The Young Warriors (TV series)

The Young Warriors
Promotional poster featuring the main cast members
Genre	Wuxia Romance War
Written by	Wang Li Zhang Mian
Directed by	Lee Kwok-lap
Presented by	Wang Zhongjun
Starring	Hu Ge Peter Ho Eddie Peng Justin Yuan Chen Long He Jianze
Opening theme	Farewell Poem by Anson Hu
Ending theme	Twenty Years by Zhang Mengmeng
Composer	Mak Chun Hung
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of episodes	43
Production
Producers	Karen Tsoi Wang Zhonglei
Production location	China
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production companies	Chinese Entertainment Shanghai Huayi Brothers Media Corporation
Original release
Network	China Television
Release	26 September 2006 (2006-09-26)

The Young Warriors
Traditional Chinese	少年楊家將
Simplified Chinese	少年杨家将
Literal meaning	Young Generals of the Yang Clan
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shàonián Yáng Jiājiàng

The Young Warriors (Chinese: 少年杨家将) is a 2006 Chinese television series based on a series of novels and plays that detail the exploits of the Generals of the Yang Clan during the early Song Dynasty. The series was jointly produced by Chinese Entertainment Shanghai and Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, and stars an ensemble cast of talents from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States and Canada.

Synopsis

In the 980s, former Later Han general Yang Ye pledges allegiance to Emperor Taizong of the Song dynasty. Yang leads his family and followers to defend Song from invaders of the Khitan Liao Dynasty. Having served Song for years, the Yangs are viewed as an honorable, courageous, and patriotic clan that protects the nation from foreign invasion.

Unfortunately, at the Battle of Golden Beach, the Yangs fall into a conspiracy trap, which concludes with the death of Yang Ye and four of his sons, and another son becoming a prisoner-of-war. Yang's last two surviving sons, Yang Yanzhao and Yang Yande, must continue their family's legacy to bring peace and prosperity to Song, in addition to seeking vengeance on the conspirators.

Cast

• Hu Ge as Yang Yanzhao, Yang Ye's sixth son.
  • Leo Wu as young Yang Yanzhao
• Lin Chia-yu as Chai Meirong, daughter of Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou. She is Yang Yanzhao's love interest.
• Peter Ho as Yang Yanhui, Yang Ye's long-lost fourth son. He roams the jianghu together with his teacher as a chivalrous warrior after incidentally separated from his family since childhood under the alias "Chou Muyi" before reuniting with his family.
  • Li Hangye as young Yang Yanhui
• Cecilia Liu as Lady Luo, the Yang clan's physician and Yang Yanhui's love interest.
• Chen Long as Yang Yande, Yang Ye's fifth son and second-in-command of the Yang clan army.
• Wei Xiaojun as Guan Hong, a blacksmith and Yang Yande's love interest.
• Eddie Peng as Yang Yansi, Yang Ye's seventh son.
• Liu Xiaojie as Xiaolin, Yang Yansi's first love interest and a Liao spy. She is implied to be a long-lost sister of Du Jin'e due to the similarity in their appearances. Liu Xiaojie simultaneously played Du Jin'e, the daughter of a Tiger Camp bandit leader. She becomes Yang Yansi's second love interest.
• Weng Chia-ming as Yang Ye, the patriarch of the Yang clan and commander of the Yang clan army. He is also known as "Peerless Yang".
• Amy Chan as She Saihua, Yang Ye's wife and mother of the Yang children. She was previously the second-in-command of the Yang clan army.
• Zhao Zicun as Yang Yanqi, Yang Ye's eighth child and only daughter.
• Ethan Li as Yang Yanping, Yang Ye's eldest son.
• Chen Jie as Zhang Jinding, Yang Yanping's wife.
• Song Yang as Yang Yanding, Yang Ye's second son.
• Chen Lili as Yun Cuiying, Yang Yanding's wife.
• Wang Xiaoming as Yang Yan'an, Yang Ye's third son.
• Li Yinning as Luo Sumei, Yang Yan'an's wife.
• Tong Yao as Pan Ying, Pan Renmei's daughter and Chai Meirong's love rival.
• Deng Limin as Pan Renmei, the Song chancellor and a political rival of Yang Ye and the Eighth Virtuous Prince.
• He Jianze as Pan Bao, Pan Renmei's son and Yang Yanhui's love rival.
• Li Jie as Emperor Taizong, the ruler of the Song Dynasty.
• Zong Fengyan as the Eighth Virtuous Prince, Emperor Taizong's nephew and an ally of the Yang clan.
• Wen Haibei as Emperor Taizu, the late founder of the Song Dynasty.
• Zhou Haodong as Cui Yinglong, a chivalrous martial artist and shaman. He was She Saihua's senior and former love interest prior to his separation from She. Cui befriends Yang Ye and serves as a mentor to the Yang children, especially to Yang Yanhui and Yang Yansi.
• Zhang Bojun as Kou Zhun, the Song minister of justice and a political ally of the Yang clan.
• Justin Yuan as Yelü Xie, the Liao army's commander and Yang Yande's love rival.
• Ba Yin as Tianling, a Liao military advisor and shaman. He is Cui Yinglong's former fellow and enemy.
• Guo Qiming as Xiahou Zhan, Tianling's apprentice. He inherits his master's knowledge of toxicology and biological warfare.
• Wang Lei as Madam Hua, a Liao spy who runs a brothel in Northern Song's capital Kaifeng.
• Wu Jiani as Yelü Qiong'e (Princess Yinjing), Lady Luo's love rival.
• Zhang Ruijia as Empress Dowager Xiao, the Liao empress dowager.
• Yang Guang as Mr Zhuge, an advisor of the Tiger Camp.

Production

The series' war segments were later reused in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2008) for the flashback scene depicting Yang Zaixing's death. The filmmakers obscured the actors' features to differentiate the two television series, but the images' compositions are the same.

The series' costume design is one of its main focal points. During its premiere, the production team hosted runaway events for cast members to showcase their costumes. The Yang generals and Yelü Xie's costumes were designed based on battle armour from the Tang, Song and Liao dynasties. However, the Yangs' armours attracted the most attention, as audiences felt that they resembled samurai armour more than Chinese armour, because of their bright red and black colouring, and long narrow plates. The Song military uniform designs were featured again in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2008) and A Weaver on the Horizon (2010).

Soundtrack

The Young Warriors Original Soundtrack (电视原声大碟：少年杨家将)
Soundtrack album (Audio CD/Digital download) by Various artists
Released	March 14th, 2007
Length	53:11
Label	Shanghai Step-Up Gale Music Culture Media Co., Ltd. (上海步升大风音乐文化传播有限公司)

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Nan'er Dang Zi Qiang (男儿当自强; A Man Should Better Himself)"	3:13
2.	"Jue Bie Shi (诀别诗; Farewell Poem) performed by Anson Hu"	4:06
3.	"Wu (悟; Realize)"	3:10
4.	"Yue Zou Yue Yuan (越走越远; Farther and Farther) performed by Zhao Mo"	4:15
5.	"Yanmen Guan (雁门关; Yanmen Pass)"	3:44
6.	"Fu Xiu (拂袖; Whisking Sleeves) performed by An Hu"	4:30
7.	"Xiao Ba Mei (小八妹; Little Eighth Sister)"	1:18
8.	"Jue Bie Shi (诀别诗 - 演奏曲; Farewell Poem - Instrumental version)"	5:09
9.	"Gao Su Ta Wo Ai Ta (告诉他我爱她; Tell Her I Love Her) performed by Hu Ge"	4:09
10.	"Jin Zhi Yu Ye (金枝玉叶; Blue Blood)"	1:36
11.	"Shuang Shou De Wen Rou (双手的温柔; Gentle Hands) performed by Wu Yingzai"	4:17
12.	"Qing Quan (清泉; Quiet Spring)"	2:00
13.	"Yue Zou Yue Yuan (越走越远 - 演奏曲; Farther and Farther - Instrumental version)"	3:55
14.	"Er Shi Nian (二十年; Twenty Years) performed by Zhang Mengmeng"	4:32
15.	"Ling Jing (灵静; Haven of Silence)"	3:08
Total length:		53:11

External links

• (in Chinese) The Young Warriors page on CTV website
• (in Chinese) The Young Warriors on Sina.com
• (in Chinese) The Young Warriors official Chinese Entertainment Shanghai website