The Emperor in Han Dynasty
| The Emperor in Han Dynasty | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover art | |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Written by | Jiang Qitao |
| Directed by | Hu Mei Yang Jun Sai Fu |
| Presented by | Zhu Tong Yang Buting Li Bolun Wang Songshan |
| Starring | Chen Baoguo Gui Yalei Lin Jing Jiao Huang Yang Tongshu Tao Hong |
| Theme music composer | Zhang Hongguang Ruan Kunshen |
| Opening theme | Zuihou De Qingsu (最后的倾诉) performed by Han Lei |
| Ending theme | Dengdai (等待) performed by Han Lei |
| Composer | Asia Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 58 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jiang Tao Wang Guohui Liu Dehong Song Zhenshan Luo Liping Huo Qi |
| Producers | Han Sanping Wu Hongliang Hu Mei |
| Production location | China |
| Cinematography | Chi Xiaoning Zhang Yuefu Cui Weidong Niu Guotai |
| Editors | Liu Miaomiao Zhao Kun |
| Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
| Production companies | 中国电影集团公司 中央电视台影视部 世纪英雄电影投资有限公司 北京华录百纳影视有限公司 上海金德影业有限公司 |
| Original release | |
| Network | CCTV |
| The Emperor in Han Dynasty | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 漢武大帝 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汉武大帝 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Great Emperor Wu of Han | ||||||
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Han Wu Da Di (汉武大帝, literally "Han Wu the Great"), also released under the title The Emperor Han Wu in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical epic television drama series depicting the life of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and is based on the historical records of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian and Ban Gu's Book of Han.
Plot
The series covers the life story of Emperor Wu from his early childhood to his death, as well as significant personalities and the events during the reign of Emperor Jing (father and predecessor of Emperor Wu), such as the Rebellion of the Seven States. It also follows the conflicts that defined the pivotal war between the Han Dynasty and Xiongnu, portraying the major victories that Han scored over the Xiongnu during Emperor Wu's reign. Numerous prominent historical figures, including the military generals Li Guang, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, as well as the diplomats Su Wu and Zhang Qian, also make appearances in the series.
Cast
- Note: Some cast members played multiple roles. The roles are separated by a slash.
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Production and reception
The production cost for Han Wu Da Di ran high, with a budget of 50 million RMB, covering extensive battle scenes, period costumes, props and huge backdrops. The crew chose various scenic locations in China, such as Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan and Zhejiang, to capture the vast expanse of the Han Empire and its frontiers. The casting featured four different actors playing Emperor Wu at different stages of his life, with the lead actor Chen Baoguo receiving the most screen time portraying the emperor's adult years. The shooting of the series began in 2003 and coincided with the SARS outbreak, causing manpower shortage and delays in production. Post-production began in 2004 and marketing clips started to appear on television talk shows and the internet later that year.
The series was aired on CCTV-1 on January 2, 2005 to great enthusiasm from audience. While some liberties were taken with historical details, Han Wu Da Di was generally well received by viewers as a faithful portrayal of history. The series was acclaimed and won the 2005 Flying Apsaras Award (the Chinese equivalent of Primetime Emmy) for Best Long Television Series, Best Director (Hu Mei) and Best Lead Actor (Chen Baoguo).
List of featured songs
- Zuihou De Qingsu (最后的倾诉; The Final Outpour), the opening theme song, performed by Han Lei.
- Dengdai (等待; Wait), the ending theme song, performed by Han Lei.
- Xinling Shui Guo De Difang (心灵睡过的地方; Places Where My Soul Rested Before) performed by Han Lei
- Qianbai Nian Hou Shei Hai Jide Shei (千百年后谁还记得谁; Centuries and Millenniums Later Who Still Remembers Who) performed by Han Lei