Ancient Chinese Series
Tips and Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
About Ancient Chinese Series
What? Shows from China? How Come I've never heard of them before?
So, are these like soap operas?
Is it me or are these actors the same, in many series?
I have no idea where to start, please help me?
Please tell me more about Ancient Series, what is it about?
About the Voice Dubbing and Voice Actors
Why does the actor's voice sound different in two series? Do they get dubbed?
Who are some popular voice actors that do voice dubbing?
Information about Filming and Locations
Where are the Ancient Series filmed?
General website related questions
What benefits to registered members get? Why should I register on this website?
I can't register, the answer to the security questions is wrong.
Why are there more information on some shows then others?
Why don't you put modern shows, kdramas, jdramas etc for downloads? Don't you like them?
What should I do if a link is incorrect or not working...?
Can you sub this show? Can you put this show up on the website?
About Ancient Chinese Series
What? Shows from China? How Come I've never heard of them before?
Yes, believe it or not, there are many shows made in china of all types of genres! A significant portion of these are set in Ancient China, which is embellished with magical powers and high-flying martial arts.
Unfortunately, no companies have ever expressed interesting in bringing chinese shows to the english-speaking world, despite their commonality and uniqueness (at the same time!) from anime, rpg games and martial art movies, thereby keeping them a secret to only those who watched them in china or heard of them from someone in china.
That is why this site exists, to make these awesome shows known to the rest of the world!
So, are these like soap operas?
They are extremely different. These shows are much more akin in format and theme to Japanese anime, which tell a self-contained story within a set number of episodes. The main differences being these shows are in live action and are usually an hour long as opposed to the half hour runtime of anime shows.
How similar is this to anime?
It is similar in that many charachter types are also found in these shows, as well as the story structure of a tight-knit plot with a lot of action and suspense wrapped into a set amount of episodes. However, there are many charachter types and situations unique to chinese series, not to mention a whole new mythology and culture. Fans of anime should find chinese series both familiar and at the same time refreshing and new. These series also have morals and values, as well as lots of character development throughout the series.
Is it me or are these actors the same, in many series?
It's not you. Many of the same actors are in many different series. The one you will see most in this website is Hu Ge, he has played the main lead in: Chinese Paladin, Chinese Paladin 3, Seven of the Sky, The Young Warriors, Legend of the Condor Heroes. Many of the actors are in a contact with the producers, and these producers happen to create a lot of ancient chinese series these days, therefore you will see many of the same actors/group of people in different ancient series.
Please tell me more about Ancient Series, what is it about?
This website is aimed at promoting series that are set in Ancient China, in Mandarin language, english subbed mostly and some in raw format. All series with elements related to ancient times, myths, legends are counted. This includes time travel series, such as starting out in the modern time and then going back to ancient times, or animated series that relates to Ancient China.
Ancient Chinese Series are usually set at least one or two thousand years ago. Many ancient series tell some part of history, whether they are real recorded events, a famous character from ancient times, or retelling myths and legends passed down.
Ancient China has a long history and is perfect to make television series. These series consists of martial arts, chivalry, swordfighting, good verses evil, right and wrong, magic, and love.
What you can expect in Ancient Series is very different from other Television Series. These series are usually a long, continous story with a plot, and character development during the way. The story is chopped up in episodes, approximately 45 minutes long.
There are some stories based on myths and legends, many are very well known and remade many times. The Legend of the White Snake is a great example, the story of the 7th Fairy and mortal Dong Yong, and the story of Cowherd and Weaving Maiden are all very famous Chinese legends made into television series.
Good verses evil is a big element in these series. There are usually always, the hero and the villain. Sometimes, the series may focus on, exactly what is evil. Usually, the way of the people are, demons are evil and humans are good. Some shows, like Chinese Paladin and Legend of Heaven and Earth, the Mermaid will challenge you to think otherwise, giving you reasons why, that a human with an evil heart can be worse then a demon.
One of the strengths of many Chinese series, is the female characters. Huang Rong from Legend of the Condor Heroes is an excellent example of a kick-ass, smart, strong fighter and a key element in the series. Without her, you could say that the other people would be dead. She is one of the examples of an excellent, fighting and strong female character that truly helps out the others in need, at the same time, also being a fun loving and nice character.
Ancient Chinese series, quoted by a friend of mine, is like anime brought to life. Some of the special effects, especially in Chinese Paladin 3 will make you feel that you are in living in the game, going through all the quests and adventures.
The love and romance in some of these series is something that needs to be praised. The love feels geuine and true, and not a three minute thing and moving on to the next person within a couple of episodes. It certainly goes beyond lust and physical attraction and relationships seen in many films and series today. In these shows, love is something that's treated seriously. It does not at all focus on sexual contents and cheating. Seven of the Sky is the best example of a love story. It shows the true essence of love, the development, and most importanatly, the sacrifices. It is what I believe, that anyone would consider true love.
I have no idea where to start, please help me?
There are a couple of pages on the website that can help you choose.
Please visit this page: Recommended Series
But my personal recommendation is: Qin's Moon, Treaure Venture, Seven of the Sky, Chinese Paladin 3 and Legend of the Condor Heroes.
About the Voice Dubbing and Voice Actors
Why does the actor's voice sound different in two series? Do they get dubbed?
Most of the times, the actor's voice get dubbed by a professional voice actor in ancient series. It may be a shock at first and hard to accept, but there are some important reasons speculated they dub.
When filming ancient series, a lot of background noises are usually made. Try watching some behind the scenes while the actors film. Sometimes, you hear director yelling in the background, sometimes there are large machinery sounds. One of the best examples is the behind the scenes of Holy Pearl, where all you hear is this loud sound, as if an engine is running. Also, sometimes they talk over a wide span of distance that the actor's voice is too soft to be heard.
Sometimes, they get a group of actors from different nationalities. For example, in Mischievous Princess, the lead actress spoke korean. In many cases, Hong Kong actors would speak cantonese during the scenes while the other actors spoke in Mandarin. Some actors (from Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan) may come with a heavy accent, therefore they will need to be dubbed. Rather then just dub one person, for perfect audio quality, it is probably much easier and better to dub the entire soundtrak - which is everyone's speaking voices.
Also, many times the schedule is tight, and the actors must finish filming in a short amount of time, as the area they are filming may be required by other people. This means, they don't have time to perfect each line. For example, in many of the cases, the actors speech, even in mandarin, does not match the lips.
Another big reason for dubbing is accents. In ancient series, the mandarin must be spoken without any specific dialects. For example, if Taiwanese accent is spoken in an ancient series, it would not make sense, as ancient series does not include such locations. Most times, the Taiwanese actors will get dubbed unless they are able to dub themselves, as well as dub without a strong accent. Most times, actors will be dubbed by voice actors (who do this as a job, so you will probably hear familar voices in every series).
Why don't the actors learn to speak without the accent? Sure, that can be done, but because these series need to be dubbed, that means the actors would need to go dub themselves. Most times, actors are very busy, for example, Ariel Lin while filming Seven of the Sky had to study at university, so she rushed back and forward from Hengdian to Taiwan to film each week. This type of schedule give the actors no time to do extra dubbing.
Are there any actors that dub themselves? So that we could acutally hear what they really sound like?
It seems that in modern series, actors tend to use their real voices more. For example, Ariel Lin's real voice can be heard in It Started With a Kiss, but for both of her ancient series, it is dubbed by the talented voice actress, Huang Yiqing. Hu Ge is one of the few actors that has dubbed his own voice in most of the series. Out of the seven ancient series he has done, five of them he dubbed his own voice. Vicki Zhao also dubs her own voice in most of her series, especially her two ancient.
Voice actors - they do this as a job, not a once off thing and they do not do this because they don't look pretty enough or whatever else. Heck, some of the voice actors look as great as the actors, but they probably have a better talent with voice or enjoy voice acting more. These people are professioan voice actors that dub everything from live action TV series, cartoons, movies and anime. Go and look up any voice actor on baidu and you'll find that they're in so many series you probably never thought or imagined. However, it is a pity that not very many voice actors are recognised for their work.
I hope that before people start complaining about dubbing, think about the talented voice actors who are not getting much recognition at all for their hard work. Perhaps you can be fans of them for who they are too!
Who are some popular voice actors that do voice dubbing?
Huang Yiqing - Chinese Paladin 3 (Xuejian, Xiyao), Seven of the Sky (Xiaoqi), The Mischievous Princess (Little Lobster), Legend of the Condor Heroes (Huang Rong), Qin's Moon (Yue-er), Young Warriors (Siniang, Bamei)
Feng Junhua - Chinese Paladin (Yueru) Chinese Paladin 3 (Zixuan), Seven of the Sky (Xuehai), The Mischievous Princess (Wenqiang), Legend of the Condor Heroes (Xiruo/Huazheng/Shagu), Qin's Moon (Tianming, Moon Goddess, Queen of Yan), The Myth (many), New Justice Bao, Strange Tales of Liaozhai (Xiaocui), Young Warriors (Yuanhong)
Liu Xiaoyun - Lotus Lantern (Taxue), Legend of Heaven and Earth, The Beauty Mermaid (Xiaolian, Mudan), Green Green Grass by the River (Qingqing)
Li Ye - Seven of the Sky (Saijin), Chinese Paladin (Ling'er, Qing'er), Fairy of the Chalice (Xiaoyao), New Justice Bao (many), Strange Tales of Liaozhai (Xiaoqian)
Shen Lei - Chinese Paladin (Li Xiaoyao), Chinese Paladin 3 (Changqing), Legend of the Condor Heroes (Yang Kang), Seven of the Sky (Yuanbao), New Justice Bao (Zhan Zhao), Strange Tales of Liaozhai (Ning Caichen), Fairy of the Chalice (Zheng Feng), Young Warriors (Si Lang)
Xie Tiantian - The Mischievous Princess (Emperor), Chinese Paladin (Tang Yu), Young Warriors (Qi Lang), Seven of the Sky (Li Yong)
Sun Ye - Qin's Moon (Leader/Jing Ke/General Meng Tian), Strange Hero Yi Zhi Mei (Ying Wuqiu)
Information about Filming and Locations
Where are the Ancient Series filmed?
These ancient series are usually filmed in a few of the locations:
Hengdian World Studios 横店 - Known as China Hollywood, this area is the biggest place for TV Shows to be filmed. Hengdian has even got its own Forbidden Kingdom which was built just for filming.
One of the memorable areas in Hengdian that must be visited is the bridge at Mengyou Gu 梦幻谷 (Dream Valley). This is the bridge that is scene in Seven of the Sky many times, where the sweet potato stall was next to.
Xinchang 新昌 is a beautiful, large area that films many series, such as Legend of the Condor Heroes, Return of the Condor Heroes, Butterfly Lovers, Seven of the Sky (the school).
Sometimes, Dali 大理 in Yunnan is also used as a filming location.
Peach Blossom Island is a location filmed in Legend of the Condor Heroes.
General website related questions
What benefits to registered members get? Why should I register on this website?
By registering, you are helping us huge because we really want to know what nationality our website visitors are, and how they discover Ancient Chinese Series. This helps us really huge in promoting it, because we want to know whether we are doing it right. Also, registered members get extra download links, such as HD versions, as well as access to some modern series, animations/anime, cpop songs and useful programs.
I can't register, the answer to the security question is wrong.
The answer is: China
Enter that word and it should work. If it still doesn't, please contact me and let me know.
Why are there more information on some shows than others?
You have asked a very good question. The shows that have more information are usually shows that I have watched myself and really enjoyed, so naturally I would try and get more information, such as music videos, reviews, songs and such. The shows that do not have much information are usually shows I have not watched yet.
Why don't you put modern shows, kdramas, jdramas etc for downloads? Don't you like them?
Firstly, I'm a person who makes websites on what I love most. What I love most is Ancient Chinese Series - I grew up watching them, love them then and love it more now. I was very sad that nobody seemed to really want to promote Ancient Chinese Series. If links are on a website, it's usually a site for all dramas.
One of the major reasons why I decided to focus on Ancient Chinese Series was I noticed how on every site I go on, they're just stuck under c-dramas, with a huge list of other dramas from other countries. There are websites that focus only on kdramas, jdramas or even taiwanese dramas, but not Ancient Chinese Series. Why? No way do Ancient Chinese Series lose to those in any way - I felt that it was time to bring all the amazing series I love together and promote it, because these series absolutely deserve it. Even when you go on major forums, it seems that most times, dramas from the other countries take the spotlight. I feel that Ancient Chinese Series are great to be its own genre.
I will not say that I do not like any of the other dramas (lack of better term - I prefer to call them "series") but I will say I have not watched many modern series, or jdrama/kdrama. I'm Chinese and I am extremely proud of what China has made, especially the Ancient Series, because I feel that's China's greatest strength and I want it noticed more. So, I will always focus on Ancient Chinese Series.
What should I do if a link is incorrect or not working?
Please contact me to report all broken links or leave a comment on the tagboard or show page. If a link says "Temporarily Unavailable", I recommend you to at least wait 2 days before contacting me because it usually comes back very fast. If a download stops half way, then try downloading using jdownloader.
Can you sub this show? Can you put this show up on the website?
Although I do fansub, but please keep in mind I only fansub the shows that are my absolute, top favourite that I despirately want others to know about. I will not be fansubbing a series because it's suggested by many people, I do things on my own and it is very tiring, challenging and even stressful. My main goal is to promote Ancient Chinese Series, I sub some shows because I love them to the point of doing anything to get more people to know about them. Because I am not the best Chinese speaker (believe it or not, I've spent 4 hours researching to translate 3-4 sentences and it is just not fun at all). I will not be taking on too many projects, my heart still lies in getting more people to know about them. The most important thing is still that I will only sub a show that I truly love that no fansub team has picked up, therefore I don't really take requests on fansubbing. I can onfirm that I will be subbing future seasons of Qin's Moon.
About putting certain shows on this website - I will only put shows that are English Subbed, so please only suggest shows that you know are definitely subtitled in English, and they must be somehow related to Ancient China, preferably that they are Ancient Chinese Series, but any time travelling series that goes back to an ancient period is fine as well. Animations are accepted if they are based on Ancient China - but I will only place them in the list of series if they are created in China. Anime that is based on Ancient China will be placed on the pop culture page.
