LayarHijau – The new wuxia mystery drama Zhan Zhao Adventures officially premiered on May 13, 2026 on Youku and CCTV. The series stars Yang Yang as Zhan Zhao alongside Zhang Ruonan and Alen Fang.
The drama is adapted from the novel Yu Lin Ling (雨霖铃) by minifish. However, its story is still heavily inspired by the classic legends surrounding Judge Bao and the swordsman Zhan Zhao, characters who have remained deeply rooted in Chinese popular culture for centuries.
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That is why many viewers have been asking the same question: was the character Zhan Zhao, played by Yang Yang, actually based on a real historical figure?
The answer is somewhat complicated. The person who truly existed in Chinese history was Bao Zheng, better known as Judge Bao. He was a famous official during the Northern Song Dynasty in the 11th century and became widely respected for his honesty and his willingness to punish corrupt officials regardless of their status.
Bao Zheng’s reputation became so legendary that countless folk tales about him began circulating after his death. Over time, those stories evolved into a mix of history, detective fiction, courtroom drama, and wuxia adventures.
Unlike Bao Zheng, however, there is no solid historical evidence proving that Zhan Zhao actually existed.
Most Chinese literature scholars consider Zhan Zhao to be a fictional or semi-fictional character created through folklore and classical novels. The character became especially famous through the classic novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants (Qi Xia Wu Yi / 七侠五义), a work commonly associated with storyteller and writer Shi Yukun.
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For over a thousand years, the legend of Lord Bao and his Seven Heroes and Five Gallants has remained one of China’s most beloved folk tales, celebrated through ballads, opera, and songs. The story follows the righteous Lord Bao and a group of heroic swordsmen who fight crime, corruption, and injustice while protecting the weak and bringing corrupt officials to justice.
In the story, Zhan Zhao is portrayed as an elite swordsman who works for the imperial court and assists Judge Bao in solving major criminal cases.
This concept made Zhan Zhao very different from many traditional wuxia heroes. In most classic wuxia stories, wandering swordsmen operate outside the government and legal system. Zhan Zhao, however, chooses to serve the court and support the law.
Because of that, the relationship between Judge Bao and Zhan Zhao is often seen as a unique blend of detective fiction and wuxia storytelling. Judge Bao represents justice and the legal system, while Zhan Zhao becomes the one who investigates dangerous cases, hunts criminals, infiltrates enemy strongholds, and protects ordinary people.
One of the most iconic parts of Zhan Zhao’s legend is his title, “Imperial Cat.” According to the classic stories, the Emperor granted him that nickname because of his swift and agile movements, which resembled a cat.
That title later led to his famous rivalry with Bai Yutang, another legendary swordsman known as the “锦毛鼠” or “Brocade Fur Rat.” The “cat versus rat” rivalry eventually became one of the most beloved elements in the Judge Bao universe and continues to appear in modern adaptations today.
Zhan Zhao’s popularity has lasted across generations. In the 1990s, the character became even more iconic through the hit Taiwanese drama Justice Bao, which helped cement Zhan Zhao’s image as an elegant, loyal, and righteous swordsman in the minds of Asian audiences.
Interestingly, there are still occasional theories claiming that Zhan Zhao may have been loosely inspired by real Song Dynasty officials or local heroes with similar reputations. However, historians generally consider those claims weak because there is no reliable historical evidence directly connecting them to the legendary swordsman.
That is why the most widely accepted view remains:
Bao Zheng was real, while Zhan Zhao was most likely a literary and folkloric creation.
Yet that may be exactly why the character has endured for so long. Zhan Zhao represents the ideal wuxia hero — a skilled fighter who uses his abilities not for personal glory, but to protect justice, help ordinary people, and support the rule of law.
And through Zhan Zhao Adventures, that centuries-old legend is now being introduced once again to a new generation of viewers.
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