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-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu II: Thirteen Cudgel Monks -- 

Yuen Biao is playing Tan Zong, one who is responsible for assembling 12 other monks to form Thirteen Cudgel Monks to deal with Wang Shi Chong. He is expert in 72 Peerless Arts of Shaolin, his skills unfathomable, having reached the state of union of Zen and Kungfu. He is pensive, collected, and doesn't exhibit his emotions. He has the bearings of a grandmaster of his times, caring for the affairs of the world.

Leung Kar Yan plays the antagonist Wang Shi Chong, a cunning, greedy, vicious, merciless general of Sui who later usurps the throne. He throws his weight about in the court and oppresses the populace. He bans martial arts practice in order to forestall any future threats.

Have Perseverance, Will Succeed

李渊 Li Yuan was born on August 7, 1982 in Shangdong to an impecunious peasant family of over 10 members, at the time when Jet Li's Shaolin Temple took the nation by storm. Growing up being a fan of martial arts films, Li Yuan started formal training in martial arts at the age of 12. When he was in primary 4, he made a bold decision to quit school in order to learn wushu. He was subsequently punished by his parents. But on considering that he wasn't doing very well in his academic studies, Li Yuan's parents finally relented.

Li Yuan was raised mostly by his wushu champion brother 李炳雷 Li Bing Lei, who also teaches him martial arts. Li Bing Lei is 8 years his senior. Li Yuan was brought up under very strict upbringing, and he matured earlier than most people. In his youth, he got only one rest day on Lunar New Year; on other days, he would train for four to five hours daily. There were times when thoughts of skiving did occur to Li Yuan, but on thinking of how hard his parents were toiling in the fields in his hometown, even in bitter winters, Li Yuan cast aside all weariness.

Xie Miao and Yaqi Talk about Legend of Shaolin Kungfu

《少林寺传奇》 A Legend of Shaolin Kungfu TV series, a trilogy directed by 都晓 Du Xiao, consists of  《乱世英雄》 Heroes in Troubled Times, 《十三棍僧救唐王》 Thirteen Warrior Monks and Prince Li Shimin, and  《十八小铜人》 Eighteen Arhats. A Legend of Shaolin Kung Fu I: Heroes in Troubled in Times is currently being aired in China to great success and high viewership ratings while the second part Thirteen Warrior Monks has begun production since January 2008.

It features an impressive cast consisting of veteran actors like 鲍国安 Bao Guo An, 午马 Wu Ma, 郭达 Guo Da, 王刚 Wang Gang, 吴京安 Wu Jing An, etc. and most importantly, large number of martial artists such as 计春华 Ji Chun Hua, 于承惠Yu Cheng Hui, 李渊 Li Yuan, 叶剑卫 Ye Jian Wei, 谢苗Xie Miao, 陈佳佳 Chen Jia Jia, 王雪 Wang Xue, 郭辉Guo Hui, 袁新东 Yuan Xin Dong, 阴海龙 Yin Hai Long, 刘子威 Liu Zi Wei etc. for the main leads and their opponents to deliver martial arts sequences that are jaw-droppingly realistic, beautiful, yet without being too violent, as choreographed by  程小东 Tony Ching Siu Tung. To add more colour to the series, 孙卉凝 Sun Hui Ning, 法提麦·雅琦 Yaqi Fatima, 乔乔 Qiao Qiao are invited to play the leading ladies.

Legend of Bruce Lee TV series, which was filmed last year from May to September, traces the life of Bruce Lee from when he's a kid, growing up being a martial arts fanatic, and getting involved in fights, and being pursued by gangs and forced to leave Hong Kong, and meeting Linda Emery as well as creating a storm in America, and starting a film career. And as he gets more famous, Bruce Lee faces challenges from many martial artists from the West and East alike. Yet, he remains a legend who is never defeated.

40-part Legend of Bruce Lee TV series, set for release this summer, is directed by Li Qi Wen, with Ma Zhong Xuan and Eric Chen as the martial arts directors. The cast includes Chan Kwok Kwan, Yu Cheng Hui, Wang Luo Yong, Zhou Zhou, Gai Ke, Li Yuan, Bian Xiao Xiao, Michelle Lang, Mark Dacascos, Eric Chen, Gary Daniels, Michael Jai White, Ray Park, Tim Storms.

-- Legend of Shaolin Temple --

《少林寺传奇》 Legend of Shaolin Temple TV series, based partially on novel 《断臂方丈》 Broken-Arm Abbot and shot over four months in summer 2006, tells of the daring exploits of 6 disciples of one-armed abbot in the turbulent times of North and South Dynasty. Produced and directed by Du Xiao, with action by Ching Siu Tung and consultation from present day Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yong Xin, it features a cast comprising predominantly of martial artists including Yu Cheng Hui, Ji Chun Hua, Xiao Miao, Li Yuan, Pan Yuan Jia, Ye Jian Wei, Wang Xiao Long, Chen Jia Jia, etc. Apart from them are veteran actors like Bao Guo An, Anthony Wong, Wang Gang, Guo Da, etc.

The name Ching Siu Tung is synonymous with wuxia productions where style and gracefulness of action take precedence over continuity or authenticity. But how well would he be able hold up on the kungfu epic Legend of Shaolin Temple TV series? Check out the 12 min long trailer on Sina and be amazed at the startling martial arts sequences with long, uninterrupted shots.

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Trailer: Part 1, 2, 3

As opposed to many recent big-budget Chinese period productions of late, which were made to impress with elaborate sets and dandified costumes, but are ultimately lacking in plot, A Battle Of Wits, while not perfect, is a heartfelt attempt in movie-making. It's brilliantly written, and unpretentious in its presentation by not over-indulging in opulently ornate sets and spotlessly clean, garish and outlandish costumes. Although the director Cheung Chi Leung doesn't dig deep into Mohism, he still tries his best to bring out the message of universal love and peace through the selfless deeds of the Mohist follower protagonist Ge Li, and showing the traumas and tragedies caused by war. A Battle of Wits is about how Ge Li helps defends a tiny State of Liang against the overwhelming troops led by the formidable general from the much larger State of Zhao, in the hope of preventing casualties and massacres. At the same time, he has to face treachery from the politicians of the nation he is defending. Directed by Cheung Chi Leung. Starring Andy Lau, Ahn Sung Ki, Fan Bing Bing Tak Wah, Wang Zhi Wen, Nicky Wu, Zensyo Sakamoto, with cameos from Yu Cheng Hui, Xu Xiang Dong, Chin Siu Ho.

The 2-Disc Special Edition of A Battle of Wits, to be released on 1 Feb,  comes with 86 minutes extras, including teasers and trailers, a making-of featurette, premier clips, interviews with Jacob Cheung, Andy Lau, and Nicky Wu, photo gallery, etc. Available from YesAsia.

-- Shaolin Temple: Broken-Armed Abbot --

《少林寺·断臂方丈》 Shaolin Temple: Broken-Armed Abbot (tentative), the first of 120 episodes 《少林寺传奇》 Shaolin Legends Trilogy drama serial will begin production on a CCTV soundstage in Hebei on June 1 and expects to be completed in October. Directed by Du Xiao with Ching Siu Tung as the martial arts director, the cast consists of such celebrities as Anthony Wong, Bao Guo An and Guo Da, and various wushu champions and martial artists, including Yu Cheng Hui, Ji Chun Hua, Xiao Miao, Li Yuan, Pan Yuan Jia, Ye Jian Wei, Wang Xiao Long, Chen Jia Jia (the female general in Seven Swords), etc.

-- Seven Sword of Mt Tian --

Mainland's CCTV will be airing Seven Swordsmen TV series in the Lunar New Year season - from Feb 3 to Feb 14 2005. Three episodes will be shown each day. CCTV, which thinks well of Seven Swords of Mt Tian, hopes that the series will surpass the record of 17.8% viewership rating set by by Mainland's State of Divinity. The main reason for delaying the series' release is that CCTV spent an extra 6 months in editing after the production passed the final cut to them. They toned down the violence and removed draggy parts, reducing the series from 40 to 36 episodes.

Producer Wang Yong says that the TV version of Seven Swords of Mt Tian is purposely made to be different from the movie in that it carries a romantic, aesthetic tone of new wuxia concept that pays attention to not only the fight scenes but also the mental states and mental achievements of the characters. Moreover, the participation of various wushu experts like Yu Cheng Hui, Zhao Wen Zhuo, Ji Chun Hua, Xu Xiang Dong, etc would inevitably guarantee a more sparkling martial arts sequences than that of the movie.  Nanfang City Daily

-- Seven Swords of Mt Tian: Additional Filming--

Currently, some actors from Seven Swords of Mt Tian 《七剑下天山》 TV series have been called back to do additional filming. When this reporter went to set, they were working busily late into the night, until it was nearly dawn on the next day. Director Clarence Fok explains that they have already finished editing, with a total of 38 episodes being put together in the final cut.

However, after going through it, Tsui Hark thought that the villain characters were neglected, so he hold a meeting with Clarence Fok, martial arts director Yuen Bun, producer Wang Yong, etc, through which they agreed on doing additional shoot. On the set were Yu Cheng Hui, Sun Jian Kui, Sang Wei Lin, Luo Er Yang, etc.

-- Seven Swords of Mt Tian --

Both the movie and TV adaptations of Seven Swords of Mt Tian are slated to conclude filming at Chengdu's Xilin Snow Mountain, Sichuan in late December. Some publicity events might also be organised there as well. Author of the novel, Liang Yusheng, will personally show up and intends to hold a talk on wuxia or a Seven Swords discussion at a Sichuan university. Producer of the TV series Wang Yong says that they plan to spend 5 days doing Seven Swords skiing scene at Xilin Snow Mountain. If the amount of snow is insufficient, the relevant authorities at the holiday resort there will use snowmakers to ensure that the production goes on smoothly.  Chengdu Daily

When Return of Condor Heroes' producer Zhang Jizhong, who insisted on getting wushu master Yu Cheng Hui for the role of Eastern Heretic Huang Yao Shi, failed, he sought help from executive producer Ma Zhong Jun, who went to Hengdian to talk Wang Yong into letting go of Yu Cheng Hui. Wang Yong said that Return of Condor Heroes has already spent huge sums building outdoor sets in Zhejiang, and the delay of the actor for Huang Yaoshi would stymie the progress of the production.

As both Return of Condor Heroes 《神雕侠侣》 and Seven Swords of Mt Tian are big-budget extravaganzas financed by Ma Zhong Jun, thinking of the overall picture, Wang Yong had no choice but to acquiesce. Yu Cheng Hui, who was given for 4-day leave, has flown to Yandang Mountain to lend his help to Return of Condor Heroes. It may be just four days, but this has resulted in quite a substantial loss for Seven Swords of Mt Tian as Yu Cheng Hui has a very important role in it as Fu Qing Zu. Director Clarence Fok has to arrange for other scenes to be shot first.  Yantai Daily