Hong Kong shows that remind us of our childhood
‘80s or ‘90s kids have most likely seen a good handful of Hong Kong television shows on the few local channels we had growing up. Sure, most of us might have started watching them because of our parents’ affinity towards these soap-operatic shows. But we can’t deny that many of these TVB series got us hooked and procrastinating on our schoolwork.
From predictable twists and turns to torrid affairs and melodramatic deaths, here are 10 nostalgic Hong Kong TV shows that were a major part of our childhoods – which you might just want to add to your rewatch list.
Table of Contents
- Hong Kong shows that remind us of our childhood
- 1. Healing Hands 妙手仁心 (1998)
- 2. At The Threshold Of An Era 創世紀 (1999)
- 3. A Step Into The Past 寻秦记 (2001)
- 4. Square Pegs 戇夫成龍 (2002)
- 5. Triumph In The Skies 衝上雲宵 (2003)
- 6. War And Beauty 金枝慾孽 (2004)
- 7. Forensic Heroes 法證先鋒 (2006)
- 8. Heart Of Greed 溏心風暴 (2007)
- 9. Moonlight Resonance 溏心風暴之家好月圓 (2008)
- 10. Beyond The Realm Of Conscience 宮心計 (2009)
- Nostalgic Hong Kong dramas for Malaysians
1. Healing Hands 妙手仁心 (1998)
Image credit: Wikipedia
Before there was Grey’s Anatomy, there was Healing Hands (1998).
Starring Lawrence Ng, Bowie Lam, Flora Chan, and Ada Choi, this medical drama series centres around the lives of the doctors and nurses at Yan Oi Hospital in Hong Kong. The main leads include neurosurgeon, Dr. Paul Ching, and A&E doctor, Dr. Henry Lai, who are best friends despite being polar opposites in terms of their personalities and work.
Image credit: myTV SUPER
The magic of the series lies not only in the realism of the medical situation depicted, but also in the emotional themes of love, human connection, friendship, and minutiae of life.
Healing Hands was so popular that two subsequent sequels were made in 2000 and 2005.
2. At The Threshold Of An Era 創世紀 (1999)
Image credit: Wikipedia
With well over 100 episodes, At The Threshold Of An Era (1999) was aired on TVB for nearly a year, and divided into two parts with a break in between.
The epic drama stars Gallen Lo, Sunny Chan, and Roger Kwok, and tells of three entrepreneurs who founded a company together with the aim of developing a pollution-free town in Hong Kong. Spanning a period of 20 years, the series shows the struggles and rise of the entrepreneurs, with love plots and bloody vendettas between the families and companies surrounding them.
Top-billed by a star-studded cast and heavily promoted by TVB, the series drew in impressive ratings when it first aired – and even when it returned for reruns at late hours years later.
3. A Step Into The Past 寻秦记 (2001)
Image credit: meWatch
Family-feud dramas and crime series have always seen soaring success among fans of Cantonese dramas. So it came as a surprise when a fantasy period series turned out to be a hit.
A Step Into The Past (2001) follows Hong Siu Lung, a special agent in the 21st century, who is recruited for a top-secret time travelling experiment. However, Hong ends up trapped in a different time period due to a glitch in the experiment. As he attempts to return to the future, Hong gets caught up in a series of historical events, which he tries not to meddle with.
Arguably one of Louis Koo’s best works before the actor dove into films, this drama has become a beloved classic that has a good balance of love, politics, and humour.
4. Square Pegs 戇夫成龍 (2002)
Image credit: Wikipedia
Endearing, quirky, and comforting – that’s everything Square Pegs (2002) is and more. It’s no wonder half of the Hong Kong population tuned in to watch this heartwarming series on its last week of its broadcast, breaking TVB’s 10-year rating records.
Needless to say, most Malaysians hooked on TVB dramas at the turn of the millennium have likely seen this one too.
Peppered with wit, charm, and sweet romance, this period drama had us all invested in the relationship between the responsible Choi Fung and Ding Seung Wong, a man with an intellectual disability. Both were forced into a marriage but love blossoms from there, and viewers are taken on an emotional journey of joy, heartbreak, and affection for the characters of the series.
Image credit: IMDb
Square Pegs is consistently credited as the drama series that made the leads – Jessica Hsuan and Roger Kwok – household names in the industry, and they even bagged numerous awards from the TVB Anniversary Awards.
5. Triumph In The Skies 衝上雲宵 (2003)
Image credit: TVBAnywhere
Hospitals, detective forces, law courts – there isn’t a field of occupation that TVB’s slice-of-life dramas have yet to dive into. Traversing straight into the world of pilots and cabin crew of a Hong Kong airline, Triumph In The Skies (2003) depicts the lives, friendships, and romances of a unique set of characters.
The hit series stars Francis Ng, Flora Chan, Joe Ma, and Myolie Wu as the main characters, and navigates the highs and lows of working in the aviation industry. With multiple love triangles and refreshing anecdotal stories that tug at the heartstrings, the drama succeeded in making its audiences feel pure emotions through its simple story and its characters.
It was such an explosive success that a sequel was made in 2013, followed by a movie adaption in 2015.
6. War And Beauty 金枝慾孽 (2004)
Image credit: TVBAnywhere
The title pretty much sums it up. Set in the Qing dynasty, War And Beauty (2004) embodies the whole “survival of the fittest” concept in the imperial court.
The emperor’s concubines are constantly at each other’s throats, often plotting against each other to win the emperor’s good graces. Consequently, a spate of tragedies befall the empire and both the innocent and deceitful have to face the inevitable repercussions of corruption.
Image credit: TVB Entertainment News
Critics and audiences were impressed by the scheming and brilliant plot points in the drama, and it sparked the popularity of palace scheming themes in subsequent period TV shows from the region.
While the evil strategies, power struggles, and back-stabbing among the female leads sound like a petty catfight, the originality of the script and the well-written characters helped make the drama excellent.
7. Forensic Heroes 法證先鋒 (2006)
Image adapted from: IMDb, Wikipedia, MyDramaList
Evident from this list, TVB has spun out tons of relatable romcoms and unforgettable classics over the years. But the mass audience will likely agree that the genre that reigns supreme is their detective dramas.
Among TVB’s extensive catalogue of crime series, Forensic Heroes stands out as an iconic investigation TV series with a string of successful instalments. It follows a group of Hong Kong forensic scientists who work together with the Hong Kong police force to solve murders based on evidence found at crime scenes.
Image credit: The Movie Database
The first two instalments stars Bobby Au-yeung, Frankie Lam, and Linda Chung. The original cast remained in the sequel with the addition of two new characters – science evidence officer Kevin Cheng and Charmaine Sheh, who became Hong Kong TV’s power couple.
The third and fourth instalments are separate reboots, each following a similar outline to the original duology but featuring a different cast and set of characters.
Image credit: myTV SUPER
With its mind-boggling plots, riveting car chases, and heart-thumping fight scenes, the drama is excellent at hooking the audience in and keeping them at the edge of their seats. There is some romance sprinkled throughout as well – but not too much that it ruins the mood of the drama.
8. Heart Of Greed 溏心風暴 (2007)
Image credit: AsianWiki
If you enjoyed getting stressed out by Korean makjangs – a prime example, Penthouse – you may want to revisit the epic Heart Of Greed (2007) that features an all-star cast including Moses Chan, Linda Chung, Bosco Wong, and Louise Lee.
The 40-episode long drama revolves around the wealthy patriarch Tong Yan Gai, who has two wives and four children. Any wealthy family of that size is bound to fight for status and fortune – hence the ongoing hatred and recurring mayhem stirred up within the seemingly poised family.
Heart Of Greed has everything a good dark family drama should have, with overly dramatic plots and lots of shouting. Love it or hate it, the intensity of the series is undeniably addictive and extremely hooking, and the drama’s amazingly high ratings is a testament to its popularity.
9. Moonlight Resonance 溏心風暴之家好月圓 (2008)
Image credit: TVBAnywhere
TVB was clearly going through a melodramatic family feud era in the late 2000s. Moonlight Resonance (2008) is like the spiritual sister of Heart Of Greed with the same ensemble of cast and more.
This show tells the tale of a couple with six children who run a biscuit business. Upon finding out that her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman, Chung Siu Hor files for divorce and the pair come to the decision to raise three children each.
Hence, the household is broken and a family feud arises.
Image credit: TVBAnywhere
It can be bizarre to watch a common dispute amongst families who own bakeries quickly escalate into a murder mystery. But these plot twists are what make nostalgic Hong Kong TV shows so intriguing. Besides, the chemistry between Hong Kong sweethearts Linda Chung and Raymond Lam are off the charts.
The series exceeded expectations with its riveting plot and excellent performances by the cast, achieving one of TVB’s highest ever viewership.
10. Beyond The Realm Of Conscience 宮心計 (2009)
Image credit: TVBAnywhere
Yet another successful historical drama under TVB’s belt, Beyond The Realm Of Conscience (2009) is reminiscent of the Korean drama Jewel In The Palace with the grand production, beautiful costumes, and visually-pleasing backdrops.
To no one’s surprise, the lead cast features TVB’s favourite actors and actresses, such as Charmaine Sheh, Tavia Yeung, Moses Chan, and Kevin Cheng.
Image credit: myTV SUPER
Set in the Tang dynasty, the drama follows the unbelievably kind palace maid Lau Sam Ho, and her best friend Kam Ling. Everyone is in love with the sweet Lau Sam Ho – literally – and that makes Kam Ling green with envy, eventually plotting her way to become the most powerful woman in court.
Overall, the series received mixed reviews but it was rather the talk of the town when it aired, mostly due to the star-studded cast. And if – like our aunties and mums – you love your dramas spicy with a side of political schemings, betrayals, and dramatic love proclamations, you’ll find yourself breezing through this series.
Nostalgic Hong Kong dramas for Malaysians
Most of us will remember stressing out over Hong Kong dramas – whether it be over the absurd amount of episodes of the outrageously dramatic plots. But we reminisce on them with fond nostalgia as they were an inseparable part of our childhoods.
So, whenever you’re in the mood to revisit the drama and characters that your older relatives introduced you to, pick one or two off this list and go on a trip down memory lane.
Read more here:
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Cover image adapted from: Netflix TV Series, TVBAnywhere, AsianWiki & Medium