COMPANION PIECE TO SWORD AND FAIRY 4 Table of contents Click on links and pictures to find out more . Enjoy your explorations. 1. Production details, Music, Interviews and more
Excerpt from the Profile and expanded details about production, reception (heat index posters), airing schedule, music, interviews, game universe (completed January 2024). Below this Table of contents. 2. Illustrated Character GalleryClick on the linked title in red above to get there cross-linked to "places visited" (Qingluan Peak, Huanming, Qiónghuá etc) starting from the Contents table. (click on "Illustrated Character Gallery" title in red above to follow). You can also look up the episodes where they appear, from the "Ep. ..." direct links to iQiyi. 3. illustrated Chén Zhéyuǎn ProfileClick on linked title in red above to finf the latest update Sources : MDL, Sohu, Baidu, Weibo, Douban, Wikipedia and other articles, recordings from YouTube, Youku, Weibo or other media. (highlighted texts lead to sources ; most pictures lead to their sources or further information, except simple screenshots from the drama).
Gifs are my own except stated otherwise, and are also linked to their sources. To view the list of my other drama companion pieces (with links to them), check : HERE. |
1.1. Production details,
Other production details (info from Baidu and DramaWiki) :
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1.2. CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP CHART :
1.3 AIRING SCHEDULE & HEAT INDEX POSTERS
(see also: Dreams 2024.01.18 record of Heat Indexes)
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1.4 TRAILER LINK
(click on picture to view it on YouTube):
1.5. MUSIC : OST and additional music Original game music from "Legend of Sword and Fairy 4" 仙劍奇俠傳四 [Xiānjiàn qí xiá chuán sì] (1h08') ; cut from the 25th anniversary concert of Xiānjiàn game music :
"Legend of Sword and Fairy" is a series of computer games published by Daewoo Information Co., Ltd. of Taiwan, China (referred to as "Daewoo Information" or "Daewoo"). Music videos:
1.《天河夢》 Tiānhé Mèng (Tiānhé's dream) in dynamic pinyin version, sung by Liu Yuning ; MV with pinyin, Hànzi, translation by Peachey Blossom. (Music composed by Gao Weiran, lyrics by Li Jiqing)
2. Like a Veil or Like a Silk Thread 如紗》(rú shā, like yarn) sung by Ju Jingyi also known as Kiku (my GIF cut from the MV) ; MV with pinyin, Hànzi, translation by Peachey Blossom. (Music composed by Liu Zhaolun 刘兆伦, lyrics by Liu Zhaolun 刘兆伦, Yuan Ye 袁也) Ju Jingyi has started her career as singer and has many solo song, sometimes duets like her recent cover of Jay Chou's "Blue and White Porcelain" together with Joseph Zeng/Zeng Shunxi for Jiangsu Satellite TVNew Year's EveConcert.
3. I Want to Close My Eyes 《我要闭上眼睛》[Wǒ yào bì shàng yǎnjīng] sung by Lǐ Jiāwēi 李佳薇, also known as Jess Lee, Malaysian singer b.1988.06.01) ; MV with pinyin, Hànzì, translation by Peachey Blossom. (Music composed by XíngShùjié 邢树杰, lyrics by Yuán tiānyě 袁天野).
4. A Spark Is Igniting or The Spark is Blazing《星火正当燃》sung by Zhāng Yuǎn 张远 (composed by Xing Shujie 邢树杰, lyrics by Sun Woo 善宇) The singer, also known as "Bird" Zhāng has risen to fame with songs such as October 2020 Guest《嘉宾》[Jiābīn]; 2007 Sad city 《伤城》[Shāngchéng]; 2021 In my lifetime 《有生之年》; 2021 Hum 《哼》; 2022 Looking Up at the Nebula 《仰望星雲》; 2023 Wish the Wine to the East Wind《把酒祝东风》; 2024 A Night of Winter Snow ... and has also debuted as actor in c-dramas. 5. Immortal Sword Asks Love or "Sword and Fairy : The Love" 《仙剑问情》sung by Xiāo Rénfèng 萧人凤 (composed by Luò Jíyì 骆集益, lyrics by Jiǎ Zhuólún 贾卓伦). The song "Legend of Sword and Fairy" was released in 2004 and is also the theme song of the role-playing game "Legend of Sword and Fairy III: Asking for Love". This song has made Xiāo Rénfèng (born in 1980) remembered since 2004; she has also sung for other animations and written songs for other singers.
Two versions with translations of the "complete OST" of 5 songs: Full OST by "Sarann" (turn on the subtitles if you need English translation) ; Full OST by "Peachey Blossom" with hardwired cc. Additional music : Mènglí's Theme song - "Clouds Weave Dreams"
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1.6. INTERVIEWS and Behind the Scenes Full 10' in Chinese + 1' snippet posted Jan.24, 2024 on X :
12' interview of the four main leads of 31st Jan.2024 , posted 2024-02-01:
BEHIND THE SCENESFun together, short video posted Jan25, 2024 on X :
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1.7. The Sword and Fairy 4 game universeintroduction video commented in English, with Q&A ; other information about the game (which is in Chinese only) : click on pictures to follow the links.
Complete Sword and Fairy 4 game characters list and short description in Chinese, on Baidu |
Steam
Wikipedia1.8. Douban opening rating (follow link)
Note: pictures link to their sources.
Next: Character gallery - linked posts
Character gallery(BY ORDER OF APPEARANCE in drama places listed -completed Feb.1, 2024) Table of contents :click on the place names below to find the characters ; at the end of each of those locations, you can come back to this table of contents through the link provided.
Alphabetical key to characters  Note: pictures are from screenshots of the drama, or from MDL and other biography pages ; some link to more, such as video snippets on YouTube or Bilibili, or episodes on iQiyi. |
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Qīngluán Peak青鸾峰[Qīngluán fēng] | character name | cast (and voice actor when relevant) | ||
 | [1b] Yún Tiānhé (young) 小云天河 |
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 | [2] Big Pig Demon 大猪妖 [dà zhū yāo], Yún Tiānhé's caretaker |
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  | [3] Yún Tiānqīng 云天青, Yún Tiānhé's father. Ex-disciple of Qiónghuá Sect and creator of Mount Qīngluán barrier. He was viewed as a traitor by Qiónghuá. He had given the Wàngshū sword to Tiānhé, before being buried in Shíchénxī dòng 石沉溪洞 cavern on Qīngluán peak. |
Also known as River Chen (Weibo) - Fandom Name: 河粉 | ||
   | [4] Sù Yù 夙玉, Yún Tiānhé's mother. Host of Wàngshū Sword (望舒剑 Wàngshū jiàn) ; she had died in Tiānhé's early childhood, from an illness caused by the cold of the sword. Ex-disciple of Qiónghuá Sect, she had put the Princess Jade on Mengli, and her own Zao jade (藻玉 zǎo yù shaped as a half yin yang symbol) was worn by Tiānhé as a pendant on a string around his neck. In Qiónghuá, it glowed as a warning of summons to come and see Xuán Xiāo (see below, Qiónghuá sect characters and "algae jade"). |
Model and actress, also known as Daisy Li - Fandom name: Mùsī/ 慕斯 | ||
 | [5] Wéi Zhào (Kuí zhào) 魁召, talisman spirit summoned by Wàngshū Sword Ep 1. |
He is also a pop singer - Fandom Name: Xiǎo xìngē / 小信鸽 |
Return to Table of Contents List / continued next
or take a tour of Qīngluán peak with Chén Zhéyuǎn as guide
2. MAIN CAST (pictures link to snippets from drama, game, or more)
Main | Character | Cast (voice actor/dubber) | |||
   | [6] Yún Tiānhé 云天河,18 years old, son of Yún Tiānqīng and master of the Wàngshū sword (望舒剑 Wàngshū jiàn). Raised away from the world on sheltered Qīngluán peak, he was naive but honest and faithful to his friends and to the memory of his parents. His weapons were sword and bow, and his name can be linked to the 天河石 Tiānhé shí (Amazonite stone) but in fact 天河 means "a river of stars hanging in the sky", because Xuán Xiāo loved watching the stars at night most in his life. Ep 1 onwards |
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   from ep1: clip- Língshā breaks into Qīngluán and meets the wild boy. | [7] Hán Língshā韩菱纱 (translation : "Rhombus yarn", a geometrical, lozenge patterned knit),She was "a free-spirited thief, adhering to the concept of robbing the rich and giving to the poor". She was commissioned by a mysterious "employer" to find and get the Wàngshū sword. She had a quick temper, but a friendly disposition even to demons and befriended Xuán Yǐng as well as Tiānhé and Mènglí. Her weapons were twin spikes, and she carried a Qiánkūn dài 乾坤袋 (*) in which she stored her spoils, including a book that she picked up at Tiānqīng's tomb, but did not try to read until much later. She had a luminous beads "soul stoones" bracelet, which kept her informed about her sister's health. Ep.1 onwards |
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   | [8] Mùróng Zǐyīng慕容紫英 (Mùróng** "Purple Hero")19 years old kind sword-master who trained at Mt. Kūnlún's Qiónghuá academy since he was sent there by his family when he was 7 years old (but his melancholy was caused by an event before he left home, ep.) His teachers were Sù Shēn and Zōng Liàn. He was puzzled by Tiānhé's spiritual strength and won over by his courage and faithfulness to friends. He offered to take Tiānhé as a disciple at the Qiónghuá academy. His weapon was the sword and his Zǐyīng name is close to that of Amethyst (紫晶 Zǐjīng), a purple stone with magical properties to drive negative energy away, often carried by soldiers in ancient China. Amethyst, also known as Fēngshuǐ crystal, generally represents wisdom. Ep.2 onwards |
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  link: game excerpt  screenshots links: Mènglí's theme song "Clouds weave dreams" 织梦行云 instrumental and vocal (see lyrics in "Music" playlist) | [9] Liǔ Mènglí柳梦璃 (literal translation: "Dream Glass"),Her "weapon" was the Kōnghóu Zither (***) with which she could enter minds. She persuaded her father to let her and her new friends go investigate the mysterious disappearances at nearby Nǚluó cliff (女萝岩 nǚluó yán) near Prince Yù Nán's tomb, and followed the friends to Qiónghuá later. She wore a "princess jade" (****) for protection. Her name was supposed to be related to lapis lazuli (青金石 Qīng jīnshí in Chinese), a stone that traditionally can "ward off psychic attacks" and bring peace and wisdom. Ep.4 onwards |
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Notes : *The Qiánkūn dài 乾坤袋 The Qiánkūn dài is a pouch able to hold more than it appears able to carry. It is used by cultivators to carry large items. It is not only found in the Módào zǔshī 魔道祖师 ("Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation") novel and drama adaptation "The Untamed". It is in fact an "ancient object" linked to Chinese mythology (see Wikipedia, scroll to "bags" section). |
** The royal Mùróng family"The Mùróng family of Gūsū (姑蘇慕容氏) descended from the royal families of the Yàn 燕 kingdoms (Southern Yàn, Former Yàn, Later Yàn, etc.) of the Sixteen Kingdoms era. They are known for their fighting style best described as "returning you with your own way" (以彼之道，還施彼身) because they like to use their opponents' own signature moves against them. Having attempted to master every known form of martial art in the jianghu, they have amassed a wide collection of martial arts manuals over the years. " This is a loan name and concept from a fictional family originating in the novel of Jīn Yōng : Demi-Gods and Semi-Devil" ; although the name is real, originating in an ancient tribe from Mongolia, migrating south and with descendants overseas. In Sword and Fairy universe, Mùróng Zǐyīng is a descendant of the Yàn Kingdom, who does not accept the title of prince, only keeping his Mùróng family name. He is extremely talented at controlling the sword with "qi" power. The Qiónghuá sect disciples of the generations named Xuan and Su are all Zǐyīng's uncles and aunts, and the generations using "cultivation names" Huai, Ming and Xuan are all Zǐyīng's nephews or nieces. |
  | *** The Kōnghóu"The fèng shǒu kōnghóu (鳳首箜篌, literally "phoenix-headed kōnghóu"), an arched harp" has been depicted on ancient murals such as the one in the Mògāo Caves, cave 327 dating back to Suí Dynasty (581-618 A.D.). <------ Sound: a musician playing the theme song of The Myth movie (Endless Love, originally sung by Jackie Chan and Kim Hee-Seong) -----> Court music from Táng dynasty, "Wine Puppet" 《酒胡子》, on a kōnghóu like instrument pictured on an old manuscript. <------ Fairy Footprints in the Green Field《绿野仙踪》ancient music played on a reconstructed Táng style shù kōnghóu 豎箜篌 with master Fāng Jǐnlóng (方锦龙, b. 1963) playing a 5-string pípá. ----> |   |
**** The Princess JadeMènglí found out in Ep.27 that the mysterious "princess jade" was a talisman that could "suppress the demonic aura of a demon and make it indistinguishable from humans" ; it also had other hidden properties, such as making Mènglí able to read a page that had been torn to hide the information, and shine bright in purple color, like the Dream tapirs amethysts/purple crystals. When she lost it in Ep.28-29, her true form was revealed to Tiānhé, who comforted her as best he could... (spoiler : click on hidden text above to reveal it) |
Return to Table of Contents / Character list continued next
3. Qiónghuá Sect
Back story, adapted from Baidu : The Kūnlún Mountains were located directly below the heavenly world of immortals. Since ancient times, they were regarded as a holy mountain, and reaching the peak opened a road to immortality. If they got there, mortals could be reborn and become immortals. A large number of immortal cultivators gathered here and gradually formed eight sects, namely Kūnlún 昆仑, Qiónghuá 琼华, Bìyù 碧玉 (Jasper), Zǐcuì 紫翠, Xuánpǔ 悬圃, Yùyīng 玉英, Làngfēng 阆风, and Tiānyōng 天墉. They were named after the Eight Palaces in the Immortal Realm, collectively known as the "Eight Sects of Kūnlún ". Together with the Shǔshān Immortal Sword 蜀山仙剑 Sect and the Pénglái Sect elsewhere, Qiónghuá was one of the major sects of cultivating immortals in the human world. Just like a water bowl holds the water, the top of the mountain was the source of several streams flowing down to the land that needed it, so this sect had a high reputation among the residents at the foot of the mountain. The ancestors of the Qiónghuá Sect believed in the guidance of the Nine Heavens Xuánnǚ Empress (九天玄女 Jiǔtiān Xuánnǚ) in their dreams and created the method of cultivating immortality by "integrating man and sword into one". Daoyin, the 20th grandmaster of the Qiónghuá Sect observed the stars at night and discovered that demon world approaching in a repeating cycle of years. He believed that, to help the Sect achieve its goal of ascension, it should seize the spiritual power from it. To do so, under 24th generation grandmaster Tài Qīng, Qiónghuá forged two swords of yin and yang : Xī Hé 羲和 (it is also the name of a mythological Sun goddess, hence its extreme heat) and Wàngshū (it is also the name of a mythological god who drives the moon ; opposite to the other sword it was extremely cold). The twin swords would create a net of energy to trap and bind the demon world, and open the way to the warriors, thanks to the twin beams of light. This move would also eliminate the demon world and stabilize the common people.Tài Qīng gathered the sect on the Juanyun Platform. Xuán Xiāo (host of Xihe) and Sù Yù (host of Wàngshū) used the twin swords. However, the demon world was warned and had prepared a counter attack sending demons in red balls falling from the sky. The battle was fierce, Tài Qīng was killed, as well as Xuán Zhèn, his eldest disciples, and a large number of Qiónghuá disciples, although both sides suffered heavy losses. Sù Yù grew disgusted by the behavior of the Sect to seize advantage at the expense of other living beings. She had been close friends with Xuán Xiāo, but was heartbroken when he scolded her. Yún Tiānqīng believed, like she did, that demons were also entitled to live. He was accused of being a traitor by his fellow disciples for saving a young, seriously injured demon. Sù Yù and Yún Tiānqīng left, taking the Wàngshū sword away from Qiónghuá ; but the fierce cold of the sword made Sù Yù severely ill, away from the balance of the twin swords. More than half of the Qiónghuá sect suffered in the aftermath. The disciples were resentful and regarded demons as eternally evil, killing them regardless of whether they were good or bad. Xuán Xiāo, the host of the Xihe Sword, was frozen because he suffered from the burning fire and fell into bloodthirsty obsession. Among the three seriously injured elders, Zōng Liàn died, while Qīng Yáng and Chóng Guāng recovered in seclusion in the back mountains. Despite having mediocre qualifications, the weakest among the Tài Qīng disciples, Sù Yáo, became next 25th grandmaster. She had been jealous of Sù Yù and secretly wanted to force the Wàngshū sword to chose her as host, so as to gain power together with Xuán Xiāo. Talented and intelligent people in the sect were suppressed by her, and she let slanders against Yún Tiānqīng and Sù Yù grow, so the strength of Qiónghuá Sect declined and even the Heaven realm was dissatisfied by them. |
| QIONG HUA SECT 琼华派 [Qiónghuá pài] | Head of Kūnxū mountain(昆虚 山) Eight Sects | Check also Mrs Darkqueen's post about the other seven sects. | ||
 | [10] Tài Qīng 太清 ("Great Clarity" *) 24th grandmaster of Qiónghuá Sect, of "first generation" in Qiónghuá sect. He chose the hosts for the twin sword and gave the two Lingguang spiritual jades ** to Xu Xiao and Sù Yù. |
Fandom: Hēi bào duì / 黑豹队 | ||
  | [11] Sù Yáo 夙瑶, current Grandmaster of Qiónghuá Sect of "second generation". She loved Xuán Xiāo and despite having sealed him in Xuan ice ten years before, used his Zao jade to open the doors to his cave, when she visited him. She defended him against Chóng Guāng and sent the trio to find the "three cold things" that would help free him. (The Kūn scale *** was the last) But she was also obsessed with the Wàngshū sword (despite having only a "half Yin body"), and guessing Língshā might be its new host, she gave her a special jade, called "Red Soul", pretending that it was for protection against her "cold" weakness. Her true intention was always selfish, stopping at nothing for her ambitions. |
Fandom: Kitten / 小喵咪 | ||
   | [12] Xuán Xiāo 玄霄, host of the Xī Hé 羲和 sword (he had a full Yang body, while Sù Yù, with her Yin body, was host to Wàngshū). He was foreseen to become grandmaster after Tài Qīng. He owned the other half yin-yang shaped "algae jade" (**) Zǎo yù 藻玉, that opened the doors to the cavern where he was sealed and slept until awakened by the Wàngshū sword reappearing. With the help of the "three cold things", he broke free from his prison. |
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  | [13] Xuán Yǐng 玄影, a non-human spirit servant of Sù Yáo, appearing from ghostly smoke, sent by her to make Língshā bring the Wàngshū sword to Qiónghuá in exchange for a cure for her sister. He felt friendship for Língshā who was kind to him. | Wāng Duó 汪铎 (see above) debuted in movies and dramas in 2016. He played "Huáng Tuò" 皇柝 in 2017 Ice Fantasy and "Zhū Bājiè" 猪八戒 in 2017 movie Journey to the West 2: The Demons Strike Back ; "Hè Shǒuyuè" 鹤守月 in 2020 movie The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity ; and "Gū Qīngzhāng" 辜清章 (ML) in 2023 A League of Nobleman. | ||
   Cang Lang Jian Fu (苍浪剑赋) music by Luo JIyi, theme song of Mùróng Zǐyīng . | [14] Mùróng Zǐyīng 慕容紫英 (also see Main cast) A descendant of the Yan Kingdom, he was a disciple of Zōng Liàn and Sù Shēn, who was as close to him as a mother. Extremely talented at controlling the sword, he had risen very fast in cultivation despite his young age (19 years old). The Qiónghuá sect disciples of the generations named Xuán 玄 and Sù 夙 were all Ziying's uncles and aunts, and those using "cultivation names" Huái 怀, Míng 明 and Xuán 璇 were all Zǐyīng 's nephews or nieces. He carried a sadness from his memories of a kid sister. Ep. 2 onwards |
From Shàoxīng, Zhèjiāng ; graduated in Finance, his family is in the textile business; he has his personal studio - Fandom: Màozǐ jūn / 帽子军 [15] | ||
 | [15] Sù Xī 夙汐, sect leader in charge of the library |
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 | [16] Xū Yì 虚邑, fengshui and mines prospecting sect leader, interested in Língshā as a disciple |
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 | [17] Xū Zhào 虚召, leader of sword sect He was one of the two masked attackers who had yielded to Mùróng Zǐyīng first, but later needed help from Chóng Guāng to heal his wounds. Previously Xuán Zhèn's disciple; he went on to work for Chóng Guāng against Xuán Xiāo. Once exposed, he was expelled by Sù Yáo, who later offered his position as sect leader to Zǐyīng (but Zǐyīng was not keen on the idea). |
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 | [18] Xū Liáng 虚凉, leader of Aura sect. He was one of the two masked attackers who tried to seize the Wàngshū sword on Mount Qīngluán, but got frost bite on his wrist. He was the writer of the Qiónghuá history books ; Mènglí found out why he had tampered with the records. Previously Xuán Zhèn's disciple. he became Xuán Yè's foster father. He guessed Mènglí's real identity but did not expose her, telling her it was time she left the academy. |
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   | [19] Chóng Guāng 重光, elder of Qīngfēng 清风 ("cool breeze) valley, cultivating to higher level (ep.20) Elder of Justice, he was from "first generation" together with Tài Qīng, Qīng Yáng, and Zōng Liàn. He was an outspoken enemy of Yún Tiānhé, wanted to eliminate Xuán Xiāo, and destroy Sù Yáo's right to be grand-master. Defeated, he lost his spiritual powers and appeared just as a frail old man. |
Fandom: Pútáo zǐ / 葡萄籽 | ||
 | [20] Qīng Yáng 青阳, elder of Qīngfèng valley, "first generation". He knew more about the past than he let out, but sided with Yún Tiānhé to save Xuán Xiāo from Chóng Guāng's obsessions. |
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  | [21] Zōng Liàn 宗炼, elder, of "first generation" ; he forged the twin swords, but died after the battle. His manuscript had been taken away by Tiānqīng, to Qīngluán Peak as Tiānhé guessed much later. Sù Shēn found out that he was killed by Běi Kē (who wanted the Sword making manuscript), but that the mastermind was Guīxié who gave her Zōng Liàn's broken sword. |
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 | [22] Xuán Ji 璇玑, Sù Yáo's god-daughter who was with Huái Shuò when they first encountered Tiānhé, Língshā, and Mènglí, near Shòuyáng. |
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 | [23] Huái Shuò 怀朔, a young Qiónghuá sect member. He accompanied Xuán Ji to look for Mùróng Zǐyīng , and spoke up for Tiānhé in Qiónghuá later. He was doubtful of Sù Yáo and bewildered when he witnessed her crushing Míng Guāng. |
Fandom: Yòuzǐ / 柚子 | ||
 | [24] Sù Shēn 夙莘, Liǔ Mènglí's qin teacher and Mùróng Zǐyīng's first teacher at Qiónghuá Sect (MDL has her as "Su Xin"). The "Half Immortal" was "as close to Zǐyīng as mother and son." She first appeared in illusions (Ep.8 qin dream), later, in Zǐyīng 's memories (Ep11, 25). Tiānhé found her at a table in Chénzhōu (Ep.25) , She teamed up again in Bōxiān. Next, she met Guīxié, telling him that she was the one who had spared and protected "Mènglí". He gave her Zōng Liàn's sword and she brought it to Zǐyīng in Qiónghuá, before giving her last advice to Sù Yáo, who had joined the sect together with her back in time. |
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 | [25] Xuán Yè 璇叶, Heart sect leader,. She said she'd accept Mènglí as a disciple. But she smashed Tiānhé's tablet. Adoptive daughter of Xū Liáng, the sect leader had told her that Yún Tiānqīng had killed her father Xuán Zhèn, and her mother, as well as Jìng Cí, Xuán Zhèn's disciple, who had been entrusted with the baby during the battle. She could not bear to learn the truth. |
Fandom : Ài qīng / 艾卿 | ||
 | [26] Huái Xīn 怀心, disciple sharing room with Tiānhé at the Qiónghuá academy |
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 | [27] Huái Xī 怀溪, first met at the gates of Jíxiān Garden, disciple of Qiónghuá sect. Son of a Chénzhōu merchant. Hostile to Tiānhé. Ep.7, 14-16, 19, 22, 29-30, 32 |
Also known as Johnny Wei. Actor and pop singer - Fandom: Xiǎo Péng yǒu 小鹏友 | ||
 | [28] Xuán Zhèn 玄震, master of Jìng cí 静慈, disciple of Qiónghuá. They were both killed in the war nineteen years before. |
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 | [29] Míng Chén 明尘, one of two "Míng" young generation disciples, gatekeepers at Qiónghuá academy. He was knocked out by Guīxié, who took his appearance to infiltrate the academy, looking for the "young master". |
Fandom: Xian Zi Er | ||
 | [30] Míng Guāng 明光, a Qiónghuá sect member who saw no harm in corruption and criticizing his elders. He had been magically transformed into a brat kid in Chénzhōu and saved by the trio finding out who did those tricks. He was less lucky, when he thought he could talk disrespectfully about Xuán Xiāo dictating his first commands in Qiónghuá.He defended Sù Yáo against the revelations from Zǐyīng. But when he later saw her plotting with the Shou Jiang wizard, and Xuán Xiāo, he tried to warn Tiānhé, Língshā and Xū Liáng. Only Xū Liáng heard part of the report. |
Also known as Jackson Shang. * Yes, there is a voice actor whose name is Yún Tiānhé ! (more about him in the other entry for Míngguāng in Chénzhōu town, below) | ||
  | [31] Gōu Máng (句芒 ****) divine guard at the Divine Mausoleum, west of Qiónghuá, where Hòu Yì's bow was stored. "The divine general Gōu Máng who guards the Fēngshén Mausoleum is well aware of the good and evil in the world. For those who enter the Fēngshén Tomb, Gōu Máng will punish or reward them based on their deeds in the past and present lives." He let Tiānhé have the second bow because he recognized in him a "pure being for three generations". |
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  | [32] Divine Fairy Xuántiān 玄天神女 (She is known as Jiǔtiān Xuánnǚ 九天玄女 in the game). A Goddess, "she was the daughter of Heavenly Emperor Fúxī. She possessed powerful spiritual power. Qiónghuá's ascension was acting against heaven ; Tiānhé tried to persuade Xuán Xiāo to give up cultivating immortality, but he refused, so Tiānhé had to draw his sword. The fairy was ordered to descend to earth to tell the Qiónghuá Sect that, because of their heinous crimes, they were going to be thrown into the whirlpool of the East China Sea and imprisoned for thousands of years. Only Mùróng Zǐyīng, Yún Tiānhé and Hàn Língshā were able to avoid this disaster because they had clear and good thoughts." (Baidu) Ep. 36 |
She was also a singer, with songs such as 《她》 (She) in 2015, 《她》 (Peace of mind, OST for the 2009 drama Emergency Unit). Famous songs :《愛江山更愛美人》(Love the country more than the beauty). For her last stage in Dec.2023 she covered her favorite Cantonese songs : 《萬水千山總是情》 (Love and passion ; "Thousands of rivers and mountains..." a classic Cantonese song by Liza Wang) and Danny Chan's 《一生何求》 (What do you want in life?) | ||
| Xuan Ji (Mentioned in the MDL and DramaWiki cast list but has not appeared in episodes) | Not on the Baidu cast list:
|
NOTES (*) Daoism in Sword and Fairy 4The Qiónghuá sect is a Daoist sect, and most of the concepts come from the worldview of Daoism, more specifically the "Shàngqīng School", a form that became popular among the aristocracy of the Jìn dynasty (266-420). Shàngqīng School Taoism borrowed numerous terms from the classic book Zhuāngzǐ, such as "perfected man" (真人; zhēnrén), "Great Clarity" (太清; Tài Qīng), "fasting the mind" (心齋; xīn zhāi) etc, and these are also found in names, addresses, hierarchical levels, myths, etc, in the series. |
(**) 灵光藻玉 Língguāng zǎo yù / Língguāng algae jade
Sù Yù had fallen in love with Xuán Xiāo at first sight, and as the two practiced swordsmanship together in the Qiónghuá Forbidden Land for three years, Xuán Xiāo also gradually fell in love with Suyu. Suyu liked to go to Zuìhuāyīn 醉花阴 ("drunk flowers shade") garden to admire the phoenix flowers, and Xuán Xiāo often accompanied her there. He also loved to watch the night sky. The two spent a wonderful time in Zuìhuāyīn, until the battle against Huànmíng when she got heartbroken because Xuán Xiāo could not relent from his bloodthirst (her qualms were expressed in ep.27) ; therefore, she broke the relationship and fled with Yún Tiānqīng, who was friend with both. Although she married Yún Tiānqīng, she named her son Tiānhé as a memory of what Xuán Xiāo had said about his love of the starlit night sky : "I like to watch the stars at night, because the Milky Way hangs like a river in the sky and the stars are brilliant, which makes my heart open. Once I wake up, I want to be buried with the spiritual light algae jade." (adapted from Baidu) |
(***) The Kūn scale 鯤鳞
|
(****) Gōu Máng 句芒
|
Return to Table of Contents / continued next
4. Huànmíng demon realm
Huànmíngalso known as "Illusory World" Eps.1-9 ; 27-36 | The realm of Fantasy (幻瞑界 Huànmíng jiè) and Chao Lake (潮湖 Cháohú) | The "dream tapirs" [梦貘一族 mèng mò yīzú] are mythical beasts feeding on dreams), but here they first appear as hostile demons. | ||
 | [33] Běi Kē 北柯, "Dream tapir" Demon General. He helped the tomb demon Yù Nán escape to wreak mayhem near Nüluo rock in the Bāgōng mountains off Shòuyáng town (see "Outside world") |
He has been active in 14 dramas since 2014, including A Journey to Love | ||
 | [34] Wén Yáo 文鰩, "Dream Tapir", stingray fish demon of 潮湖 Cháohú (Chao Lake). She had a close connection with Fēng Xié, but had to obey Běi Kē. |
Also known as Nikita Li, featured in 5 dramas since 2021, incl. The Blood of Youth, 2023 The Princess and the Werewolf | ||
 | [35] Fēng Xié 风邪 (his name means "pathogenic influence" in TCM), Dream Tapir Demon | not credited |
19 years before the time in the drama, Huànmíng was attacked by the Qiónghuá sect, who wanted to absorb the spiritual power in the amethyst of the Fantasy realm. Chán Yōu, the leader of the Huànmíng Realm, narrowly defeated the enemy . Tài Qīng, the former grandmaster of Qiónghuá, was killed, but Chán Yōu's left arm was injured, and too much spiritual power was consumed. Her vitality was severely damaged and her body was very weak. Of the six guardian demon generals (*), only Guīxié and Xī Zhòng were left. Chán Yōu hated humans but remained grateful to Yún Tiānqīng and Sun Yu who had saved her daughter and realized the evil of seeking ascension at the expense of others' lives. The fighting scene in the animation at the beginning of "Legend of Sword and Fairy IV" showed the battle of wits and courage between Chán Yōu and Tài Qīng. |
  | [36] Chán Yōu 婵幽, Queen of the Huànmíng Realm and leader of the Dream Tapir [梦貘一族] demon tribe. 19 years before, she faked her own death in the invasion and massacre of Huànmíng realm by Qiónghuá Sect, and was troubled and weak. |
| ||
 Link to episode Link to description in Chinese of the character in the game. My GIF from linked preview of episode, timestamp 01:11 to see more. | [37] Guīxié 归邪 (Sī Jiǎ Guī Xié 司甲归邪), one of the two remaining guardian generals of Huànmíng (of the six who fought the battle 19 years before) ; Chán Yōu had locked him up for his own protection. He went to Bōxiān to inquire about Běi Kē (above), Li Jiangliu (last seen in Chénzhōu), and the "Young Master". He followed the aura of an unknown tribe member into Qīngfèng Pavilion, to the painting, and next, to Qiónghuá, where he knocked out the gatekeepers and took the appearances of Ming Chen, Huái Shuò and next, of Xuán Ji to infiltrate. But Língshā saw through his disguise. Still, he had found his target. He tried to abduct her first, and protect her escape from Qiónghuá later. He was in fact devoted to Huànmíng and his insight to end the war was to find Zōng Liàn's manuscript and destroy the twin swords, but he had not wanted to take Zōng Liàn's life. |
He debuted as "Yóu Qí" 尤其 in 2016 Addicted web-series. | ||
 | [38] Jìng Chén 镜尘 , trapped by Yún Tiānqīng in the picture concealed in Bōxiān Qīngfèng Pavilion library. He was discovered by Guīxié disguised as Dílì Bài'ěr. In Huànmíng, Jìng Chén who had been Yuān Luò's personal guard, was thought to have died in the battle. He was later brought out from the picture by Mènglí. |
| ||
  | [39 ] Xī Zhòng 奚仲, guardian general of Huànmíng, close to the Dream tapir queen Chán Yōu, skilled in magic and with very high spiritual power. He was stable, reliable, reserved, but protective, and opened a magic passage to bring Tiānhé and Mènglí from Qīngluán to Bōxiān. Guīxié followed but the two generals had to leave after being attacked by the Demon Slaying formation of Qiónghuá disciples who were sent by Sù Yáo to protect the young disciples and the Scale. In Huànmíng, Xī Zhòng would still be by the young queen's side.. |
| ||
 | [40] Yuān Luò 鸢洛 was the daughter of Chán Yōu who had been saved by Yún Tiānqīng and brought up under a hidden identity in mortal realm. She had to accept taking over responsibilities as clan queen and war chief. (Also see: Liǔ Mènglí) |
|
| NOTES (*) Baidu further informs : " The six generals of Huànmíng are all named after ancient mythical beasts [which] guard Kūnlún. They appear at the time of Hài and return at the time of Mǎo [roughly 2hrs duration Chinese zodiac divisions of night time, each named ; i.e. "Hài shí 亥时 is the ending hour from 9 to 11 p.m in a day"; 5 to 7 a.m. is Mǎo shí 卯时]. The names of the six beasts are:
Sī Shí, Sī Sì .... 司- translates loosely to "Master", "Manager", so that's why Jìng Chén addressed Guīxié with the honorific "Sī Jiǎ" in ep.27 ; in fact, a word like 司长 [sī zhǎng] is still used in Chinese for some real life hierarchical titles of "Director", "bureau chief"... of middle level management, especially civil servants. |
Return to Table of Contents / continued next
5. Outside World : Tàipíng Village, Yù Nán Tomb, Shòuyáng Town
Outside world | 太平村 Tàipíng cūn (Tàipíng village) and Shòu Yáng chéng 寿阳城 (Shòuyáng town) | Hán residence (family of Língshā) 韩府 【Hán fǔ】 | ||
 | [41] Yún Jìn 云靳 , village leader of Tàipíng Village (Tiānhé was bewildered about the hostility of the villagers when he mentioned his father.) | not credited | ||
 | [42] Prince Yù Nán 御南王, tomb demon, liberated by Běi Kē from a magic urn, to use his evil energy "aura" on creatures in mount Bāgōng (八公山 Bāgōng shān), and to kill Taoist priests. (A faceless ghostly woman guided the trio in the tomb and reappeared much later in Netherworld.) |
| ||
 Ep.3 SHOUYANG |  |  | ||
 | [43] Péi Jiàn 裴剑, Constable Head of Shòuyáng city. (He captured Língshā for being a known thief, but his loyalty went first to the Liǔ family, so he tried to protect them around Yù Nán's tomb.) |
| ||
 | [44] Liǔ Shìfēng 柳世封, Liǔ Mènglí's father, magistrate of Shòuyáng. (He had only grateful memories about Yún Tiānqīng and took in Tiānhé as a son, possibly a son in law).
|
From Běijīng, Hui ethnicity, "national level actor" ; he played in 1997 Water Margin, ..., 2021 Legally Romance. His wife is actress Ran Zhijuan, and his son is actor Hóng Yáng 洪洋. | ||
 | [45] Ruǎn Cí 阮慈, Liǔ Mènglí's mother. |
|
 | [46] Hán Língxiāng 韩菱缃 , Hán Língshā's cousin /"elder sister". The Fúyào immortal fruit pill revived her at the brink of death. But Língxiāng knew that, in the fengshui skilled, treasure-hunting family, nobody lived beyond 30 years old because of an ancient poisoning of extreme coldness, by the divine clan which they had offended. She was reluctant to let Língshā (whom she called "Seven", xiao-qi) leave and use the Treasure hunting journal to find the Guāngjì Cold Painting (one of the three extreme cold things needed to suppress the scorching energy in Xuán Xiāo). |
|
Return to Table of Contents / continued next
6. Chénzhōu town
Chénzhōu陈州Ep.7-10 ; 25 | A town on the way from Shòuyáng to Qiónghuá |  | ||
 | [47] Qín Jī 琴姬, spirit player of qin sounding a deep sleep spell, widow of Qin Yi, whose family put the coffin of in Qiānfú (Thousand Buddha) temple, forbidding access to her in Chénzhōu. |
| ||
 | [27b] Huái Xī 怀溪, at the gate of Jíxiān yuàn Garden (集仙苑), where disciples of Qiónghuá sect used to stay over when they were in town. Son of a Chénzhōu merchant, he was hostile to Tiānhé. Ep.7, (see Qiónghuá sect) |
Also known as Johnny Wei. Actor and pop singer - Fandom: Xiǎo péngyǒu / 小鹏友 | ||
 | [48] Madame Jiāng /Jiāng shì 姜氏, Qín Yi's cousin and concubine Ep.7-8 |
| ||
 | (He helped the trio search for the Qiánzhū 乾珠 bead, to help free the town people from the sleep enchantment.) Ep.8-9 |
Also known as Marshal Zhang | ||
 | [50] Ōuyáng Míngzhū (Pearl) 欧阳明珠.She was in a deep sleep for nine years, starting before the sleep curse on Chénzhōu. Her spirit swapped with that of Língshā. Ep.9-10 |
Actress and dancer from Xinjiang -Fandom: Xue Hua / 雪花 | ||
 | [51] Lì Jiāngliú 厉江流, Shuo Jiang wizard, creator of the dream realm. (He loved Ōuyáng Míngzhū and wanted to keep her unknowing of her parents death and his deeds. Although he had seemed defeated by Tiānhé, he reappeared in a forest, giving the Red Bead to a veiled lady. And later again, another one, to help her steal the spiritual power from her target, before coming to gloat about it causing Tiānhé to kill him. Ep 10, 28, 33, 34. |
| ||
  | [52] Míngguāng 明光, a greedy Qiónghuá sect member. (He accepted money for protection of "tiny state" Yàn envoys to Chénzhōu from evil spirits and tried to get approval from Huaixin, who was visiting Chénzhōu to investigate a mysterious case of adults being turned into kids. A mysterious cloaked bystander who had applauded his self-justification, changed him into a brat kid. The trio went after the magician and got a surprise.) |
*Yes, there really is a dubber with the name Yún Tiānhé 云天河. He is a "Himalaya anchor and voice actor , whose representative works are the audio novel Cultivation Chat Group", and "My Disciples Are All Villains" an online novel about cultivating immortals, written by Mrs. Xu Dagger ! | ||
 | [53] Luo Jiyi, commanding general of the Yàn imperial palace, envoy in Chénzhōu (He recognized Mùróng Zǐyīng as a royal prince of Yàn state and informed him of his parents death from illness 6 years before and their being buried with "the little princess".) |
| ||
 | [54] Little Princess, she was the young sister of Mùróng Zǐyīng, and his biggest guilty regret, cause of his leaving to cultivate in Qiónghuá. |
Also known as Winnie Yú, child actress active since 2019 ; she was 10 years old when she played in "Sword and Fairy 4" . |
7. Bōxiān Town and Qingfeng Pavilion
Bōxiān播仙镇[Bōxiān zhèn]Ep.12, 27 | Charm Disguise Hall ----> and Qīngfèng Pavilion 青凤阁藏 [Qīngfèng gécáng] |  | ||
 | [55] Dílì Bài'ěr 狄丽拜尔, boss of the Charm Disguise Hall (符篆 易容馆 Fúzhuàn yìróng guǎn) in Bōxiān town. She firmly rejected Fèng Èr's proposal of wedding. |
Uyghur actress from Xīnjiāng, who previously played in 2023 The Inextricable Destiny ; Hilarious Family ; and 2021 The Blessed Girl. Fandom: 白饭 (Báifàn) | ||
 | [56] Ugly Painter 丑画师 [chǒu huàshī], from the Charm Disguise Hall. He also sold remnants of deceased people's souls to Sù Yáo, but was also an agent of the Dream tapirs besides being Fèng Èr's subordinate. He was ordered by Guīxié from Huànmíng to inquire about Mènglí. He saw Guīxié and Xizhong in Bōxiān and informed Sù Yáo about it, so she could send help. |
Also known as: 刘雯刚 /Liú Wéngāng and 萧兵 /Xiāo Bīng: Chinese director, actor, voice actor, and videographer. He has a master's degree from Renmin University of China. | ||
  | [57] Fèng Èr /Fèng Chánggē 凤二（凤长歌), Lord of Qīngfèng Pavilion which had precious collections and fearsome beasts such as the Five Poison Beast (五毒兽 wǔ dú shòu) which he let intruders duel with. When he found out than Tiānhé was Yún Tiānqīng's son, he paid him respect. He was unsuccessfully courting Dílì Bài'ěr when the trio came back, looking for clues about the third "cold" thing: the Kūn scale, while Mènglí had a shocking revelation when she examined the book and the hidden painting both entrusted to Fèng Èr. |
| ||
 | [58] Lord Ming Si, Fèng Èr's subordinate | Lǐ Yìquán 李逸泉 (v: Qīng Línhào), no more information | ||
 | [59] Lord Qiang San 小强 ("cockroach" xiǎoqiáng), Fèng Èr's subordinate |
|
Return to Table of Contents / Continued next
8. Jímò Beach and Jímò Town
即陌海边 Jímò hǎibiān near the East Sea and Yinxiang mountain (Ep.26)
Jímò Beach即陌海边Jímò hǎibiān即墨镇Jímò townJímò zhènEp.26 |  |
| ||
  | [60] Xià Yuánchén 夏元辰, a scholar who was a mountain god, earthly immortal "Sànxiān 散仙" concealing his identity. He liked helping mortals and had adopted the idiot Lián bǎo as his daughter but she went missing. He replaced Tiānhé's bow with the magic bow "Kāiyuán Chasing Moon" [开元追月弓 Kāiyuán zhuī yuè gōng] to help the trio find Lián bǎo. When she was found, he gave the second "extreme cold object" Guāngjì hán tú to the trio and gave up his immortal powers with it, to stay with his daughter. |
- he is a cat lover. | ||
 | [61] Lián bǎo 莲宝 ("Lotus"), Xià Yuánchén's adoptive daughter, 7 years old and mentally retarded. She was abducted together with the Guāngjì hán tú, by a Fox fairy who took them to the Fairy Fox Temple in the wild Yinxiang mountain. |
| ||
 | [62] Hú Sān Tàiyé 狐三太爷 ("Third Master Fox). A Fox fairy He had become an immortal Sànxiān, through agreeing to stay in the Guāngjì cold painting, but he escaped and committed tricks. Still, he had to return to the painting on full moon nights. He hoped to be replaced as contracted spirit in the painting by Lián bǎo, or by one or more of the trio. |
| ||
 | [63] Jìng Lán 静兰 was Xià Yuánchén's former love, whom he had married before she died of illness. In her next life, she was Lián bǎo. |
|
Return to Table of Contents / Continued next
9. Bùzhōu Mountain [不周山, BùZhōu shān],
Netherworld [冥都 Míngdōu]
Netherworld[冥都 Míngdōu] | This was the place where the primordial spirits went to first, by way of a ghostly ferry, before disappearing into light specks once they truly died. It was also a crossing point to demon worlds, including the Huànmíng realm. | |
 | [64] The Illuminating Dragon of Bùzhōu Mountain, guardian of the entrance to the Netherworld. He opened the portal to the Netherworld once Yún Tiānhé let himself duel him ; Tiānhé used the "Primordial Spirit-Initiating Moon Chasing" Bow and won, he got a wound that would reduce his lifespan drastically. The Dragon also mentioned that this Bow (which was given to Tiānhé by the Earth god who chose mortality in Jímò) was one of a pair with mythical Hòu Yì's celestial Sun-shooting bow, which Tiānhé would need too, in order to get powerful enough. (That other bow was stored in the Divine Mausoleum, as Língshā said when they got back from Netherworld). The dragon sent divine power to Tiānhé when he came back after having exhausted the power from the Yin Yang jade, so that he could change his fate and perhaps live a century longer, because "only one who cares about the wold deserves the power of the divine dragon". | not credited |
 | [65] Wúmián 无眠 ("Sleepless") She was the faceless woman in the Prince Yù Nán tomb, who had guided the trio previously. Tiānhé had saved her primordial spirit. Having integrated Netherworld, she gave to the trio the Barrier-Crossing Branch that she used as an envoy. She was staying in Netherworld waiting to help Yún Tiānqīng who suffered from the obsession of wanting to apologize to his son. Tiānhé went to talk to Tiānqīng, who revealed a lot of hidden truths from the past, including why Tiānhé was able to hold both twin yin and yang swords. But his last sentence was bewilderingly muted: "And the biggest secret of Yin Yang Jade is......." (in fact, if the Underworld tolerated that the past be talked about, Tiānqīng was not allowed to reveal future events, so he was cut off there in order not to affect fated developments.) While Tiānhé talked to his father, Língshā had a disheartening revelation about the "soul stone" beads of her bracelet, the light of which was not only connected to her sister, but also to herself. Wúmián helped the trio be ferried back to mortal world where they first went to talk to Fèng Èr in Bōxiān, and next, Zǐyīng and Tiānhé went to Qiónghuá, trying to talk Sù Yáo and Xuán Xiāo out of their war plans. | not credited |
Return to Table of Contents List
Completed Feb.1, 2024
@ MsDarkqueen Thanks for your liking it Your Discussion was also interesting. :)
Last addition to this thread : the Douban opening rating that just dropped (together with that of competing Sword and Fairy CP#6) and score among the top 10 web series watched in China, as reported by Marcus on his YT channel :
4.2 from about 34,200 ratings : That's rather below the expected, although the rating may have been influenced by the controversy about billing and by the bias that some had against actress or actor (who are more targeted by anti fans than some others), and by the fans of the game who are seldom content with adaptations to live action, or by the plain romance watchers who always complain when the ending is not to their taste and who will nitpick later on CGI (which was not horrible) or dubbing too.
In my opinion, Sword and Fairy 4 was quite enjoyable, so would have got more if these factors had not blurred lines. Other commentators agreed that this rating is "too low".
In fact the drama was still among the top ten web series watched in China, for 5 week until ending Feb.04, 2024, when Sword and Fairy 4 stood at #2/10 (a close second to its competitor Sword and Fairy aka CP 6).
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