Master Ma is a 1998 Hong Kong-Taiwanese two-season television series produced by the television stations ATV and CTV. It is loosely based on the life of Ma Yongzhen (馬永貞), a Hui Chinese martial artist who lived during the late Qing dynasty. The series was directed by Fan Sau-ming and starred Kenny Ho as the eponymous character.
The series is set in the Warlord Era of early 20th-century China. Ma Yongzhen and his mother, Ma Daniang, live in Shandong Province, where they raise horses for Marshal Duan's army. One night, the stables mysteriously catch fire and the horses are lost. The marshal's men arrest Ma Yongzhen and his mother and prepare to execute them for their negligence. However, Ma Yongzhen and his mother fight their way out of the prison and escape to a safe location. Ma Yongzhen later makes his way alone to Shanghai to earn a new living.
In Shanghai, Ma Yongzhen becomes famous after winning a horse race and a martial arts tournament. However, he also gets into trouble with the two most powerful gangs in Shanghai: the White Gang led by Bai Laili and the Wuhu Gang led by Xue Changchun. At the same time, he starts a romance with Xue Changchun's mistress, the opera singer Liu Juchi, but has no chance to be with her. With the help of Duan Lengcui and others, Ma Yongzhen forms the Zhendong Gang to help the poor and fight injustice, unlike the other gangs. At the end of Season 1, Ma Yongzhen and his Zhendong Gang destroy the Wuhu Gang and make an uneasy peace with the White Gang.
Season 2
Season 2 revolves around a rivalry between Ma Yongzhen and Bai Laili. Bai Laili resorts to various cunning means in his attempt to destroy Ma Yongzhen and the Zhendong Gang. First, he sends his men to infiltrate the Zhendong Gang and steal a shipment of foreign goods stored in their warehouses. Next, he orders his henchman Tang Biao to assassinate the French consul and frame Ma Yongzhen for the murder. Eventually, with the help of Duan Lengcui's father, who turns out to be Marshal Duan, Ma Yongzhen succeeds in clearing his name and solving the problems. With Marshal Duan to back him up, Ma Yongzhen manages to keep Bai Laili and the White Gang at bay for some time.
At the same time, Ma Yongzhen's feelings for Liu Juchi gradually diminish as he becomes more romantically attracted to Duan Lengcui and they are eventually engaged. Marshal Duan and the Japanese consul convince Ma Yongzhen to support them in opening a hospital to provide medical services for the poor in Shanghai and improve Sino-Japanese ties. However, Ma Yongzhen and his friends later discover that Marshal Duan is secretly collaborating with the Japanese to develop biological weapons in the hospital. In return, the Japanese will aid the marshal in defeating the Kuomintang government. At the same time, Ma Yongzhen encounters Kimura, a hostile Japanese karateka on Bai Laili's side who constantly makes trouble for him.
Cast
Kenny Ho as Ma Yongzhen (馬永貞), the protagonist and the boss of the Zhendong Gang.
Grace Yu as Liu Juchi (柳菊池), an opera singer who is also Xue Changchun's mistress and Ma Yongzhen's first love interest.
Anita Lee as Duan Lengcui (段冷翠), Marshal Duan's daughter and Ma Yongzhen's second love interest.
Cheng Pei-pei as Ma Daniang (馬大娘), Ma Yongzhen's mother.
Chan Hung-lit as Bai Laili (白癩痢), the boss of the White Gang.
Norman Chui as Xue Changchun (薛長春), the boss of the Wuhu Gang.
Fan Bingbing as Bai Xiaodie (白小蝶), Bai Laili's daughter. At the end of Season 2, she is revealed to be Ma Yongzhen's long-lost younger sister, Ma Suzhen, who has been adopted by Bai Laili.
Howie Huang as Sun Jisheng (孫濟生), a doctor and Kuomintang spy. He is Bai Xiaodie's lover.
Yang Sheng as Jiang Shiguang (蔣世光), a policeman in Shanghai who befriends Ma Yongzhen. He is promoted to Deputy Chief Inspector later.
Lin Jing as Wenjing (文靜), a news journalist and Jiang Shiguang's love interest.
Cheng Sihan as Lu Kuangtian (盧況天), a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 1.
Lung Tien-hsiang as Tang Biao (唐彪), Bai Laili's right-hand man.
He Zhonghua as Luo Zhan (羅湛), one of Xue Changchun's henchman. At the end of Season 1, he falls off a cliff during the battle between the Wuhu Gang and Zhendong Gang and is believed to be dead. However, in Season 2, it is revealed that he was saved by Sun Jisheng and has become a Kuomintang spy to help Sun Jisheng in gathering intelligence in Shanghai.
Chang Chen-huan as Duan Tianfeng (段天峰), a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 2.
Mondi Yau as Chen Jiamei (陳嘉美), a Japanese spy in disguise as a courtesan. She becomes Bai Laili's mistress.
Shen Meng-sheng as Ding Xianjin (丁先進), the son of a wealthy businessman who uses his family fortune to start a drama troupe to provide free entertainment to the poor. He falls in love with Liu Juchi.
Kou Zhanwen as Kimura (木村), a ruthless and overbearing Japanese karateka.
Remake
The series was remade in 2012 as a mainland Chinese television series titled Ma Yongzhen, directed by Kuk Kwok-leung and starring Danny Chan as Ma Yongzhen. Norman Chu and He Zhonghua are cast in the remake as Bai Laili and Xue Changchun respectively.
See also
Boxer from Shantung, a 1972 Hong Kong film based on the life of Ma Yongzhen.
August 21, 2023
master, 1998, hong, kong, taiwanese, season, television, series, produced, television, stations, loosely, based, life, yongzhen, 馬永貞, chinese, martial, artist, lived, during, late, qing, dynasty, series, directed, ming, starred, kenny, eponymous, character, in. Master Ma is a 1998 Hong Kong Taiwanese two season television series produced by the television stations ATV and CTV It is loosely based on the life of Ma Yongzhen 馬永貞 a Hui Chinese martial artist who lived during the late Qing dynasty The series was directed by Fan Sau ming and starred Kenny Ho as the eponymous character Master MaMaster Ma intertitleTraditional Chinese馬永貞之爭霸上海灘 馬永貞之英雄血Simplified Chinese马永贞之争霸上海滩 马永贞之英雄血Literal meaningMa Yongzhen Conquering the Shanghai Bund Ma Yongzhen Blood of the HeroHanyu PinyinMa Yǒngzhen Zhi Zhengba Shanghǎitan Ma Yǒngzhen Zhi Yingxiong XueGenrePeriod drama martial arts dramaScreenplay byWai ma GroupDirected byFan Sau mingWong Kun faiStarringKenny HoYu Hsiao fanAnita LeeCheng Pei peiChan Hung litNorman ChuiFan BingbingHowie HuangTheme music composerWong Bong yinOpening theme Men of Iron Blood 鐵血男兒 performed by Ngan Chun lamCountry of originHong KongTaiwanOriginal languageMandarinNo of seasons2No of episodes22 season 1 20 season 2 ProductionExecutive producersLau Man banLuk Bo chuenSo Kwok leungProducersFan Sau mingNgai Ho woChow Hiu fungChoi Yu banMa KitChow Ling gongProduction locationsHong KongTaiwanCinematographyLau Tat shingKwok Chi yanChow Chun lunEditorChiu Hung shingRunning time45 minutes per episodeProduction companiesATVCTVReleaseOriginal networkATVCTV Contents 1 Plot 1 1 Season 1 1 2 Season 2 2 Cast 3 Remake 4 See alsoPlot EditSeason 1 Edit The series is set in the Warlord Era of early 20th century China Ma Yongzhen and his mother Ma Daniang live in Shandong Province where they raise horses for Marshal Duan s army One night the stables mysteriously catch fire and the horses are lost The marshal s men arrest Ma Yongzhen and his mother and prepare to execute them for their negligence However Ma Yongzhen and his mother fight their way out of the prison and escape to a safe location Ma Yongzhen later makes his way alone to Shanghai to earn a new living In Shanghai Ma Yongzhen becomes famous after winning a horse race and a martial arts tournament However he also gets into trouble with the two most powerful gangs in Shanghai the White Gang led by Bai Laili and the Wuhu Gang led by Xue Changchun At the same time he starts a romance with Xue Changchun s mistress the opera singer Liu Juchi but has no chance to be with her With the help of Duan Lengcui and others Ma Yongzhen forms the Zhendong Gang to help the poor and fight injustice unlike the other gangs At the end of Season 1 Ma Yongzhen and his Zhendong Gang destroy the Wuhu Gang and make an uneasy peace with the White Gang Season 2 Edit Season 2 revolves around a rivalry between Ma Yongzhen and Bai Laili Bai Laili resorts to various cunning means in his attempt to destroy Ma Yongzhen and the Zhendong Gang First he sends his men to infiltrate the Zhendong Gang and steal a shipment of foreign goods stored in their warehouses Next he orders his henchman Tang Biao to assassinate the French consul and frame Ma Yongzhen for the murder Eventually with the help of Duan Lengcui s father who turns out to be Marshal Duan Ma Yongzhen succeeds in clearing his name and solving the problems With Marshal Duan to back him up Ma Yongzhen manages to keep Bai Laili and the White Gang at bay for some time At the same time Ma Yongzhen s feelings for Liu Juchi gradually diminish as he becomes more romantically attracted to Duan Lengcui and they are eventually engaged Marshal Duan and the Japanese consul convince Ma Yongzhen to support them in opening a hospital to provide medical services for the poor in Shanghai and improve Sino Japanese ties However Ma Yongzhen and his friends later discover that Marshal Duan is secretly collaborating with the Japanese to develop biological weapons in the hospital In return the Japanese will aid the marshal in defeating the Kuomintang government At the same time Ma Yongzhen encounters Kimura a hostile Japanese karateka on Bai Laili s side who constantly makes trouble for him Cast EditKenny Ho as Ma Yongzhen 馬永貞 the protagonist and the boss of the Zhendong Gang Grace Yu as Liu Juchi 柳菊池 an opera singer who is also Xue Changchun s mistress and Ma Yongzhen s first love interest Anita Lee as Duan Lengcui 段冷翠 Marshal Duan s daughter and Ma Yongzhen s second love interest Cheng Pei pei as Ma Daniang 馬大娘 Ma Yongzhen s mother Chan Hung lit as Bai Laili 白癩痢 the boss of the White Gang Norman Chui as Xue Changchun 薛長春 the boss of the Wuhu Gang Fan Bingbing as Bai Xiaodie 白小蝶 Bai Laili s daughter At the end of Season 2 she is revealed to be Ma Yongzhen s long lost younger sister Ma Suzhen who has been adopted by Bai Laili Howie Huang as Sun Jisheng 孫濟生 a doctor and Kuomintang spy He is Bai Xiaodie s lover Yang Sheng as Jiang Shiguang 蔣世光 a policeman in Shanghai who befriends Ma Yongzhen He is promoted to Deputy Chief Inspector later Lin Jing as Wenjing 文靜 a news journalist and Jiang Shiguang s love interest Cheng Sihan as Lu Kuangtian 盧況天 a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 1 Lung Tien hsiang as Tang Biao 唐彪 Bai Laili s right hand man He Zhonghua as Luo Zhan 羅湛 one of Xue Changchun s henchman At the end of Season 1 he falls off a cliff during the battle between the Wuhu Gang and Zhendong Gang and is believed to be dead However in Season 2 it is revealed that he was saved by Sun Jisheng and has become a Kuomintang spy to help Sun Jisheng in gathering intelligence in Shanghai Chang Chen huan as Duan Tianfeng 段天峰 a warlord who takes control of Shanghai in Season 2 Mondi Yau as Chen Jiamei 陳嘉美 a Japanese spy in disguise as a courtesan She becomes Bai Laili s mistress Shen Meng sheng as Ding Xianjin 丁先進 the son of a wealthy businessman who uses his family fortune to start a drama troupe to provide free entertainment to the poor He falls in love with Liu Juchi Kou Zhanwen as Kimura 木村 a ruthless and overbearing Japanese karateka Remake EditThe series was remade in 2012 as a mainland Chinese television series titled Ma Yongzhen directed by Kuk Kwok leung and starring Danny Chan as Ma Yongzhen Norman Chu and He Zhonghua are cast in the remake as Bai Laili and Xue Changchun respectively See also EditBoxer from Shantung a 1972 Hong Kong film based on the life of Ma Yongzhen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Master Ma amp oldid 1148537552, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
