The Foundation 1984: My impressions

One of my favourite scenes: Li Sai Man trying to kiss Sik Sik (Ep 4)

I thought I should write a post about what I think of The Foundation 1984 (决战玄武门) after watching it two weeks ago. A month ago, I found that I could obtain the series in Mandarin and Cantonese subs and Indonesian subtitles. It seems the excellent subtitles was done by fans, and it reflects how fans could actually do wonders with their dedication. I was relieved to receive the DVDs and dreaded it at the same time. I dreaded watching the series for fear of a broken heart, but I couldn’t help it. In the end, I am glad I forced myself to watch it; at least now I can rest the case.

The story line itself; don't buy it as the definitive chronicles of Li Sai Man or Emperor Taizong. Reports had it that Li Sai Man indeed killed his brothers, but there was never a record of him loving a peasant girl and killed her for the throne. It was true though that Li Sai Man was a good emperor, if not THE best, of the ancient China.

Timeline of Chor Lau Heung 1984

Wu Tit Fa gave some paper money to have CLH 'killed', Ep 8

I’ve been thinking about the timeline of Chor Lau Heung. Since I couldn’t find any info on the net (well, the English version at least), I just gathered some facts from the series and (ahem) Wikipedia and deducted that Chor Lau Heung’s time frame was in the early to middle Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Here’s how I came to the conclusion.

One of the most prominent sects in the CLH saga was the Wutang Clan. This clan wasn’t established until the Yuan Dynasty (per Louis Cha’s Dragon Sword and Heaven Sabre 1961). Also, the Province of Yunnan where Song Siu Ching and the Emperor escaped to wasn’t created until 1274 during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Previously, Yunnan was called the Dali Kingdom. Hence, the setting should be during the Ming Dynasty that ruled the Mainland after the Yuan Dynasty.

‘The Days of Happy Laughters’ – the Foundation 1984 happy OST

The Foundation 1984 has three main tracks, all sung by Michelle Pau. The opening and end credits are sad, but the third one has a very happy note. It was played during the first real date between Li Sai Man (Michael Miu) and Chun Sik Sik (Barbara Yung) in Episode 4. I said “the first real date” because by this time, Sai Man no longer pretended that he was a jerk just to evade his brother’s spies. It was like, “Screw this. I’m dating her and I will just cherish her presence and make her laugh!”  Hence the song and the scene, which I successfully uploaded to YouTube (TVB, please don’t tell me to delete it later, it’s only 2.5 minutes anyway...). Edit: TVB blocked it, so I moved it to Dailymotion. If it's blocked again, I will just post the video on my public Dropbox domain... (Jeepers, I'm not even trying to sell anything here!)

Michelle Pau The Foundation 1984 "The Days of... by icha74

The original lyrics are found at Musixmatch and SPCNET (the Musixmatch missed the last line). The English translation is also provided in the second version of the video. The song is a happy one indeed. It shows how Li Sai Man truly loved  Sik Sik and just wanted to make her happy...

Sai Man trying to kiss the blushing Sik Sik, Ep 4

Karmic Connections: a Michael/Barbara wuxia fanfiction

My attempt to bridge the four main MB wuxia stories together.  It started at the end of Ep 20 of Fearless Duo when Lam Chor Yin accidentally broke the jar that contained Szeto Man Mo’s soul. The Foundation 1984, the Legend of Condor Heroes 1983, Chor Lau Heung 1984 and Fearless Duo 1984 and their characters are the properties of TVB Hong Kong. This fanfiction is dedicated to Michael Miu and Barbara Yung. Contains plentiful reincarnation viewpoints. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me to mend my broken heart for what Li Sai Man did to Chun Sik Sik. Check this for the accompanying MV.

The four Michael Miu/Barbara Yung wuxia that I string here

Karmic Connections 

 On an autumn night, their reunion darkens all love scenes

Moments of their reunion surpass joy on earth

So sad to part each other

Eternal love shall withstand the time apart

~'Tale of the Magpie Bridge'

The ceramic jar broke and the white butterfly escaped. Lam Chor Yin made a small, disappointed gasp as she saw the butterfly flying away out of sight. In panic, she scanned the room to find the butterfly's whereabouts to no avail. The Supreme Master, the person who opened the door and hence bumped into her and caused her to drop the jar, entered the hall to find the Young Madam Szeto looking around the room like a mad woman before finally slumping down on the floor and wallowing in sorrow. Despite his own heartbreak to learn that the butterfly that contained Szeto Man Mo's soul had escaped, Supreme Master did his best to console Chor Yin. They had to find the butterfly again soon if they want to successfully install Man Mo's soul back into his body, and he needed Chor Yin to pull herself together to speed up the search process. 

CLH 1984 ep 40 screen shots: the final boat scene

Chor Lau Heung (Michael Miu) and Song Siu Ching (Barbara Yung), final scene, Ep 40

I still want to finish capturing some scenes from The Foundation 1984, but since it's so sad, I'm taking a break for a few days. Since I have been wanting to do screen shots for the last scene of Chor Lau Heung 1984, I figure out that this would be a good, happy break from the Foundation. This post is best read after reading/watching the screen caps of the previous CLH/SC scene, i.e. the garden scene (click here). The boat scene that I refer to here started after Chor tai-gor realised that he didn't hear any commotion outside, though he had asked So Yung Yung, Li Hung Chao and Sung Tim Yi to prepare the boat for sailing. 

The Foundation 1984 recap eps 10-12 (end)

Sik Sik taking care of the injured Sai Man, Ep 11

Below is the recap of the Foundation 1984 episodes 10-12. I’d like to thank the Kaypang Gallery for providing the Cantonese ver with excellent Indonesian subtitles for this series (the DVDs can be purchased here). You can also watch the Cantonese ver from Tudou. The spellings of the main characters are in Cantonese. Spellings of other characters in Mandarin pinyin. I sourced many spellings from the Wikipedia entry of Li Shimin and its associated links. Needless to say, the post contains spoilers, so you are forewarned...

Ep 10: Kong Fung took Sik Sik to the beach, where she later told him that it was the very place Li Sai Man usually took her to when he wanted to cheer her up. She then told Kong Fung that Sai Man actually knew that she met KF on the beach that day. Kong Fung then realised that it was all Li Sai Man's play, that he actually just wanted to get KF's support to overthrow his brothers. Kong Fung then visited Sai Man and confronted him about his play. He said that Chun Sik Sik was a fine lady and Li Sai Man should treasure and cherish her. On the matter of assisting the 2nd Prince, Kong Fung still firmly said that HTM wouldn't intervene with Royal affairs. Later, Li Sai Man walked down the beach and found Sik Sik there. He whispered her name, she heard him and tensed slightly. He approached her. She turned and calmly commented that he looked thinner. He replied that she was thinner too. She melted into his embrace.

The Foundation 1984 recap eps 6-9

Sik Sik reconciled with Li Sai Man, Ep 6

Below is the recap of the Foundation 1984 episodes 6-9. I’d like to thank the Kaypang Gallery for providing the Cantonese ver with excellent Indonesian subtitles for this series (the DVDs can be purchased here). You can also watch the Cantonese ver from Tudou.
The spellings of the main characters are in Cantonese. Spellings of other characters in Mandarin pinyin. I sourced many spellings from the Wikipedia entry of Li Shimin and its associated links. Needless to say, the post contains spoilers, so you are forewarned...

Ep 6: The day of the decadal martial art competition arrived. Li Sai Man was surprised to see his 3rd brother there. Sai Man was more surprised to see Meng Qing Bing fighting for the Wu Ling Kau (Crow Sect), but when Sai Man saw Yuan Ji conversing with the Crow leader, he knew that QB had betrayed him for 3rd Prince. QB then defeated Sima Hang, the first disciple of HTM. Kong Fung decided to fight Qing Bing with the One Thousand Forms Style and he defeated QB. KF emerged as a new favourite in his sect, and he also gained more friends and supporters from his sect, including the 2nd disciple who originally despised him. Meanwhile, Li Sai Man felt guilty that Li Jing had used his inner strength to save QB, only for the latter to back-stab them. LJ said Sai Man shouldn't be bothered with that issue, and if anything went south, LJ knew how to bake, hence he should be fine (as a baker). Madame Li overheard the conversation with utmost concern.

The Foundation 1984 recap eps 1-5

Chun Sik Sik (Barbara Yung) and Li Sai Man (Michael Miu), artwork by Tomoyo262

Below is the recap of the Foundation 1984 (决战玄武门) episodes 1-5. I’d like to thank the Kaypang Gallery for providing the Cantonese ver with excellent Indonesian subtitles for this series (the DVDs can be purchased here). You can also watch the Cantonese ver from Tudou. The spellings of the main characters are in Cantonese. Spellings of other characters in Mandarin pinyin. I sourced many spellings from the Wikipedia entry of Li Shimin and its associated links. Needless to say, the post contains spoilers, so you are forewarned... 

Ep 1: Li Sai Man (Li Shimin, Michael Miu) and his third brother Li Yuan Chi (Li Yuanji, played by Ken Tong) were sent to Jiang Nan by Emperor Father to observe the daily life of the commoners. They met two Hao Tian Men (Wu Tien Mun) people and were impressed by the way the HTM sect/clan conducted themselves in upholding justice. The two princes then saw two HTM folks being attacked and murdered by someone. Sai Man (who used his secret identity Wen Ding Yuan) wanted to report the incident to HTM headquarters, but his Sam Gor (third brother) Yuan Chi (who used the false name Wen Ding Jiang) said they shouldn't intervene with the wuxia world, hence the brothers went to a brothel instead. There, while Sai Man enjoying the wine, Yuan Chi tried to flirt with a woman who was courted by Meng Qing Bing (Austin Wai). Sai Man reminded YC to behave. A fight broke outside between the HTM and the murderer (played by the guy who played as Yip Shing Lan in the Chor Lau Heung 1984 series). Meng Qing Bing intervened. Meanwhile, the HTM students accused the Crow sect as the culprit behind the HTM murder. The Hau Tian Men Master Ren (portrayed by the actor who played Sit Yi Yan in CLH'84) was angry that his students attacked the Crow sect without his approval. The Master then consulted some kung fu masters, including Meng Qing Bing and General Li Qing (or Li Jing), about the murder. 

The poems in Chor Lau Heung 1984

Chor tai-gor reciting the last line of 'Tale of the Magpie Bridge' (ep 13)

Ancient series are usually peppered with poems. The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984 was not an exception. I could only recall three four poems from the CLH 1984, but I really like them hence I post them here. The full text of the poems can be found at the end of this post. My favourite is definitely the Tale of the Magpie Bridge, first recited by Koh A Lam (Sharon Yang) in front of Wu Tit Fa in ep 11. Later in ep 13, Wu asked Chor tai-gor about that poem, and Chor recited a part of it for Wu’s benefit. Chor Lau Heung did look pensieve though when he recited the last line (“Eternal love shall withstand the time apart”), which made me think that he was thinking of Song Siu Ching for just a few seconds there.

Tale of the Magpie Bridge is part of a famous ancient Chinese story called the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, dated back to over 2,600 years ago, around the time of the Han Dynasty. The story involved Zhinu (the weaver girl, or the star Vega) and Niulang (the cowherd, the star Altair) whose starcrossed love made them banished such that each of them live in another side of the Silver River (the Milky Way). Once a year (7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar), magpies would form a bridge between the two lovers such that they could meet for one day.

Below is the few lines of the Tale of the Magpie Bridge Chor Lau Heung recited in ep 13.