Which historical event/figure would u like TVB to make into a series?

[Suet Seung]

Chronicles of the Traitors - a collection of stories about the famous traitors in china. I want to see things from their POV. But, dunno TVB writers have the time and talent to make the stories credible or not.

I always like stories/events that were told/seen from rare persepective or stories about minority groups.

That's why I admire ATV for doing the docudrama 'Orphans of the Land'. The idea was very innovative. It's about the japanese orphans who were left in China after Japan surrendered at the end of WW2.

The docudrama as 2 weakness though:-
1. The stories became repetitive after a while and I lost interest near the end. But I really liked the first few stories. The one about a rich woman who adopted a Japanese boy and they both went through culture revolution was very touching.
2. The stories have been sanitized and simplified. Maybe to make it suitable for TV. Between reenactment of the stories, the real orphans retold some of the moments in their lives and I notice what was shown and what was retold differed slightly in details or wasn't included in the reenactment.
But overall it's still a good and innovative production. Too bad I can't find any VCD set for this drama. I would certain buy it if I find one.

Is that ATV series new? I've never heard of it. Sounds interesting enough though, who starrs in it?

[kidd]

It's an old series. Made in 2002.

It's a collection of stories. So, have many different actors. But the actors are not famous one. The one I know the names are Ricky Chan, Pong Chau Ngan, Wong Mei, Cheung Kok Kuen (yes, the vampire kid), Tse Suet Sum, Lo Chung Wah. Others I don't know the names.

Here's some info about it:
http://www.play365.com/movie/page.php?id=18198

Btw, I only remember Ricky was also in there are seeing the poster on that webpage again. I really don't remember who he played. He's not well-known yet at the time he acted in this this series.

[charbydis]

I would love a new series on "The Romance of Three Kingdoms", to see how different directors portray the story. The one made by China (quite a few years back) is absolutely "THE BEST". I heard that they enlisted 3,000 extras in order to film the battle scenes and constructed a whole city to serve as the set! (called "San Guo Cheng" and is now a tourist attraction, I think...) The actor (His real name is Tang Guo Qiang)who was casted as Zhuge Liang was pretty dashing too. The songs and music were great and I almost cried when Zhuge Liang passed away on the plains of Wu Zhang Yuan *sob* . But it also set such a high benchmark (at least in my perspective) for the other historical dramas that follow ...


They can also do something on Chinese resistance to Japanese aggression during World War II but I don't think that's ever an appropriate move, given the delicate political situation ...


P.S. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Ahhh! Another Zhuge Liang fan! My mum has a soft spot for Tang Guo Qiang as well. He played Yong Zheng in "YZHC" Actually, I got really pissed off with the dude that played Lu Bu cos he had too much make-up on and was kind of overacting, which is very rare in Chinese actors. The dude who did the narration had a boring monotonous voice as well, if TVB ever does make one, they must ge Robert Siu (narrator of JTTW, plays Lelia's dad in LMS) to narrate, his voice is very interesting.

As discussed before, TVB just doesn't have the quantity of men and connections to do a full-scale "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" without making it CGI overloaded. Probabaly if they just focussed on a part of the saga, it would be OK. I always loved seeing the "Battle of the Linking Ships". I am just worried that the romance department woudl turn out like the Taiwan version (Yuck! Yuck! Zhe Ge Liang and Xiao Qiao having an affair! Yuck Yuck! )

Who would you choose to play the main characters if TVB ever had the chance? And try to pick within the current actors under TVB contract?

I'll chuck in Damian and Adam for sure in any role cos they are bound to impress, Sek Sau may make a good Dong Zhuo cos he yells a lot (even though he isn't obese), Lau Dan can always do Cao Cao again or even better have Chun Pui do it, John Chiang can always do some role (except Zhu Ge Liang and Zhou Yu), and no Lok Ying Kwun if I can help it.

I'm a bit hesitant to watch that adaption if it occurs anyway cos "Romance Of The Three Kingdoms" always makes Cao Cao the villian, and I quite like Cao Cao! Maybe TVB will try and write him in a different light!

[charbydis]

Chronicles of the Traitors - a collection of stories about the famous traitors in china. I want to see things from their POV. But, dunno TVB writers have the time and talent to make the stories credible or not.

I always like stories/events that were told/seen from rare persepective or stories about minority groups.

Hi Kidd!

Which traitors do you want to be featured?

My list are:

- Wang Mang (always liked his daughter a lot, such a virtuous woman, but wait, sorry, back onto the topic of traitors, I want to see how he justifies himself taking over then Han throne)

- Dong Zhuo (is he classified as a traior? But always nice to see Diao Chan!)

- Qin Hui and his wife (hate them, but nice to see another perspective about the most hated Chinese pair ever - you knwo China has a law against kicking of their statues kneeling before Yue Fei's Temple, but still people do it )

- Wu San Gui (definately a great character to develop if TVB doesn't over-romanticise it like in PITNOL)

- The Ming eunuchs (tho I seriously suspect that TVB are going to make them into sadistic monsters )

- Yuan Shu Kai???? (might count since he did sign that debt thingie)

Who else? (Sorry, I don't know that many Chinese traitors, can you refresh me? )

[kidd]

Your list are good enough already. When I suggested 'Chronicles of the Traitors' my mind only has Wu San Gui, Qin Hui and Judas Iscariot (haha, I know it's not possible to film about him with the chinese cast, but he's the most well known 'traitor' ever ).

Wang Man actually has great ideals for the country. Too bad he was not a competant ruler. He didn't take over the Kingdom for greed or power, but actually dream of making a better kingdom following the teaching of a Taoist sect call 'Huang Jin'. I feel sorry for him when at last he was defeated. During the time he rebeled, Han Dynasty actually were going downhill already. It will be good to add him in the traitor list. His story will make a good story.

The Eunuches (not only Ming) are also good. This was another group I feel sorry for. Losing their manhood against their will, they can have family and a normal life. Power was the only thing they can get for themselves. So, I never judges this group harshly.

Should Li Si be included? He did fake the Emperor's will and executed the heir to the throne. His reasons for doing so were obvious though.

[charbydis]

Your list are good enough already. When I suggested 'Chronicles of the Traitors' my mind only has Wu San Gui, Qin Hui and Judas Iscariot (haha, I know it's not possible to film about him with the chinese cast, but he's the most well known 'traitor' ever )..

Judas was sort of in a bad situation from the beginning. He was meant to betray his master right from the beginning, it was hinte dmroe than once that this was going to happen. Judas was going to choose to be traitor anyhow because that was the way it was planned to happen. I sory of feel sorry for him in a straneg way, and he just killed himself out of guilt later on.

The Eunuches (not only Ming) are also good. This was another group I feel sorry for. Losing their manhood against their will, they can have family and a normal life. Power was the only thing they can get for themselves. So, I never judges this group harshly.

Yes, I don't think TVB ever portrayed them in a sympathetic light. They are always the gossipers, the crazy, or victim of cruel jokes by non-castrated men.

Should Li Si be included? He did fake the Emperor's will and executed the heir to the throne. His reasons for doing so were obvious though.

I thought that was Zhao Gao, why not add both. They two are inseparable in tha incident.

[kidd]

Judas was sort of in a bad situation from the beginning. He was meant to betray his master right from the beginning, it was hinte dmroe than once that this was going to happen. Judas was going to choose to be traitor anyhow because that was the way it was planned to happen. I sory of feel sorry for him in a straneg way, and he just killed himself out of guilt later on.

I'm a Judas sympathiser too. I agree with everything u said about him. If Jesus was meant to die on the cross for our sins, then Judas was meant to betray him too. But the poor guy spent eternity in hell (according to some Gospel). Some Christians were of the opinion that he went to hell not because of the betrayal but because of his suicide (which showed his lack of faith or something). That's even worse, in my opinion. The guy has a conscience and felt bad about what he has done (which he might even have a choice if it's all a plan) and commited suicide to atone his sins, and he was sent to hell for this.
But there are also some small group that think he didn't go to hell.

I thought that was Zhao Gao, why not add both. They two are inseparable in tha incident.

Zhao Gao was an eunuch. So, I relegated him to the eunuch group.
Seriously, he was more guilty than Li Si. He was the person who single-handedly brought down the Qin Empire.

Check this out: http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~kaplan/

You can read this guy's take about Wang Mang.

Under 'History 280/ East Asian Studies 201' go to chapter 8.

Direct link: http://www.wwu.edu/~kaplan/eas201/201-08.pdf

It's was in this article too that I read about Liu Heng acting stupid to avoid Lui Chi's wrath.

[Mo “Tan Yuan”]

Ahhh! Another Zhuge Liang fan! My mum has a soft spot for Tang Guo Qiang as well. He played Yong Zheng in "YZHC" Actually, I got really pissed off with the dude that played Lu Bu cos he had too much make-up on and was kind of overacting, which is very rare in Chinese actors. The dude who did the narration had a boring monotonous voice as well, if TVB ever does make one, they must ge Robert Siu (narrator of JTTW, plays Lelia's dad in LMS) to narrate, his voice is very interesting.

As discussed before, TVB just doesn't have the quantity of men and connections to do a full-scale "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" without making it CGI overloaded. Probabaly if they just focussed on a part of the saga, it would be OK. I always loved seeing the "Battle of the Linking Ships". I am just worried that the romance department woudl turn out like the Taiwan version (Yuck! Yuck! Zhe Ge Liang and Xiao Qiao having an affair! Yuck Yuck! )

Who would you choose to play the main characters if TVB ever had the chance? And try to pick within the current actors under TVB contract?

I'll chuck in Damian and Adam for sure in any role cos they are bound to impress, Sek Sau may make a good Dong Zhuo cos he yells a lot (even though he isn't obese), Lau Dan can always do Cao Cao again or even better have Chun Pui do it, John Chiang can always do some role (except Zhu Ge Liang and Zhou Yu), and no Lok Ying Kwun if I can help it.

I'm a bit hesitant to watch that adaption if it occurs anyway cos "Romance Of The Three Kingdoms" always makes Cao Cao the villian, and I quite like Cao Cao! Maybe TVB will try and write him in a different light!

My mum liked him too. She's the one who checked up on his name . I was glad to see him in "Yong Zheng Huang Chao" but Qing Dynasty isn't my thing so I only watched it on-and-off (I always prided myself as an enthnic Han, although in truth I may not be... but that just shows the overwhelming influence of the Han Dynasty on Chinese identity.) I was ok with Lu Bu's character. He got these big angry eyes that fits in with my stereotype of a fearsome warrior. And he got killed off too early in the story for me to develop any negative feelings towards him .

The Battle of Red Cliffs is always a popular choice. In the China series, they focused on the immediate aftermath of the battle and Cao Cao's escape. No blood and gore, with the Wei soldiers (most probably non-swimmers, being northeners.) leaping off their doomed vessels to escape the inferno and getting shot in the water by pursuing enemies ... Maybe TVB can do a "Battle of Red Cliffs" drama with a lot of battle and dueling scenes! And no boy-girl romance sub-plots! (Zhuge Liang and Xiao Qiao?! That would be such a double blow for Zhou Yu, with Kong Ming beating him at BOTH war and love! hahahah )

But I would really like to watch a remake of Zhuge Liang's 6 assaults on the Wei Kingdom ( and possibly Jiang Wei's 9 subsequent attacks, if they have the time ...) That's absolutely the most tragic part of the whole story!

Regarding the casting, I'm not sure who's still with TVB... but here goes:

Cao Cao - Paul Chun Piu (A great choice! I wholeheartedly agree that he's the best man for the role ... Cao Cao is not really a villian. He did what needs to be done, for the sake of power and glory but he didn't really kill senselessly for entertainment. So was he evil or just propelled by circumstances? .....)

Liu Bei - Adam Cheng, of course! (He got relevant work experience playing Liu Bang in The Conqueror's Story. Hahaha )

Sun Quan - (No actors in mind yet but in my opinion, Sun Quan is a wimp.)

Pang Tong - Dayo Wong (He just popped into mind! We need someone who looks "ugly" and smart at the same time.)

Zhuge Liang - Damian Lau (Mmmm ... he looks scholarly enough but too old if it's for Battle of Red Cliffs. He would look ok if we are doing the 6 assaults on Wei Kingdom ...)

Zhou Yu - Gilbert Lam (He's Yang Xiu in "Where the Legend Begins", right?)

Zhang Fei - Kwong Wa (He did lots of yelling in The Conqueror's Story.)


That's all I can think of at the moment ... Sorry for the loooooonnnnggg reply.

[TommyH]

After the quelling of the Yellow Turbans Uprising of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), local warlords and tyrants sprung up everywhere in struggle for the control over the country. Among them, the military groups under Yuanshao and Cao Cao in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River stood out as the strongest. While to the south of the Yangtze River, Sunquan and Liu Bei occupied the eastern and western areas respectively. They stayed comparatively weaker in the first round of power struggle.

In 200 AD, Cao Cao declared war on Yuanshao. At Guandu in present Henan Province, the army of Cao Cao crushed the force of Yuanshao with lesser military strength. After Guandu Battle, Cao Cao annexed other minor forces in the north and unified the region north of the Yellow River. Thereafter, Cao Cao pushed his army across the river and launched assault on southern regimes.

Under the suggestion of Zhuge Liang, the advisor of Liu Bei, the forces of Liu Bei and Sunquan came to a united front against Cao Cao. They won an overwhelming victory in Chibi Battle (near present Puyin in Hubei Province). Since then, Cao Cao was warded back in the north. Liu Bei followed up the victory and seized present Chengdu City and west of present Hubei Province. And Sunquan strengthened his influence in the middle valley of the Yangtze River.

In 220 AD, Caopi, the son of Cao Cao, abandoned Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty and proclaimed himself the emperor of Wei Kingdom (220 - 265), making Xuchang in Henan Province his capital city. The next year, Liu Bei was crowned in Chengdu, ruling the Kingdom of Shu (221 - 263). In 229 AD, Sunquan founded the Kingdom of Wu (229 - 280) with capital at Jianye, present Nanjing City. Thus the confrontation of three rival powers came into being and China entered the period of the Three Kingdoms, the golden age of chivalry in history.

Although the wars continued during this period, each of the kingdoms highly concentrated on the reorganization of the government and the rebuilding of the social order and economy. In the kingdom of Wei, the rulers made outstanding achievements. After the reunification of the northern area, Cao Cao began the opening of the farmlands by soldiers and local people. He restricted the rights of big landlords and uprooted the abused privilege of eunuchs and members of the royal family. Moreover, he gave promotion to the able men from the middle and low class. In Shu, Zhuge Liang sought to build the kingdom stronger and set up good terms with southwestern ethnic group people. While in the Wu Kingdom, seafaring was in the bloom.

In 263, the Wei Kingdom conquered Shu, which only lasted forty-two years with two kings in the reign. Wei Kingdom lasted for 46 years with five kings. In 265, Sima Yan, a top official of the Wei, usurped the power and established his reign as Jin (265 - 420). Later, Jin overturned Wu, the last surviving kingdom in 280 and brought an end to the Three Kingdoms Period.

This would make a good series. Other than the beginning of the Tang, Qin, Qing, Ming dynasty, the battle of Lau Bong and Hong Yu, this battle would definately make a great series.

[kidd]

charbydis,

If TVB are going to produce a series on the life of Liu Bing Yi, who do u propose to play the role.

Btw, I try to think of who else in TVB can play Chan Ping besides Gilbert Lam, and I came up with none. Haha. Seems like Gilbert has become the Chan Ping to me. I'll look up the list of ATV actors and see whether got any suitable one or not.

[charbydis]

charbydis,

If TVB are going to produce a series on the life of Liu Bing Yi, who do u propose to play the role.

Btw, I try to think of who else in TVB can play Chan Ping besides Gilbert Lam, and I came up with none. Haha. Seems like Gilbert has become the Chan Ping to me. I'll look up the list of ATV actors and see whether got any suitable one or not.

I think Raymond Lam will be agood Liu Bing Yi, he is quite versatile, and I have to say, the most regal looking younger male lead in TVB nowadays. If it was ATV, I would get Benny Chan Chin Pang. But I think I would swap him for an older actor when he gets to around 30.

Hmmm. Chan Ping... tried Kenneth Chan?

[TommyH]

I think Raymond Lam will be agood Liu Bing Yi, he is quite versatile, and I have to say, the most regal looking younger male lead in TVB nowadays. If it was ATV, I would get Benny Chan Chin Pang. But I think I would swap him for an older actor when he gets to around 30.

Hmmm. Chan Ping... tried Kenneth Chan?

why do you need to swap actors? why not just wear a fake mustache?

[kidd]

I think Raymond Lam will be agood Liu Bing Yi, he is quite versatile, and I have to say, the most regal looking younger male lead in TVB nowadays. If it was ATV, I would get Benny Chan Chin Pang. But I think I would swap him for an older actor when he gets to around 30.

Raymond Lam again.

It seems that every time there is a 'who can play this character' question, the name Raymond Lam always came up. TVB sure has a great lack of talent amount the younger generations.

Hmmm. Chan Ping... tried Kenneth Chan?

Kenneth Chan is a good choice.

Do u think Kevin Cheng can be a good candidate for Chan Ping or not? He has the handsome face.

[charbydis]

Raymond Lam again.

It seems that every time there is a 'who can play this character' question, the name Raymond Lam always came up. TVB sure has a great lack of talent amount the younger generations.

Kenneth Chan is a good choice.

Do u think Kevin Cheng can be a good candidate for Chan Ping or not? He has the handsome face.

Why don't we make Kevin Cheng Liu Bing Yi? He doesn't look 32, and can still look good for a twenty year old guy!

Its just that TVB younger generation of actors just don't have a great amount of versatility, looks and talent. Ron looks too pissed off to be the humble Liu Bing Yi, Bosco doesn't even look like royalty (I like Bosco, but he just doesn't look majestic ), same with Kenneth, only Sammul is also fitting of the role, coming to think of it.

So either Sammul or Raymond.

To TommyH: it just looks very strange when you have a 30-year old playing a 40-50 years old, not to mention someone's dad. And not that many people look good with a moustache, and Ray and Benny are certainly not in that range. So I'd rather swap him for an older actor.

[kidd]

Even if u stick a moustache and a white wig to Raymond, he still wouldn't look cinvincing as a 40-50 year old.

He still has that little boy look in him.

Like in LWOLAP. He tried to act all adult and mature, but at certain scenes his youthfulness still showed. So, he sometimes look like a little boy who has to carry a heavy burden on his shoulders.

[charbydis]

So, he sometimes look like a little boy who has to carry a heavy burden on his shoulders.

Good, then we can chuck him in a series abotu Kang Xi then!

[kidd]

Raymond with moustache.

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[TommyH]

Raymond with moustache.

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haha! how did you do that? wow...photoshop is amazing! he does look a bit older but he still has a young look. but you could still say he's 30 yrs. old... definately not 40-50...by that time your skin should be wrinkled.

[kidd]

I don't have such amazing photoshoping skill. It's from a scene in the series LWALOP itself. There was one part where FHL disguised himself to leave the city with GBW after the Fook Yu Sword was stolen.

I tried to make his hair white, but it looks really bad. I dunno how some people can make such good photoshoping job.

[TommyH]

I don't have such amazing photoshoping skill. It's from a scene in the series LWALOP itself. There was one part where FHL disguised himself to leave the city with GBW after the Fung Yu Sword was stolen.

I tried to make his hair white, but it looks really bad. I dunno how some people can make such good photoshoping job.

ohh haha! i thought you made it with photoshop well that scene was so short and you actually remembered it