In 1995, CCTV produced a television adaptation of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was a 84-part series with 44-minute long episodes. The whole series took a 1000-strong production group four years to complete, and recruited over 400,000 civilian participants, including divisions of the PLA. Most of the dialogues used were adapted directly from the novel and extensive battle scenes were live-acted to a breathtaking scale. It was CCTV's most expensive television series to date.
Episodes
The series contained 84 episodes spanning the novel.
- Oath of the Peach Garden (桃园三结义)
- Turmoil of the Ten Attendants (十常侍乱政)
- Dong Zhuo Seizes the Capital (董卓霸京师)
- Cao Cao Presents a Sword (孟德献刀)
- Three Heroes Duel Lü Bu (三英战吕布)
- A set of Interlocking Stratagems (连环计)
- The Fengyi Pavilion (凤仪亭)
- Liu Bei Declines to take Xuzhou Thrice (三让徐州)
- Sun Ce building his career in Jiangdong (孙策立业)
- Settling disputes by shooting (辕门射戟)
- Battle of Wancheng (宛城之战)
- Baimen Tower (part 1) (白门楼（上）)
- Baimen Tower (part 2) (白门楼（下）)
- Discussing the heroes of the country when drinking (煮酒论英雄)
- Yuan Shao and Cao Cao Fight against each other (袁曹起兵)
- Guan Yu plighting three conditions with Cao Cao (关羽约三事)
- Hanging up seal and sealing up the treasures (挂印封金)
- Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles (千里走单骑)
- Meeting at Gucheng (古城相会)
- Death of Sun Ce (孙策之死)
- Battle of Guandu (part 1) (官渡之战（上）)
- Battle of Guandu (part 2) (官渡之战（下）)
- Yuan Shao Defeated (大破袁绍)
- Leaping across the Tan River (跃马檀溪)
- Looking for the talented person (刘备求贤)
- Recommending Zhuge Liang (回马荐诸葛)
- Visiting the Thatched Cottage Thrice (三顾茅庐)
- Burning Bowang Po (火烧博望坡)
- Crossing across the Yangtze River with civilians (携民渡江)
- Arguing against Eastern Wu's scholars (舌战群儒)
- Irritating Zhou Yu by wisdom (智激周瑜)
- A failed scheme by Zhou Yu (周瑜空设计)
- The meeting of heroes (群英会)
- Borrowing arrows from Cao Cao (草船借箭)
- The self-torture ruse (苦肉计)
- Pang Tong presenting scheme of Chaining ships (庞统献连环)
- Composing a poem when wielding spear (横槊赋诗)
- Zhuge Liang sacrificing for procuring a wind (诸葛祭风)
- The Burning of the Red Cliffs (火烧赤壁)
- Taking Nanjun by strategy (智取南郡)
- Taking Four Commanderies by Force (力夺四郡)
- Beauty Trap (美人计)
- Ganlu Temple (甘露寺)
- Return to Jingzhou (回荆州)
- Anger Zhou Yu thrice (三气周瑜)
- Zhuge Liang mourns for the dead (卧龙吊孝)
- Cao Cao took to his heels (割须弃袍)
- Zhang Song presents a map (张松献图)
- Liu Bei enters Sichuan (刘备入川)
- Valley of the Fallen Phoenix (凤雏落坡)
- Releasing Yan Yan righteously (义释严颜)
- The capture of West Shu (夺战西川)
- Guan Yu goes to a feast alone but armed (单刀赴会)
- Battle of Hefei (合肥会战)
- Contending for Succession (立嗣之争)
- The battle of Mount Dingjun (定军山)
- Capturing Hanzhong by clever scheme (巧取汉中)
- Drowning Seven Armies (水淹七军)
- Guan Yu defeated in Maicheng (走麦城)
- Death of Cao Cao (曹操之死)
- Cao Pi usurping state power of Han Dynasty (曹丕篡汉)
- Expedition to Eastern Wu (兴兵伐吴)
- Burning of Shu's camps (火烧连营)
- Settling attacks from five directions (安居平五路)
- Crossing the Lu River (兵渡泸水)
- Asking the way in desperate situation (绝路问津)
- Capturing and releasing Meng Huo seven times (七擒孟获)
- The Northern Expedition (出师北伐)
- Reducing Jiang Wei to submission (收姜维)
- Sima Yi being restored to command (司马复出)
- Empty fort strategy (空城退敌)
- Sima Yi seizing the seal of commander (司马取印)
- Zhuge Liang setting his wits to Sima Yi at Qishan (祁山斗智)
- Zhuge Liang juggling on the beach (诸葛妆神)
- The Six Expeditions to Qishan (六出祁山)
- Extinguishing the fire in Shangfang Valley (火熄上方谷)
- Autumn Winds on the Wuzhang Plains (秋风五丈原)
- Sima Yi seizing military power from Cao Shuang by false illness (诈病赚曹爽)
- Coups happening in the Wu Palace (吴宫干戈)
- Besieged on Tielong Mountain (兵困铁笼山)
- Sima Zhao Commits Regicide (司马昭弑君)
- The ninth North Expedition to Central Plains (九伐中原)
- Deng Ai making surprise advance by sideway to Yinping (偷渡阴平)
- Jin unites the Three Kingdoms (三分归晋)
Cast
Some of the actors played multiple roles and some characters were played by different actors in different episodes.
- Liu Bei：Sun Yanjun
- Guan Yu：Lu Shuming
- Zhang Fei：Li Jingfei
- Cao Cao：Bao Guo'an
- Sun Quan：Wu Xiaodong
- Zhuge Liang：Tang Guoqiang
- Sun Ce：Pu Cunxin
- Zhou Yu：Hong Yuzhou
- Diao Chan：Chen Hong
- Dong Zhuo：Li Po
- Lu Bu：Zhang Guangbei
- Sima Yi：Tang Zhenhuan,Wei Zongwan
- Sima Shi：Pan Yinlai,Lei Tieliu
- Sima Zhao：Li Chiyou,Gao Lancun
- Lu Su：Cao Li,Song Banggui
- Sun Jian：Wu Xiaodong
- Yuan Shao：Hong Yuzhou,Li Qingxiang
- Zhao Yun：Zhang Shan,Yang Fan,Hou Yongsheng
- Gongsun Zan：Yang Fan
- Ma Chao：An Yaping
- Cao Rui：Wang Guanghui
- Taishi Ci：Li Hongtao,Chen Zhihui
- Yuan Shu：Chen Youwang,Wang Fusheng
- Zhang Zhao：Zhou Jiwei
- Li Ru：Bi Yanjun
- Wang Yun：Tan Zongyao
- Bao Xin：Chen Zhihui
- Ding Yuan：Rui Lirong
- Cai Yi：Qin Zhao
- Xu Zhi：Yang Zhaoquan
- Li Su：Yan Yansheng
- Wu Fu：Liu Jianwei
- Empress He：Zheng Tianwei
- Emperor Shao：Zhu Feng
- Huang Gai：Wu Guicen,Xu Fuyin
- Zhou Tai：Yin Wei,Zhang Ying
- Cheng Pu：Yan Huaili、Chen Zhuanliang
- Guo Jia：Jiang Kai
- Xun Yu：Gu Lan
- Chen Deng：Wang Changli
- Chen Gong：Xiu Zongdi
- Sun Qian：Guo Jiaqing,Xia Junyin
- Zhang Liao：Xu Shaohua
- Xiahou Dun：Balazhu'er
- Chen Gui：Niu Tuliang
- Mi Zhu：Zhu Bingqian,Yang Naihuang
- Lady Yan(Lu Bu's wife)：Gao Baobao
- Xu Chu：Wang Jianguo
- Liao Hua：Mang Lai,Chen Zhihui,Du Wenlu,Chen Zhihui
- Lady Mi(Liu Bei's wife)：Xu Di,Wang Luyao
- Lady Gan(Liu Bei's wife)：Yi Shufen,Guo Shuping
- Meng Tan：Sudesiqin
- Pu Jing：Guo Jiaqing
- Wang Zhi：Mo Qi
- Hu Ban：Ye Jinsen
- Xu Huang：Huo Ercha,Nigemutu,Li Dongguo
- Tian Feng：Zhang Lianzhong
- Han Meng：Sudesiqin
- Chunyu Qiong：Zhou Wanhong
- Ju Shou：Wang Zhiqiang
- Shen Pei：Wang Xian
- Li Dian：Zhang Yingwu
- Xu You：Shi Xiaoman
- Xin Pi：Ma Xingyue,Qin Baolin
- Yuan Tan：Deng Xiaoguang
- Chen Lin：Wang Tao
- Cheng Yu：Dai Jingguo
- Xu Shu：Zhai Wanchen
- Sima Hui：Su Min
- Cui Zhouping：Zhao Xiaochuan
- Shi Dao：Ma Shuliang
- Meng Jian：Yan Fengqi
- Mrs Xu(Xu Shu's mother)：Dantairenhui
- Liu Ye：Xiao Lu,Ma Yusen,Wei Xian
- Liu Cong：Liang Chi
- Cai Mao：Me Yue
- Wei Yan：Liu Wei,Wang Xiaoying,Wang Shaowen,Wang Xinhai
- Wen Pin：Mang Lai
- Lady Cai(Liu Biao's wife)：Liu Xiaomei
- Xun You：Gan Jianai
- Jian Yong：An Ji
- Mi Fang：Kui Heguo
- Cheng Zi：Ren Meng
- Zhuge Jin：Zhong Yujie,Wang Zhaogui
- Lu Fan：Suo Eryong
- Gan Ning：Han Dong,Zhang Yuhai
- Pan Zhang：Hei Shuikuan,Sun Qicheng
- Liu Qi：Yin Li
- Ling Tong：Wang Gang
- Huang Zhong：Wang Hongtao
- Lady Huang：Qiao Chen
- Cai Zhong：Li Xiaozhou
- Cai He：Li Hua
- Kan Ze：Zhang Xiqian
- Ding Feng：Liu Shaochun
- Xu Sheng：Zhang Xiaoming
- Lady Fan(Zhao Fan's sister-in-law)：Gai Ke
- Bao Long：Xue Wencheng
- Zhao Fan：Li Baohua
- Han Xuan：Huang Xiaoli
- Pang Tong：Jin Shugui
- Fa Zheng：Shi Laiqun,Zhang Minfu
- Ma Liang：Wang Xianhe,Li Ping
- Zhang Ren：Zhou Zhonghe
- Liu Gui：Liu Zongren
- Cao Pi：Yang Junyong
- Zhou Cang：Liu Runcheng
- Guan Ping：Chen Bing
- Lu Su：Cao Li,Song Banggui
- Lu Meng：Chu Guoliang
- Zhang He：Wang Huanan,Xing Guozhou
- Cao Hong：Wang Jie
- Yan Yan：Lin Zhongbi
- Han Hao：Yang Zibin
- Liu Feng：Zhao Zhenping
- Xiahou Yuan：Qian Yulin
- Xiahou Shang：Jiao Yucheng
- Chen Shi：Zhang Shijun,Chen Debao
- Lu Xun：Gao Fei
- Jia Xu：Xu Yongliang
- Wang Fu：Chi Chonggen
- Cao Ren：Xu Deshan
- Meng Huo：Hu Zhanli
- Liu Shan：Li Tie,Lu Jixian
- Ma Su：Zhang Zhizhong
- Wang Ping：Cui Dai
- Fei Yi：Li Hong
- Ma Dai：Li Jianping
- Dong Tuna：Qin Baolin
- Ahuinan：Du Wenlu
- Meng You：Li Dongguo
- Jiang Wan：Liu Hongkun
- Guo Huai：Chang Yuping,Sun Qicheng
- Meng Da：Zhang Nan
- Li Feng：Wang Qiang,Zhang Jimin
- Cao Zhen：Zheng Qiang
- Zhong Yao：Liu Geng
- Gao Xiang：Yuan Lijian
- Jiang Wei：Zhang Tianshu,Fan Zhiqi
- Guan Xing：Li Wei
- Deng Zhi：Li Zhiyi
- Zhang Yi：Qi Wenqiang
- Qin Liang：Chen Changlong
- Xiahou Ba：Shi Tiansheng
- Yang Yi：Meng Xianli
- Tian Si：Wang Tiejun
- Li Fu：Li Bao'an
- Wang Tao：Zheng Dapeng
- Chen Qin：Liu Yinglu
- Cao Fang：An Zhiyi
- Xiahou Xuan：Hao Yueguo
- Zhang Ji：Yin Bisheng
- Jia Chong：Han Xinmin
- Zhong Hui：Guan Yue
- Deng Ai：Wang Hongguang
- Deng Zhong：Wu Wenqing
- Xi Zheng：Hong Ximai
- Shi Zuan：Zheng Xu
- Zhuge Zhan：Su Chongshan
- Qiao Zhou：Wang Fengwen
- Liu Chen：Chen Xu
- Shao Ti：Wang Du
- Cao Huan：Wang Han
- Qiu Jian：Zhao Piyu
- Hu Lie：Jiang Chongxia
- Hu Yuan：Qi Jianbo
- Sima Yan：Han Qing
