Nie Yuan1.jpg (Photo : www.chinesemov.com)
Before "Kill The Evils Off" premiered on Oct. 31 on Beijing Satellite Channel, its lead actors expressed their opposition against exaggerated television war series called leiju during a media conference to promote their show.
With 32 episodes, "Kill The Evils Off" is currently airing across China on three major channels that serve as its joint producers. It tells the story of the cooperation of a Communist Party troop with Kuomintang armies to fight Japanese invaders.
Playing the troop's leader named Zhao Jingzhou is Nie Yuan, who also played the noble swordsman Li Yuanba in the kung fu drama "Heroes in Sui and Tang Dynasties."
"I can't imagine a Chinese soldier throwing a grenade and blowing up a helicopter. I'll definitely turn down such an exaggerated role," Nie told China Daily, referring to a scene in the controversial 2010 series "Kangri Qixia," which literally means "anti-Japanese knight-rebels."
For Nie, it is "absurd to depict the Chinese soldiers as legendary kung fu masters. The war generation's sacrifices deserve respect."
The father-in-law of Nie's "Kill The Evils Off" character is played by Wu Gang.
Like Nie, Wu said it is necessary for historical dramas to adhere to the facts.
"I do research before shooting a series. The Chinese underwent a disastrous period during the war. We owe today's peace to martyrs," Wu said.
On the other hand, critics do not expect Chinese historical dramas' adherence to facts to last.
For TV critic Li Xingwen, since market demand controls production and legends and style appear to be more interesting, "most young viewers want heroes who wear cosmetics and wield weapons too advanced for the period."
From Sept. 3, China's Victory Day marking Japan's surrender in 1945, to the end of October, major satellite channels in China were required by the top media regulator to broadcast "anti-fascist" series during prime-time hours.
Recently, China and Japan agreed to resume diplomatic and security negotiations about their competing claims to the East China Sea islands, New York Times reported.
