Top 10 Wuxia Series Ever
Wuxia means “martial art hero”. Wuxia dramas often tell adventures of martial artists and they are popular in Chinese-speaking communities around the world. There are tons of Wuxia TV series during the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Here are my picks of the top 10 best Wuxia series ever.
1. The Legend of Condor Heroes 《射雕英雄传》
Year: 1983
Stars: Felix Wong, Barbara Yung, Michael Miu, Sharon Yeung
The Legend of Condor Heroes is a Hong Kong drama based on Louis Cha’s novel of the same title. This version is considered as a classic adaptation and is known for Barbara Yung’s role as Huang Rong.
2. Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 《天龙八部》
Year: 1997
Stars: Felix Wong, Benny Chan, Louis Fan, Carman Lee
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is another adaption of from Louis Cha’s wuxia novel. This 1997 verion is regarded as an excellent one with a fantastic plot, a great cast of characters. I recommend it to all of you.
3. Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain 《雪山飞狐》
Year: 1991
Stars: Meng Fei, Mini Kung, Wu Yujuan
Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain is a Taiwan TV series adapted from Louis Cha’s same title novel. This is by far the most recognized version and the only Louis Cha`s TV series adaption better than Hong Kong version.
4. The Duke of Mount Deer 《鹿鼎记》
Year: 1998
Stars: Jordan Chan, Steven Ma, Rain Lau, Cherie Chan
The Duke of Mount Deer is a Hong Kong wuxia TV series based on Louis Cha’s novel The Deer and the Cauldron. This version is very close to Jin Yong’s original book, so you’ll know the whole story if you’ve seen the ’84 version drama.
5. The Return of the Condor Heroes《神雕侠侣》
Year: 1995
Stars: Louis Koo, Carman Lee,Jason Pai, Bonnie Ngai
The TVB 95 series is the best one of all versions. The excellent performance by two leading actors Louis Koo and Carman Lee were exceptional.
6. The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber 《倚天屠龙记》
Year: 2000
Stars: Lawrence Ng, Gigi Lai, Charmaine Sheh, Damian Lau, Michelle Yim
The story revolves around Cheung Mo Kei, a strong-willed, powerful and attractive young man. It was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 2000.
7. Hap Hak Hang 《侠客行》
Year: 1989
Stars: Tony Leung, Sheren Tang
Hap Hak Hang is a Hong Kong TV series adapted from Louis Cha’s novel Ode to Gallantry. The series was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong in 1989. Tony Leung plays the the twins of Sek Chung Yuk and Sek Fa Tin, Sheren Teng as Ding Dan.
8. The Book and the Sword 《书剑恩仇录》
Year: 2008
Stars: Adam Cheng, Qiao Zhenyu, Niki Chow, Liu Ying
The Book and the Sword is based on Jin Yong’s first novel Shu Jian En Chou Lu. The series follows very closely to the book, presenting a very entertaining 40-episode series.
9. Crimson Sabre 《碧血剑》
Year: 2000
Stars: Gordon Lam, Sarah Au, Charmaine Sheh, Kwong Wa
Crimson Sabre is a Hong Kong TVB series adapted from Louis Cha’s novel Sword Stained with Royal Blood.
10. The Legendary Siblings 《绝代双骄》
Year: 1999
Stars: Vivien Chen, Zheng Jia Ying, Lian Jing Wen
The Legendary Siblings is a Taiwan TV series adapted from Gu Long’s novel Juedai Shuangjiao. It was first broadcast on TTV in Taiwan in 1999. The drama tells a story about a pair of twins who are separated at birth.
Can anyone find this one series where they mc abolished his own cultivation I can’t seem to find it anywhere but I know it exist because I watched it when I was a kid
can somebody tell me the name of Drama series based on Duel to the death (Norman Chu) ?
Handsome brothers?
Can anyone help me recall a series? All i really remember is a martial arts book that can only be learned if you don’t know martial arts to begin with. There is a little monk boy that ends up learning it by accident. :/ I also think the beginning was someone getting executed.
Rocks also get blown up during the end fight scene… I know that doesn’t really help but’s all I remember
Sound like it might be demi gods and semi devils
Hi Peter,
Any chance you can help me recall the name of the wuxia TV series from the 90s? All I can remember is that the antagonist used a technique to steal/absorb skills from an older martial arts master, and that the final episode involved an epic one-on-one battle on the wintry mountains between the hero (in white) against the antagonist (in black). The female side character finally kills the antagonist with a sword, but the actually killing is done offscreen.
I’m eager to watch this series again, and would be grateful if you can help me identify it. It’s dubbed in Mandarin, I believe.
Thanks so much.
Is it 《九阴真经》？
Sry for the super-belated response. From the few clips I can find of 《九阴真经》(1993), it isn’t the show I remember. The “older martial arts master” sported thick eyebrows and messy long hair. The villain thieved these skills from the martial arts master by tapping and pressing his shoulders, after which the older master became kind of useless. There was also a sense of foreboding as the villain became more and more powerful. The main “good guy” needed to train intensely to master a sword technique for the final fight on the snowy mountain. Any other guesses? My written Chinese needs brushing up, and I haven’t been able to find similar scenes in the other popular series on Youtube, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks again.
i can see you’re a Jin Yong fan as well. Those are really the best wuxias to watch.