‘The Legend of Heroes’ new series showcased at public screening

‘The Legend of Heroes’ new series showcased at public screening

By Joyce Xu

Excerpts from the martial arts series “The Legend of Heroes” were screened to the public at Shanghai Book City on June 25 as a Magnolia Showcase event of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival.

The series is based on the epic sagas of the late Chinese martial arts writer Louis Cha, who is widely known by his pen name Jin Yong.

With an innovative structure of five different chapters, the series unfolds a legendary realm of kung fu prowess, honour, brotherhoods and intrigue, and brings new imagination and extension to the plot of the original novel.

Zang Xichuan, director of one of the chapters, was invited to interact with audience members after the screening.

Zang noted that filming a new adaptation of Cha’s masterpieces is a challenge for everyone. They spent a lot of time discussing how to remain loyal to the original work while also catering to the aesthetic tastes of today’s audiences with new cinematography.

For instance, the female character Mei Chaofeng, who was usually depicted as evil and malicious on screen, is newly interpreted in this version. 

Stories about her childhood, growth and tragic love will be told to showcase multiple facets of the character.

“I think every male director has a dream of doing martial arts,” said Zang. 

“The varied adaptations of Cha’s literary works have impressed generations of people. It’s not easy for us to make breakthroughs, but we’re trying to tell the stories from new and innovative perspectives.”