Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time, the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members, including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes, such as the battles of Guandu, Red Cliffs and Xiaoting, were also realized using a large array of live actors and extras.
The series is widely seen as among the best period dramas in China and has been praised for capturing the epic scale of the novel's story, themes and characters while maintaining its artistic and historical value. The show has a 9.5 rating on Douban from over 89,030 reviews.
List of episodes The series is divided into five parts and each part has a different executive producer and director(s).
Part One Title: 第一部：群雄逐鹿 (Part One: Heroes compete for power) Executive producer: You Shijun Director(s): Shen Haofang, Cai Xiaoqing
# Rough translation of title (in English) Original title (in Chinese) 1 Oath of the Peach Garden 桃园三结义 2 The Ten Attendants cause political turmoil 十常侍乱政 3 Dong Zhuo takes control of the capital 董卓霸京师 4 Cao Cao presents a sword 孟德献刀 5 The three heroes fight Lü Bu 三英战吕布 6 The Chain-links Strategy 连环计 7 Fengyi Pavilion 凤仪亭 8 Offering Xu Province thrice 三让徐州 9 Sun Ce builds a dynasty 孙策立业 10 Shooting an arrow through a halberd 辕门射戟 11 Battle of Wancheng 宛城之战 12 White Gate Tower (part 1) 白门楼 (上) 13 White Gate Tower (part 2) 白门楼 (下) 14 Discussing about heroes over drinks 煮酒论英雄 15 Yuan Shao and Cao Cao mobilise their armies 袁曹起兵 16 Guan Yu lists three conditions 关羽约三事 17 Returning riches and a seal 挂印封金 18 A lone journey over a thousand li 千里走单骑 19 Reunion in Gucheng 古城相会 20 Sun Ce's death 孙策之死 21 Battle of Guandu (part 1) 官渡之战 (上) 22 Battle of Guandu (part 2) 官渡之战 (下) 23 Yuan Shao is defeated 大破袁绍
Part Two Title: 第二部：赤壁鏖战 (Part Two: The Battle of Red Cliffs) Executive producer: Zhang Guangqian Director: Cai Xiaoqing, Zhang Zhongyi
# Rough translation of title (in English) Original title (in Chinese) 24 Leaping across the Tan Stream on horseback 跃马檀溪 25 Liu Bei seeks the virtuous 刘备求贤 26 Turning back to recommend Zhuge Liang 回马荐诸葛 27 Three visits to the thatched cottage 三顾茅庐 28 The inferno at Bowang Slope 火烧博望坡 29 Assisting the people across the river 携民渡江 30 Arguing with the Confucian scholars 舌战群儒 31 Cleverly instigating Zhou Yu 智激周瑜 32 Zhou Yu's plan goes to waste 周瑜空设计 33 The Heroes' Gathering 群英会 34 Borrowing arrows with straw boats 草船借箭 35 The Self-torture Ruse 苦肉计 36 Pang Tong presents the Chain-links Strategy 庞统献连环 37 Thrusting a spear and composing a poem 横槊赋诗 38 Zhuge Liang prays for the wind 诸葛祭风 39 Burning of the Red Cliffs 火烧赤壁 40 Seizing Nan Commandery by wit 智取南郡 41 Conquering the four commanderies 力夺四郡 42 The Beauty Scheme 美人计 43 Ganlu Temple 甘露寺 44 Return to Jing Province 回荆州 45 Zhou Yu is infuriated thrice 三气周瑜 46 The Crouching Dragon attends a funeral 卧龙吊孝 47 Slicing off beard and discarding robe 割须弃袍
Part Three Title: 第三部：三国鼎立 (Part Three: Emergence of the Three Kingdoms) Executive producer: Shan Yusheng Director: Sun Guangming, Zhang Zhongyi
# Rough translation of title (in English) Original title (in Chinese) 48 Zhang Song presents a map 张松献图 49 Liu Bei enters Sichuan 刘备入川 50 The Phoenix falls at a slope 凤雏落坡 51 Righteously releasing Yan Yan 义释严颜 52 Conquering western Sichuan 夺战西川 53 Attending a banquet alone and armed with only a blade 单刀赴会 54 Battle of Hefei 合肥会战 55 Contention for the succession 立嗣之争 56 Mount Dingjun 定军山 57 Strategic capture of Hanzhong 巧取汉中 58 Drowning the seven armies 水淹七军 59 Leaving Maicheng 走麦城 60 Cao Cao's death 曹操之死 61 Cao Pi usurps the Han throne 曹丕篡汉 62 Campaign against Wu 兴兵伐吴 63 Burning of the linked camps 火烧连营 64 Calmly holding off five enemy forces 安居平五路
Part Four Title: 第四部：南征北战 (Part Four: Battles in the south and north) Executive producer: Zhang Jizhong Director: Zhang Shaolin
# Rough translation of title (in English) Original title (in Chinese) 65 Troops cross the Lu River 兵渡泸水 66 Seeking a path out in dire straits 绝路问津 67 Meng Huo is captured seven times 七擒孟获 68 Northern Expedition 出师北伐 69 Winning over Jiang Wei 收姜维 70 Sima Yi returns 司马复出 71 Empty Fort Strategy 空城退敌 72 Sima Yi obtains a seal 司马取印 73 Battle of wits at Mount Qi 祁山斗智 74 Zhuge Liang disguises himself as a god 诸葛妆神 75 Six campaigns on Mount Qi 六出祁山 76 The fire is extinguished in Shangfang Valley 火熄上方谷 77 Autumn winds on the Wuzhang Plains 秋风五丈原
Part Five Title: 第五部：三分归一 (Part Five: Three united as one) Executive producer: Hao Hengmin Director: Zhang Zhongyi
# Rough translation of title (in English) Original title (in Chinese) 78 Feigning illness to trick Cao Shuang 诈病赚曹爽 79 Conflict in the Wu palace 吴宫干戈 80 Siege of Mount Tielong 兵困铁笼山 81 Sima Zhao commits regicide 司马昭弑君 82 Nine campaigns on the Central Plains 九伐中原 83 Stealth march to Yinping 偷渡阴平 84 Three united under Jin 三分归晋
Cast Due to the time taken to complete the project (four years), there were numerous instances of (1) multiple actors portraying the same character or (2) the same actor taking on multiple roles. An example of case (1) was the character Zhang Liao, who was portrayed by Xu Shaohua in episode 12, Zhang Yakun in episode 39, and Wang Weiguo in episode 54. Chen Zhihui was an extreme example of case (2) because he took on four roles – three as generals from Wei, Shu and Wu (Xu Chu, Liao Hua and Taishi Ci) and one as minor warlord Bao Xin. Two other prominent examples of case (2) were Wu Xiaodong and Hong Yuzhou – the former portrayed Sun Jian in episode 5 and Sun Quan from episode 30 onwards; the latter portrayed a young Yuan Shao in episode 5 and Zhou Yu from episode 9 onwards.
Main cast
Sun Yanjun as Liu Bei Tang Guoqiang as Zhuge Liang Bao Guo'an as Cao Cao Lu Shuming as Guan Yu Li Jingfei as Zhang Fei Wu Xiaodong as Sun Quan / Sun Jian Hong Yuzhou as Zhou Yu / Yuan Shao (younger)
Other cast Sorted by role in alphabetical order
Du Wenlu as Ahuinan Xue Wencheng as Bao Long Chen Zhihui as Bao Xin Liu Shaochun as Bao Zhong Li Fengying as Lady Bian Liu Xiaomei as Lady Cai (Liu Biao's wife) Li Hua as Cai He Me Yue as Cai Mao Qin Zhao as Cai Yong Li Xiaozhou as Cai Zhong An Zhiyi as Cao Fang Huoercha / Bala Zhu'er / Wang Jie as Cao Hong Wang Han as Cao Huan Li Ming as Cao Jie Ji Chenmu as Cao Mao Yang Junyong as Cao Pi Tai Zuhui / Xu Deshan as Cao Ren Wang Guanghui as Cao Rui Kang Ming as Cao Shuang Chi Chonggen as Cao Xi Sun Zhencai as Cao Xun Zheng Qiang as Cao Zhen Wang Liangbo as Cao Zhi Wang Changli as Chen Deng Li Jianyi / Xiu Zongdi as Chen Gong Niu Chaliang as Chen Gui Wang Tao as Chen Lin Chen Debao / Zhang Shijun as Chen Shi Zhang Shijun as Chen Qun Liu Yinglu as Chen Tai Dong Jiuru as Cheng Bing Zhang Ping as Cheng Ji Yan Huaili / Chen Zhuanliang as Cheng Pu Dai Jingguo / Yu Lianzeng as Cheng Yu Ren Meng as Cheng Zi Zhou Wanhong as Chunyu Qiong Zhuang Li as Lady Cui Li Songqiao as Cui Liang Zhao Xiaochuan as Cui Zhouping Wang Hongguang as Deng Ai Li Zhiyi as Deng Zhi Wu Wenqing as Deng Zhong Zhang Jiatian as Dian Wei Chen Hong as Diaochan Liu Shaochun / Wang Yi / Yang Baohe as Ding Feng Rui Lirong as Ding Yuan Lü Zhong as Empress Dowager Dong Liu Long as Dong Cheng Qin Baolin as Dongtuna Li Po as Dong Zhuo Wei Yingming as Duan Gui Liu He as King Duosi Zhang Xuting as Eheshaoge Shi Laiqun / Zhang Minfu as Fa Zheng Wei Deshan as Fan Qiang Qi Wenqiang as Fei Yao Li Hong as Fei Yi Yi Shufen / Guo Shuping as Lady Gan Han Dong / Zhang Yuhai as Gan Ning Yuan Lijian as Gao Xiang Yang Fan as Gongsun Zan Li Yanping as Gu Yong Ding Zhiyong / Chen Bing as Guan Ping Li Wei as Guan Xing Chang Yuping / Sun Qicheng as Guo Huai Jiang Kai as Guo Jia Guo Shouyang as Guo Tu Zhu Jun as Han Dang Yu Rongguang as Han Fu Yang Zibin as Han Hao Sude Siqin as Han Meng Huang Xiaoli as Han Xuan Li Shicai as Hao Zhao Zheng Tianwei as Empress He Zhang Fuyuan as He Jin Ye Jinsen as Hu Ban Jiang Chongxia as Hu Lie Qi Jianbo as Hu Yuan Yu Weijie as Huche'er Wang Zhongxin as Hua Tuo Song Ge as Hua Xin Wen Hao as Huan Fan Wang Hongwu as Huang Chengyan Wu Guicen / Xu Fuyin as Huang Gai Zeng Ge as Huang Hao Wang Hongtao as Huang Zhong Qiao Chen as Huang Zhong's wife Wang Hongtao as Ji Ling Ding Zhicheng as Ji Ping Han Xinmin as Jia Chong Xu Yongliang / Li Xuliang as Jia Xu Su Jianyu as Jian Shuo An Ji as Jian Yong Zhou Zhou as Jiang Gan Liu Xi as Jiang Ji Liu Hongkun as Jiang Wan Zhang Tianshu as Jiang Wei (younger) Fan Zhiqi as Jiang Wei (older) Zhang Dengqiao as Jiang Wei's mother Wang Zhiqiang as Ju Shou Zhang Xiqian as Kan Ze Zheng Rong as Kong Rong Ma Jichun as Kuai Yue Zhang Yingwu / Sang Bao / Zhang Jinghai as Li Dian Wang Qiang / Zhang Jimin as Li Feng Li Bao'an as Li Fu Wang Zhiqiang as Li Hui Bi Yanjun as Li Ru Yang Aifu as Li Sheng Yan Yansheng as Li Su Mang Lai / Chen Zhihui / Du Wenlu as Liao Hua Wang Gang / Han Zengxiang as Ling Tong Ma Zijun as Liu Bei and Lady Sun's wedding emcee Zhu Feng as Liu Bian, Emperor Shao of Han Zhang Da as Liu Biao Chen Xu as Liu Chen Liang Chi as Liu Cong Huo Ercha as Liu Dai Zhao Zhenping as Liu Feng Liu Zongren as Liu Gui Yin Li as Liu Qi Li Tie as Liu Shan (younger) Lu Jixian as Liu Shan (older) Yin Shen / Su Ke as Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of Han (younger) Bao Dazhi as Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of Han (older) Xiao Lu / Ma Yusen / Wei Xian as Liu Ye Liang Zhenya as Liu Zhang Zhao Piyu as Lu Ji Cao Li / Song Banggui / Ma Yuliang as Lu Su Gao Fei as Lu Xun Yang Zhaoquan as Lu Zhi Cao Shixiang as Lü Boshe Zhang Guangbei as Lü Bu Liu Yan as Lü Bu's daughter Gao Baobao as Lü Bu's wife Suo Eryong as Lü Fan Chu Guoliang / Guo Molang as Lü Meng An Yaping as Ma Chao Li Jianping / Chen Guanxin as Ma Dai Wang Xianhe / Li Ping as Ma Liang Zhang Zhizhong as Ma Su Huang Wenjun as Ma Teng Zhang Hao as Ma Zhong Qin Baolin as Ma Zun Zhou Huilin as Mao Jie Zhang Nan as Meng Da Hu Zhanli as Meng Huo Yan Fengqi as Meng Jian Li Yankui as Meng Jie Sude Siqin as Meng Tan Li Dongguo as Meng You Xu Di / Wang Luyao as Lady Mi Kui Heguo as Mi Fang Zhu Bingqian / Yang Naihuang / Ren Dongsheng as Mi Zhu Zhang Xuting as King Midang Pang Daxin as Pan Ying Hei Shuikuan / Sun Qicheng as Pan Zhang Zhang Yuanpeng as Pang De Jin Shugui / Zhu Shibin as Pang Tong Guo Jiaqing as Pujing Jiang Jin as Elder Qiao Wang Fengwen as Qiao Zhou Chen Changlong as Qin Liang Wang Zhongxin as Qin Mi Liu Liwei as Qin Qi Zhao Piyu as Qiu Jian Wang Ying as Shao Ti Wang Xian as Shen Pei Ma Shuliang as Shi Tao Ji Chonggong as Shi Xu Zheng Xu as Shi Zuan Su Min as Sima Hui Pan Yinlai as Sima Shi (younger) Lei Tieliu as Sima Shi (older) Lü Suosen as Sima Wang Han Qing as Sima Yan Tang Zhenhuan as Sima Yi (younger) Wei Zongwan as Sima Yi (older) Li Chiyou as Sima Zhao (younger) Gao Lancun as Sima Zhao (older) Xu Hongda as Su Yue Zhao Yue as Lady Sun Pu Cunxin as Sun Ce Yang Jun as Sun Li Guo Jiaqiang / Xia Junyin as Sun Qian Pan Yueming as Sun Xiu Li Hongtao / Chen Zhihui as Taishi Ci Zhang Tong as Tao Qian Gao Baobao as Lady Tian Zhang Lianzhong as Tian Feng Wang Tiejun as Tian Si Chi Chonggen as Wang Fu Zhang Hongying as Wang Jing Dong Ji as Wang Lang Cui Dai as Wang Ping Yan Yansheng as Wang Su Zheng Dapeng as Wang Tao Xu Yun as Wang Youtong Tan Zongyao as Wang Yun Mo Qi as Wang Zhi Shi Changjin as Wang Zifu