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Reincarnated (Tin Cham Bien) 1978 Send this reviewer an email Cast: (Many thanks to Sukting for the listing!) Phoenix - Miu Hor Sau - a famous actress who acted with Jackie Chan in most of his movies. Now retired and staying in Canada Mo Dik - Yong Chak Lum who is in Malaysia now acting in local dramas Gong Suen Wang - Hon Yee Sang died 2 yrs ago in a car accident Fu Yuk Shu - Ng Wai Kok - still filming tv serials in china. Liu Xiaoqing's boyfriend. Goon Zhong Lau - Lau Wai Mun - a businessman Yee Bei Sha - Goon's love interest - Choi Keng Fai who is now a secretary First Xuanyin princess - Marie Cheung - a housewife Another Wan Fei Yeung - Koo Gun Chung - now mostly in taiwan filming kungfu serials Fu Heung Kuan - Yu On On - a housewife who seldom acts now Fung - Mun Chin Sui - a stage opera actor Lei - Lau Kok Sheng - a veteran actor with tvb Yu - Lau Ying Hung - actress and singer with tvb Dien - Lau Kong - veteran actor with tvb Tin Dai - Leung Tin - still with atv as an actor and scrpit writer Lun Yuen Yee - Mah Mun Yee - only acts occasionally now in both stations I somehow had managed to borrow a set of this series a while back and re-watched this martial arts classic that had everyone calling Norman Chiu Siu Keung as "Wan Dai Hup", Wan Fei Yeung. When I was a kid, I saw this series and the only thing I could remember was a few hums of the popular themesong. Actually, the song had such a sing-song tune that my cousins began changing the lyrics and I could only remember their ridiculously funny lyrics for the longest time. ATV had came out with a sequel to the series in the early 90's and while I remember watching it, I don't recall the storyline. Anyhow, "Reincarnated" was a very popular series during its time and could be considered as one those films that

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Page 1: Reincarnated(Huang Ying)

Reincarnated (Tin Cham Bien) 1978 Send this reviewer an email

Cast: (Many thanks to Sukting for the listing!)

Phoenix - Miu Hor Sau - a famous actress who acted with Jackie Chan in most of his movies. Now retired and staying in Canada

Mo Dik - Yong Chak Lum who is in Malaysia now acting in local dramas

Gong Suen Wang - Hon Yee Sang died 2 yrs ago in a car accident

Fu Yuk Shu - Ng Wai Kok - still filming tv serials in china. Liu Xiaoqing's boyfriend.

Goon Zhong Lau - Lau Wai Mun - a businessman

Yee Bei Sha - Goon's love interest - Choi Keng Fai who is now a secretary

First Xuanyin princess - Marie Cheung - a housewife

Another Wan Fei Yeung - Koo Gun Chung - now mostly in taiwan filming kungfu serials

Fu Heung Kuan - Yu On On - a housewife who seldom acts now

Fung - Mun Chin Sui - a stage opera actor

Lei - Lau Kok Sheng - a veteran actor with tvb

Yu - Lau Ying Hung - actress and singer with tvb

Dien - Lau Kong - veteran actor with tvb

Tin Dai - Leung Tin - still with atv as an actor and scrpit writer

Lun Yuen Yee - Mah Mun Yee - only acts occasionally now in both stations

I somehow had managed to borrow a set of this series a while back and re-watched this martial arts classic that had everyone calling Norman Chiu Siu Keung as "Wan Dai Hup", Wan Fei Yeung. When I was a kid, I saw this series and the only thing I could remember was a few hums of the popular themesong. Actually, the song had such a sing-song tune that my cousins began changing the lyrics and I could only remember their ridiculously funny lyrics for the longest time. ATV had came out with a sequel to the series in the early 90's and while I remember watching it, I don't recall the storyline. Anyhow, "Reincarnated" was a very popular series during its time and could be considered as one those films that gave future martial arts series a standard. The faces that appeared in "Reincarnated" were very familiar but I don't know most of their names.

Page 2: Reincarnated(Huang Ying)

The translated title, "Reincarnated" really signifies the most powerful martial arts in the story called "Tin Cham Sun Gong". It is a skill passed down from Wu Tang and whoever successfully learns it must go through a silk worm cocoon stage. The person who learns "Tin Cham Sun Gong" will emerge from the cocoon very powerful, refreshed, and said to be younger. The series is also known by the name of "The Bastard Swordsman" and there has been two Shaw Brothers movie adaptations on it in the 80's, which also starred Chiu Siu Keung.

I don't usually go into full details about the whole story when summarizing the plots but since most can't obtain a copy of the series anymore, I'll make an exception and recap. (Information on names and plot errors or pictures are appreciated.) *Note: All images are not from the actual series but just collections of photos of the actors and actresses who were in "Reincarnated".

Plot Summary: (Spoilers Alert!)The story is first set in Wu Tang (Mo Dong) Clan where Wan Fei Yeung is a cooking servant. Wan is often teased and ridiculed by the students there because he was brought to the clan along with several other persons as possible disciples but he was the only one who did not get accepted. It was explained to him that because he didn't know who his father is, Wu Tang could not accept someone whose background is unknown. Wan Fei Yeung continued to stay at Wu Tang but while everyone thought he knew no martial arts and bullied him, it turns out that every night, a masked stranger would come and teach Wan Fei Yeung kungfu.

In the martial world, another clan--Mo Dik (literally means invincible) Clan--is the bitter enemy of Wu Tang Clan. Every three years the two leaders of these two clans would have a duel, but thus far, Mo Dik Clan's leader, Dok Gu Mo Dik (played by the actor who was Au Yeung Fung in "Legend of the Condor Heroes 1982"), has won them all. Wu Tang's current leader is Ching Chong. In the years, Mo Dik Clan has gained a reputation for being ruthless and aggressive, and with a goal to destroy the other top clans. As the day of the battle for that year draws near, Dok Gu's daughter, Dok Gu Fong (Phoenix) and his first disciple, Gong Suen Wang, goes to Wu Tang to demoralize and challenge Wu Tang but are instead, trapped by Wu Tang's "chun fat", obstacle. Phoenix and Gong Suen Wang can not fight their way out after many hours and it seems that eventually their strength would wear out. For some reason, the masked stranger wants to save Phoenix and asks Wan Fei Yeung to secretly set them free.

Ching Chong soon sets out for the battle with Mo Dik Clan. It is revealed that he had a past affair with Dok Gu's wife and that Phoenix is really his daughter. Ching Chong loses again to Dok Gu and is severely injured. On the way back to Wu Tang, he and his two disciples are attacked by what appears to be Mo Dik Clan's followers. Luckily, they are saved by a young man, called Fu Yuk Shu. Yuk Shu's home and family are destroyed as an outcome of helping them and Ching Chong, in his gratitude, accepts him as a Wu Tang disciple. They reach Wu Tang safely.

Yuk Shu is immediately liked by everyone and he, in turn, treats everyone equally well, including Wan Fei Yeung. Yuk Shu teaches Wan Fei Yeung how to read and they become close friends. However, Wan Fei Yeung's love interest, their martial sister, Lun Yuen Yee, also falls in love with Yuk Shu.

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Simultaneously, after questioning some followers, Phoenix finds out that Ching Chong had been attacked but the culprits were not from Mo Dik Clan. Apparently set up for the blame, Phoenix sets out to investigate.

Meanwhile, Ngor Mei Sect's top disciple, Goon Zhong Lau, came to challenge Wu Tang's sword techniques and defeats all the disciples. Ching Chong, however, defeats him. This Goon Zhong Lau is quite a character because every time he fights, his two scribes would help him take off his cloak first and then one of them would play the flute as the battle goes on--probably a means of distracting the opponent and an ego trip.

Anyway, Goon Zhong Lau sticks around Wu Tang and catches Yuk Shu sneaking around at the forbidden territory at Wu Tang. The story recounts that some villain is chained inside a cave--his wrists and knees have been injured, rendering him paralyzed from martial arts. This villain is the source of weird noises every night at Wu Tang. It turns out that Yuk Shu has infiltrated into Wu Tang in order to steal Wu Tang's martial arts. Instead, he finds out about the prisoner, who is his grandfather, Tin Dai. Tian Dai used to be a Wu Tang disciple but had secretly tried to steal some martial arts manual and killed Ching Chong's master. He was captured by Ching Chong's martial brother, Yin Chong Tin, and left to live in agony. Ever since this incidence, it was forbidden in Wu Tang to accept disciples whose background was unknown. Tin Dai also happens to be the head of some baddies called Wind, Lightning, Rain, and Electric (Fung, Liu, Yu, Dien).

Yuk Shu had staged the whole event with Ching Chong thinking he was attacked by Mo Dik Clan and his sacrificing his family to save him. Yuk Shu continues to wait for the opportunity to save his grandfather.

Fearing that the stronger forces of Mo Dik Clan would attack Wu Tang, Ching Chong decides to separately teach six chosen disciples one of six special skills of Wu Tang. Of the six, Yuk Shu is also chosen by Ching Chong, again out of gratitude.

Speeding ahead, Yuk Shu caught Wan Fei Yeung practicing martial arts late at night and the most puzzling is that Wan knows all six of Wu Tang's special skills. Wu Tang's two other martial uncles, who are both all talk and no use, pressure the ailing Ching Chong to pre-elect a new leader in the event that Ching Chong dies. Ching Chong selects three successors, his first and second disciple and Yuk Shu, so that if anything happened to either two, Yuk Shu would be the next-in-line to be leader.

Yuk Shu is determined to become leader and gets rid of his competition. Ching Chong dies (I forgot how) but before he does, he tells Wan Fei Yeung to find and speak with Dok Gu's wife, Chum Man Ching. Wan Fei Yeung also learns that Ching Chong is the same masked stranger who had been teaching him martial arts all along. Wan is accused of killing Ching Chong and their martial brother and is chased out of Wu Tang.

He meets a girl, Heung Guan (played by Yu On On), who specializes in healing and helps her defeat a villain. Heung Guan harbors affection for Wan Fei Yeung but he leaves after helping her. He is attacked by Wu Tang followers again but is saved by the secluded Ngor Mei Sect's "see-sok" (martial uncle). At the same time, Goon Zhong Lau, the arrogant Ngor Mei disciple comes to beg his see-sok to teach him some extra sword skills. His see-sok refuses but when Goon Zhong Lau baits him by mentioning that Goon Zhong Lau was defeated by Wu Tang's sword under Ching Chong, the see-sok asks him to first defeat Wan Fei Yeung. Wan Fei Yeung loses on purpose to save the face of the see-sok. Goon Zhong Lau happily thinks he won but when his see-sok tells him that Wan Fei Yeung let him win, he starts feeling resentful toward Wan Fei Yeung.

Goon Zhong Lau leaves and goes back to Ngor Mei. However, when he gets back, Ngor Mei has already been decimated by Mo Dik Clan. His master has also been killed by Dok Gu Mo Dik. Goon Zhong Lau vows revenge and is determined to rebuild Ngor Mei. He is hunted down by Mo Dik Clan and escapes west to Bosnia. Along the way, he meets and saves a Bosnian woman, named Yee Bei Sha, who falls in love with him. Realizing that her two masters are very

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powerful, he sticks around and attempts to steal their martial arts manual. He eventually manages to gain the affections of the Bosnian tribal leader, who also falls in love with him.

Back at the other end, Wan Fei Yeung receives a gift, a special metallic mask that protects the wearer from poison, from Ngor Mei's see-sok. He leaves and gets a sword forged, designed specifically in his details and which increases his swordsmanship due to the odd design. Secretly, he goes back to Wu Tang, only to be unknowingly betrayed by Yuk Shu.

Wan Fei Yeung escapes Wu Tang again and by chance, meets Phoenix. Knowing that she is the daughter of Dok Gu, he disguises as a commoner who wants a job at Mo Dik Clan. Along the way, he plays tricks on her and they eventually fall in love with each other. He successfully gets in Mo Dik Clan but incurs the jealousy of Gong Suen Wang, the martial brother of Phoenix, who believes that Wan Fei Yeung knows martial arts and is the same person who saved them at Wu Tang. Gong Suen Wang reveals Wan Fei Yeung's identity and Wan Fei Yeung is forced to fight Dok Gu Mo Dik, who heavily injures him. Wan Fei Yeung escapes but is injured so badly that he could not use his martial arts any more. Deciding to give up the way of the sword, he stays with a wealthy merchant who saved him and is adopted as a foster son.

Wan Fei Yeung meets Heung Guan again. It turns out that Heung Guan is the good-natured sister of Yuk Shu. Not realizing that her brother and grandfather, Tin Dai, were doing evil, they deceive her into revealing Wan Fei Yeung's whereabouts. By this time, Tin Dai had already rejoined with his old followers: Wind, Lightning, Rain, and Electric. He trains them and they become quite powerful.

Yuk Shu became Wu Tang's leader after Ching Chong died. He has also been practicing some powerful Wu Tang martial arts that only the leader could learn. However, he had to give up his relationship with his martial sister, Yuen Yee, because the rule was that the leader of Wu Tang has to become a Taoist priest and can not marry. He does love Yuen Yee though and unfortunately, had an affair with her. When she becomes pregnant and wants to reveal their relationship, his grandfather's followers, under Tin Dai's orders, pushes her down a hill.

Heung Guan helps Wan Fei Yeung obtain a special herb, "Shuet Lin", and after ingesting it, he regains his martial arts and becomes even more powerful. Meanwhile, Phoenix has agreed to marry Gong Suen Wang after he takes punishment for her for aiding Wan Fei Yeung. On the day of the ceremony, Wan Fei Yeung crashes the party but still is unable to defeat Dok Gu Mo Dik. As he's fleeing, he runs into the room of Dok Gu's wife, Chum Man Ching, who hides him. After some questioning, she finds out that Wan Fei Yeung is really Ching Chong's son! Ching Chong had given up his relationship with Wan Fei Yeung's mother after he became leader of Wu Tang. He later brought Wan Fei Yeung up to Wu Tang and secretly taught him Wu Tang's martial arts. Wan Fei Yeung's mother had passed away a long time ago.

Dok Gu's wife had met Ching Chong one time when he came for the tri-yearly battle with Dok Gu Mo Dik. Dok Gu had neglected his wife in order to practice martial arts and did not even once sleep with her. Dok Gu's wife, in a moment of resentment, decided to pursue an affair with Ching Chong though she still loved Dok Gu. Ching Chong had actually taught her Wu Tang's highest martial arts, "Tin Cham Sun Gong" and in trying to save Wan Fei Yeung, she transfers her powers to him.

Wan Fei Yeung enters the cocoon stage of "Tin Cham Sun Gong" for days. To make a really long story short, he comes out a new person--and I mean a Wan Fei Yeung played by a totally different person. Chui Siu Keung is no longer in the series! The time that Wan Fei Yeung was in the cocoon, Yuk Shu, Goon Zhong Lau, and Yu had all teamed up to destroy Mo Dik Clan. Yuk Shu and Goon Zhong Lau then have a battle where Goon Zhong Lau loses. Wan Fei Yeung saves Goon Zhong Lau as he's chased, which makes Goon Zhong Lau even more resentful. Wan Fei Yeung clears his name as Yuk Shu reveals his true face and eventually saves Wu Tang. He meets up with Phoenix again and despite their backgrounds, they decide to marry. Dok Gu easily agrees because he knows by now that Wan Fei Yeung and Phoenix are really half brother and sister. On the night of the wedding, Dok Gu's wife rushes in to stop it and tells them the truth. Phoenix leaves in devastation.

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Wan Fei Yeung helps defeat Tian Dai and his followers and then aides in the defeat of Goon Zhong Lau who was backed up by the Bosnians. Yuk Shu escapes and hides in a peasant couple's home. He kills the couple's son as he held the child hostage. However, as he turns to see a tablet for the dead, he realizes that it is his martial sister, Yuen Yee's, plague and that he just killed his own son. At the end, Wan Fei Yeung is the revered hero but leaves to roam the world as he can not forget Phoenix.

Review:"Reincarnated" is a fairly complex story, with many sub-plots and twists, more than what I would expect from a series in the 70's. It is certainly a classic in its own right and the characters are developed fully and each had their own motivation and desires to act in the way they did. There are several factors that I did not stomach well though. Firstly, the dramatic irony in the series was ready to kill me. It was pretty obvious after a certain point in the story that Ching Chong is the father of Phoenix and Wan Fei Yeung. So when Wan Fei Yeung meets Phoenix and they start harboring good feelings for each other, the viewer's already shaking one's head telling them to stop. So romance is ruled out.

Another problem was that I truly expected Norman Chui Siu Keung to carry the whole show as Wan Fei Yeung. Some people say that Norman Chui had some problems with tardiness during the production of "Reincarnated" and his role was then given to another actor halfway into the series. Anyhow, that was one of the rumors as to why Norman Chui did not finish the series. Midway in the series, in the scenes where Wan Fei Yeung was supposed to crash Phoenix's wedding with Gong Suen Wang and fights Dok Gu Mo Dik, either he wore his mask or his face was not shown so that the viewer can tell it's really a double playing Wan Fei Yeung. The story then conveniently set it up to explain that because Dok Gu's wife transferred her "Tin Cham Sun Gong" to Wan Fei Yeung, he came out with a new face. Whereas, Wu Tang's see-sok Yin Chong Tin also learned "Tin Cham Sun Gong" but only became younger because he practiced it himself. So after getting used to the idea of Norman Chiu as Wan Fei Yeung, it's pretty hard to get used to another actor play Wan Fei Yeung him for the second half of the series.

Despite switching actors though, the new actor who played Wan Fei Yeung was not all bad since he was, I believe, a pretty popular martial arts star himself back then. I don't know his name, but if you have ever seen the Tekken game commercial on television, there was a particular one where the commercial used an old Chinese movie clip. The actor is dubbed saying at the end, "I will be the Tekken master."

Lastly, probably due to the time that the series was made, but "Reincarnated" at times is dragging. However, I can't complain about it too much because it is a factor to how character development was done so well. The fighting in the series was a bit slow, with the classical slow motion at times but understandable with the technology back then. "Reincarnated" is successful in the fact that there is more than one villain, all who are either allying or contending with each at different points in time to achieve their own goals. They all have their own personalities, arrogance, pride, or ticks that define them. Of all the supporting characters, I thought Goon Zhong Lau was a fairly well developed character who was an egotistical man slighted while Chuen Yuk Shu was another character that was not all bad.

The themesong to the series is another classic. A particular sub-theme used for the background music that was adapted from a famous Chinese opera was also used and contributed to the mood well.

The ATV sequel to "Reincarnated" in 1990 continued the story of Wan Fei Yeung where Norman Chiu starred in his previous role (illogical that he got his face back though). Eric Wan, Erica Choi, Shuet Lei, and Au Yeung Pui San were some of the new actors and actresses in the sequel. There is a review of it on another website for Erica Choi: http://www.geocities.com/erica_choi_hiu_yee/

I've read that there is a new "Tin Cham Bien - Reincarnated" in the making by either a Taiwanese or China production company. Ng Ging, who has starred in "Tai Chi Master" and the

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recent "Little Dagger Lee - Xiao Li Fei Dao" (as Ah Fei) is the new Wan Fei Yeung while Ho Mei Tin will play either Heung Guan or Yuen Yee.

SPCNET Rating: * * * 1/2(Scale of 5)

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Don't want to write a review, but have comments? You can post your response in the "On Reviews" Forum: http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/

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Tian Lung Jeut (A continuation from Tin Cham Bien)

*Reviewed by suktingSend this reviewer an email

How long/Year produced:30 episodes done in year 1980 (can't remember the year clearly - will appreciate if someone can enlighten me)

Cast:Wan Fei Yeung - Koo Gun Chung (now based in Taiwan)Fu Heung Kwan - Yu On On (a housewife who acts occasionally) Tsui Ting Feng - Bak Piew (Kwok Jing in the tvb 96 version of 'Return of the condor heroes') Chung Mok Lan - Ngai Chau Wah(Wong Yung in the tvb 96 version of 'Return of the condor heroes')Phoenix - Miu Hor Sau making a cameo appearance (retired and staying in Canada)Siu Chi - Leung Siu Lung (now a stuntsman director in movies)Namgong Meng Chu - Sit Kar Yin (Hou Yee in 'A Kindred Spirit)Zhu Jing Jieu - Man Shuet Yee (seldom acts now but acted in tvb serials a few years back) Zhu Cheng Tuck - Man Tse Leung (acting in China part-time and is a businessman now)Namgong Yee Niong - Chan Mun Nah (recently acted as Henry's mother in Healing Hands 2)Yan Zun - Mah Hoi Lun (Miu Cui Far's nanny in the Flower Fist)Luk Dan - Law Lok Lam (Yam Wo Hang in the tvb 97 version of 'the swordsman')Lau Jing - Wong Wai (Yuet But Kuan in the 96 tvb version of 'the swordsman')

Story: This serial has a very gripping start. Bak Lien sect starts to abduct children that they see on the street. Heung Kwan and Ting Feng rescue them. Heung Kwan has a very poor impression of Ting Feng as she thinks that he is a flirt and even comes to blows with him. Heung Kwan is looking for Wan Fei Yeung. Knowing that Bak Lien sect's leader, But Lo, is having a duel with Sam Chan, she goes there and is dismayed to find Ting Feng there.

Ting Feng is there because he is a close friend of Sam Chan and also a kungfu craze himself. But Sam Chan isn't there to receive the both of them. He is in retreat trying to master the crane skill to deal with But Lo's 7 zither skill. Under the explanation of the elder monks, Heung Kwan clears the air with Ting Feng after learning that he is the well-known kind Marquis in court. Unknown to the both of them, Fei Yeung is in Shaolin recuperating from his injuries from the duel with Mo Dik.

Now comes the duel between the two old men. It is an amazing sight to see animals die because of the horrible vibration from the zither. Even all the monks start to close their ears with their hands. Heung Kwan has trouble meditating too to resist the force but Ting Feng comes to her aid. By this time, Ting Feng begins to like her. When the vibration is so great that one of her pearl earrings drops, he catches it and keeps it in his palm.

As you have expected it, Sam Chan is being exploded into pieces--not because he is weaker in skill, but because he suddenly remembers that he forgot to keep his cranes in a safe place to avoid the attack. This distracts him. Fei Yeung is in his room all the time and has no problem dealing with the force. When the vibration stops, he knows that something is wrong and he walks out of his room.

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The Shaolin monks refuse to submit to But Lo and many kill themselves. Ting Feng knows that he is no match for But Lo and tries to find ways to deal with him through wit. He looks through Sam Chan's dead remains and finds his palm. The agreement between the 2 men is that if Sam Chan becomes ashes, But Lo will take full control over Shaolin. But Lo is angry at Sam Chan for concentrating all his strength on his palm. But he fulfils his promises and admits defeat but laments that he has no match in future.

At this time, Fei Yeung appears and all are overjoyed to see him, especially Heung Kwan. Fei Yeung points out to But Lo that he is too arrogant. They spar with each other in their internal strength and But Lo is interested to find out that his inner strength is comparable to him although he is much younger. He wants to test him using his zither skill. Afraid that more tragedies will happen, Fei Yeung tells the rest to hide somewhere further away. But Heung Kwan insists of staying there with Ting Feng.

Fei Yeung defeats But Lo with his 'Tin Cham' skill and all the strings on But Lo's zither are being destroyed. But Lo's ending is near and he shoots his signal in the air to inform all followers to submit to Shaolin. To his dismay, they rebel and fled. Ting Feng tells him about his follower's deeds. But Lo is shocked as he has been in retreat all along practising his skill and does not know about it. Knowing that Ting Feng can be trusted, he gives him the sect leader authority pendant, a zither manual and the zither. He tells Ting Feng that a skill can be practised to curb them but Ting Feng decides to keep it for his potential disciple in the future as he doesn't want to practise a skill from another sect.

But Lo dies and Ting Feng gives Heung Kwan back her earring before he leaves. Heung Kwan finds out from Fei Yeung that all along he has only been treating her as a sister. She cries when running down the hill. While seeing her leave, Fei Yeung gets upset and suddenly vomits blood. The elders are shocked and are stunned when examining his pulse. All his veins are actually broken by Mo Dik in the last duel and he had taken a long time to recover partly. This attack breaks them again and this time, his injury has worsened and is on the verge of death.

The monks panic and wants to look for Heung Kwan for help. Fei Yeung begs them not to do so, as he does not want to make her worry about him. Seeing that he is so anxious and vomits more blood, they finally give in and decide to break the rule of passing the 'yijin' skill to him.

Heung Kwan stays in Ting Feng's home but she is unhappy. Only when she sees Luk Dan, her spirits are lifted. Both are friends all along and she is glad that Luk Dan has done Mo Dong proud. However, he has yet to get the Emperor's approval to clear his family's name. Ting Feng agrees to help him. Luk Dan gets to see Ting Feng's cousin, Jing Jieu, and is interested in her. But Jing Jieu is very willful and makes him angry by mocking him about the criminal stamp on his face. But after knowing his sad past, she pities him and both are together.

Siu Chi comes with his master and are street performers. He is a very skilful thief and he set eyes on Meng Chu's pearl necklace. He steals them and is caught by her. Both often quarrel from then on but later love develops when Meng Chu finds him to be a kind man. But of course as she comes from the rich and influential Namgong home, all her aunts and her grandmother oppose it. Only her youngest aunt, Mok Lan, approves it. The Namgong family has 5 widows as all the sons died mysteriously. Mok Lan is actually Ting Feng's junior. She is arranged to marry the youngest son but he is killed when falling from a cliff after being attacked on their wedding day.

The Namgong family comes to the city to stay, to Siu Chi's joy. But many things happen - the Bak Lien sect rises again. This time, it has three leaders - Tin Zun, Dei Zun, and Yan Zun. Also four sub-leaders - red, white, yellow and black. Tin Zun and Dei Zun abduct the children in practising the evil white bone skill.

Yan Zun is good in producing zombies from the dead. She has four maids, Mui, Lam, Chok and Gok who are very powerful. The four women kill a number of skilled martial arts experts by surprise. Even Siu Chi's master, who is a martial expert by secret, dies in their hands. Siu Chi vows to seek revenge on the sect and being a man who doesn't care about the consequences

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of breaking rules, he takes the zither from Ting Feng and practises the skill. But he finds little improvement and gets very upset. He leaves Ting Feng's home to wander around the world to look for experts to help him answer the questions in the manual.

Yan Zun sends them to kill Ting Feng. But they are unlucky to meet Ting Feng. He finishes them all at one go and Yan Zun is mad that she cannot revive them again and blood flow out from their five sense organs, damaging every single nerve in their bodies. He also manages to crush the sect with Luk Dan's help. Luk Dan is displeased with Cheng Tuck for not recognising his effort and unwilling to clear his family's name. Jing Jieu knows about it but she is helpless, although she is Cheng Tuck's cousin.

Ting Feng is desperate to find the missing leaders but to no avail. Seeking help from Fei Yeung is no use as he left Shaolin to find another place in retreat. Fei Yeung got too famous after defeating But Lo that different experts go to Shaolin and harass him. Alas, what a wrong choice he has made, he meets a kungfu craze, Elder Yuen, who practises his skill from observing monkeys. Knowing his identify, he pesters Fei Yeung to spar with him. But Fei Yeung has a relapse, vomits blood and faints even before starting. Till then, Elder Yuen is holding him captive.

However, Elder Yuen helps to heal Fei Yeung partly per day and spar with him. Fei Yeung gets better but he has a headache on how to get away from this old man. Till then he has not completely recovered and decides not to play his chances. Elder Yuen captures the unlucky Siu Chi. Fei Yeung becomes friends with him and helps him in learning the zither skill in the right track. Later, he helps him escape by holding elder Yuen back.

The emperor Cheng Tuck is a flirt and a weak leader but Ting Feng still supports him. That is why Lau Jin, the chief eunuch has no way in controlling him. Lau Jin is in cohorts with Bak Lien and wants to be his own emperor. Heung Kwan likes Ting Feng now and both get along well. But she is unhappy that Ting Feng works for the court as she does not think that the emperor is worth working for. Ting Feng has no choice as he has given his late father his promise.

Another killer, the pink killer, appears and many martial arts experts die in her hands. She even kills Ting Feng's master. Finally, on a social meeting with all the experts, the real identity of the Namgong matriarch is revealed. She is actually Yan Zun. The real Namgong grandmother has been killed and her face was made into a mask. Yan Zun has disguised herself as a maid to observe her and later kills her by surprise. She also killed the four Namgong brothers. The black sub-leader of Bak Lien sect, Yee Niong, marries the second brother and kills him. On the front, she is a flirtatous woman but when it comes to hatching evil plans, she is very good at it!

The fifth son who is thought to be dead reveals the plot. He is unhappy over his arranged marriage with Mok Lan but he relents, as he is a filial son. But he was suspicious of his mother, as she usually does not force him to do things unwillingly. He found out her identity by chance when she removed the mask to wash her face. She kicked him down a cliff and thought that he is dead. Actually, he is only crippled by the attack and has spent many years to get out of there. Many are shocked by the news. In the end, all the widows are killed. Only Mok Lan and Meng Chu escape and they vow to seek revenge.

Yan Zun is actually happy not to wear the mask again. She gains control of the Bak Lien sect. Through Lau Jin's help, she becomes Cheng Tuck's favourite concubine (I have doubts over this because she still looks old enough to be his mother and how he is impressed by her beauty is untold). The Bak Lien sect has full control over the court as Cheng Tuck is drugged and even sentences Luk Dan to death. The soldiers kill poor Luk Dan when he tries to escape from the arrows shot. Jing Jieu's family is also maimed and the property is being claimed. Jing Jieu has no choice but to live in Ting Feng's home.

Meng Chu and Mok Lan seek her help in killing Yan Zun. She arranges them to work as chefs in the kitchen. The two women draw freckles on their faces to make themselves ugly. Yan Zun likes the dishes done by them but her expression changes when she remembers that they are

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done the same way as in the Namgong family. She orders to see them. Meng Chu is at her wits end. But Mok Lan is very calm. She hits her acupunture point, swallows the charcoal and disfigures herself. Meng Chu is in tears when seeing her aunt making such a big sacrifice. Mok Lan poisons the food and also eats the medicine, which can only suppress the poison for a while. She has no urge to stay alive but still wants to see Yan Zun die first.

Yan Zun sees her and is terrified by her appearance. But she still finds her familiar looking and demands her to taste the food. Seeing that she is okay, she lets her off. But one of her maids who is hungry has tasted the food before her and dies. Terrified, Yan Zun orders her men to go after Mok Lan. Mok Lan is upset that her plan failed and she is dying for nothing. Later when she knows that Yan Zun has set an ambush for Ting Feng in the garden by tricking him into believing that Cheng Tuck wants to see him, she warns him of it in the garden and gets killed. Ting Feng is very upset over her death.

Meng Chu cannot forget the grief but is sad that Siu Chi has not made any mark in his skills. At this time, Fei Yeung gets away from Elder Yuen and finds Ting Feng. He is happy that Ting Feng and Heung Kwan are together. He agrees to help them in dealing with Bak Lien sect. In the meantime, Siu Chi is still wondering how his power cannot be compared to But Lo although he has accomplished everything stated in the manual. But all advise him not to give up - he nearly tears the whole book but finds nothing special in it. It is said that there is an awakening piece to wake the emperor and the pink killer but he can't find it at all.

Fei Yeung finally gets to meet the 3 leaders and the pink killer. The 3 leaders are in no ground to defeat him and they stand aside to get the pink killer to deal with him. After a great fight, he is about to kill her in a blow when Yan Zun stops him. She tells her to uncover her mask. For 4/5 of the time, all the viewers are trying to guess who she since even her eyes were covered. And we have a big shock in store for us - she turns out to be Phoenix! Fei Yeung is stunned to see her and tries to wake her. But she shows no response and even hits his neck with poisoned needles. Then the 3 leaders kill him. It is a terrible sight to see Wan Dai Hup dying in his sister's hands. Especially when he dies, he still calls her name but to no avail. Yan Zun even parades Fei Yeung's dead body on the streets.

Ting Feng and Heung Kwan are wondering why Fei Yeung took so long to return to the inn. They hear a commotion and they are shocked to see Fei Yeung dead. Yan Zun even tells the crowd to throw stones at Fei Yeung who she claims is a villain. The ignorant crowd does this. Heung Kwan cannot overcome the shock, pain, and despair and she faints. Jing Jieu passes by and sees this. She stops the crowd and gets captured to the palace. Yan Zun wants to use her as bait to lure Ting Feng out. Ting Feng is smart not to take any action, as he knows they will not harm her.

Siu Chi and Ting Feng steals Fei Yeung's body and give him a quiet burial. All grieve for his death. Siu Chi is very pressured as all pin their hopes on him to master the zither skill. Yan Zun wants to get rid of the righteous court officials and sets a meeting on Cheng Tuck's behalf. She gives all of them blood taken from a cow alive. The court officials think that there should not be any poison in it and they drink it. Unknown to them, Yan Zun has poisoned the whole cow the night before. Heung Kwan and Ting Feng are late in arriving to stop them. Most are poisoned and Heung Kwan manages to save all of them. Ting Feng helps her in warding off the blows from the 3 leaders.

As for Siu Chi and Meng Chu, they try to save the emperor from the palace. They kill Liu Jin but Yee Niong holds Cheng Tuck hostage. Meng Chu hates this aunt so much that she does not really bother about Cheng Tuck and this alarms her in delivering her blows. The two attack her and kill her. But making Cheng Tuck coming back to his senses proves to be a difficult task. Siu Chi tries all ways but still fails. In his anger, he throws the zither hard. A note comes out of it and says that the wakening piece only works if he plays it from the opposite direction. He follows and indeed, it works!

They hurry to the meeting place. By now, Ting Feng and Heung Kwan manage to kill the Tin Zun and Dei Zun. But the pink killer proves to be a very skilful opponent. When her mask is

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revealed by Ting Feng's sword, Heung Kwan is stunned to see Phoenix and asks Ting Feng not to harm her. She then realises why Fei Yeung gets killed and sobs. Siu Chi quickly plays the tune and Phoenix wakes up. She stops and recognises Heung Kwan. She finds it unbelievable that she killed so many people. She sees Yan Zun who tells her that she is her saviour when she jumped off the cliff to avoid Goon Zhong Lau. When she is about to thank her, Yan Zun says that she has already repaid her by killing Fei Yeung. Phoenix then remembers how Fei Yeung dies. She feels remorseful and tries to kill Yan Zun, only to get injured by her.

To be Yan Zun's zombie, one must have mastered the evil martial arts skills, which Phoenix has done under Mo Dik's teaching. The best is the person must have undergone a traumatic experience so as to let her drug work better. This is how Phoenix proves to be better than her 4 maids even when her actual skills are inferior. But when she wakes up from her spell, her skills will return to normal.

Ting Feng and his gang never give up and they join forces to deal with her. Yan Zun ends up falling off the cliff. Phoenix jumps down with her as she blames herself for Fei Yeung's death. After this ordeal, Siu Chi and Meng Chu wander the world. They encourage Ting Feng and Heung Kwan to follow them but Ting Feng is hesitant. Heung Kwan is angry and stays in a nunnery.

Ting Feng goes to see Cheng Tuck and is shocked to see him attempting to rape Jing Jieu, his very own cousin. He is so disheartened and saves her. Then he decides to resign from his post. Cheng Tuck agrees and poisons him before he leaves. He manages to see Heung Kwan the last time before he dies. What a sad ending!

Review:

Actually I don't like this follow-up of Tien Cham Bien that much as the original. Unlike the Taiwanese version, not much of Wan Dai Hup is shown. I personally like the Taiwanese arrangement, which gives him a fair deal of exposure. Many think that it is over-focused on Siu Chi and Tsui Ting Feng which is unfair as they don't have the looks of being a Dap Hup and also do not having any remarkable skills like 'Tin Cham' skill. But it has a very strong cast, who put up a good performance.

Many sub-plots are well developed with many twists, which can be confusing if you don't follow the serial closely. I have been guessing who is the pink killer every episode and keep on getting all the wrong answers. I had never thought of Phoenix as she doesn't appear at all from the beginning! Also never dreamt that Namgong matriarch is Yan Zun. But minus for the ending - too sad with many deaths.

Many may wonder how these artists look in their young days, especially the actors who have gained so much weight recently. But they look fabulous, thin and agile in their costumes, especially Man Tse Leung and Bak Piew. Yu On On and Mun Suet Yee are also very pretty in the serial.

Many of my friends like Bak Piew as Tsui Ting Feng. He is very charming looking with his dimpled and assuring smile. With his moustache, he looks like Luk Siu Feng who is a talented and wise man too. Leung Siu Long as Siu Chi is good in martial arts skills but he should have lost some weight before acting. And I am attracted by Sit Kar Yin's beauty - she looks so different from now.

The themesong is good, although not remarkable like 'Tin Cham Bien'. I agree with SC that the original is a classic. It is also sung by Kwan Cheng Kit which I heard from his special collection song album.

Sukting's Rating: On acting: * * * 1/2 (Scale of 5)On story: * * * (Scale of 5)

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To see how Koo Gun Chung (Wan Fei Yeung) and Bak Piew (Tsui Ting Feng) look like, view the Playstation Tekken game TV commercial at: http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/news/2000_10/19-2.shtml

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Reincarnated II *Reviewed by sukting

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Image of Meng Fei

How long/Year produced:30 episodes done in year 1983 (can't remember the year clearly - will appreciate if someone can enlighten me)

Cast:Wan Fei Yeung - Koo Koon Chung Fu Heung Kwan - Zeng YajunTsui Ting Feng - Zhang Fujian Meng Du - Meng FeiOthers - all unknown to me.

Story: In spite of the fact that I only get to know only 10% of the cast, I enjoyed watching the serial. The main reason is due to its gripping story. Also get to hear Koo to speak in Mandarin -- now his voice is being dubbed in all other Taiwanese serials. But I'm afraid that I can only remember parts of the story and there are too many characters involved. I chose certain important parts in relating it.

The beginning of the story is interesting. Many pugilistic leaders are being murdered mysteriously. They died due to the forced absorption of their inner energy. Their bodies are covered with the silkworm coverings. Their sect members suspect that Wan Fei Yeung has something to do with the murders as he is the only one who mastered the Tien Cham skill. Heung Kuan is continuing her search for Fei Yeung. She finds some bodies and is alarmed by the sight too. But knowing Fei Yeung for a long time, she believes that he is innocent.

The Tang sect master's granddaughter, Tang Ning grieves over her grandfather's death . She learns about Fei Yeung's whereabouts and brings a big group of people to Shaolin to confront him. Fei Yeung has not recovered from his injuries from the duel with Dok Gu Mo Dik and is recuperating at Shaolin. Shaolin has invited him to stay there as they have the herbs to speed his recovery. This scene is spectacular. This whole group of people actually pull his hut down! Fei Yeung is in the midst of a stage of practising. He has no choice but to stop his practice and meet them.

He examines the dead bodies and finds that the bodies are covered by an evil silvery-looking of the silkworm. If he is the culprit, he will leave a white covering instead. But how is he going to explain to the others who can't tell the difference? They don't believe him and in the end, the two sides have a big fight. Although Fei Yeung has only gotten back half of his energy, he has no problems defeating them.

Being a mild-mannered person, he is enraged that Tang Ning uses poison darts to deal with him. She even uses a very long whip to deal with him. He hits all of them hard on a tree, throws her whip aside and even gives her a slap. He even reprimands her for being too reckless -- it's lucky that he can avoid her blows. This scene really makes me laugh -- who will

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expect Wan Dai Hup to do such a thing? But if you have watched it yourself, you will know why -- Tang Ning is a very willful and unreasonable woman.

Seeing that he is sincere in finding out the real killer, all agree to give Fei Yeung a 3 months grace. Tang Ning has no choice but to give in but she still insists that he is the killer and follows him around. Fei Yeung has to bear with her presence all along. He understands that she is a filial granddaughter and doesn't say much to her sarcastic remarks. Heung Kuan sees them and thinks that they are a pair. She is sad and is nearly killed by the Bak Lien sect. Luckily, her senior, Tsui Ting Feng, saves her and brings her home.

Ting Feng falls for her but her heart still stays with Fei Yeung, especially after knowing that Fei Yeung has nothing to do with Tang Ning. She wants to join them but Fei Yeung thinks that he owes her too much and is concerned over her safety. He advises her to stay with Ting Feng for the time being which she listens to, only for a while. Ting Feng's wilful cousin, Jing Jieu falls for him and also fails to get his attention. She makes trouble for Heung Kwan and of course, the ever-sweet Heung Kwan forgives her every now and then. She even turns her into a demure woman. A very complicated love plot, isn't it?

After being with Fei Yeung for a while, Tang Ning begins to doubt her judgement. Once she is nearly killed by the real culprit, Meng Du, but Fei Yeung saves her. She then realises her fault and clears his name. The two become friends. And being a skilful healer herself, Tang Ning also tries to find ways to cure him of his old injuries. What Meng Du practises is the real 'Tin Cham' skill which is the 'Tin Mo' skill. Meng Du is angry that Fei Yeung wins him and vows to surpass him. He starts to like Tang Ning too but of course, she hates him for being a murderer. His master, Sha Gao, however knows that Fei Yeung is really a talent and there is no way that his disciple can win him. However, he still teaches him as usual.

The past Mo Dong's sect leader has stolen the 'Tin Mo' sect's manual and claims it to be his own invention. But bedridden with guilt, he changes all the evil ways of practising it as he thinks absorbing others of their inner energy is not a fair thing to do.

A young man, Siu Chi, idolises Fei Yeung and pesters him to be his follower. Seeing him and reminding himself of his past, Fei Yeung takes him in and treats him like a brother. Meng Du's sister Bei Bei also idolises Fei Yeung all along and detests her brother's ways. She also joins them in their travels. But Fei Yeung soon finds that he has trouble from the two women. Both consider each other as rivals in love and will challenge each other every now and then.

Finally, they stay in Ting Feng's home, much to Heung Kwan's delight. She takes care of Fei Yeung and he recovers completely under the care of 2 marvellous physicians. Even after he recovers, the 3 women keep on brewing different kinds of herbal soups. The other men are envious of this but till then Fei Yeung has not shown any interest in the 3 women. Although Phoenix is his sister and is dead, he still misses her and decides not to fall in love again.

Ting Feng's little daughter, Yee Lan is being captured by the Ba Lien sect. Fei Yeung, Ting Feng and Heung Kwan manage to save her and crushes the sect. The 2 sect leaders scheme to take revenge and goes into hiding to continue to learn his white bone skill which is compatible to 'Tin Cham' skill.

More children are getting killed as the 2 leaders need their bones to master the skill. Ting Feng is very troubled for not being able to find out their whereabouts. And knowing that his rival, Lau Jin, is in cohorts with the evil sect, he has no evidence and has to play along with him in the imperial court. Fei Yeung leaves with Siu Chi to seek them out. Somehow, the 3 women know about this and follow suit.

Sha Gao is desperate when Meng Du has shown no improvement and he is so discouraged that he gets drunk. Sha Gao hatches a plan. He tricks Bei Bei that he is giving her a love silkworm to let Fei Yeung eat it so that he can love her. In fact, it is the most poisonous silkworm he can find. Bei Bei mixes it with wine and gives it to Fei Yeung. After drinking it, Fei Yeung suddenly

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feels giddy and goes to bed. The next day, Sha Gao rings the bell and Fei Yeung follows him in a daze.

Tang Ning and Bei Bei see this and are alarmed. They follow but their qinggong can't be compared to the 2 men. Fei Yeung suddenly wakes up at this time and tries to subdue the poisonous silkworm in his stomach. To his dismay, he feels a sharp pain and he suddenly loses all his inner strength. He falls to the ground and Sha Gao tells Meng Du to absorb his inner strength. Meng Du is unwilling to do it at first but later because of his eagerness to succeed, he starts doing it.

When the two women arrive, they are stunned to see Fei Yeung dying in front of their eyes. Bei Bei cries and begs for his forgiveness. Fei Yeung assures her that it is not her fault and he is actually happy that he can join his sister soon. Tang Ning hurries close to him and thinking that she is Phoenix, he holds her hand and dies with a peaceful smile on his face. I like this part - it really portrays his inner sad feelings.

Both women are distressed over his death. Tang Ning tries to kill Meng Du with her poisonous darts and fails. The hatred in her eyes makes Meng Du regret his decision. Tang Ning says that she has hated him for killing her grandfather . Now, she hates him to the core for harming Fei Yeung. She will never want to see him again. Very true indeed, Meng Du does not feel happy over his success. Fei Yeung's 'Tin Cham' skill has somehow cleared all his evil ways in practising and his inner strength is doubled. But seeking around the whole martial arts world, he is not able to find someone at par with him. He starts to miss his opponent and regrets killing him as there is no one left to spar with him. Isn't he mad?????? Who does not want to be the first in the pugilistic world?

Meanwhile, Siu Chi, Bei Bei and Tang Ning mourn at Fei Yeung's grave. Heung Kwan arrives and is deeply affected by his death. She burns incense papers for him and suddenly hear sounds coming from the inside of the grave. She remembers that her own foster father, Yin Chong Tien, practises 'Tin Cham' skill the same way after death. Overjoyed, she harbours hopes of seeing Fei Yeung again.

Fei Yeung did appear alive again but Heung Kwan notices that he is not in his usual self. He seems very tired and although his inner strength is doubled, he gets sick quite often. Heung Kwan checks his pulse and finds nothing wrong. She wonders what is wrong with him but Fei Yeung assures her that he is alright. Fei Yeung knows that it is due to the poisonous worm inside him but he keeps it from them lest they worry. Bei Bei, being a naïve and forgetful person, has forgotten about it and is only happy to see him alive again. And under Fei Yeung's advice, she accepts Siu Chi.

On their way back to Ting Feng's home, they are ambushed and Fei Yeung suddenly loses his inner strength. The other 3 have to protect him . They stay at an inn and Sha Gao is surprised to see him alive. He then tries using his bell and abducts Fei Yeung when he faints. After examining him and confirming that the silkworm is still inside him, he is pleased that Meng Du will forever be better than Fei Yeung and releases him.

Meng Du is happy to see Fei Yeung again and wants to have a duel with him. Fei Yeung agrees to it although he is unwell as he knows that no one can subdue him. In the middle of the duel, Fei Yeung proves to be at the upper hand. Meng Du is angry with himself for losing again. At this moment, Fei Yeung feels the pain in his stomach and cannot avoid Meng Du's blow. He is hit on the chest , falls down a cliff and faints. Meng Du is puzzled as there is no way that Fei Yeung should lose to him. He actually panics when seeing him falling right to the bottom of the cliff and follows suit. He finds that Fei Yeung's pulse is very weak and...begs him not to die!!! Very interesting here, I have never seen a serial where a pugilistic expert begging his opponent to stay alive.

He revives Fei Yeung and Fei Yeung wakes up. He is surprised to see Meng Du saving him and thanks him. Meng Du replies that he has absorbed his inner strength in the first place and is now returning him the favour so that he does not owe him anymore. Fei Yeung finds that he is

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actually kind at heart and persuades him to change his evil ways. Meng Du agrees as he is very remorseful after killing so many people. But he doesn't know how to make up to Tang Ning. Fei Yeung says that she might change her bad impression of him if he helps him to seek out the 2 leaders from the Bai Lien sect.

But the problem is - how is Fei Yeung going to defeat them if the poisonous silkworm is still in his body? Upon returning to Ting Feng's place, Fei Yeung has a relapse and faints again. Heung Kwan is shocked as usually Fei Yeung can bear with the pain and even looks calm in front of her. This means that his condition has worsen. The group of people crowd around Fei Yeung's bed and Heung Kwan demands to know from Sha Gao what is wrong with him.

Sha Gao tells the truth and all are stunned. Sha Gao tells them that there is no chance of Fei Yeung removing the silkworm except by transmitting it to another person who is alive. Upon hearing it, Heung Kwan immediately does the transfer and she faints. Ting Feng knows that he has lost all hopes of winning her upon seeing this and decides to accept Jing Jieu. When Fei Yeung wakes up and knows about it, he is touched but says nothing.

Fei Yeung and Meng Du finally find the 2 sect leaders and kills them. They return to tell the rest the good news before disappearing to have another individual duel among themselves. Their friends are disturbed as they do not tell them where they will hold the duel. The worst is Fei Yeung has not told them who he likes -- Heung Kwan or Tang Ning? I can't help but burst out laughing when watching this scene. It is supposed to make viewers nervous on who will win the duel but instead it creates the suspense on who Fei Yeung likes now. I can never forget the nervous expressions on the women's faces, waiting eagerly for Fei Yeung's return for his answer.

Before the duel, they ask each other what they intend to do after it. Meng Du says that he will try to make up to Tang Ning. Fei Yeung says that he will try to pay off Heung Kwan's debt. Sigh, to this very moment, he is still vague in his answer - how is he going to do it - he doesn't explain it! Who wins the duel - no one knows as the story ends here!

ReviewBefore watching this serial, I really dislike Taiwanese dramas, especially the swordfighting ones. Too slow-moving and too few stunts. But this production changes my impression completely. Although the actresses aren't very pretty (especially, Tang Ning who has a chubby face), they act well. But of course they can be over-exaggerating at times as expected. Koo Koon Chung and Meng Fei are very good in here as the top pugilistic experts. Perhaps due to the fact that they are martial-arts trained. The fighting scenes are very convincing -- so convincing that at times, I forget that it is a Taiwanese production!

Although the story can be very slow-moving at times, its special effects can create enough excitement to all the viewers. I am quite satisfied with it. Too bad this production is not in vcd version for sale.

Sukting's Rating: On acting: * * * 1/2 (Scale of 5)On story: * * * (Scale of 5)

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Meetings with Wu Jing in Hengdian, the City of Films Author :  Ninnie, in ChineseDate :  22 -24 August 2001Translation :  Martial Arts Movies and TV Series - Wu JingOriginal Compilation :  Jing Wu Men  Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm

According to Wu Jing, the role of Yun Fei-Yang assumes some of his traits in Whipped Horse Roaring Amid the West Wind. Yun Fei-Yang is what he wished to portray as a natural, relaxed and normal person. He had not seen the finished production but in retrospect, apart from the storyline which is not out of ordinary (but very well written), it is well-worth watching.

 However, Yun Fei-Yang's part is also a little exaggerated and comedic. As Wu Jing recalled, there is a scene where Yun Fei-Yang was badly beaten and when his fellow senior brother, Bai Shi, approaches him, Yun Fei-Yang conceals his face behind a handkerchief. "Let me look at you!" Wu Jing imitated Bai Shi."I am fine." Yun Fei-Yang refuses to budge. 

"Let me have a look!" As Wu Jing re-enacted the scene, he put down his hand awkwardly and let out a smile. His action looked very bone-tickling. In the subsequent scene, on the night that follows, Wan-er pays Yun Fei-Yang a visit.. Yun Fei-Yang, on thinking that it could be his fellow senior brothers coming to beat him up again, and as he cannot display his martial arts skills in front of them, grabs a bench and prepares to strike when they show up. Opening the door, he immediately pins the visitor with the bench. On seeing that it is Wan-er, Fei-Yang with a suppressed cry of "Ah!", drops the bench. Then, he puts the bench in place and sits down. Trying to appear calm, he asks, "What's up?" "What happened to you? What were you doing?" "Nothing." Then Wu Jing imitated He Mei-Tian looking around and eventually Yun Fei-Yang is unable to hide what he was doing.

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 Seeing Wu Jing narrating and acting by himself, with a rich tone, with vivid and varied expressions, everyone of us was secretly lauding his talent in acting. Wu Jing claimed that he had been rearing pigs and if there was no comic relief, it won't be so entertaining. (I surmised Wu Jing must be attempting make merry amid hardships). Overall, Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm should be a pretty good drama, if the editing is done well. Hearing Wu Jing's words eased our mind as we had been worried about the serial. Now, we were more confident about this production and eagerly looked forward to its release.  Yun Fei-Yang : The Extraordinary within the Ordinary Having read Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm, I found Yun Fei-Yang not to be an attention-grabbing character, so I queried Wu Jing if Yun Fei-Yang in the drama serial would look ordinary. "Yun Fei-Yang himself is one who seeks to the mundane: He only wishes to marry Wan-Er and have kids, to be a true disciple of Chong Zhen Sect, to be able to practise martial arts openly. It's a simple goal. It's his extraordinary encounters and innate qualities that turn him into a great hero." "The current drama market is vastly different from that of it ten or fifteen years ago. People's tastes are different. To do remake of an old production, there should be some new breakthroughs in order to attract the audience. Even then, we still worked very industriously during the new Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm's production. Hopefully, it won't disappoint you." Come to think of if, isn't Yun Fei-Yang himself a person who creates the extraordinary out of the ordinary?  Little Endeavour at Martial Arts Directing Apart from acting, whenever he has the chance, he would attempt to choreograph and direct the martial arts sequences. There are quite a few scenes in Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm which where shot by Wu Jing. As he put in with a tongue in cheek, "Remember, when you see the excellent action scenes in Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm, it could be my directorial effort!" The Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm was shot during harsh winter conditions. Once, in the mountainous regions, with a freezing temperature below 20 degrees, as the

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production team burned the firewood to keep warm, they were thinking how that action scene might have to be shot until the daybreak again. However, when Wu Jing took the office and shot the scene, he finished 46 takes of action within two hours, in one single breath . Usually, it takes a day to complete such an action scene for most martial arts shows. As such, they got to call it a day before the night fell. Apart from efficacy, Wu Jing demands high standards for action scenes. He always wants to present the best in front of the camera. Whenever he believes an action scene could be done even better, he would request for re-takes. However, owing to time constraint, there are times when the results do not meet his exacting standards - which is what Wu Jing feels as a weakness in television productions. Sometime, Wu Jing would offer some suggestions to the martial arts director, such as how and when to split up the takes, how to position the cameras in specific angles, to create something new. Often, everyone would feel that his advice could not be carried out. Wu Jing would do it himself to prove his points and the outcome would usually result in everyone lavishing heaps of praises on him. Wu Jing described that his method of filming action scenes was derived from Ma Yu Cheng's school of choreography. And this type of filming creates very movie-esque and wuxia feel after editing. When watching Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm, why not make a closer scrutiny and guess which scenes were shot by Wu Jing?

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Home  >>  Filmography  >> Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm

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 Metamorphosis of Heavenly Silkworm

  Alternative Title : New Reincarnation, New Reincarnated

Year of Production : 2000 No of Episodes : 30

Original Novel : Huang Ying Producers : Yu Xin, Ge Yu-Jing Directors : Wang Jun, Fang Fen

Martial Arts Choreographer : Xue JianCast : Wu Jing, Wang Qun, He Mei Tian, Li Xiao Ran, Yang Fan, Chen Kai, Wu Wei Dong, Cui Hong Hong, Shen Xiao

Hai, Liu Yang, Zhang Bao Jin, Zhang Ping, Mu Li Xin, Zhang Chun Zhong

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Plot Synopsis:  Yun Fei Yang (Wu Jing) was brought up in Chongzhen Sect since young, but due to his dubious background, he is not allowed to train in the sect's martial arts though that's what he wishes to do most and is constantly being bullied by most of his fellow disciples.

When the disciples of Chong Zhen are training in martial arts, Yun Fei Yang's job is to carry a target board to let them practice their dart throwing skills. During a training session, the disciples attack the target board with with full force relentlessly, causing it to break into pieces. However, they still carry on throwing darts at Yun Fei Yang, using him as a live target practice. Yun Fei Yang, who is protected by a fragile wooden armor, is in danger of being injured. Yun Fei Yang protests, argues with them. Eventually, the two fellow senior uncles make him rear the pigs instead.

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Once, Yun Fei Yang accidentally collides with the crazy senior uncle, Yan Chong Tian (Wang Chun). He falls and drops his bowl of medicine. They get into heated argument but eventually agree to a truce.

Years ago, Yan Chong Tian lost all his skills since his failed attempt to master Golden Worm Silk Rain (Jin-1 Can-2 Si-1 Yu-3), Chong Zhen's most sacred skill that is passed down only to the sect leader; It's also the the ultimate kungfu that is held in awe by the pugilists. Yan Chong Tian nominated Qing Song (Wu Wei Dong) to succeed him and since then, spends most of his time researching Soup of Herbal Roots, trying to recover his skills. Due to his nutty behavior and his loss of martial arts skills, he is not treated seriously by anyone, save for a few, including the current chief, who still treats him with due respect, the kind hearted Yun Fei Yang and his sweetheart, Wan-Er (He Mei Tian).

Unbeknownst to everyone, on the full moon night of every month, Yun Fei Yang would creep into the forest and a masked man in black would teach him martial arts. However, Yun Fei Yang is warned by his master, whose identity is unknown to him too, that he is not to reveal his skills in martial arts in front anyone, for he would face expulsion.

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