Chinese Paladin: the 2005 game adaptation that turned two unknowns into stars

2005 · CTV (Taiwan) / CBG (Mainland China) · Hu Ge (胡歌), Liu Yifei (刘亦菲)

Why this one

Nearly every other xianxia (仙侠, "immortal-hero fantasy") title on this site is, in some sense, working in the shadow of Chinese Paladin (仙剑奇侠传). It aired in early 2005, about a decade before The Journey of Flower and around fifteen years before the genre had an overseas fandom, and it is one of the clearest examples of a video-game adaptation becoming a mainstream television hit in the Chinese-speaking world. It is also the show that made two newcomers famous: Hu Ge (胡歌) as Li Xiaoyao (李逍遥) and Liu Yifei (刘亦菲) as Zhao Ling'er (赵灵儿).

From game to television

The series adapts The Legend of Sword and Fairy (仙剑奇侠传), a Taiwanese role-playing game from Softstar Entertainment (大宇) first released in 1995. The game is a landmark title in Chinese-language gaming, and the television version arrived a full decade after it, which meant it had a built-in audience of people who already knew the characters and were curious how a live-action version would handle them.

The adaptation aired in early 2005: on CTV in Taiwan starting January 14, and on CBG (Chongqing Broadcasting Group) in mainland China starting January 31. It was cut differently for the two markets: the Taiwan version runs 34 episodes and the mainland version 38. Reported ratings were high, with a mainland rating of 2.7.

Note — What makes it xianxia: Chinese Paladin is often filed under wuxia (武侠, "martial arts fiction") as well as fantasy, and the label really depends on which half of the show you are watching. Li Xiaoyao starts as a wandering swordsman type, the familiar wuxia hero. The cosmology around him (immortals, demons, the descendants of gods, artifacts, and sealed powers) is what later shows would label xianxia. The series sits on that boundary, which is one reason later productions could draw on it for both traditions.

The cast

• Hu Ge (胡歌) as Li Xiaoyao, the role that launched his career. He has remained one of China's most prominent actors since.

• Liu Yifei (刘亦菲) as Zhao Ling'er, in a role that made her a star well before she led Disney's live-action Mulan in 2020.

• Ady An (安以轩) as Lin Yueru, Esther Liu (刘品言) as A'nu, and Eddie Peng (彭于晏) as Tang Yu, which makes the supporting cast an unusually deep pool of future names for a single production.

Where to watch

Official English-language availability is limited for the 2005 original, and the quality of any available subtitles varies. Check current listings for your region. The later entries in the Chinese Paladin franchise, including Chinese Paladin 3 (2009), are separate productions with their own casts.

Its echo outside China

The important point about Chinese Paladin is what it does to the usual timeline. English-language fan discussion often treats xianxia as a phenomenon of the last decade. Within Chinese television it has a much longer history, and this show is one of the reference points for it. "When did xianxia become popular" and "when did xianxia become visible overseas" are two different questions, and the answers are separated by about fifteen years.