Tian Xia Di Yi: my new guilty pleasure
I have a new guilty pleasure, thanks to my friend Jenny: a kung-fu costume drama comedy soap-opera adventure show called Tian Xia Di Yi (天下第一) — which really means something like “World’s Finest,” but they call it “Hero” in the English program listings.
It is an international production with stars from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s on KTSF channel 26 every weeknight at 9. It’s also available on DVD. The version I’m watching is subtitled in both English and Chinese.
Sadly, as far as I can tell there is no English-language website devoted to the show, but here’s the basic premise: During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor’s uncle runs the titular quasi-official spy agency, which employs some of the country’s best young kung-fu warriors as secret agents. The story focuses on four of those agents as they get tangled up in imperial court intrigue involving a conniving power-hungry eunuch, go out on missions, and get sidetracked by demons from their pasts. Sometimes literally.
I love it for a whole host of reasons:
- It has something for everyone! Corny romance for the chicks, cheesy wire-fu swordfighting for the dudes, references to Chinese mythology and poetry for the hyper-literate, slapstick physical comedy for the kids, and lots of supernatural gobbeldygook for the geeks.
- It is a strange adventure in dubbing. Some of the actors are speaking Cantonese on set and some are speaking Mandarin, so depending on which country’s version of the show you’re watching, different actors get dubbed over. It took me a while to figure out why it seemed slightly off: in a single scene, two of the actors’ lips will be in sync with what they’re saying, while a third actor will seem like he flunked the ADR class at acting school.
- The actress playing Princess Yun Luo is a total cutie.
- It’s a big complicated story but it seems to have been plotted out from the beginning. I’ve caught foreshadowing that didn’t pay off until 15 episodes later, the sort of thing I dig in a TV show. But it should still be pretty easy to jump into for anyone who’s willing to spend a few episodes working out who everyone is and how they all relate.
- It makes no apologies about demanding your suspension of disbelief. You either run with it or you don’t. One of the female leads spent most of the beginning of the series wandering around in male clothing and only a handful of people realized she was a woman despite it being rather obvious from her looks. Oh, and the special effects are ultra-cheesy.
- It’s educational! Gotta test my listening and reading comprehension. (Result: I am going to be learning for a long, long time.)
I can occasionally make sense of an entire line of dialogue, but it takes me so long that two more lines have gone by in the meantime. But even when I’m stuck reading the English subtitles for an entire scene, it’s still a very fun, spirited show. Can’t wait to see where the story goes.
July 8th, 2005 at 11:52 am
I totally agree with your reasons about how gr8 d show is. But one more thing I have 2 add to that is how HOT Wallace Huo Jian Hua who plays Yi Dao is. Not only is good looking, he’s also a great actor AND singer.
July 21st, 2005 at 10:36 pm
the girls are so pretty! i liked the princess and the tian ya’s wife (she’s gorgeous!). and i agree, wallace is hot!
do you have any links to pictures from the show?
July 28th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
i love the show!!!!!i think wallace and michelle ye xuan(she plays hai tang)makes a cute couple!!!!can some1 plz tell me where to download the show????
August 10th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
I would like you to know where you managed to find the version with English and Chinese subtitles. I’m interested in buying it.. thanks =]
August 10th, 2005 at 1:43 pm
It aired with English and Chinese subtitles on KTSF channel 26 in the San Francisco area. Unfortunately, it seems the version they showed is not for sale anywhere. I emailed them to ask about it and they told me they and another station in San Diego paid to have the subtitles done, but that they didn’t have the rights to sell the result. Apparently their distributor doesn’t think there’s a big enough market to go to the expense of printing up and stocking an inventory of DVDs.
To which I say, “Fine, then, sell the episodes online as downloads and you won’t have to stock any DVDs at all!” But I guess it’ll be another few years before TV people finally figure out that they can make money that way.
Maybe if enough people write to KTSF (programming@ktsftv.com) and ask how to get their version of the show, they’ll sense the demand and do something about it.
August 16th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Thank you so much for your trouble, such a pity their version is not for sale *sigh*
August 28th, 2005 at 12:27 pm
This Tv series was so funny. But it’s really odd how some of the actors would speak in Canotenese and others would speak in Mandarin. Probably took them a long time to dubb the actors over. I found that Si Fei and Yun Luo were hilarous and they were a cute couple
November 11th, 2005 at 4:55 pm
i think wallace and michelle are soo beautyfull together!!!!
i love them…
but i was really sad when hai tang(alias michelle ) died. i want to have a happy end of them..
November 18th, 2005 at 10:16 pm
I am from Berkeley. I love this series, especially Wallace Huo and Michelle Yip. Michelle said in public that Wallace was extremely talented and sensitive, and that’s why they could have such an amazing chemistry. There were many good things and a few flaws in this series, but above all it is the captivating acting of Wallace that completely grabbed me! This series swept the whole China in storm during February-March and was recently aired in Beijing, and because of its huge success Wallace is now the most sought-after actor of his generation.
December 9th, 2005 at 11:46 am
yo, this series is so good, does anyone have the ending theme
jacky cheung - Tian Xia Di Yi
can you send it to me if you do at
vtdragon11@yahoo.com
January 10th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
i think that every1 in tian xia di yi is coooool.
but mostly,
the coolest is michelle ye ( hai tang ) and wallace huo ( yi dao)…
they make the greatest couple.
cheng shi fei is funny.
do u guys know that hai tang, su shin, cheng she fei, and gu san tong is cantonese?
well,
they r.
want to know more movies that they make ?
ask me.
April 20th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
anyone who know the real name of the actress who play the role the sister of Tian Ya’s wife? i like her
please mail me tranmanhan@yahoo.com,
xie xie
August 25th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Dear All ,
I need your kind help and attention for above matter.
I’m one of the Chinese TV Series’ fan.
Now one series that airs in our country and all in Chinese language.
I have tried to enqruie all website such as Yesasia, SPCnet but have no reply yet.
So, pls. do a four and spare some of your time for me to find out about this series.
Here is the plot that I’ve been watching.
The main actress(name-Kyone Shuang Yin, sorry! I don’t know how to pronounce in Chinese)
Acts in two roles as mother and daughter. She works in a hotel(owned by the main actor-Lan Tong Chang) in order to pay back the money that she borrowed for her mother’s hospital fee(mother has cancer & she seems to have that illness too).That hospital also owned by Tong Chang. The supporting actor(Lwi Shin) loves SY and works in a newspapers publishing. The other girl(Mike Lei Lei) who loves LS works in the same hotel with SY and always tricky and cunning to SY. Another one(Kyin Wai Wai) who thinks to love TC, woeks at a reporter, later on fall in love with Lai Yi,(who is neighbour & like a brother to SY) a traffic policeman. But TC & SY loves each other deeply but SY thinks she has cancer & pretend she does not love TC.
The significant thing in the series is mother has blue scarf with butterfly embroidery and SY has butterfly tattooed at her ankle. Some of the reflesh sences show SY’s mother, TC’s mother & father & LS’s mother has involved with each other in some how. But I cannot catch & clear yet.
That’s all I’ve watched it.
It hasn’t finished yet & I cannot wait & too curious to know what will happen at the ending.
Will TC & SY have a happy ending? I wish they have as I love SY & TC & think they are a perfect couple & match each other.
Will be very appreciated if you could reply by this email add;csh@zwallet.com or pls. advise me where/which website can I search for that series review.
Thanks in advance.
Nyar Nyar
August 28th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Dear Nyar Nyar,
May you tell me where do you come from and which TV channel you are watching?
Since I am working at a video rental shop and if you can provide me more information (e.g. exact actor/ actress names, country and TV channel), it will increase the chance to search it successfully.
Please reply me to: chanbibi@gmail.com .
Thanks.
Regards,
Chanbibi
September 10th, 2006 at 9:22 am
Dear all…. I have heard so much about this that I desperately want to see it. However, when are they going to release a cantonese (or even english subtitled version……??) I’m hooked already and all I’ve seen are little mini-clips fom youtube. *sigh*
August 17th, 2007 at 8:59 am
OMG, Cheng Shi Fei is freaking HOT.
Wait. He doesnt look hot…hmm…
Ohh, it’s his funny and cute personality i fell in love with! Aww… he is so the i-am-independant-but-still-a-funny-mama’s-boy kind of cutie!
Well, he doesnt look cute in real life. I mean, Roger Kwok doesnt look too cute.
He is the only reason why i fell in the wif the show i moment i saw it. He is so dam funny! FUNNY!!! RAWR!
BUT I LOVE CHENG SHI FEI MAN!!!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:01 am
By the way, there is a DVD version out right? RIGHT?! T_T
I WANT IT! 5 more episodes only and i missed the Zhu TieDan somewhat-got-killed-and-revived-and-tortured-and-survived episode. I was covering my eyes 50% of the time as i didnt want 2 see him get hurt.
Damian Lau is so charismatic.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Ya noe, Deng Chao (the emperor) may not look too nice wif his robes, but he is actually quite hot in real life. At 28 years old. He sports a hard 6-pack ya know? he’s quite attractive. Only my heart lies wif cheng shi fei (’s personality). Wallace is cute. I fell in love wif him, but gradually lost interest as he demonized.
I bet Michelle has a million eye-candiers. She’s quite hot.
Ever realised that no search engine has individual photos of the characters? T_T (If u see one PLEASE post the websit and details! Especially if it’s CSF!)
P.S. Deng Chao and Li Ya Peng(duan tian ya) have blogs! they post weird random pictues (like deng chao’s army photo and ya peng’s wedding photo) Go search from wiki! There’re links! Waaaah! and sadly, it’s all in chinese so if u dun noe how 2 read chinese…i pity u man!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:09 am
btw, how did hai tang die? Did piao xu reali kill her?
CSF U’RE HAWT.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:05 am
Hi,
I can’t find any version of this series that has English subtitles.
Is it possible to make me a copy …will pay!
Thanks
December 6th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Hi everyone
YOU CAN WATCH THE WHOLE SERIE HERE FOR FREE
BUT SUBTITLES ONLY IN CHINESE…
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTM2Mzc1NTY=.html
HOPE YOU ENJOY
HUGS