Last year there were many TV series which won kudos from both critics and ordinary viewers.

The long list of such big-budget hits included martial-arts epic "Xiao'ao Jianghu (The Swordsman)," which was based on a novel by Louis Cha, a Hong Kong writer whose pen name is Jin Yong.

Other popular shows were "Da Zhai Men (Legend of a Pharmacist)," "Qing Shenshen Yu Mengmeng (Romance in the Rain)," and "Tiechi Tongya Ji Xiaolan (Sharp-witted Scholar Ji Xiaolan)."

This year, however, has not produced such hits.

What might pacify TV fans is "Cao Cao and Cai Wenji," a 32-part costume TV drama which will be aired by dozens of provincial TV stations across the country in mid-December.

The drama has been approved by the censors of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, who sang high praise for it.

Together with "Shediao Yingxiong Zhuan (Heroes and Eagles)," another TV series based on a Louis Cha novel that will also be aired by the end of this year, "Cao Cao and Cai Wenji" is reportedly a drama well worth waiting for.

The series was jointly produced by the China International TV Corporation and Xi'an Tailun Film and Television Co Ltd.

Big-budget production

Cao Cao (155-220 AD) was a noted statesman who laid the foundation for the establishment of the Wei Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280).

Cai Wenji, together with Li Qingzhao, Zhuo Wenjun and Shangguan Wan'er, were dubbed "the four most talented women" in ancient China.

As the title indicates, the TV drama, set nearly 2,000 years ago, tells the story of the love between Cao and Cai.

Cao is depicted as a love maniac, who chases Cai throughout his life. But the drama is about far more than just love.

According to Han Gang, director of the series, palace intrigue in the late Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) is another main plotline.

With an investment of 15 million yuan ( US$1.8 million), Han and his colleagues were determined to produce an elaborate series.

Shooting began last April and ended in August. The outdoor scenes took as long as five months.

In pursuit of perfection, Han and the crew travelled hundreds of kilometers around North China's Hebei Province, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Central China's Henan Province to find the ideal place for each scene.

Many scenes are shot on the grasslands, a region of extraordinary beauty.

According to Han, there is a scene with 10,000 horses galloping, which might remind viewers of Ran, the classic movie by renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

"Cao Cao and Cai Wenji" boasts a stellar cast, comprising some of China's hottest television stars.

Pu Cunxin, an actor with the Beijing People's Art Theatre, plays the part of Cao.

Having built a reputation for excellent performances in TV dramas and movies in recent years, the now middle-aged Pu is particularly popular among urban women in his age group and has been dubbed "shinai shashou (Lady-killer)."

Pu said Cao is one of the figures that he wanted to play very much.

"Cao's character is very extreme, very inconsistent. He has a distinguished personality that is rarely seen in other figures in Chinese history,'' Pu said.

''Playing the part of Cao was a challenge for me and now it is time for viewers to decide whether I succeeded."

Actress Ju Xue, winner of a Golden Rooster Award in 1995, the country's top film award, plays Cai Wenji.

Talking of the drama, Ju was quite cautious.

"I don't dare watch the drama myself," said Ju modestly, though she has won much acclaim for her performances in movies like "Fenghuang Qin (Country Teachers).".

Ju admitted that at first she lacked confidence because "Cai Wenji is a colourful figure with noble blood that distinguishes her from others."

Another eyecatcher is movie actress Ning Jing (who starred in "Huanghe Juelian" or "Lovers' Grief over the Yellow River"), who plays the part of Diao Chan, a famous beauty.

Truth or fabrication

Being a commercial production, "Cao Cao and Cai Wenji" takes up the prevailing tradition of "rewriting history."

The love story of Cao and Cai, if not completely made up, is mostly a fabrication of the writers.

In reality, Cai was married at the age of 18 to a nomadic tribal prince after she was captured by the Huns.

Twelve years later, Cao sent precious gifts to the prince in exchange for Cai because he wanted her to continue the work on a history book left by her father Cai Yong, a great scholar who was killed in the war.

When Cai Wenji returned, Cao arranged to marry her to an official.

No record of a romance between Cao and Cai has been found so far.

Instead of approaching history with accuracy, the writers simply created a love relationship between Cao and Cai which probably never existed.

The series is part of a relatively new genre of TV drama, which is frequently seen in China and has been popular among ordinary viewers.

The genre was carved out by "Anecdotes of Qing Emperor Qianlong," a costume TV drama jointly produced by the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in the early 1990s.

The genre reached its climax in 1999 when "Huanzhu Gege (Princess Huanzhu)" swept across the Chinese mainland as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, becoming popular among people of all ages. It also shot actress Zhao Wei (Vicky Zhao) to stardom overnight.

Other examples include "Zaixiang Liu Luoguo (The Hunchback Prime Minister)" and "Yongzheng Wangchao (Yongzheng Dynasty)."

While such dramas are welcomed by ordinary viewers, some have criticized them for "simulating history."

"Some irresponsible TV dramas have focused too much on entertaining viewers and have obscured the profundity of Chinese history," said historian Sui Yan.

Director Han Gang does not agree with such accusations.

"Although the story is made up, we made the drama with a serious attitude, which guarantees its quality," said Han.

Han has got support from some other insiders.

Zeng Qingrui, a professor at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute, and writer Zheng Wanlong remind people not to assume that all historical dramas are based on actual events.

Some viewers put it in a more straightforward way.

"I never care whether it is real history. As long as it is interesting and attractive, I will watch it," said Zhang Hongbo, a woman in her early 20s.

(China Daily November 29, 2002)