On December 1, Li Xiaotian, an all-round talent, left us at the age of 73. He is known as "Garfield" for his unique talent and contributions. He once praised Leslie Cheung and wrote many classic songs, such as "The Kindness of the Earth", "The Great Wall Will Never Fall" and "Rouge Buckle". Especially "The Great Wall Will Never Fall", as the theme song of the TV series "Huo Yuanjia", is all the rage, and almost everyone can hum two sentences.
Directed by Xu Xiaoming, Huo Yuanjia premiered in Hong Kong in 1981 and became the first Hong Kong drama series to be introduced from the mainland in 1983. The show sparked a huge ratings craze and sparked enthusiasm for martial arts and Cantonese learning, as well as strong patriotic feelings.
In Xu Zheng's movie "Winning the Championship", the short-lived picture of "Huo Yuanjia" immediately evoked people's memories, as if returning to that era. At that time, the reason why "Huo Yuanjia" could have such a huge impact was not only the lack of mainland film and television works, but more importantly, the martial arts scenes of the show were real, the story was concise and clear, and the characters were fully portrayed and brilliant.
What is amazing is that 38 years have passed since the premiere of "Huo Yuanjia", and many of the actors in the play are no longer alive. Among them was Wu Hui (1912-1996), who played a sinister and cunning character in the play, but was also a veteran actor. He played Bao Longxing's father in "Jiupin Sesame Official", and also participated in many ATV dramas.
Another deceased actor was Dong Bi (1933-2006), who played Horndi. He was Huo Yuanjia's father, a traditional martial artist. Although he and his son have differences in martial arts philosophy, he cares about his son in the slightest. Dong Bi was born into a family of horse trainers and was a professional trainer. Later, he entered the entertainment industry, hosted horse racing shows and participated in many TV series. His passing is sad, but the characters he created will remain in our memories forever.
In classic film and television works such as "The Kindness of the Earth", "Walking to Tiger Mountain Again", "Chen Zhen", "Four Famous Catches", we have all witnessed his wonderful performances. His outstanding performance in the Hong Kong film industry is even more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and his collaboration with Jackie Chan in the "Police Story" series, "Red Fan Zone", "Drunken Fist 2", "Miracle" and other works have shown his excellent acting skills. "Senior Brother Collides with Ghosts" and "Righteous Heroes" in cooperation with Xing Ye, and "Detective Father and Son" and "Liver and Guts Photos" in cooperation with Andy Lau have all become classics in the hearts of the audience. The "Rich and Powerful" series he partnered with Shen Dianxia won a high box office with a small cost.
He is Liu Dart Master and Cao Dahua. This martial artist who wanted to mediate in the middle of the fight between the two families of Huo Zhao, although his martial arts were slightly inferior, his status in the Hong Kong film industry was very important. In the Cantonese film era, works such as the "Wong Fei Hung" series and "The Palm of the Gods" made him known as the iron man of the silver world. Together with Guan Dexing and Shi Jian, he is known as the Iron Triangle, and his influence has continued to the tenth century. Cao Dahua, the tiger of the serious crime team of "Truant Weilong 2", and the detective image of "Best Partner" and "Five Lucky Stars" series, etc., all show us his outstanding talent.
Wang Xiwen is a gentle Tanaka on the surface, but behind the scenes, he is the sinister and cunning Mai Tianen. This hypocrite is good at disguise, and often does things that hurt nature and reason, which is difficult to prevent. Mai Tianen's grasp of the role can be called superb, the typical skin smile is not smiling, and the cunning and ** of the character are vividly displayed. He left a deep impression on the audience in the roles of the black devil in "Silkworm Transformation", the second elder brother in "The Heroes of the Great Interior", and the wind and thunder and lightning in "Ranger Zhang Sanfeng". His collaboration with Jackie Chan in works such as "Police Story Sequel" and "Miracle" is even more unforgettable. However, after acting in "The Lion King of the Golden Retriever" in 1994, he gradually faded out of the film industry.
Feng Zhigao is another hated character, and Huo Yuanjia's opium smoking is his conspiracy. The image of Feng Zhigao's treacherous villain played by Ling Liwen is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. As a licorice actor, Ling Liwen also had a wonderful performance in ATV's "Kindness of the Earth", but his performance in TVB dramas was more loved by the audience. Although he passed away in 2010, his role is still fresh in his memory.
In film and television works, there are some actors who may often appear in various TV series, but you may not know their real names. For example, there is such an actor in classic works such as "Heroes of the World", "Xun Qin Ji", "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", "Ninety-Five Supreme", sometimes they are security guards, sometimes they are the owners of a certain store, and sometimes they are an old man. This type of character has been featured in many TV series.
In addition, there is an actor named Long Shaoji, and the characters he plays always have a bad son. Whether it is "Huo Yuanjia" or "Eight Immortals Across the Sea", his role is the same. As a veteran actor in the Cantonese film era, his "Detective" image is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. He later served in Asia Television for decades, starring in dramas such as "Silkworm Transformation", "Qin Shi Huang", "Winner is King 2", "Gun God", "Zombie Taoist", "The King of a Thousand Kings: The Return of the Rivers and Lakes". After entering the new century, he gradually faded out of the film industry.
There is also an actor named Li Hanzhi, who is handsome and dashing on the outside, but he is a villain full of evil on the inside. He has done many bad things and lost his conscience. However, because of Li Hanzhi's handsome image, many people can't hate him. Compared with his performance in Asian TV dramas, more people are more familiar with his works on TVB, such as Yang Xiao in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". Unfortunately, the charismatic actor passed away in 2013 at the age of 62.
38 years after its release, Huo Yuanjia has still become the best memory in the hearts of many people. After a hundred years of sleep, the Chinese people finally woke up. Let's open our eyes and carefully appreciate these classics.