The Legend of Kublai Khan

The Legend of Kublai Khan
Also known as	'Legend of Yuan Empire Founder'
Genre	Historical drama
Written by	Hasi Bagen
Directed by	Tsui Siu-ming
Presented by	Li Hua Zhou Shidu Yu Dong Sheng Luosong Kong Deming Cao Fang Wu Huai'en Wang Guangzhong Liu Hong Xi Hongyi Du Daning He Ling Guo Li Liu Zhanhui Cheng Lidong Jin Tingting Wu Weimin Wang Jingyi Tian Jun Zheng Yuxia Li Ying Xiaoning Zhang Huayong Hou Li Wu Zhiling Wang Liqiao Luo Yi
Starring	Hu Jun Charmaine Sheh Cai Wenyan Wu Yue Tang Guoqiang Gao Fa Steven Ma Ray Lui Ba Sen Hasi Gaowa Xie Miao Xu Xiangdong Du Yiheng He Yanni Wang Huilai Xu Dongmei Huang Jianqun Zhang Yan Debbie Goh Liu Xiaoxiao Zhang Jingda Jin Tingting
Opening theme	Qiankun Wu Di Bu Baorong (乾坤无地不包容) performed by Tsui Siu-ming
Ending theme	Leishui Daluo Le Hualei (泪水打落了花蕾) performed by Jin Tingting
Composer(s)	Luo Jian
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin
No. of episodes	50 46 (Hong Kong release)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Wang Xiangwen Zhang Ping Fan Xiaojun Feng Wei Liu Yipeng Su Jianrong Liu Haiming Wang Guang Chang Sheng Zhang Zili Wang Haitao Guo Zhijian Zhao Wei Tu Tu Zhao-Yan Guozhang Xu-Li Fengming
Producer(s)	Zhou Shidu Sheng Luosong Feng Jing Xi Hongyi Tang Xuan Zhu Xianqing Zhang Linshu Bu Xiaofeng Di Nannan Wang Liqiao He Qing
Location(s)	China
Cinematography	Guan Jianxiong
Editor(s)	Li Jian
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production company(s)	Hainan Province Film and Television Production Centre Tianjin Beifang Film Group Bona Film Group China International Culture and Art Centre Beijing Yangguang Shengtong Culture Art Jiuzhou Audio-Visual Publishing Beijing Dongfang Investment Managing Inner Mongolia Shiqi Group Beijing Ruyi Jixiang Television Planning Beijing Zhongshi Meixing International Culture Media Alpas Grasslands Culture Tourism Development The Travel Channel Qilin Net (Beijing) Film Culture Media Guofu Film (Beijing) Culture Media LeTV.com
Distributor	Sheng Luosong
Release
Original network	HBS[1]
Original release	21 – 30 July 2013[1]

The Legend of Kublai Khan, also known as Legend of Yuan Empire Founder, is a Chinese television series based on the life of Kublai Khan and the events leading to the founding of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in China. The series started shooting in 2011. It premiered at the 2013 Shanghai Television Festival from 11–13 June 2013,^[2] and was first aired on HBS from 21–30 July 2013.^[1] The series was directed by Tsui Siu-ming and starred Hu Jun as Kublai Khan, with Charmaine Sheh, Cai Wenyan, Wu Yue, Tang Guoqiang, Gao Fa, Steven Ma and Ray Lui as part of the supporting cast.

Plot

The series, spanning over 70 years, romanticises the life of Kublai Khan and the events leading to the founding of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in China.

Kublai was born in 1215 as a son of Tolui, the fourth son of Genghis Khan. At the time, Töregene, the wife of Ögedei (Genghis Khan's third son), sees Tolui as a potential threat. As Tolui gains more glory for his victories in battle, Töregene becomes worried about whether her husband will be selected by his father as his successor. She also feels uneasy because the young Kublai is highly favoured by his grandfather.

Ögedei eventually succeeds his father as the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. After Tolui is poisoned to death by Töregene, his sons, under the leadership of their eldest brother Möngke, want to avenge their father. Töregene plans to accuse Möngke and his brothers of plotting a rebellion if they seek to avenge their father, and hopes to use the opportunity to eliminate Tolui's family. At this critical moment, Kublai and his mother, Sorghaghtani, manage to calm down his brothers and get them to stay low while secretly building up their forces.

Following Ögedei Khan's death, Töregene becomes the Regent of the Mongol Empire for some years until her son, Güyük, is elected as the new Great Khan. When Güyük dies in a conflict against his cousin Batu, his wife Qaimish takes over as the Regent for a brief period of time until Möngke becomes the new Great Khan.

A few years later, after Möngke dies in a battle against the Song Empire at Diaoyu Fortress, Kublai and his younger brother Ariq Böke engage in a power struggle to seize the succession. Kublai eventually overcomes his brother and secures his position as the Great Khan after defeating all his rivals. He conquers China and establishes the Yuan dynasty with him as its first emperor.

Cast

Broadcasts

Production

The Legend of Kublai Khan was produced at a cost of about 150 million yuan.^[3]

Awards

The Legend of Kublai Khan won the Golden Angel Award for Outstanding Television Series and Best Director of Chinese TV Series at the 2013 Chinese American Film Festival.^[4]

Controversy over title renaming

The Legend of Kublai Khan was released under the title The Genius of War – Kublai (打仗天才忽必烈) when it was aired on Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) in July 2013. Apparently, this was done without the approval of the producers, and the reason behind the renaming is believed to be that HBS wanted to attract higher viewership. Director Tsui Siu-ming and lead actor Hu Jun expressed unhappiness over the renaming; Hu even wrote on his weibo, "Who changed the title? What genius of war?", and added an angry emoticon.^[3]

References

External links

• (Chinese) The Legend of Kublai Khan on Sina.com