The Return of the Condor Heroes is a 2006 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. It is the second instalment of a trilogy produced by Zhang Jizhong, preceded by The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003) and followed by The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2009). It was first broadcast on 17 March 2006 in China and subsequently broadcast in other Asian countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

Synopsis

The story concerns the adventures of Yang Guo, an orphaned boy in a mid-13th Century China. From his humble beginnings, the street wise Yang Guo gets passed around from one prestigious master to another but none of them will teach him any martial arts. While escaping from the Quanzhen School's Zhao Zhijing, he meets Xiaolongnü, the girl who will become his martial arts master and eventually the love of his life.

Cast

Production

Shooting began in October 2004 and ended in May 2005. Locations include Zhejiang, Chongqing, Shandong, Guangdong, Liaoning, Beijing and Sichuan Jiuzhaigou Valley. Scenes from The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003) were featured as flashbacks including the scene depicting Yang Kang's death. Zhou Jie makes a cameo appearance as Yang Kang.

Soundtrack

The music for the series was taken from motion picture scores of films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Van Helsing, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Harry Potter (film series) and Batman Begins. The chorus from Iwasaki Taku's Shades of Revolution, a Rurouni Kenshin OVA musical score, was used in a minor fight scene between Yang Guo and Li Mochou (episode 30). The melody of the song Dearest by Ayumi Hamasaki, famous for being in InuYasha, can be heard in the background on episode 15 during the scene where Gongsun Zhi is talking to Xiaolongnü at the Passionless Valley. The melody used for condor appearances was taken from Hans Zimmer's "All of them", notable for being part of the OST of the 2004 film King Arthur.

Track listing

The original soundtrack was released on 13 May 2006 from Rock Records Co., LTD (滾石國際音樂股份有限公司). There are two versions of the soundtrack. The mainland Chinese release contains a total of 15 tracks while the Taiwanese release includes two bonus tracks. The original score was composed by Johnny "Bug" Chen.