’s personality traits but she mainly emphasized on the needy and vulnerable aspects of her character. I found that the other actresses portrayed this character more playfully. If you prefer a more serious and vulnerable Zhao Min then you'll warm up to Kitty's performance.

Zhou Zhiruo was the disciple of the ruthless Emei sect leader Mie Jue. She knew Zhang Wuji since childhood and later fell for him when they were adults. In the beginning Zhou Zhiruo was a gentle, innocent and reserved disciple girl of Emei who secretly loved Zhang Wuji. But later on her ruthless master Mie Jue forced Zhou Zhiruo to fulfill her wishes right before she died. She wanted Zhou Zhiruo to steal the Dragon Saber from Zhang Wuji’s god father Xie Xun and to learn the powerful manual “Jiu Yin Zhen Jing” (hidden inside the Heaven Sword) to bring honor and prestige to Emei. As a result of fulfilling her master’s dying wishes, Zhou Zhiruo went through a remarkable transformation from protagonist to antagonist. She became secretly manipulative and cunning hiding it with her graceful demeanor and mannerism. When she finally learned the White Bone Claw technique of the “Jiu Yin Zhen Jing” she became a threat to the martial arts community. Sheren Tang gave an excellent performance as Zhou Zhiruo. Unlike other portrayals, Sheren made the character more strong-willed and multi-layered. She really captured the transformation of her character very well with her deep and flawless acting skills. I would say Sheren Tang gave the best performance of all the female leads.

The 1986 version was a classic because of its excellent character portrayals and great storyline that was accurate to the novel. This version also contained the early story of Zhang Sanfeng and Guo Xiang that is woefully neglected in most other adaptations. I also prefer the fight scenes in this version which were simple yet elegant. Other adaptations tend to overuse the computer graphics making the fight scenes less intense and engaging. Last but not least, this series had great pacing. A perfect balance was struck between developing the characters and moving the plot forward. Other adaptations focus too much on the character relationships slowing down the overall pace of the story. The 1986 version moved at a nice brisk pace and has high replay value. I’ve watched this series countless times myself. 4.5/5 Stars.