Clever and Charming Heroine from the Martial Arts World

Author: Wang Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Ming Empire and the Black Tooth Kingdom agreed to a competition in four arts: martial arts, cuisine, poetry, and Go. Concerning the honor of the Ming Empire, Prince Xiao Long set up a platform and recruited four top masters from the general populace. By chance, the four beautiful ladies—Liu Xiaoxiao, the daughter of Liu the Official in the capital; Bailing, a maidservant; Leng Qiuyue, a private tutor; and Shisan Yi, a concubine—became the new Martial King, Food King, Poetry King, and Go King. Prince Zhu, the emperor's brother, hoped to use this competition to plot a coup. He secretly aided the Black Tooth Kingdom, attempting to eliminate the new four masters and searching for the lost National Treasure of the Ming Empire, the Golden Dragon Bowl, which was lost in the. The four beautiful ladies were deceived by Prince Zhu, misunderstanding Prince Xiao Long, and were forced to flee to Yangzhou, where they opened a thriving sisterhood inn. However, Prince Xiao Long, disguised, traveled south to find the four masters; the crown prince of the Black Tooth Kingdom, Hei Mu; and a pair of professional bad guys searching for the Golden Dragon Bowl, all arrived at the sisterhood inn.
This is a completely subversive alternative comedy that completely breaks the style of traditional historical dramas. The slapstick humor usually seen in Stephen Chow's films has been skillfully adapted here. The hiring fair in the backyard reminds one of the host selection competition for variety TV shows; the scholars rushing to buy mock exam papers resembles current advertising operations; and the ancient fans of celebrities are just as fanatical as the fans of "Super Girl." Amidst this distant absurdity, we see the various flaws and hopes of our own time.