50 episodes of a guy scamming his way through Qing dynasty harems? Sign me up.
Season 1 • Episode 50
LatestRoyal Tramp is a 2008 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Deer and the Cauldron. Produced by Zhang Jizhong and Huayi Brothers, the series consists of 50 episodes, filmed in high definition. The series was first broadcast on Jiangsu TV in China in 2008 and was subsequently aired on TVB in Hong Kong and in other countries.
Costume
Qing dynasty opulence meets soap opera excess — every hat is a statement.
Acting
Huang Xiaoming's smug charisma carries this entire chaotic enterprise.
Production
Zhang Jizhong's signature wuxia grandeur on a TV budget somehow works.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Louis Cha wrote Wei Xiaobao as a deliberate subversion of traditional wuxia heroes — he's illiterate, selfish, and succeeds through street smarts rather than martial virtue.
This 2008 adaptation is Zhang Jizhong's third crack at Deer and the Cauldron — he previously produced versions in 1984 and 2000, making this his self-proclaimed 'definitive' take.
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