''Tai Chi Master'' (太極張三豐) is a classic

Rediffusion Television Rediffusion Television (, RTV) was a defunct television station in Hong Kong. It was the city's first broadcaster and the first in any British colony or majority-Chinese city.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). ''Television, Regulation and Civil Soci ...

series aired in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in 1980. The series helped boost the popularity of Rediffusion TV right before the station was converting over to become ATV. Numerous sequels and spawns have followed since its release. (such as ''Tai Chi Master 2 遊俠張三豐''.)

Summary

The story revolves around Yuan-bo (

Alex Man Alexander Man Chi-leung () better known simply as Alex Man is a Hong Kongese actor. Born in Hong Kong to Hakka parents, Alex Man became a television actor for ATV in the 1970s. He joined TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t ...

) who starts off as a young

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

from

Shaolin temple Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

with some knowledge of

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

. He soon meets general

Chang Yuchun Chang Yuchun (常遇春, 1330 – 9 August 1369), courtesy name Boren (伯仁) and art name Yanheng (燕衡), was a Chinese military general of the Ming dynasty. He was a follower of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, and ...

and become a student of To Cek-lun (陶石麟). Yuan-bo falls in love with his daughter To Choi-yi (陶綵衣). A number of adversaries later tried to kill Yuan-bo. He can only fight them off by becoming the supreme Taoist Tai chi master.

Legacy

The series being a classic helped

and

Michelle Yim Michelle Yim Wai-ling (; born September 2, 1955), better known by her stage name ''Mai Suet'' (), is a Hong Kong actress and elder sister of former actress Sidney Yim Wai-ming also known by stage name ''Suet Lei'' (). She graduated from and S ...

extend their popularity well into the 1980s era. Most memorable was the opening song composed by Michael Lai (黎小田), lyrics written by Lou Gwok-zim (盧國沾) and sung by Johnny Yip (葉振棠). The song have since been re-released on numerous albums.Music.yahoo.com.
Music.yahoo.com
" ''太極張三豐.'' Retrieved on 2010-03-12. In Hong Kong the series would later spawn the 1981 direct sequel ''Taichi Master II'' starring

, Amy Chan and

Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (born Cheung Fat-chung; 12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential cultural icons in the Sinophone, Sinophone world, Cheung was known for his debonair demeanor, flamb ...

with a Chinese knight-errant theme.Yesasia.com.
Yesasia.com
" ''太極張三豐&遊俠張三豐.'' Retrieved on 2010-03-09. Another reproduction is Tai Chi Master the movie, starring

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

and

Michelle Yeoh Yeoh Choo Kheng (; born 6 August 1962), known professionally as Michelle Yeoh (), is a Malaysian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, Yeoh has appeared Michelle Yeoh filmography, in projects encompassing a wide array of genres, a ...

filmed more than a decade later using the same name.

Cast

External links

Opening theme and ending

References

{{reflist Asia Television original programming