# Justice Pao (1993 TV series)

Justice Pao is a 236-episode television series from Taiwan, first airing on Chinese Television System (CTS) from February 1993 to January 1994.

## Background

The show stars Jin Chao-chun as the legendary Song dynasty official Bao Zheng. It was hugely popular in many countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
The series was originally planned to have just 15 episodes. However, the show had high ratings when the initial episodes aired. Due to its popularity, CTS extended the show to 236 episodes.
The rival TVB and ATV Home networks in Hong Kong both bought the series in an attempt to gain viewers. Competition between the two networks during the series’ run was so intense that identical episodes were shown on both channels on the same night. It was also one of the first dramas that used NICAM technology (Dual Sound Switch Cantonese/Mandarin).

## List of cases

| Case | ep. # | Chinese Title | English Translation |
| #1 | 6 | 鍘美案 (Zhá Mĕi Àn) | The Execution of Chen Shimei |
| #2 | 5 | 真假狀元 (Zhēn Jiă Zhuàng Yuán) | The Real and Fake Principal Graduate |
| #3 | 7 | 狸貓換太子 (Lí Māo Huàn Tài Zĭ) | The Exchange of the Civet Cat and The Crown Prince |
| #4 | 3 | 雙釘記 (Shuāng Dīng Jì) | The Tale of Two Nails |
| #5 | 4 | 探陰山 (Tàn Yīn Shān) | The Trek to the Underworld |
| #6 | 4 | 紅花記 (Hóng Huā Jì) | The Tale of the Red Flowers |
| #7 | 5 | 鍘龐昱 (Zhá Páng Yù) | The Execution of Pang Yu |
| #8 | 9 | 鍘包勉 (Zhá Bāo Miăn) | The Execution of Bao Mian |
| #9 | 3 | 烏盆記 (Wū Pén Jì) | The Tale of the Black Pot |
| #10 | 5 | 秋娘 (Qiū Niáng) | Miss Qiu |
| #11 | 4 | 鍘王爺 (Zhá Wáng Yé) | The Execution of the Prince |
| #12 | 5 | 古琴怨 (Gŭ Qín Yuàn) | Resentment of the Guqin |
| #13 | 9 | 三擊鼓 (Sān Jī Gŭ) | Thrice Hitting the Drum |
| #14 | 5 | 攣生劫 (Luán Shēng Jié) | The Tale of the Twin Brothers |
| #15 | 5 | 報恩亭 (Bào Ēn Tíng) | The Temple of Retribution |
| #16 | 5 | 真假女婿 (Zhēn Jiă Nǚ Xù) | The Real and Fake Son-in-Law |
| #17 | 4 | 紫金錘 (Zĭ Jīn Chuí) | The Purple Hammer |
| #18 | 9 | 天下第一莊 (Tiān Xià Dì Yī Zhuāng) | The Number One Manor |
| #19 | 5 | 寸草心 (Cùn Căo Xīn) | The Mind of Kindness |
| #20 | 8 | 屠龍記 (Tú Lóng Jì) | The Story of Slaying the Dragon |
| #21 | 5 | 鴛鴦蝴蝶夢 (Yuān Yāng Hú Dié Mèng) | The Dream of the Butterfly Lovers |
| #22 | 6 | 天倫劫 (Tiān Lún Jié) | The Rules of the Lord |
| #23 | 6 | 孔雀膽 (Kŏng Què Dăn) | Peacock's Abdomen (A type of poison) |
| #24 | 6 | 真假包公 (Zhēn Jiă Bāo Gōng) | The Real and Fake Judge Bao |
| #25 | 6 | 貞節牌坊 (Zhēn Jié Pái Făng) | The Widow's Board |
| #26 | 5 | 血雲幡傳奇 (Xuè Yún Fān Chuán Qí) | The Legend of the Blood-Thirsty Flag |
| #27 | 7 | 生死戀 (Shēng Sĭ Liàn) | Love Between Life and Death |
| #28 | 6 | 尋親記 (Xún Qīn Jì) | The Story of Seeking Beloved Ones |
| #29 | 6 | 踏雪尋梅 (Tà Xuĕ Xún Méi) | Searching for Plum Blossom in the Snow |
| #30 | 6 | 青龍珠 (Qīng Lóng Zhū) | The Azure Dragon Pearl |
| #31 | 6 | 魚美人 (Yú Mĕi Rén) | The Mermaid Angel |
| #32 | 5 | 狄青 (Dí Qīng) | Di Qing |
| #33 | 7 | 孝子章洛 (Xiào Zĭ Zhāng Luò) | Zhang Luo, the Filial Son |
| #34 | 7 | 雷霆怒 (Léi Tíng Nù) | Heaven's Wrath |
| #35 | 7 | 陰陽判 (Yīn Yáng Pàn) | The Fortunes of Yin and Yang |
| #36 | 6 | 九道本 (Jiŭ Dào Bĕn) | Nine Letters to the King |
| #37 | 6 | 菩薩嶺 (Pú Sà Lĭng) | Buddha's Peak |
| #38 | 6 | 畫中話 (Huà Zhōng Huà) | Mystery of the Painting |
| #39 | 6 | 龐妃有喜 (Páng Fēi Yŏu Xĭ) | Consort Pang is Pregnant |
| #40 | 6 | 乞丐王孫 (Qĭ Gài Wáng Sūn) | The Beggar Princess |
| #41 | 5 | 五鼠鬧東京 (Wŭ Shŭ Nào Dōng Jīng) | Five Rats Cause Chaos in the [Eastern] Capital |

## Cast

    Note: Some cast members played multiple roles.
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Jin Chao-chun | Bao Zheng | Prefect of Kaifeng, capital of Song Dynasty |
| Kenny Ho | Zhan Zhao | "Southern Hero", "Royal Cat", 4th-ranked imperial guard |
| Fan Hung-hsuan | Gongsun Ce | Bao Zheng's secretary |
| Kao Nien-kuo | Wang Chao | Bao Zheng's officer |
| Hsu Chien-yu (C.1–21) | Ma Han | Bao Zheng's officer |
| Liu Yueh-ti (C.22–41) | Ma Han | Bao Zheng's officer |
| Yang Hsiung | Zhang Long | Bao Zheng's officer |
| Shao Chang-sheng | Zhao Hu | Bao Zheng's officer |
| Sun Peng (C.1) | Zhao Zhen | "Emperor Renzong", 4th emperor of Song Dynasty |
| Wang Chung-huang (C.2–28) | Zhao Zhen | "Emperor Renzong", 4th emperor of Song Dynasty |
| Shih Yu (C.29–41) | Zhao Zhen | "Emperor Renzong", 4th emperor of Song Dynasty |
| Hou Ping-ying | | Emperor Renzong's sister |
| Yang Huai-min | Chen Shimei | married to Emperor Renzong's sister |
| Yang Ping-an | Han Qi | Chen Shimei's guard |
| Leanne Liu | Qin Xianglian | Chen Shimei's original wife |
| Tsao Chien | Wang Yan Ling | Song Dynasty chancellor |
| Lung Lung | Zhao Defang | "Eighth Virtuous Prince", Emperor Renzong's uncle |
| Han Hsiang-chin (C.3) | Princess Di | Eighth Virtuous Prince's wife |
| Yin Pao-lien (C.32) | Princess Di | Eighth Virtuous Prince's wife |
| Liu Yueh-ti | Zhao Heng | "Emperor Zhenzong", Emperor Renzong's father and predecessor |
| Lu Pi-yun (C.1) | Empress Dowager Liu | Emperor Zhenzong's wife |
| Hsiao Ai (C.3) | Empress Dowager Liu | Emperor Zhenzong's wife |
| Tai Chih-yuan | Guo Huai | eunuch for Empress Dowager Liu |
| Tseng Ya-chun | Consort Li | Emperor Renzong's real mother |
| Wen Shuai | Chen Lin | eunuch |
| Tu Man-sheng | Pang Ji | Song Dynasty grand tutor |
| Chen Chi | Consort Pang | Pang Ji's daughter, married to Emperor Renzong |
| Doze Niu | Pang Yu | Pang Ji's son |
| Liu Chu | Pang Fu | Pang Yu's servant |
| Chang Kuo-chu | Lu Fang | "Sky Rat", 1st sworn brother |
| Wu Yuan-chun | Han Zhang | "Earth Rat", 2nd sworn brother |
| Pang San | Xu Qing | "Mountain Rat", 3rd sworn brother |
| Lu Yi-lung | Jiang Ping | "River Rat", 4th sworn brother |
| Chang Chen-huan [zh] (C.3–6) | Bai Yutang | "Sleek Rat", 5th sworn brother |
| Goo Goon-chung (C.41) | Bai Yutang | "Sleek Rat", 5th sworn brother |
| Tai Chih-yuan | Bao Mian | Bao Zheng's same-aged nephew |
| Liu Ming | Wu Miaozhen | Bao Zheng's eldest sister-in-law and motherly figure, Bao Mian's mother |
| Chang Fu-chien | Di Qing | Song Dynasty general, Princess Di's nephew |

## Awards

1995 – 30th Golden Bell Awards
* Won – Jin Chao-chun, Best Actor
* Won – Tai Chih-yuan, Best Supporting Actor, for the portrayal of Guo Huai (Case 3)
* Won – Liu Ming, Best Supporting Actress, for the portrayal of Bao Mian's mother (Case 8)

## Theme songs

1. The opening theme, performed by Hu Kua, has the same title as the series. It was originally performed by Chiang Kuang-Chao for the earlier 1974 CTS series also of the same name.
* A Cantonese cover ("願世間有青天") performed by George Lam with lyrics by Wong Jim was the opening theme of the series on TVB in Hong Kong. It was also the opening theme of the 1995 TVB series Justice Bao.
* Another Cantonese cover by Ray Lui was the opening theme of the 1995 ATV series Justice Bao.
* A Tagalog cover ("Katarungan Ay Si Judge Bao") was the opening theme of the series on ABC-5 in the Philippines Produced By 20 Plus Entertainment.
* Andy Lau covered the song in the 2003 Bao Zheng-related movie Cat and Mouse.
* Cambodian version was performed by Nou Sib which aired on CTV9 in 1994 and Neay Koy which air on CTN in 2020 (as he performed in 2001)
2. The ending theme was "New Dream of the Butterfly Lovers" (Chinese: 新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢; pinyin: Xīn Yuānyāng Húdié Mèng), written and performed by Huang An.
* This song became a huge hit in the Chinese-speaking world, and Huang's album with the same name became one of the best-selling albums in Taiwan, selling over a million copies.
* Cover versions in many languages exist due to the show's influence in the region. Kenny Ho recorded a Cantonese version (also "新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢") with lyrics by Albert Leung, while Huang An and Loletta Lee each recorded a different Cantonese version (both titled "愛於錯誤年代" but the lyrics differ). A popular English version from the Singaporean band Tokyo Square was titled "Can't Let Go". Huang An's own English version was titled "When It Comes to Love". There are also versions in Hokkien ("鴛鴦蝴蝶夢" by Joice Lim), Thai ("สุดจะหยุดใจ" by Koong Tuangsith Reamchinda), Vietnamese ("Uyên Ương Hồ Điệp Mộng" by Đan Trường), Khmer ("ផ្ការោយមុនរដូវ" by Nou Sib and "ព្រួយជាមួយចន្ទ" by Khemarak Sereymon) and Indonesian ("Melody Memory" by Lavenia), among others.
3. Another ending theme song used for some episodes was "Hand in Hand, Let's Travel the World" (Chinese: 攜手遊人間; lit. 'Traveling the World Hand in Hand').

## International broadcast

* : Channel 9
* : Indonesian Educational Television (1995).
* : Metrovision (1995)
* : Myawady Television (1998), Myanmar Radio and Television (2018 - with Burmese dub), Sky Net Channel 9 Myanmar (2019)
* : RPN (1996-2000), ABC 5 (2007-2008)
* : Channel 8
* : Channel 3 (1995-October 1, 2015)
* : NEW18 (April 6, 2020 - March 28, 2021 (Every Monday - Sunday from 16: 35-17: 35))

## Video game adaptations

On the first few years after its original run ended, at least three video game adaptations of the series were published in Asia. It is unknown if any of them were licensed by CTS.
The first adaptation was the homonymous beat 'em up 包青天 (Bāo Qīng Tiān), published in 1994 by Bit Corporation for the Gamate handheld console in Taiwan. It is the only one out of the three that was licensed by the console manufacturer. Its higher quality and overall polish and country of origin may also be a pointer for it being officially licensed by CTS, although that is uncertain.
The second and third adaptations were both released in mainland China in 1996 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and it is unclear which went to market first. The most well-known out of the two, usually cited as the first, is a platformer also titled Bāo Qīng Tiān, published by Kai Sheng in Hong Kong and by Family TSI in Thailand. The second is a fighting game titled Impartial Judge, published by Fuzhou Waixing in China.