Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain Review

Producer: Marco Law
Genre: Ancient, detective
Cast: Kenneth Ma, Selena Li, Power Chan, Pierre Ngo, Lin Xia Wei, Raymond Cho

Review:
Don’t be fooled by the sales presentation or the title of this series. This is not a wuxia series; rather it’s a modern investigation series set in ancient times. It starts off with a few mysteries which are interesting enough, though not exactly memorable. I've been spoiled by the thrilling mysteries from Storm in a Cocoon and Ruse of Engagement, so the ones here are only mediocre in comparison. Then the story moves into the mandatory romance part and the cases start blending into the background amidst all the romantic mess and other randomness. There never seemed to be any urgency with any of the cases. This is especially true with the final case of the Jurchen spy where the imminent threat of an invasion is never felt and the characters hardly even cared.

The real joy of this series is the characters, each with their unique background and personalities. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, making them very real people. It was nice to see the constables develop from fighting against each other to comrades who will stick together in the face of danger. The interactions between them are fun to watch and often results in comedic moments. Also a nice touch by the writers to have all the character names refer to animals.

Kenneth Ma is fine until he has to do emotional scenes and then he can't get rid of those puppy eyes. He has terrific chemistry with Selena Li. As for Selena, she was cute in her first role as "Tou Fa", although a bit too loud. Her second role as "Yan Mei Leong" was manipulative and cold – a big contrast with her first role and well-portrayed by Selena. A testament to her acting skills when you hardly notice they are the same actress.

Power Chan shows off his wide range of acting skills all in one character. He is arrogant and egotistical in the beginning, but slowly learns to trust his colleagues. As the vigilante, he was kind and wise. Power even makes a brief reappearance as a eunuch, in reference to his popular role from The Confidant.

Pierre Ngo’s rough character is a refreshing change as I’m tired of seeing him as a wimp turned righteous hero. Lin Xia Wei is a decent actress if only she wasn't so lovesick in every drama. Raymond Cho's character was likeable, but I stop short of saying it’s an award-worthy performance only because it’s not a difficult role to play. Candy Chang needs to tone down her acting, but she's already much better than other newcomers.


Rating: 3.5/5

Historical Context: Sixteen Prefectures

In Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain, the Emperor (Ram Chiang) and his minister frequently discuss about how to reacquire the Sixteen Prefectures.

The Sixteen Prefectures (燕雲十六州) is a historical region in northern China. The territory covers modern-day Beijing, Tianjin and parts of the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei. It includes stretches of the Great Wall and was a strategically important region as it guarded central China from northern invasions.

The Sixteen Prefectures were first created as administrative divisions during the Tang Dynasty. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, they were ceded to the Liao Dynasty (遼朝), formed by the Khitans in the north.

Shi Jingtang (石敬瑭) was a military general during the Later Tang Dynasty (後唐, one of the Five Dynasties). Sensing that the emperor was becoming suspicious of him, Shi decided to revolt. However, he was besieged by the Later Tang army. Shi desperately enlisted the help of the Liao and agreed to give them the Sixteen Prefectures in exchange. The joint Shi and Liao forces quickly defeated the Later Tang army, which led to the collapse of the dynasty. The Liao Emperor declared Shi to be the emperor of the newly founded Later Jin Dynasty (後晉). Shi ceded the Sixteen Prefectures as promised. In addition, he openly acknowledged the Liao Emperor, who was ten years younger than him, to be his godfather and sent annual tributes.

During the Song Dynasty, the Song court repeatedly tried to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures, but to no avail. Eventually, the Song allied with the Jurchens to defeat the Khitans and regained possession of seven prefectures. However, they lost control again when their alliance broke down and the Jurchens attacked them. The failure of the Song to control the region left them vulnerable to northern attacks and contributed to their weak state.

The Sixteen Prefectures was reunited with the China proper under the Mongol Empire during the Yuan Dynasty. It would finally return to the control of Han Chinese during the Ming Dynasty, after over 400 years of rule by ethnic minorities.

Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain Theme Song

The theme song for Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain is "Journey Back" (歸途), by Fred Cheng.



The sub-theme song is sung by Grace Wong, called "She is the Best" (她最好).

Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain Promo Clips

Overview - Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain

Promo #1


Promo #2


Promo #3


Promo #4


Promo #5


Promo #6


Promo #7


Promo #8


Astro Promo


Extended Trailer

Overview - Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain

Lau Kong leads a group of elite constables who investigate strange mysteries from all across the country. His position gives him authority over local magistrates and even the six ministries. Kenneth Ma, with his combination of bravery and wit, is Lau Kong's favourite subordinate. However, they go their separate ways after disagreeing on a robbery case. Kenneth and his wife Selena Li disappear for nearly ten years. When the case finally comes to an end, the aging Lau Kong orders Power Chan, Pierre Ngo and Lin Xia Wei to find Kenneth and ask him to rejoin the team.

Together, the four constables solve many mysteries together, but conflicts often arise due to their different personalities. Kenneth and Selena also experience difficulties and separate because of a misunderstanding. When Kenneth meets a prostitute (also played by Selena) who looks exactly like his wife, he feels lost and delirious. Meanwhile, the Jurchens are preparing to attack the Song Dynasty. Kenneth discovers that the Jurchens have planted a spy amongst the constables. His good friend, Raymond Cho, is unwittingly used by the Jurchens. Others subsequently fall into danger as well. It becomes difficult to distinguish between friend and enemy, leaving everyone feeling insecure...

FILMART 2014

Swipe Tap Love


Ghost Dragon of Hidden Mountain


The Ultimate Addiction


Madam Cutie on Duty


Under the Veil (Double Fantasies remake)


Line Walker


Rear Mirror



Other featured series: Inbound Troubles II, Ruse of Engagement, Storm in a Cocoon


See trailers from Day 2

Newest Drama Trailers @ CITV 2013

Brother's Keeper



Sniper Standoff



Outbound Love



Courtroom of the Sharp Tongue



Gilded Chopsticks



Property Protector



Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon



Mr & Mrs. Bean



My Prime Lady



M Club




Related:
List of upcoming TVB dramas
Featured Series @ FILMART

TVB Sales Presentation Filming

Updated October 20, 2012 with more new dramas.


With all the talk about TVB Anniversary Awards, it also means another thing is coming up. If you guessed the annual TVB Sales Presentation, you're correct!

Each year, TVB hosts a show for advertising clients. It is a chance to showcase all the exciting new programmes that is in store for the upcoming year (so, you know, advertisers can pour more money in TVB's bank account). This year's event will be held on November 8 (which no one needs to care about except for the lucky people attending). The important date to be circled on fans' calenders is November 24, when the programme will be aired.

Currently, all the siu-sang and fadans are busy sucking up to senior executives for awards filming for sales presentation clips. Here's a glimspe of what is in store for 2013:


Rosy Business 3 - Out with Sheren Tang and Pierre Ngo. In with Myolie Wu and Edwin Siu. Wayne Lai stays. Lee Tim-sing stays (with TVB).

Myolie and Wayne are spies. Edwin is the villian. The story takes place in 1920-30s China.





The Hippocratic Crush 2 - The original cast will remain intact with Lawrence Ng joining them. Here's hoping everyone remembers how to be a doctor and not just be involved in an endless love triangle (ahem, Ghetto Justice 2).

 



Three Lifetimes of Fate - Bobby Au-yeung and Esther Kwan continues their fate - for three lifetimes and a thousand years this time. Let's call it Maiden's Vow 2.

Bobby will be Justice Bao (ancient), detective (pre-modern) and police officer (modern). Esther will portray a talented lady (ancient), triad leader (pre-modern) and talk show host (modern). Ben Wong will obviously get the bad guy role.





Eat For Slave - Raymond Lam and Ron Ng reunite for fans of the RR bromance. The female cast will consist of Fala Chen, Sharon Chan and Nancy Wu.

The story takes place in the Qing Dynasty. Raymond will be an Emperor. Fala and Nancy are fighters. Sharon Chan might be a concubine the looks of her costume. I'm guessing Ron Ng will be the fatty that will make the series live up to its name?

Good Heart Goes Haywire - Michael Miu, Bosco Wong, Niki Chow, Vincent Wong, Joey Meng, Mandy Wong.

See location filming for this series here.





Sniper Attack 2013 - Laughing Gor returns? Not quite. But Michael Tse will be a cop once again, this time paired with (soon-to-be TV Queen?) Kate Tsui. No undercover work this time (probably). They will be members of the SDU aka Flying Tigers. Well, TVB did promise a Tiger Cubs 2, didn't they?





Office of Spreading Love - The historic collaboration between the TV Kings Wayne Lai and Moses Chan! Not really. People seem to forget that they were both in The Gentle Crackdown (even Moses himself, who said "I've always wanted to work with Wayne. I finally get my wish.")

It is the first time for both Wayne and Moses to portray lawyers. They will battle things out in court over inheritance cases. Fala Chen, Evergreen Mak and Samantha Ko are also part of the cast.






Big Wheel - Ruco Chan and Edwin Siu are long-lost brothers living in Hong Kong and Macau, respectively. What happens when they meet again? In TVB world, there's only one answer: fight over Linda Chung. The story spans 30 years from 1980s to the present.





Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon - Will feature Raymond Wong, Kenneth Ma and Kenny Wong in weird costumes. Female leads are Aimee Chan and former ATV actress Priscilla Wong.





Unrequited Love in Twin Cities - Aimee Chan, Lin Xia Wei (Raymond Lam's cousin) and Tony Hung in a modern drama. The crew travelled to Malaysia for filming, making this the first sales presentation clip that is filmed outside of Hong Kong.




To be updated as more information becomes available.....................