Master Ma
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''Master Ma'' is a 1998 Hong Kong-Taiwanese two-season television series produced by the television stations
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...
and CTV. It is loosely based on the life of Ma Yongzhen (), a
Hui Chinese The Hui people are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the northwestern provinces and in the Zhongyuan region. According to the 2 ...
martial artist who lived during the late
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. The series was directed by Fan Sau-ming and starred
Kenny Ho Kenny Ho Kar-king (born 29 December 1959) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He was best known for his role as Zhan Zhao in the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese television series '' Justice Bao'' from 1993 to 2012, and is also known for his roles in ...
as the eponymous character.


Plot


Season 1

The series is set in the
Warlord Era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...
of early 20th-century
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Ma Yongzhen and his mother, Ma Daniang, live in
Shandong Province Shandong is a coastal province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural and religious center ...
, where they raise horses for Marshal Duan's army. One night, the stables mysteriously catch fire and the horses are lost. The marshal's men arrest Ma Yongzhen and his mother and prepare to execute them for their negligence. However, Ma Yongzhen and his mother fight their way out of the prison and escape to a safe location. Ma Yongzhen later makes his way alone to
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
to earn a new living. In Shanghai, Ma Yongzhen becomes famous after winning a horse race and a martial arts tournament. However, he also gets into trouble with the two most powerful gangs in Shanghai: the White Gang led by Bai Laili and the Wuhu Gang led by Xue Changchun. At the same time, he starts a romance with Xue Changchun's mistress, the opera singer Liu Juchi. With the help of Duan Lengcui and others, Ma Yongzhen forms the Zhendong Gang to help the poor and fight injustice, unlike the other gangs. At the end of Season 1, Ma Yongzhen and his Zhendong Gang destroy the Wuhu Gang and make an uneasy peace with the White Gang.


Season 2

Season 2 revolves around a rivalry between Ma Yongzhen and Bai Laili. Bai Laili resorts to various cunning means in his attempt to destroy Ma Yongzhen and the Zhendong Gang. First, he sends his men to infiltrate the Zhendong Gang and steal a shipment of foreign goods stored in their warehouses. Next, he orders his henchman Tang Biao to assassinate the French consul and frame Ma Yongzhen for the murder. Eventually, with the help of Duan Lengcui's father, who turns out to be Marshal Duan, Ma Yongzhen succeeds in clearing his name and solving the problems. With Marshal Duan to back him up, Ma Yongzhen manages to keep Bai Laili and the White Gang at bay for some time. At the same time, Ma Yongzhen's feelings for Liu Juchi gradually diminish as he becomes more romantically attracted to Duan Lengcui and they are eventually engaged. Marshal Duan and the Japanese consul convince Ma Yongzhen to support them in opening a hospital to provide medical services for the poor in Shanghai and improve Sino-Japanese ties. However, Ma Yongzhen and his friends later discover that Marshal Duan is secretly collaborating with the Japanese to develop
biological weapon Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...
s in the hospital. In return, the Japanese will aid the marshal in defeating the Kuomintang government. At the same time, Ma Yongzhen encounters Kimura, a hostile Japanese
karateka (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While moder ...
on Bai Laili's side who constantly makes trouble for him.


Cast

*
Kenny Ho Kenny Ho Kar-king (born 29 December 1959) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He was best known for his role as Zhan Zhao in the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese television series '' Justice Bao'' from 1993 to 2012, and is also known for his roles in ...
as Ma Yongzhen (), the protagonist and the boss of the Zhendong Gang. * Grace Yu as Liu Juchi (), an opera singer who is also Xue Changchun's mistress and Ma Yongzhen's first love interest. * Anita Lee as Duan Lengcui (), Duan Tianfeng's daughter and Ma Yongzhen's second love interest. *
Cheng Pei-pei Cheng Pei-pei (6 January 1946 – 17 July 2024) was a Hong Kong-American actress who was considered cinema's first female action hero. Popularly known as "Queen of Swords" and "Queen of Martial Arts Films", Cheng starred in numerous successful ...
as Ma Daniang (), Ma Yongzhen's mother. *
Chan Hung-lit Chan Hung-lit (7 June 1943 – 24 November 2009), was a Hong Kong actor famous for portraying villains from the 1960s to 1980s. Background Chan started his acting career after joining Shaw Brothers Studio in 1964. and mainly acted in ''wux ...
as Bai Laili (), the boss of the White Gang. *
Norman Chui Norman Chui Siu-keung (16 October 1950 – 1 September 2024) was a Hong Kong actor. He was best known for portraying heroic protagonists in many martial arts films from the 1970s to 1980s and later portraying villainous roles in the 1990s. Chui ...
as Xue Changchun (), the boss of the Wuhu Gang. *
Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. After gaining recognition for the costume drama '' My Fair Princess'' (1998–1999), Fan's breakthrough came with Feng Xiaogang's blockbuster '' Cell Phone'' (2003), which won her th ...
as Bai Xiaodie (), Bai Laili's daughter who turns out to be Ma Yongzhen's long-lost younger sister, Ma Suzhen. * Howie Huang as Sun Jisheng (), a doctor and Kuomintang spy who develops a romantic relationship with Bai Xiaodie. * Yang Sheng as Jiang Shiguang (), a policeman in Shanghai who befriends Ma Yongzhen. * Lin Jing as Wenjing (), a news journalist and Jiang Shiguang's love interest. * Cheng Sihan as Lu Kuangtian (), a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 1. * Lung Tien-hsiang as Tang Biao (), Bai Laili's right-hand man. * He Zhonghua as Luo Zhan (), one of Xue Changchun's henchmen who later becomes a Kuomintang spy working alongside Sun Jisheng. * as Duan Tianfeng (), a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 2. * Mondi Yau as Chen Jiamei (), a Japanese spy in disguise as a courtesan who becomes Bai Laili's mistress. * Shen Meng-sheng as Ding Xianjin (), a wealthy businessman who starts a drama troupe to provide free entertainment to the poor, and falls in love with Liu Juchi. * Kou Zhanwen as Kimura (), a ruthless and overbearing Japanese
karateka (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While moder ...
.


Remake

The series was remade in 2012 as a mainland Chinese television series titled '' Ma Yongzhen'', directed by Kuk Kwok-leung and starring
Danny Chan Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor. One of the first Cantopop idols in Hong Kong, he gained fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who wer ...
as Ma Yongzhen. Norman Chu and He Zhonghua are cast in the remake as Bai Laili and Xue Changchun respectively.


See also

* ''
Boxer from Shantung ''The Boxer from Shantung'' is a 1972 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li, and starring Chen Kuan-tai, Ching Li and guest stars David Chiang. Godfrey Ho was assistant director (as Chih Chiang Ho). Plot ''Boxer fro ...
'', a 1972 Hong Kong film based on the life of Ma Yongzhen. {{DEFAULTSORT:Master Ma 1998 Hong Kong television series debuts 1998 Hong Kong television series endings Asia Television original programming Taiwanese television series