Huo Yuanjia (2001 TV series)
Huo Yuanjia is a 2001 Chinese television series based on the life of the Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia. It includes a subplot about Chen Zhen, a fictional apprentice of Huo Yuanjia and the protagonist of the 1972 film "Fist of Fury". The series was directed by Jia Yun and starred Vincent Zhao, Wu Yue, Mei Ting, Qi Yan, and He Yin in the lead roles. A sequel, "Jingwu Yingxiong Chen Zhen", was released later in the same year. Plot. In the late Qing dynasty, China suffers humiliating defeats in battles against foreign powers such  as Britain and Japan, and is forced to sign unequal treaties and cede territories to foreigners. In Tianjin, even though Huo Endi defeats his Japanese opponent in a "leitai" match, his triumph is a Pyrrhic victory because China had just been defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War and its Beiyang Fleet was completely destroyed. Huo Yuanjia, Huo Endi's son, travels to Beijing to meet his father's friend "Great Sword" Wang Wu. He is drawn into the affairs of the Hundred Days' Reform unknowingly. Wang is a supporter of the reformists and he attempts to rescue the "Six  Gentlemen", who have been imprisoned on Empress Dowager Cixi's order. Huo joins Wang in his quest but they fail and the six men are executed in public, while Wang dies a gruesome death later when he tries to avenge his comrades. Through his experiences, Huo Yuanjia begins to see the declining state of China and realises that China needs to change in order to survive in the future. Huo meets members of the Tongmenghui, a secret society planning to overthrow the corrupt Qing regime and establish a republic in China, and he supports them in their efforts. Huo Yuanjia  travels to Shanghai later, where he founds Jingwu School to groom martial artists to defend China from foreign intrusion and to boost national morale. Huo makes his name by defeating an aggressive Russian wrestler in Tianjin and an overbearing British boxer in Shanghai, upholding the dignity of the Chinese. At the same time, he meets the hostile Chen Zhen, who seeks vengeance on him. Chen's father was killed by Huo Endi years ago and since Huo Endi had died, Huo Yuanjia becomes Chen's target. Huo Yuanjia accepts Chen as his apprentice and attempts to resolve their feud by  enlightening Chen with his martial arts philosophy. Huo Yuanjia's love relationships are also in a mess, because he is in love with both Qiyun and Nong Jingqiu, but both of them stand on opposing grounds: Qiyun is the daughter of Prince Rong, a Manchu noble and the primary enemy of the Tongmenghui; Nong Jingqiu is the sister of Nong Jinsun, a Tongmenghui member. Besides that, Huo faces love rivals: Watanabe Ichiro, a prominent Japanese consul, is in love with Qiyun; Zheng Yefeng, Nong Jingqiu's godbrother, has a crush on his godsister.