Excerpts of martial arts series showcased at Shanghai TV festival
The screening and salon is a Magnolia Showcase event of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival.
Excerpts from the martial arts series "The Legend of Heroes" were screened to the public at Shanghai Book City on Tuesday (June 25) as a Magnolia Showcase event of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival.
The series is based on epic sagas by the late Chinese martial arts writer Louis Cha, who is more widely known by his pen name Jin Yong.
With an innovative structure of five different chapters, the series unfolds a legendary realm of kungfu prowess, honor, brotherhood, and intrigue, and brings new imagination and extensions to the plot of the original novels.
Zang Xichuan, director of one of the chapters, interacted with audience members after the screening.
Director Zang Xichuan shares stories about the production.
Zang said that filming a new adaptation of Cha's masterpieces was 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 is usually depicted as evil and malicious on the screen, is newly interpreted in this version.
Stories about her childhood, growth, and tragic love will be told to showcase the multiple facets of the character.
"I think every male director has a dream of filming martial arts films or series," Zang said. "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."
The Magnolia Showcase event at the Shanghai Book City attracts many residents of the city.
Props from the series are also displayed.
