Cao Cao

Cao Cao (Chinese: 曹操; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei". Although he is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant in subsequent literature, Cao Cao has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. During the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Cao was able to secure the most populated and prosperous cities of the central plains and northern China. Cao had much success as Han chancellor, but his handling of the Han emperor Liu Xie was heavily criticized and resulted in a continued and then escalated civil war. Opposition directly gathered around warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan, whom Cao was unable to quell. Cao was also skilled in poetry and martial arts and wrote many war journals.

Jonathan Kos-Read

Jonathan Kos-Read (born 1973), also known as Cao Cao (Chinese: 曹操; pinyin: Cáo Cāo), is an American film and television actor based in the People's Republic of China. While well known in China, his work is little-known in the United States. Kos-Read uses the stage name Cao Cao, which is also the name of the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a historical figure well-known to most Chinese people.

Early life and education

Kos-Read was born in Torrance, California, in 1973. He attended the film and acting schools of New York University, but completed his university career there studying molecular biology. Kos-Read began studying Mandarin Chinese at New York University, and re-located to China in 1997. His first acting role was in 1999.

Career

Kos-Read's roles have included: My Fair Gentleman (2009) (co-starring Kelly Lin and Sun Honglei), Empire of Silver (2009, also starring Aaron Kwok and Jennifer Tilly), and Fit Lover (2008, also starring Nie Bing). Kos-Read has also been featured on Here Comes Cao Cao, a reality program about his life broadcast on Beijing Television. The title of the show was a reference to the Chinese proverb "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will be there" ("说曹操曹操就到"), roughly equivalent to the English saying, "Speak of the devil." He has starred in more than 75 productions. As a caucasian who is fully fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Kos-Read frequently appears as the foreign love interest or villain, in roles that sometimes present stereotypical images of non-Chinese people. In 2009, he also appeared on stage with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in a Mandarin-language version of the orchestra's multi-media concert piece "The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres," in performances in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Kos-Read was one of those chosen to carry the Olympic torch on its way to the Olympic Stadium.

Cao Cao (TV series)

Cao Cao is a Chinese television series based on the life of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. It aims to paint a more historically accurate image of Cao Cao, who is traditionally depicted as a villain in Chinese culture. The series, which starred Zhao Lixin as the eponymous character, was directed by Hu Mei and filmed at the Xiangshan Film City in Ningbo, Zhejiang, between 1 November 2011 and 15 March 2012.

Cao Cao has not been broadcast in China yet even though it was already released on DVD in Japan on 4 September 2013. It also started airing on Channel Ginga in Japan on 5 January 2014, and on Chunghwa TV in South Korea from 6 October to 28 November 2014.

Plot

The series is divided into seven parts spanning 41 episodes. It covers Cao Cao's life from his adolescent years and early career to the period just before the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Cast