The Shaolin Warriors
2008 Chinese TV series
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The Shaolin Warriors (少林僧兵) is a Chinese wuxia television series directed by Raymond Lee, starring cast members from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Set in 16th-century China during the Ming dynasty, the story is based on a legend about 30 Shaolin warrior-monks who helped Ming forces resist incursions by the wokou.[1] First broadcast in November 2008 on CCTV-8 in mainland China, it is the first wuxia television series to filmed in direct collaboration with Shaolin Monastery and features some rarely seen martial arts.[2]
- Wang Qiuyu
- Li Zhixian
- Sammo Hung
- Cui Lin
- Jeanette Aw
- Christopher Lee
- Li Man
- Sammy Hung
- Cui Peng
- Liu Ying
| The Shaolin Warriors | |
|---|---|
DVD cover art | |
| 少林僧兵 | |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Raymond Lee |
| Starring |
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| Opening theme | "Shaolin Monastery" (少林寺) by Kung-Fu Pop |
| Ending theme | "The Best Moments" (最好的时光) by Jeff Chang |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production location | Wuxi |
| Running time | ≈45 minutes per episode |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CCTV-8 |
| Release | 3 November – 14 November 2008 |
Synopsis
The series is set in 16th-century China during the Ming dynasty when the wokou constantly raid and pillage the coastal regions. After his mother is killed by the wokou in the chaos, Yuekong is saved by a warrior-monk called Big Feet Monk and taken to Shaolin Monastery, where he is trained in martial arts. During this time, he befriends Yuewen, a boy abandoned by his parents and sent to Shaolin to be a monk.
15 years later, while accompanying the Shaolin abbot to attend an event, Yuekong meets the Japanese swordsman Kazego and his companion Hideko, who falls in love with him. Tensions rise between Yuekong and Kazego over Hideko. Yuewen also encounters Li Ruolan, a woman who had lost his father during a wokou raid, and they start a romantic relationship.
Around this time, the generals Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou recruit Shaolin warrior-monks, including Yuekong and Yuewen, to help them train the Ming forces and defend the coastal regions from the wokou. At one point, Yuewen learns that his biological father is actually the pirate chief Wang Zhi working with the wokou. Big Feet Monk dies after Wang Zhi uses Yuewen to lure him into an ambush; Yuekong blames Yuewen for Big Feet Monk's death and swears vengeance. Later, it turns out that Yuewen has been making use of his relationship with Wang Zhi to infiltrate the wokou and gather intelligence for the Ming forces.
Yuekong risks his life to save Yuewen and reconciles with him. When the wokou, armed with Portuguese-made firearms, launch an attack, the Shaolin warrior-monks brave the gunfire and fight the wokou. Yuekong and Kazego duel in the midst of battle, with Yuekong emerging victorious in the end. Wang Zhi is ultimately captured by Hu Zongxian and dies in prison. Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou are rewarded and honoured for their success in driving back the wokou, while the heroics of the Shaolin warrior-monks become legendary.
Cast
- Sammo Hung as Big Feet Monk
- Sammy Hung as Yuekong
- Cui Lin as Yuewen
- Christopher Lee as Qi Jiguang
- Hong Zhibin as Qi Jiguang (child)
- Jeanette Aw as Haiqing
- Li Man as Hideko
- Cui Peng as Kazego
- Liu Ying as Li Ruolan
- Luo Jiaxu as Li Ruolan (child)
- Chen Zhihui as Yu Dayou
- Qin Yan as Abbot Xiaoshan
- Wang Jianxin as Wang Zhi
- Shen Baoping as Hu Zongxian
- Cai Gang as Yan Shifan
- Xu Seng as Jin Ke
- Fang Zhoubo as Wan Biao
- Ren Xihong as Sasaki
- Guo Changhui as Miyamoto
- Liu Weihua as Li Zhongcheng
- Dai Hekang as Mao Haifeng
- Hai Yan as Xiaolin'an
- Zhou Yunshen as Sun Haixiao
- Ding Xiaohu as Officer Liu
- He Xianwei as Wu Jingui
- Cao Shuai as Wang San
- Liu Kai as Yuejian
- Xue Jiangtao as Yueman
- Shi Ziliang as Ichimoto
- Zhou Jie as Zhou Zhiyuan
- Hao Han as Xiaofu
- Sun Lufei as Xiaofu's mother
- Meng Yansen as Xiaoshun
- Fan Libo as Xiaoshun's mother
- Zhao Gang as Qi Jingtong
- Shu Shouqin as Wang Zhi's father
- Zheng Rugao as a Wang clan elder
- Li Junliang as Qian Mazi
- Gao Jiafu as Tanaka
- Tao Jinlong as Toyotomi Hideyoshi
- Yuan Shichao as Officer Li
- Li Ke as Governor Zheng
Production
The series had a costly budget. With Raymond Lee serving as the series' overall director, 120 monks and 200 secular students from Shaolin Monastery were involved in the production process.
The series was completed in late 2007 after more than three months of shooting in Wuxi's Film and TV Studios.
Shaolin Monastery's abbot, Shi Yongxin, expressed his desire to spread Shaolin history and culture to the rest of the world through this series.[3]
United States release
International broadcast
| Network(s)/Station(s) | Series premiere | Airing dates | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
 China |
CCTV-8 | January 11, 2015 - (November 3, 2008-November 14, 2008) | 少林僧兵 ( The Shaolin Warriors; lit: ) |
 Thailand |
BBTV PSI (73) | July 11, 2018 – August 27, 2018 (Every Monday to Friday 08:45-09:30) | ศึกเส้าหลิน สองมังกร (The Shaolin Warriors; lit: ) |
| 5HD1 | 11 September 2020 - 2 November 2020 (Tuesday October 13: No broadcasting), (Friday, October 23: no broadcasting), (Tuesday October 27: No broadcasting) (Every Monday to Friday 22:40-23:30) | ศึกเส้าหลิน สองมังกร (The Shaolin Warriors; lit: ) | |