Yu Zheng slammed for ruining Jin Yong's work

12 Dec – Even before his new drama went into production, mainland producer Yu Zheng had already been blasted by fans of Jin Yong's wu xia novels, when he announced that he will be producing the re-telling of the author's most beloved work, "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

It was no surprise that the actual series turned out to be a travesty to the original work, with botched up characters and lack of artistic values being the main criticism from both critics and viewers alike.

According to Sina News, the series, which premiered on 3 December, has been receiving one backlash after another.

Yu Zheng's confidence in his decision to make the cutesy and lively Michelle Chen the new Little Dragon Girl, a character known for her icy demeanour, was heavily criticised, and has been dubbed a failure when it was presented to the viewers.

The characters' cheesy dialogues and altered personalities, including Yu Zheng's interpretation of Yang Guo's character as flirtatious rather than earnest, has angered a lot of fans of the series, who stated that the character has been distorted beyond recognition.

Fans of the series also say that Yu Zheng has turned Yang Guo, who is the epitome of heroism and integrity, into a man who is more focused on his love life rather than helping others.

Aside from fans of the original work, other writers, including wu xia author Du Guyi who has been studying a lot of Jin Yong's works, has also called for the public to boycott the series for its disrespect for the author and his fan base.