Drunken Hero
Encyclopedia
Drunken Hero is a 2002 Chinese television series that tells of two brothers who were separated at birth, raised differently, and forced to become rivals due to their differing backgrounds. The 40 episodes long series starred Vincent Zhao
, Max Mok, Kristy Yang
and Yang Ruoxi in the leading roles.
, and are separated at birth when the emperor's uncle, Zhu Di
, starts a military coup to seize power. The emperor forces Wentian and Wanxin to consume the magical Water and Fire orbs respectively and orders his bodyguards to bring the infant princes out of the palace before he disappears. During the chaos, Wanxin is taken away by the chief eunuch
Chu Tianxing, while Wentian is delivered to safety by the bodyguards.
Wentian is raised by Mi Jiutou (one of the bodyguards), while Wanxin becomes the godson of Chu Tianxing. Wentian grows up to become a morally upright pugilist who values friendship and righteousness. On the other hand, Wanxin develops a cruel, cold and power-hungry personality under the influence of his evil godfather. The orbs in their bodies often cause them to experience strange fits of agony; Wentian suffers from chills while Wanxin feels like he is on fire. However, their prowess in inner energy
have also increased due to the power of the orbs.
Wentian and Wanxin meet each other by coincidence and strike up a friendship, becoming sworn brothers in the process without knowing each other's true identity. Both Wentian and Wanxin fall in love with Bai Yutong, a girl from a wealthy family who doubles as "Golden Swallow", a bandit who robs the rich to help the poor. Xiaowan, the daughter of Mi Jiutou, is also in love with Wentian, having spent her childhood with him. Their love relationships become more complicated and Wentian and Wanxin eventually realize that they are actually brothers.
In a dramatic twist of events, Wanxin is castrated on the orders of his godfather, causing him to be emotionally scarred, and he gradually becomes consumed by his darker personality. After Chu Tianxing is killed by an enemy, Wanxin takes over his godfather's place as the chief eunuch and continues with his brutal and ruthless ways. Meanwhile, Wentian masters a set of martial arts, based on different styles of Drunken Fist, with each style named after a type of alcoholic drink. The warm effect of alcohol helps him to suppress the cool energy from the Water Orb, relieving him of his agony. He roams the jianghu
as a youxia to uphold justice and help the poor with his new skills, earning himself the nickname of "Drunken Hero". At the end of the series, Wentian faces Wanxin in a final fight-to-the-death to put an end to his brother's evil ways.
Vincent Zhao
Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo , sometimes credited as Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known playing the role of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China film and television series.-Early life:Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, as the...
, Max Mok, Kristy Yang
Kristy Yang
Kristy Yang , also known as Kristy Yeung, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese Canadian actress.-Biography:Yang was born in Shanghai, China, to a Chinese father and a British Chinese mother...
and Yang Ruoxi in the leading roles.
Plot
Wentian and Wanxin are the sons of the Jianwen EmperorJianwen Emperor
The Jianwen Emperor , with the personal name Zhu Yunwen , reigned as the second Emperor of the Ming dynasty...
, and are separated at birth when the emperor's uncle, Zhu Di
Yongle Emperor
The Yongle Emperor , born Zhu Di , was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. His Chinese era name Yongle means "Perpetual Happiness".He was the Prince of Yan , possessing a heavy military base in Beiping...
, starts a military coup to seize power. The emperor forces Wentian and Wanxin to consume the magical Water and Fire orbs respectively and orders his bodyguards to bring the infant princes out of the palace before he disappears. During the chaos, Wanxin is taken away by the chief eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
Chu Tianxing, while Wentian is delivered to safety by the bodyguards.
Wentian is raised by Mi Jiutou (one of the bodyguards), while Wanxin becomes the godson of Chu Tianxing. Wentian grows up to become a morally upright pugilist who values friendship and righteousness. On the other hand, Wanxin develops a cruel, cold and power-hungry personality under the influence of his evil godfather. The orbs in their bodies often cause them to experience strange fits of agony; Wentian suffers from chills while Wanxin feels like he is on fire. However, their prowess in inner energy
Neigong
Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
have also increased due to the power of the orbs.
Wentian and Wanxin meet each other by coincidence and strike up a friendship, becoming sworn brothers in the process without knowing each other's true identity. Both Wentian and Wanxin fall in love with Bai Yutong, a girl from a wealthy family who doubles as "Golden Swallow", a bandit who robs the rich to help the poor. Xiaowan, the daughter of Mi Jiutou, is also in love with Wentian, having spent her childhood with him. Their love relationships become more complicated and Wentian and Wanxin eventually realize that they are actually brothers.
In a dramatic twist of events, Wanxin is castrated on the orders of his godfather, causing him to be emotionally scarred, and he gradually becomes consumed by his darker personality. After Chu Tianxing is killed by an enemy, Wanxin takes over his godfather's place as the chief eunuch and continues with his brutal and ruthless ways. Meanwhile, Wentian masters a set of martial arts, based on different styles of Drunken Fist, with each style named after a type of alcoholic drink. The warm effect of alcohol helps him to suppress the cool energy from the Water Orb, relieving him of his agony. He roams the jianghu
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
as a youxia to uphold justice and help the poor with his new skills, earning himself the nickname of "Drunken Hero". At the end of the series, Wentian faces Wanxin in a final fight-to-the-death to put an end to his brother's evil ways.
Cast
- Vincent ZhaoVincent ZhaoVincent Zhao Wenzhuo , sometimes credited as Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known playing the role of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China film and television series.-Early life:Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, as the...
as Wentian - Kristy YangKristy YangKristy Yang , also known as Kristy Yeung, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese Canadian actress.-Biography:Yang was born in Shanghai, China, to a Chinese father and a British Chinese mother...
as Bai Yutong - Max Mok as Wanxin
- Yang Ruoxi as Mi Xiaowan
- Li Yongyong as Honggu
- Dong Xiaoyan as Hua Nongying / Yu Linglong
- Yu Yuexian as Hua Canyi
- Jia Yiping as Tong Buda
- Liang Jing as Shui Linling
- Zhu Yana as Hua Kui
- Zhang Wei as Chu Tianxing
- Dingdang as Choupidan
External links
Drunken Hero on Baidu BaikeBaidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....