Road To Eternity [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim

"Can’t say I loved it.It could be boring at times.Maybe it’s just a matter of taste.But considering the whole other types of serials in the market,this one is refreshing in terms of emphasis.Something different."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

How Long
20 episodes/10 tapes

Who
Chan Miu Ying,Lau Yoke Chui,Marco Ngai,Tong Ying Ying,Cheung Siu Fai,Lam Ka Tung,etc

What & Where
Set in Tang Dynasty,basically a story of a man who became a monk for a noble but not willingly but could be selfish reasons but ended up being a real monk because he realised the greater purpose in life isn’t just love and good food but helping others.Kinda X-File-ish in the cases.

The storyline
Lam Ka Tung is a very very smart man.He is a worldly man,having travelled everywhere since he was 14.So he was a knowledgeable man.And he loved life to the fullest and women too.And it just so happens he fell in love with Chan Miu Ying,the daughter of a local doctor but the girl just despised him.But as fate would have it,they were not meant to be.You see,Lam Ka tung in all his previous lives was a monk.The previous life to the present one,he was a very respected monk who died to make several thieves realise the errors of their ways.So he was a very noble man.And he made a promise that he would never become Buddha until the day all human hardships are overcome.Well this life,Lam Ka Tung the only son of a well off family never imagined himself being so noble.But along the way,he met a famed Monk that lives in his big sack(thus the title,Bou Doi Wo Seung) who told him this his destiny is to be a monk.He didn’t believed that,almost died 3 times and along the way even met the King(cheung Siu Fai) and his spoilt sister(Tong Ying Ying) and mother.But when something horrible happened to Chan Miu Ying,who by now became a ghost ,he had to become a monk in exchange for a chance for her to stay on earth to realise her dreams of helping her father.So actually he became a monk for quite a noble but not so right reasons.Along the way,his mission is to find the seven elements of human sufferings,and he was christenes ‘Shuet but dak’,meaning,Speak No More.Why?I dunno.Anyway,he had to find the seven ‘But Dak’s’ before he can cease to be a monk and marry Chan niu Ying who will be promised a chance to become human again.So he found his disciple,Lau Yoke Chui who became ‘Tam But Dak’ meaning Greed No More.Well,she was greedy,she loved money and the only reason she became a monk is because she was promised that she’ll see her husband (Marco Ngai) again if she followed Lam in the journey of self discovery.Along the way,they investigated weird cases that seemed out of this world but actually isn’t and they came to realise that there is a greater purpose in life than just love and love and love.

The HATE factor
Well,probably you’ll hate some of the murderers,who usually killed for flimsy reasons though there are some that killed for some purposes that they themselves feel was right.For eg,in one of the stories,Lo Lan,the first wife to a very rich man who killed her own step sons,husband and felt no regret for what she had done.The purpose?She has a retarded son whom she feared for his future(money and position in the family) because basically,the other children are just greedy and damn selfish.So to protect his interest,she killed all those entitled to the inheritance thus leaving him the sole beneficiary.Bu the thing is,she just never asked,never tried to communicate with her step-children who isn’t really that horrible.Maybe you’ll pity her.Anyway,others that you’ll definitely hate are the princess(Tong Ying Ying) and her mother.They’re the most selfish and overbearing people you’ll see in this serial.Or you may hate the king for being unreasonable and at times,a wimp.He’s a king but he can never make a definate decision like a king should.

The PITY factor
Definitely Chan Miu Ying.She was just a doctor’s daughter,a nice girl whom Lam Ka Tung really really liked.But she never really liked him because he was such a bully to her when she was just a kid.Anyway,because of a minister who died during her care as a doctor in another village,without proper investigation and the lack of motive and evidence,those hypocrites beheaded her.So she died,but before she died she made a wish to go home.So as a spirit she went home to her unknowing father who still scolded her.But as her time was running out coz those pesky Ghost catcher,those I would say like Mr Death was coming to get her,so with her limited time period she tried to finish off her duties as a filial daugther.But the thing is that she wasn’t really a ghost but actually some kind of a zombie who’ll rot.When she discovered that,she ran far far away.When Lam Ka Tung knew of this,the whole village prayed for her soul and thus she was released from the sufferings of being neither here nor there as a ghost and became a proper ghost that lives in an umbrella.The point is the way she died will make your heart go screaming..”IT”S UNFAIR!! #$%&$#%!” Yep,that language included.

The GREATEST Sacrifice
Definately Lam Ka Tung.I mean he was a playboy,extremely knowledgeable and a world of fortune waiting for him.But he chose to become a monk for Marianne.Why?Because he was promised by that Sack Monk(later his SiFu/Master who would give him tips on how to solve the cases) that if he is successful in finding the seven But Taks (The seven No More’s),Marianne’s soul can be released and they can be together again.But of course along the way he discovered that being a monk was his destiny in life and after a while,love didn’t matter.There is a greater purpose in life and he embraced that.Well,only in the final episode.

Most Annoying character
Definitely Lau Yoke Choi’s Tam But Tak(Greed no More).In her previous life,she was a mother bird who was too busy trying to profit from her association with the Buddha of Wisdom,being Lam Ka Tung’s previous life that she neglected her bird children that fell to their deaths.In this life,wanting to find her husband again (Marco Ngai) she became a monk and went with Lam Ka Tung.But the thing is,she is so greedy,that she lives up to her name.She can be such a pest that talks too much,way too much that you’ll probably discontinue watching this serial.Please don’t if you do ever feel that way.

Most Memorable Bits
I wouldn’t say there aren’t any nice stories in here but I can’t remember the most memorable ones.Maybe when Marianne died,or the way she died,or the starting of the show that showed how Lam Ka Tung’s previous life died(Which was shocking!),or what the Sifu(Sack Monk) said that can be quite educational in the lessons of life.

Special Treats
This serial is different from other released serials for quite a number of reasons.One of those is that at the end of each tape,there is a short 5 minutes segment where the characters in the serials will ask some questions about life,about the way we see things around us and the Sack Monk will answer them according to the teachings of Buddhism.It’s like trying to explain the philosophies of Buddhism with some question and answer session.So don’t miss it.Make sure you fast forward the credits and stay tune.Don’t ever stop when the picture stops.Or you’ll miss this little short segment.

Interesting Quotes
There was one story that I particularly liked in the 5 Minute segment at the end of the tape.So this is my best effort of translation.Please don’t laugh at the mistakes.

There was an old mother who seemed to worry most of the time,so she never really smiled.When a monk saw her like this and her solemn,unhappy face,he asked her what’s the matter.The old woman said,”I have two daughters and I worry for both of them.My eldest daughter sells umbrellas and my second daughter sells hay-shoes.And I worry for my eldest daughter when it’s not raining because then she won’t be able to sell her umbrellas,and yet I worry for my second daughter if it rains because then people won’t buy her shoes.It’s very troubling and I don’t know what to do.”And the monk smiled at her trouble.The monk,giving her the simplest solution to her problem simply said,”Well then,think of it this way.If it rains,then your eldest daughter will be able to sell her umbrellas and if it doesn’t,your second daughter will be able to sell her shoes.”The moral of the story is don’t worry too much.There are often various angles to what you see .It’s just how you want to see it.Look at life positively,rather than negatively.That makes life easier and simpler. And much much much happier.

Another quote I particularly liked.When the old monk(the sack monk) was confronted by a woman-monk with some powers similar to the sack monk,who was actually very angry because her whole family died as a result of poverty and I think,being murdered(I am not sure),she couldn’t understand why the sack monk refused to help her,and why Buddha failed her.She was a monk all her life but she became dissatisfied,disillusioned.So she plotted revenge against the sack monk for refusing to feed her family and did many evil deeds.After her family died,she scolded Buddha,learned evil powers,became a false nun full with hate.But the sack monk just looked at her and said,”Your family died with anger,so their soul was not rested and they could not continue the cycle of rebirth.They were suffering as spirits because they couldn’t be released of such position.Do you remember the two monks that you deemed stupid when you were a novice in their temple?All the hurtful thoughts that you said about them to yourself? They prayed for your family’s soul to be released.They prayed night and day and day and night for many days,without sleeping,nor resting.That was why your family’s soul could be released for rebirth,that was why they could rest in peace.Then ask yourself.At the times of your family’s sufferings,at the times of their greatest difficulties,at the times when they needed you the most,where were you?What were you doing?What were you thinking?”

Most Memorable Performance
Frankly,none here.I guess the most memorable performance is the script writers who made Buddhism easily understanble,even easier to grasp.But actors-wise,I personally felt Marianne was a bit too….well,not good enough,Lau Yoke Choi was way too much of her,the other characters aren’t great and Lam Ka Tung was wrong for the role.He was supposed to be serious but you just can’t help laughing by just looking at him.He doesn’t have the serene look,that nobility you saw in Kong Wah’s potrayal of the monk in Journey to the West but then again,maybe he wasn’t supposed to be like that.After all he’s just a novice monk who was reluctant and didn’t quite enjoy his mission at first.But somehow he doesn’t strike me as a monk.So he could have been the Not Good Enough Performance but yet he wasn’t that bad.I know,I know, I am confusing myself.Just put it this way,nobody memorable here.Not even Marco Ngai.

Confusing Stuff
Yep,plenty here.Not the cases.Most of the time though they looked like supernatural(Which reminds me of the Mulder-approach) but actually there is a perfectly scientific explanation to them (The Scully Approach).The confusing stuffs here is the characters themselves.Though they were forced to be monks,or were reluctant monks in the form of Lam Ka Tung and Lau Yoke Chui,but that doesn’t justify them still eating meat,be in love,say the wrong things.After all,they are dressed in Monk’s clothings,and heads were shaven.So it didn’t seem right.Some people may be offended,I know I was.it’s just wasn’t right.Somehow,the whole serials lacked dignity because of such protrayals.I guess blame the script writers,who otherwise have done such an excellent job in simplifying Buddhism for us.

And another.Maybe TVB lacked actresses.This woman,she played the character of a wife in one of the stories and then,later in the serials,she became a monk,with powers like the sack-monk only she was evil.Now you may be confused here,thinking her second character was a continuation of the first character in the earlier story.It isn’t.So don’t be confused like I was.

The Verdict
Can’t say I loved it.It could be boring at times.Maybe it’s just a matter of taste.But considering the whole other types of serials in the market,this one is refreshing in terms of emphasis.Something different.I like the title song,sung by Wong Jim.Also something different.It’s like something new ,though it involves the usual investigation process.It may not have been a classic,you may not like it but most probably your Buddhist grandma may love it.There isn’t much drama but what it lacks it fully made up by all those philosophical lessons.You might learn something here.So I would say it has been educational.Be forewarned,this is a serial based on teachings of Buddhism.Some may not like the contents but it could still be a family entertainment for the older generations.Nothing cute here and no Fave Couples here coz there aren’t any couples in here.Now you must be asking,”What then is Marianne to do in here?”Plenty.Just because a pretty girl is in here doesn’t mean she has to be a love interest that has a fruitful ending to their love story.Did I give away the ending?Frankly,there’s no ending to this serial.Not those definate ones.

Is is BETTER than…
Journey To The West Part One and Two?Frankly?Honestly?No where near these two serials.Especially not the first above mentioned serial.That was a classic.Part two was entertaining in some parts.Some of the storyline here is very similar to JTTW.Both talked about Buddhism.But that’s where the similarities ends.This serial has no monkey shouting “Yo!”,or pigs or Kuan Yin or Buddha.It’s a relatively small production. Nothing supernatural in here though there were some special effects shown.For more interesting and much more educational serial,go for JTTW.For simple entertainment,something serious,something quite educational and something much more ordinary but yet different,something just to pass your time,this serial would be just fine .

Interesting Facts/Fiction
This serial can be confusing at times in the way the characters are potrayed.I just don’t believe a bird can be human in just one life cycle.
Anyway,notice the relationship of the mother and the king.The king could be such a wimp and the mother,she could just butt-in to those important issues of the way the son administer his administration.The way her son runs the country.I hate to say this coz I am a girl,a female of the species.But consistently protrayed in real life and in fiction,if the mother or wife is too meddlesome in the king’s affairs of state business,most probably the king is a wimp and probably a very bad and weak king.If the mother never meddles,most probably the king will be like the greatest king,though this may not necessarily be the case.

And another ineteresting fact.Purpotedly,the last episode of this serlal gained 40 points in ratings.That is pretty high.But do remember,this was the time where Huan Zhu Ge Ge was on and the highest rating for that show was over 50 points,I think.Go figure.

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Journey ToThe West I & II

Written by Funn Lim

"Seriously, Part I is PERFECT, part II is well,quite alright after awhile."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Note : This is a review for both Journey To The West and its sequel, Journey To The West II. After all these years, Journey To The West (part 1 and not part 2) is still my most favourite TVB series of all time, a declaration that does not really reflect how much I love this series so I shall say it once more, I love part 1. - Funn Lim [27.02.2005]

How Long
For part 1 ,15 tapes and for part 2,21 tapes!!

Nature of Serials
Comedy ,drama, educational, basically fun for the whole family. Kind of Sesame Street-ish only with religious undertones.

Who’s in it
Part 1 : Dicky Cheung,Kong Wah,lAi Yiu Cheung,Lau Yoke Chui,Mimi Kung,and plenty more familiar faces.

Part II : The main cast are the same except for Dicky’s character that was replaced by Benny Chan and the Kuan Yin character was replaced by someone else that I can’t recall her name. Oh yes, Kwok Ming Fai( I think).

What’s it about
It’s a journey to the west. Which west? West of China, that is India during the Tang Dynasty by one monk and his four disciples ,with demons lurking everywhere, in search of some Buddhist scriptures. But before they get there, they will be tested again and again of their faith by the Gods and buddha’s.

Really,what’s the plot
As mentioned above briefly but there are many sub-plots to this story so I’ll write it one at a time.

Tong Sam Jong (Master)
Representing wisdom. Played excellently by Kong Wah, he’s the handsome monk, a disciple of the Buddha up in Heaven before he was literally kicked back to earth as a human being coz he fell asleep during one of Buddha’s lectures. Though young, he has quite a grasps of the Buddhist way of life .Subsequently ,he saved the life of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and he became brothers with the king ,thus the name Tong Sam Jong .He was actually Kam Sim Zhi ,Golden Disciple Monk(kind of).But because he felt he had much more important purpose to fulfill in his life, he went in search of Kuan Yin(Mimi Kung) who gave him several tests of his faith and his endurance which he passed. He was the chosen one to travel by foot ,one step at a time all the way to India(and walking ,mind you all the way there) where Buddha will be waiting for him to take some Buddhist scriptures home to spread the message around and a promise of a promotion to Buddha-hood. It’s a noble mission that only the chosen one, a man who had been through ten lifetimes as a monk can fulfill. Though basically this monk has great endurance, can fight all hunger and desires for greed ,lust, money, comfort, wealth, you name it he can fight it off ,but he has no POWERS and KUNG-FU that can protect his body. Mentally he’s strong ,unshakable but physically, he’s weak .His flesh has been said to be like an immortality food for all demons so he’s like a walking talking vitamin pill. So he needs protections and as fate would have it, Kuan Yin gave him not one but 4 disciples to follow him to India.

Frequently asked question
Is the monk supposed to be handsome? Yep.in fact he has to appear ‘delicious’ enough to eat so he has to have the looks and fair. But Kong Wah isn’t fair but at least, his interpretation is different. He is not sissy but a bit manly. Ok ok ,you might say, hey what about louis Koo? He has the looks of good looking guy but he does not have the wisdom and nobility to carry the pivotal role. And sorry girls.

Shuen Ng Hung (Monkey Buddha/God)
Representing rashness. He calls himself as the Handsome Monkey king of the Fruit and Flower Mountain. Yep, that’s the punchline. Played excellently by the definitive Shuen ng Hung,Dicky Cheung, he was blasted out of a rock but was subdued by Commander Tian Pang(The pig played by Lai Yiu Cheung). Anyway ,he was born mischievous, inquisitive, super active and very very charming too. He quickly became the Lord of his monkey clan but he aspired to learn magic and achieve immortality coz he’s afraid of death. So he went to the training school for future Gods (who are actually sons of the Gods) where he became fast friends with Tit Sin Kung Chu(the one with the big fan) and also Ngau mo Wong(The bull).But the master refused to teach him coz he’s kind of illegitimate coz he has no parents.But because of his diligence and the FORCE that he has in him ,the master taught him unofficially .He learnt to travel in great leaps by using his kan Tau Wan(Flying Clouds) and having successfully almost losing his life, he reached immortality and the highest kung-fu skills in the land,72 transformations. Basically, he can a human being or a house. Or a broom. Anyway, he will be forever young coz he won’t get old. He returned back to his mountain to protect his posse. he later got his weapon, the golden stick ,from the sea. It is actually a magical needle used to stabilize the seas and it’s activities but the stick has a mind of its own causing floods and all .So Ng Hung took the stick with the consent of the Dragon king and it became his weapon. But the Dragon King changed his story when asked by the Emporer of Heavens and said the Monkey demon(not yet a buddha nor a god) stole the needle. The Emperor wanted to kill him at first but under the advise of an old advisor ,they offered ng Hung a position as a stable boy under the pretense that it is a very high ranking job.When Ng Hung found out, they further made an offer for him to be Chai Tin Dai Sing,(Lord of the Heavens) which he named himself. You would ask why the Heavens tolerated him, simply because he’s the best fighter there. Anyway ,when he found out the title is only a title, he caused such a havoc in heaven and hell that Buddha himself had to use his palm to trap him under the Five fingers Mountain. He was to be trapped under there until the monk walks by and free him. And that took 500 years! But by then, he’s not that angry with Buddha’s decision and he even regretted his rash actions. Anyway, the monk didn’t want him coz he’s a liability but with Kuan Yin’s help ,he can control the monkey with the monkey wearing the Golden thing on his head which will cause him headaches by reciting some Buddhist words. Anyway, reluctantly, he went with the Monk ,his job being only one, to protect the monk. But of course, along the way ,he had 3 more to protect! It didn’t help that he has a volatile relationship with the monk coz the monk hates his killings of the demons.(difference of opinion on how to deal with demons wanting to eat the monk).

Frequently asked question
I thought the monkey is afraid of water? No he wasn’t at first but after got his x-ray eyes and a higher state of kung-fu based on fire element, he’s afraid of water.

Chu Pak Kai(Lai Yiu Cheung)
Being the most human of all, he represents human’s weakness. Formerly the commander of 10,ooo army, Tian Pang ,he fell in love with a fairy(girl) and caused havoc because of his obsession of her. He was kicked onto earth to undergo 1000 lifetimes of tragic love stories as a punishment. Like a beggar falling in love with a rich man’s daughter ,his wife died of hunger whilst he went to sit for the imperial exams ,a general falling for the enemies’ princess .Sad sad stories that will make you laugh! Anyway, he couldn’t stand it anymore halfway through and he tried to escape from the hell’s guards but he fell into the animal hole and became half human half pig, but still retains his lust for women. A very sad life he led, where he was rescued by Kuan Yin when he was almost burnt to death by the village folks, Kuan Yin returned his powers(36 transformations where he can be live things, not houses, and brooms) and his memories and he could redeem his wrongdoing and escape the punishment if he accompanies the monk to India. He didn’t get along with the monkey and he was the most tested disciples. If you notice,all the tests that was given against the monk ,was actually aimed at the Pig and he failed them all.but he redeemed himself at the end though he still is human in nature. He’s the food collector.

Sha Chang/Ng Ching
Representing dedication. He was a prince up in Heaven when he accidentally broke the light of wisdom. As a punishment ,he was kicked onto earth and stripped of his wisdom so he’s the most stupid of all. And he had to undergo five stabbing of the flying knifes everyday. So to escape the torture, he fled into the river and became a shark, eating human flesh out of anger. He kidnapped the monk and wanted to eat him until the monk ‘tim fa’ him ,meaning, changed his ways of thinking. The flesh eating man became his most dedicated and loyal disciple ,hardly gives the monk any problems. Though stupid and he cries like an annoying baby ,he can be very dedicated. He has what we call determination so he does succeed most of the times .But he was always caught between his two big brothers. He carries the baggage like a kuli.

The white horse
Representing dark past. He was the prince of the dragon King when he broke something and was disowned. He lived with the shark ,eating human flesh until he met the monk. He transformed himself into a white horse ,so he’s a dragon horse that will carry the monk to India.

And along the way, they faced challenges of many kinds, with titles.

Part 1 :
a) Hung Hai Yee
He’s the little spoilt brat of the fighting couple, the bull and the princess with the fan. Was a good child but spoilt to the point of disbelief .Became an obstruction to the journey ,being the first test. They failed .The boy caused the death of many innocent villagers and almost the death of the Monkey King coz the boys’ just too cunning. but he got subdued by Kuan Yin and later became a slave for Kuan Yin, the one you see sitting next to her ,Kam Tung(Golden child).Supposed to be only 4 or 5 years old but a baby can’t act so they found a female actress to play the boy to irritating effect.

b)Three strike the skeletal demon
Yep, three times and they failed two times in killing the skeletal demon, played by Marianne Chen .Caused the breakdown of the relationship between ng Hung and his Master, and caused the Pig to literally cause the deaths of the white horse and Ng Ching .This is by far the best story with the most drama. It just illustrates how vulnerable anyone can be, even with great kung fu if there are no unity and trust. After this story, the pig became good boy ,the monkey became willing to learn and follow authority and the monk learnt to trust the Monkey’s judgements.

c) Spider’s Web-cave
Originally, every demon in this story is bad. But the revised one, they included good hearted demons that just want to stay alive.Here,we meet a love struck spider woman, searching for her lost love who had become a centipede demon himself and caused great misery to Ng hung. Another sub plot is by Lau Yoke Chui who plays a spider girl in love with ng Hung. This episode illustrates how only LOVE can be so destructive ,a, tool that can manipulate and be manipulated .Also,it shows that the only problem with the monkey is his rashness, not love. He doesn’t understand love and will never be in love .Very sad love story.

d)The three demons
It’s a tale of fun, comedy ,and nothing serious here .It just has three Tao disciples ,a Goat, a tiger and a deer that imprisons the monks and how Ng Hung tricks them into winning 3 competitions. it just illustrates that more than one religion can be accommodated in a country.

e) Fire Mountain & Women's Land (the land where only female can be found)
A passage where they had to go trough, hot and no water with 10 suns. The monk almost died of thirst and this episode illustrate the unity and brotherly love between the master and his disciples where they are willing to sacrifice their own selfish needs and wants for the sacred journey. This is where they found the place where only women exist with no man. They were detained to be concubines for the King and when they tried to leave ,a love struck general(fell for the monk) tricked them into drinking a well that can cause pregnancy. So they are all pregnant ,and due to some misunderstanding, they gave birth to healthy baby boys. That caused a great obstruction to their journey and almost didn’t continue the journey ,but at the end ,Kuan Yin saves the day with the story of her life and the general having come to her senses, became a monk herself .Love isn’t important.

Part 2 :
They continue their journey,9 years later with a very different big brother. Benny Chan took over from Dicky ,Kuan Yin ages tremendously and with a very manly voice, the Master knows how to smile and even jokes with his disciple, and Ng Ching cries much much more in this part 2,almost to the point of sore throat-ish kind of crying. The journey continues with various stories, ranging from that annoying monkey deity, Tung Bei Yuen Hau(a jealous monkey deity ,once revered by the public became a demon not overnight),then his bird lover plotting revenge ,Ng Hung losing ALL his powers and gaining it back very soon into the serials, the monk abandoning the scared mission to look for his monkey disciple, The Pig passed the chance of being a Buddha to search for Big brother with his master…..basically, it’s just a continuance on how strong their bond are to each other. Nothing much for the story/plot to tell. Anyway, the journey to india took 15 years ,where they all became Buddha .

Any annoying factors
Part I :
That nosy little brat called Hung Hai Yee .Maybe he’s just young, maybe he didn’t know how wrong his actions were but literally causing the death of many innocent villagers ain’t that nice. Though he befriended the wrong friend(The Dream Demon who wanted to eat the monk but had to get rid of the monkey first),had bad bad parents and simply no education and manners, and though he regretted his actions enough to walk 3 steps and kneel ,walk 5 steps and bow, all the way from a village in China to Kuan Yin’s dwelling(which is pretty far) and to serve her for eternity and never to see his parents again as a punishment, the brat deserved it. But that part of the story has a moral undertone which is pretty obvious and quite sad really for the parents .But still, the kid’s a brat. Another factor would be that PIG ,though a disciple of the same Master as Ng Hung, he’s lazy ,he’s manipulative and he always gets his ways. He’s the reason for all the failure in the tests. If you notice ,the Master is not the problem here .If not for his weak physical being ,he would have get to India, safe and well all alone and passing all tests in like an hour .But the problems are because of his disciples.

Part 2:
That very, very long story on Tung Bei yuen Hau, that very boring boring monkey. Jelousy made him into a demon and he still blames everyone but himself .Anyway ,that actor ,he tried very hard to be dicky-ish, like prancing, and jumping, all except for the “YO!!….” statement. And he fails miserably. And after like 2 episodes, you’ll ask ,when are they going to end the story? Another one would be the starting of the story where the Monk had a dream where a big giant monkey will attack the city and where they go on and on of the special effects that are laughable. That’s the problem with big budget and little technology called bad bad special effects. You have a feeling Part II ain’t gonna be good when you see the starting and the change of the lead actor.

Hate factors
For both Parts, the above mentioned annoying factor that will be your hate factor. Very rare that one can hate an annoying thing but in these serials you will. Maybe except for the Pig where he redeems himself later in both parts.

Pity factors
The monk ,very certainly. Having to bear with his disciples that caused all his problems and making his journey difficult .And also the monkey because his Master never listens to his advise and thus contributing to the danger factor(in Part I) and still misunderstood him in Part II.

Cute factors
Part 1 :
Definitely Dicky Cheung.He’s sooooo cute, so handsome and he’s sooo funny.A monkey with an attitude problem.

Part II :
Definitely not Benny Chan but he gets to you later in the serials where you’ll end up liking him(not loving).And also that other short guy in DIF 1/2/3/4 that plays a bear demon here. An over fanatic worshipper of Buddhism that seriously wants to be a Buddha but followed the wrong master that used him for money’s sake ,he’s the fun part of Part II.Funniest in fact.

Fave couple
I would not say couple in Love terms but I would say fave group would definitely be the Master and his disciples .The Master will never laugh ,never joke ,always serious like a parent and his three disciples are always like little kids, nagging ,begging ,screaming, fighting. Such chemistry between the actors that after a while, you do not see the disciples protecting the Master but the Master teaching them. Very nice .That applies to Part I and Part II.

Annoying couple
None for Part I but for Part II, definitely that jealous monkey and his bird lover(Cheung Wai Yee).They just never stop plotting their revenge never realizing they bring about their own miseries.

Mismatched couple
Can’t think of any here coz this ain’s a love story. But if you would insist, in Part I ,I would say the general(Wai Ying Hung) and the monk (Kong Wah).I mean, one head shaven, spouting Buddhist philosophy and the other…I love you??? NOOOOOOO!!!!

The award for Best Actor goes to
Part I :
A lot.

Definitely Dicky. He is THE definitive Monkey God ,so agile. His movements are like dancing, like ballet and yet a little kung-fu-ish. His make-up suits him,so he really does look like a very handsome monkey in human form .Who can forget his…”YO!!…” statement, and his attitude problem. His portrayal of the Monkey is what everyone would have interpreted the monkey as in the novel .Rebellious, hates authority ,very active, always walking or jumping ,refused to listen, angry, dissatisfied and very very reluctant. He is the joy of the serials and believe me, you’ll LOVE him. Worth mentioning would be Lai Yiu Cheung for the portrayal of the Pig .He gets the best lines, he can be irritating but you would have to agree ,that man is good as a comedian and a serious actor .Who can ever forget his favorite poem? Though the guy who played ng Ching is a bit irritating here, he does look stupid so I guess he’s good too. So was Lau Yoke Chui as the love struck young lady spider who sacrifice her 1000 years of meditation powers for love which was not given back. Everyone fits their role perfectly.

There have been criticisms that Kong Wah does not fit the role coz he looks too strong to be the weak Master .But frankly, I thought (and so was everyone else over 30) he was the only one for that role. He’s good looking, though he’s a bit dark .He may looked strong but he’s still human. But he’s strong mentally. He’s the Master though he knows no Kung Fu nor magic simply because power of Knowledge and Wisdom is the ultimate power anyone should ever possess and he has plenty of it. He’s the voice of reason and I personally feel that Kong Wah has that look to carry a role of a man of wisdom, knowledge and intelligence. Perfect .And he has an air of nobility.

Part II :
Well, the lead actors still the same, still as good. A special mention to I think his name is Joey for the Bear demon role.And the Pig gets all the best lines so he is the funniest here..

The award for,”Well,good try but not good enough” as an actor goes to
Part I:
None

Part II:
It has to be that jealous monkey and more notably, Benny Chan. I’m not saying he’s not good, if you’ve never seen Part I .But after Part I, you just feel that Benny, though cute and adorable(coz he does have cute looks),he just doesn’t have the charisma. You’ll end up liking him but his interpretation of the Monkey is soooo subdued. Though 9 years had passed but this monkey ain’t angry anymore ,ain’t rebellious but mischevious but still not enough .He does not dance ,leap, jump, no “Yo!!!..” statement, and his dopey eyes, just looked sooooo …..SAD. I’ve never seen such a sad looking monkey .And he’s so young here that he does not have the aura of authority like in Part I. Something seriously lacking for such a pivotal role. Disappointing ,not because of Benny but because I’ve seen Part I. Another actor would be the woman who played Kuan Yin .Yes, yes ,some says that Mimi Kung is like a little sister dressing in white, but she has the face of kindness. She really looks merciful, and you’ll understand why Ng Hung respected her so much.But this one ,so much more older. She looks fine, but she looks too fierce to be Goddess of Mercy.

The most dramatic change
Part II itself for the change in some of the lead actors for lead characters. you won’t be confused but you just feel,…cheated .Like same package but different items in a box.

The Frequently Forgotten one
Ever notice how we keep forgetting that there’s a fourth disciple ,the horse? I mean, the drama was all happening there and where’s the horse????

Note : In retrospect, the horse is not a disciple actually - Funn Lim [27.02.2005]

Fave scene
Part I :
That would certainly be 3 strike The skeletal Demon .Sad ,poignant, full of anger, bickering ,drama ,it’s a come to senses kind of episode .Excellent.

Part II :
That would be when ng Hung did something bad where all Gods of Heavens was hunting for him, his Master, who was so determined to get to India, abandoned his quest to search for his beloved disciple. And so was his brothers who gave up a chance to be Buddha. Coz the journey to India isn’t all about the buddhist scriptures. The purpose is to educate the public on the meaning of life and this was their chance to show the people. The journey is a journey of realization of one’s unselfish needs, to help those in needs. in doing that, in effect they achieved their goal. Very deep and very poignant but short-lived coz it was only for a duration like 30 minutes.

Least fave scene
Part I:
The ending coz I was just beginning to have fun and it ends!

Part II:
That jelous Monkey and the first story. And the ending, so anti-climax.

The Songs
Part I:
There are only four songs for Part I but the album was a hit. The songs were great, all sung by Dicky. Do buy that tape. you’ll love it. I bought it, was disappointed to know no instrumental music and very expensive for just 4 songs but each of the song is a classic. I still love the themesong though.

Part II:
All sung by Benny Chan. He’s quite a good singer and the song ,though you may not like it at first but you’ll end up loving it as it grows on you. Maybe familiarity breeds not contempt but affection. You may never know. There is actually an album you can buy where you can find songs sung by Joyce Koi (excellent singer) and some very good instrumental music. In fact it was one of the best album that I couldn't find and I had the patience to record it from some online sites many years ago. If you can it, you must buy the album. Very original and definitely one of the best soundtrack of any movie or series ever.

So,the verdict
Part I:
For all my praises, it was an instant hit and and instant classic that must be viewed by all generations Your grandma will love it for the story and the religious undertones ,your nephew will love it for the make-ups and you’ll love it for Dicky ,and all the cute stuff. Probably, your nephew will still love

Part II:
Your grandma will complain why no Dicky but will end up saying ,”Eh,that Benny-chai quite cute ler” and you’ll wish Dicky would just jump into the screen and do the YO thing. I miss Dicky in Part II. Not even Kong Wah can salvage my yearning heart for Dicky.

But it was better than…
Stephen Chau’s version of Sai Yau Gei on movie? With Loh Kar Ying as the monk ,you’ll know the answer .It was not a hit and it isn't hard to know why.The whole stories in itself is kind of degrading to the legend itself,which is a pity because I really though Stephen Chau would have a made a great Ng Hung if only they didn't screw up the whole story about Ng Hung being in love!

JTTW I was an instant hit in HK and everywhere else in the world where Dicky wanted more for part II but TVB ,very disappointingly refused to meet his demands .So off he goes to China for his other shows. Part I has lesser budget than Part II, was only filmed within HK unlike Part II which was in China and was a Birthday Bash drama. But Part II failed miserably .It was still a hit ,but not classic. If you want a recommendation ,watch Part II before Part I so you won’t feel disappointed. In fact ,just watch Part I. You’ll love it though you may not know what the recital of the Heart Sutra really means .Just enjoy it for it’s entertainment and educational value.

Special Mention
The songs,soundtracks,ochestra arrangements.Excellent stuff written by a Japanese, as shown in the end credits.

Any interesting facts
About the making of the serials? Nope .About the concept ,plenty! First of all ,it’s based on a novel based on a true life story of a monk from China during Tang Dynasty that traveled all alone to India and back to spread buddhism .It took him ,if I am correct more than 30 years to and fro.(Or maybe just 15,I’m not sure).But there were no monkeys and demons. It was added to give some feeling of fun in the story. Actually the novel is meant to explain the meaning and purpose of the teachings of Buddhism ,and the monkey God is said to represent a dislike for the feudal system at that time. It has religious and political undertones that shows us the social dissatisfaction of the commoner at that time. Brilliant concept. Why monkey? Maybe they’re a bit rebellious in nature. I dunno.

For those unfamiliar with chinese legends and mythlogies ,these serials will explain it all. It’s a religion pratised now and Monkey God is revered as a Buddha so I’ll not be too critical of the truth of the legend .It could be fact. Anyway, below would be some pointers to what may confuse you in the serials about the mythtology/legend/fact.

The System
Chinese believes( not the Tao’s and Buddhist but the general one) that the system of government up there is like the old China. The Emperor is the King, with his Generals(one of which is also a legend himself, the Three Eyed God that has a Labrador) ,advisors and different departments. For our love relationships, there’s Tai Sheung Lou Kwan ,the white haired man in the serials that’s always shaking his head in confusion .He ties the red strings for any would be lovers and he writes the fates of all lovers, be it good or bad. Then there’s the Land Minister, the fat one in the serials that was always kicked by the Monkey God. They’re revered in our today’s society’s with their own altars. And many many more. These are political departments whilst there’s the non-political ones like Buddha, the Tao Master, Kuan Yin that cares for the social issue and not government of how things are on earth. Then there’s the four seas, each governed by Dragon Kings, who are always portrayed as small-minded, bickering type .Whenever they do a mistake that caused miseries, the Heaven either does not see it or nobody reports them. The dragons care for sea conditions, weather ,high tide ,low tide. Whilst the Hell, unlike the Christians with Lucifer, is actually a phase that all humans will go trough. It is governed by the King Of Hell, that reports to the Emperor above .Whether you become a human or animal or punished in one of the 18 stages of Hell ,will depend on you deeds when you were alive .To be a saint, or a Buddha ,you have to earn your way up by following the right path. Reincarnation is a way of life where you will go trough a bridge ,where you’ll drink some tea which makes you forget the past. If you kind of have deja-vu about something ,it is believed that you may have some past life memories .The cycle of life continues there on .Though people may try to change theit life ,the way they live ,but they can never change their fate that is already written. That if you believe. Of course fates has many branches so it is up to you to go where you wanna go.

Kuan Yin
She’s not a Buddha but a Boddhisatva. That means one step more and she’s a buddha, but according to the serials, she passed up the chance because she wanted to communicate with the people. Buddha does not do social work, per se.Anyway, there are two stories as to how Kuan Yin became Kuan Yin. One is as in Part I ,where Kuan Yin was a HE, a Prince with riches like Buddha .But he gave it all up to be a monk and even changed his outer body into a woman to illustrate that what you see ain’t that all important .It’s what you do with what you have, for greater good .Love isn’t almighty, but compassion for others is. Very Buddhist and very deep. Ever wondered why Buddha and Kuan Yin were so rich when they were human? Because after experiencing all the goodness in life,all the riches, they can still abandon these riches for greater good. This is the ultimate test and if you can do it, You’re on your first step to reach Nirvana(Buddha-hood).The other story is that she is a poor village girl ,died and became Buddha .Less meaningful and less drama.

The Demons
In the serials ,you’ll notice that Birds ,bears ,plants, spiders ,etc can take human form. It’s because the novel and the serials is set in a mythical time where anything (that breaths air) can take human form after thousands of years of meditation. And after many more years following the right path, they may be human, even Buddha if they have the patience. It just shows that equal opportunities to all species to be what they want if they follow the right path .No discrimination here .If you want it, you have to achieve it yourself. It’s up to you.

The contradiction
Buddhism is a very difficult religion to practice though easy to grasp. In the serials, you’ll learn of the 5 prohibitions ,and desire is nothingness ,nothingness is desire as chanted again and again in the Heart Sutra always said by the Monk .Do not believe the serials in the aspect of Buddhism with the general religion. It’s a contradiction to say heaven and Buddhism. In Buddhism ,there’s no heaven but if nirvana( enlightenment) is heaven, then it’s your personal paradise .The goal isn’t the Christian Heaven but rather ,nothingness. No desires ,no wants, ,no anger ,just you. So to achieve this ,you have to do it yourself by meditating, learning ,reading, practicing .Be kind to others ,show not just love(coz frankly ,do you love your neighbor) in a limited sense but like the Christian sense ,greater love called compassion. It can be understanding ,kindness. It’s how you see it .There’s reincarnation but there’s no fear of ghosts coz ghosts does not exist .When we die ,we die physically but mentally we move on to another body until the day we stop, is the day we reached nirvana ,our own heaven .So the serials is quite accurate in preaching ,don’t be too emotional, not just love ,love and love .It’s just a small piece of puzzle. Buddhism is look at the whole picture, weigh what is more important .Try to relax and don’t worry yourself to death. Actually,the monk in the serials is the main preacher of Buddhism. It’s up to you on how you see it. And buddhism is atheist, meaning they do not believe in the concept of God. No ,they’re not anti-whatever it’s just that Buddha isn’t a God, but rather a teacher, preacher ,philosopher. Your fate is determined by your own hands, on what you do. There’s no higher authority but yourself. That is the contradiction with the serials.

Conclusion
If you’re those type that are offended by preaching of religion other than your own ,please do not be offended by the serials, there’s more to that than preaching. Just watch it for entertainment value, or educational value in the consequences aspect ,and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as everybody else did . Seriously, Part I is PERFECT, part II is well,quite alright after a while. Enjoy!!

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Happy Ever After [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim

"I find her (Nadia Chan) interpretation of both Tak Fei and Ngok lacking,seriously lacking.First of all,they do not have any differences.If not for the hairdo,I would never be able to tell the two of them apart.And her reactions to some really drama type moments is just too amateurish as an actress."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Which Is...
NOT a documentary as to "How To Make A Marriage Work",but actually it is a pseudo-comedy about a guy trying to make it as a royal chef during the height of the reign of Emperor Qian Lung,whish also examines his love-hate relationship with the woman he eventually marries and his loyalty to a man whom he calls his best friend who so happens to be Emperor Qian Lung himself.

How Long
40 episodes/20 tapes,or somewhere around there.

Who
Lots of people,so I'll say it one by one.

Bobby Au Yeung ( Dai Dung Goon),
Roger Kwok ( Shuen Min Leung),
Marianne Chan ( Sun Siu Siu),
Kong Wah ( Qian Lung(the King)),
Nadia Chan ( Ngok Sum Yue/Tak Fei),
Fiona Leung ( Kam Chui Fah),
Cheung Wai Yee (Gei Sin Yung),
Ngai Wai ( Jeung Hing Gah),
Hui Siu Hung ( Hoi Mong),
Hong Wah ( Yuk Shu-Shuen Gwai Yan ),
Ha Ping ( Hung Sap Saam),
Wu Fung (Sun Chiu Kwan),
Yung Gam Cheung (Dai Dung Gwai),
Lau Wing Gin( Dai Dung Fu),
Miu Gam Fung ( Pun Wan Kam)

This almost complete list is courtesy of SCTVB.

Remember
I am a Kong Wah fan.Sure,I should slap myself for saying this right at the top of this review,even before the plot but well,I am his fan,but I'll try to be objective in here.Anyway,some of you,well 1000 plus of you must've noticed that I rewrote this whole review.The previous one had some problems with it,like deleted parts which made it all looked so bad.Not my style!So I've decided to update on this,and I am surprised at the number of poeple that reads this review,so for the benefit of everybody,I am writing it again,a year later,with much experience as a reviewer,having a much more objectivity,and I guess,much more sophistication.A-Hem!Anyway,basically same thing so to save you any wasted time,it's ALL the same thing.I'll put the verdict on top first lar har.

Verdict/Is It Worth Renting
I really do not see the point of saying the same thing twice,so for now on,I'll just put these two together,because I notice that everytime I say it's great,to me it's worth renting.Anyway,definately worth renting,however the better episodes comes around Tape 12-15,and anything after Tape 15 is just to nicely close the story,until almost the last 2 tapes,which were great.However,be forwarned,the first few tapes are bloody boring because like Is aid,I am a Kong Wah fan and the first few tapes centred predominantly on the relationship of Bobby and Marrianne.The fun stars when Bobby becomes the royal chef,aroun tape 5 or so.Anyway,one of the best during the year it was released and I really love the song by Roman Tam,so chirpy,so happy and so "Happy Ever After"-ish.
Tha fact that this is probably the only review in E-Buzz without pictures or anything like screenshots,and yet the number of readers are like 1000 plus,meaning how popular this series is.But isit any good?You be the judge.Too tired?Ok lar,I'll judge for you.Plot first.Ok ok,smack!Smack!I slapped myself oredi,for being so arrogant.I must be humble!!

The Plot
Plenty of plot,many funny circumstances and plenty of heart wrenching moments.But i think I'll start like how the series starts.

The King is like in his 80's now,still bloody healthy,all because of his faithful sidekick,the chef,Bobby.Bobby have been serving His Royal Highness for almost 60 years or so,and he wishes to serve him 60 years more,and everybody got teary eyed,including the King.But why?What's the level of relationship between the King and Bobby?Well then,flashback mode,courtesy of Bobby.

Bobby as a 30 year old man was a famous restaurant owner.He has a good tounge,menaing he can taste any food,tell you the ingrediants right to the species of the animal used,and he boasted his tounge could rival that of the King.But he never knew what fate had in store for him.He wanted to compete in a food competiton,the winner's dish will be paraded and served in the Thousand Banquest,held by the King to honour the old.He met a girl in red,Marriane who had a temper to match her really red dress,a chilli loving,and taufu making pretty chef.Anyway,she made this taufu dish,and it was so good,Bobby decided to use it for the competiton.Alas,days before the competition,he realised that he had a bigger rival in Ngai,a chef who only knew how to copy other people's style.Anyway,Bobby beat him with the most ingenius ploy ever(which i shall not tell you here),and he won.Unfortunately,then he got the biggest and most disappointing news.His Number one chef,Marianne was actually teh daughter of Wu Fung,a rival to his restaurant who had some big time rivalry with Bobby's dead father,and Bobby was left with no chef,a ruined restaurant and big debt,that he had to run away and start all over again.Then Marianne and her father got duped too,by Ngai,who was actually her father's apprentice gone bad,and they were left with nothing.When they met Bobby again,they were remoseful,and from the greatest of enemies,they became good friends and Bobby learned how to cook,and set up a small business with his newly wedded wife,Marianne.Then the call from the King came,that he was summoned to be a small ranking chef in the Forbidden Palace but he faced many problesm,amongst which he had Ngai,his bitter rival as his colleague and superior.But as a song goes,"Life Is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans".He planned to serve the King like his father did,but in the end,he got more than he wished for.He made great friends with the King,but when the King asked him for a favour,this was the time that he had to decide,wife or King?Actually,not that he had a choice.And then came a bigger problem,a ploy to overthrown the King by his greedy Concubine,and now is a question of life or your King?Actually,not that he had a choice also.

So What About The Others?Just Ke-Le-Fe?
Not really.All has a part to play,at almost the end of this series and also to illustrate to you the different ways people treat their loved ones,to give you an overall feel as to "How To Be and Stay Married".So I'll say it one by one.

Roger and Fiona and Cheung Wai Yee
What a triangle!Anyway,Roger was involved with Cheung first.She a rich man's daughter,he a poor scholar destined for greatness,unfortunately they just didn't know when.The woman invested lots of time in this man,banking on the possible chance that he might be an official with the royal court.But then he kept failing and failing the exams,not because he was stupid but because he was plain nervous and he unwittingly made some high officials angry and so ruined his chance again and again and again.So when he kenw Cheung married a capable man later,he became depressed,but he found his soul mate in Fiona,a poor girl on the run,fro what I can't remember.They fell in love,he married her and she envouraged his studies which he almost abandoned.But then,Bobby gave the King,whom by now is of great friendship with Bobby,a recommendation of an honest official,and that was how Roger became a 9th rank official,in charge of the Library.But of course,he made some discoveries and after a while,the King tructed him ,his rank rose and he became a 7th ranked official if I am not mistaken.But alas,marriage dept not so smooth,because he saw Cheung again,thsi time a widow with little protection adn far less money.She seduced him one night,whilst he was drunk,they slept together and he had to marry her as a second wife.Funny was that Fiona wasn't the one who was terribly emotional about this betrayal,but it was her friend,Marriane and her mom in law.And so she took MArianne's advice,lose the man,grab the money.He gave almost every single penny from his salary to his wife,leaving little to the mistress,and in the end,the mistress ran off stealing an impirtant thing used for his job,and who then to help him but his faithful wife.And it was Happy Ever After after that.

How To Be Married : To Roger's type of honest man,God fearing,mommy loving,apple pie eating kinda guy,basically you just be terribly nice to him,to move his heart so to speak.And he will love you like he love his mom.

How To Stay Married : Even if there may be a woman like Cheung,preservere.Cut off all economic means to the other woman by being really nice and understanding,do not scream,do not shout but be really patient,make the guy feel guilty,and then preservere.If you want that guy back,be ready to help him in times of need to show what a good wife you are,and then really forgive him by making him save every drop of water you have splasehd onto the street,and you know he'll never save every drop,so then you walk slowly to him,use your handkerchief,soak up the water,take that wet handkerchief,wipe his forehead and forgive hii ,this time for real.

How To Make Sure He's Back To You Not Because He Had No One Else : Simple.
Do what Fiona did.Not that she wanted to.She contracted Measles,which could kill at that time.She ran away,but you know your man loves you when he stays with you,hugging you,giving you words of comfort even if you told him to go,even if he too could contract the disease.And he prays day and night for you,and when you're well,he ahs this look of utter happiness.Then my friend,only then you'll know he's back because he loves you.

Marianne and Bobby and Nadia as Sum Yue
The greatest nightmare for a woman would be to discover that your man once fell for another woman,and worse still,that woman is 10 times much more beautiful than you are,100 times more educated than you are,1000 times more richer and of more influence than you are,and million times more nicer and a trillion times more understanding,kinder and sophisticated than you are.But the real problem starts when you as a wife just refuse to get out of your own jealousy and see the real truth;they're just best friends,the woman is in love with another man and your husband definately adores you,even if he can't stand your irratinal and unbelievably incromprehensible big time jealousy over nothing.Of course,as a wife,when you discover your husband was given that other woman as a second wife by the order of the King,and she is pregnant,what then do you do?Well,be like MArianne,make more noise,sue your husband and make sure the King hear your case,eveen if it emant jeapordising the whole plan laid by the King himself.You see,the King is in a secret affair with Nadia,which the mother clearly hates,so he enlisted the help of Bobby to pretend to marry her,so that he could give her a second home outside the palace and visits her every time he wants to.But Marianne kept getting into his perfect plan and so the plan backfired,and what about the marriage between Marianne and Bobby?Rocky,until of course she did what she did below and then perhaps you too can learn something from this marriage made in hell.

How To Be Married : To Bobby's type of good ,nice but arrogant man,with a great talent,first have the same interest that is cooking,have a talent to match,make sure his old GF is elsewhere,argue a lot with him to get his attention,and make sure you be nic sometimes to maintain his attention to you,make him a bit confuse by being hot and in the next second,being cold,pretend that you were reluctant but make sure he knows you aren't reluctant in helping him overcome his fear of fire,and try to be jealous like every two seconds into the series,and make sure you both are in a situation where he will have to save you from a death fall into the river below by grabbing the collar of your dress,and make sure you live during a time where any contact between a man and a woman,who are unmarried a definate No-No,look at him for the longest of time,try to be shy and then be extra nice to him,to mkake sure he will marry you.And to really make sure that he will,be extra nice to his mom,so that his mom will like you until the point that he has no choice but to marry you.

How To Stay Married : Try to be much more understanding when you husband suddenly comes home,tells you that he has to marry a girl names Sum yue and that she is pregnant.Tyr to look for the "I AM Actually Forcd to Do This" signs on his face,and when you refused to do so,he might have to divorce you to marry her on the orders of the king.And when you actually found out the truth about the whole matter,be extra nice to him and apologise like there is no tomorrow.

How To Make Sure He's Back To You Not Because He Had No One Else : Simple. Do what Marianne did.When Bobby had to save the country and the King's throne by cooking even if he was so sick and he was dying because the pins stuck in his head to stop his allergic reactions to Kiwi fruits can only stay in there for a few hours ,and he continued to cook even if you beg him not to ,and he faints with one loud scream of pain,but the kingdom saved when the king woke up from his trance like moment,he lays dying on the bed,and you were told he might not live,you ask for the King for a cup of poison so that you could die with him,you drink that poison without hesitation and make sure your husband doesn't die but wakes up to see you slowly fainting right before his eyes.Make sure he sees that and he will surely come back to you because he loves you because he almost lost you.Oh yes,one more very very very important thing.Make sure you find a king that is smart enough not to give you a cup of poison as requested by the stupid you.I mean if you are dead,what is there to make sure that he comes home to you when you won't even be there?

King and Tak Fei and The Mother
Of course,being a TVB series,there won't be issues of incest.No,no but this triangle is the most interesting of this series.You see,the King has this favourite concubine named Tak Fei/Ling Yee/Nadia who is a Han girl,who can't bear the King any children but nevertheless the King loves her dearly.But the Mother hates her much more dearly.Anyway,when the King left for some civic and royal duties,the Mother put her plans into action,by ordering for her death by suffocation.She died,he cried and mom is still his mom.So what is the King to do?

How To Be Married : To King's type of regal,mother fearing,country loving,people serving kinda guy,you have gotta be....actually i do not know.I mean they never show how the King married Tak Fei but I would assume that her abilities like playing the piano,guitar,cooking,overall pleasant personality,and gorgeous face has something got to do with the above question.

How To Stay Married : Tak Fei is a case of How They Can't Stay Married Even If They're Crazy About One Another.I mean firstly,be a manchurian.That's how to get to the mother's heart.Secondly,don't be so annoying as to like must be with the king night and day.And even if you didn't,just make sure you make your protest loud enough for the mother to hear.Make sure you know who are your enemies,like Shuen Gwai Yan for one.Though she is like smiling,and nice and all,make sure you wear your contact lenses and look closely!
Anyway,there was a time where the Mother wanted to kill her by ordering her to hand herself,but God intervened by causing the clothe to tear into two,when she was struggling for air.And then the Queen ordered her to leave the King and hide and never to be seen again.But alas,the King saw her,got his memory back and went to purseu her all over again.And she followed him home(big mistake!) to disastrous results.

How To Make Sure He's Back To You Not Because He Had No One Else : Can't be so sure because your'e dead,he is a King,and a young virile King,he will always have another woman.Would you take comfort in the fact that he falls for a woman that looks just like you?Exactly my thoughts.Let's shout the answer...NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

King and Sum Yue/Nadia and Mother
The more I write this the presence of Mother is like to Norman Bates in the Psyco!Anyway,Tak Fei was killed and he could not do anything about it.Could he hate his mom?No.Could he kill his mom?Over a woman?No!So what is a good king to do?Find another wife!And so he found her,Ngok Sum yue,daughter of a high ranking Han General.Meaning she a Han woman,meaning First Round to get Mommy's approval is like already lost.So what is he to do?First he must purseu her and she must be willing to be pursued.After that,they fell in love and my God,she slept with him after how many days of acquaintance?Anyway,then try to keep her existance a secret from your mommy by asking,ordering your friend,a chef named Bobby,a very married man to marry her!But could he succeed?If he did,this series would never be called Happy Ever After because we veiweres expect a couple to be able to be legitimately seen together,so the plan will never work!

How To Be Married : To the King,simple.Let him pusue you,woo you until he is out of breath.Make sure he funds you charitable cause by throwing big chunks of gold into poor housing areas whilst taking you by the waist and fly like a superman,make sure after you fall in love with him,you run frantically to tell him that your father intends to marry you off to another lovesick Machurian Riyal blood,make sure he is there to rescue you from that annoying Machurian Royal Blood by carrying you off into the sunset with a horse,make sure it is raining heavily,and your'e bothe soaked,make sure you build a fire,hang your clothes to dry,stand almost naked with only a piece of clothe acting a a barrier,then let him touch you,turn you towards him,kiss you and then sleep with you,and then when he tells you his true identity,act like Nadia the actress did,by not acting at all,but feigning surprise but because she is not that a great actress it looks more like,"Really?!" kinda look instead of "Oh My God?!?!!" look.And then go with his disastrous plans because you're pregnant and then,well actually look below;

How To Stay Married : Win the mother's heart,by being really cool about being held undder house arrest by evil Shuen Gwai Yan in her ploy to overthrow the King,and take this time to let her see the gentler side of you like be really calm,knit something,and then when you're saved by that annoying Royal Machurian Blood,make sure you do not run ahead of her but run together with her,gently holding the mother's hand,and then reach the main hall,scream out the evil ploy for all ministers to hear.But Nadia being such a bad actress at this point,she didn't really scream,she just say it loud enough for all to hear,with no real emotion,no real angst,no real voice of accusations.Meaning she said it this way:
"It was Shuen Gwai Yan,she held us under house arrest!"

But it should've been;
"IT WAS SHUEN GWAI YAN,SHE HELD US UNDER HOUSE ARREST!!!",with much more emotional dissatisfaction and hatred for that woman for what she did to you,and the man you love.

Get my point?

How To Make Sure He's Back To You Not Because He Had No One Else : Simple.Because he is already crazy about you.Actually this question for Ngok Sum Yue's case is quite redundant.Because he doesn't want anybody else.

Shuen Gwai Yan and The King
She is the niece of a high ranking Manchurian official,and seizing the opportunity of a King pining for his lost love(Tak Fei before he found her again after 3 years of seperation),the uncle made sure she stood the same way that Tak Fei would stand and attract teh King's attention.Anyway,then the bad news;Tak fei is still very much alive and she's back.But Tak Fei is a nice woman,she even encourage the King to sleep with Shuen Gwai Yan which he does.And then she becomes pregant but she doesn;t know it until she suffers from a miscarriage.You see she wants to get rid of Tak Fei,and so she makes suer that Tak Fei's favourite perfume(those that you burn like incense) is soaked with poison,and so when she lights it up,Shuen Gwai Yan will pretend to take a sniff,and then pretend to faint.And the Mother seeing this will hate Tak Fei for her supposed evil ploy to kill her.And then when the Mother knows that there's a miscarriage,she hates Tak Fei even more.Then much later a bigger secret is out.The King is actaully the son of a Han servant girl who was raped by the previous King,and the mother being kind,took the child as her own and the real mother became a nun.Tak Fei knew about this,and so did Shuen Gwai yan who spread this truth as a rumour.The Mother thought that it was Tak Fei's undoing,since she was the only other person who knew about this(she didn't know Shuen Gwai yan knew about this too),and so she ordered her to die,becasue the Mother was too angry with Tak Fei.And when she died,Shuen Gwai Yan moved up the ladder as a high ranking concubine recommended by the Mother and she could've been a queen but stupid woman decides to take over the throne.I mean,isn't she just hopelessly stupid?It's like,all the ministers dead?

How To Be Married : To the King,simple.Just make sure you have a powerful uncle in the Ministry,stand like the King's favourite concubine did,grab the heart of the mother by being unconvincingly nice.Simple.But how to get him to sleep with you is a different matter.

How To Stay Married : First of all,be best friends with his favourite concubine,make sure you cry in front of her of the King's lack of attention in you,make sure you get to sleep with him,then get rid of the favourite concubine,make sure you pretend to be really nice and all,then give him lots of viagra type of medicine to drink so that he spends his every waking hour in bed with you,preoccupie his mind with lots and lots and lots and lots of sex,make sure he cares nothing for the administration and running of his country so that you can be a de facto Emperor in his absence,majke suer he is in a trance like manner everyday for the rest of his life,poison him if you have too with your womanly skills.And make sure you could keep it that way until he dies slowly from the poison you give him.

Wonder why she didn't try voodoo?Because sex is the most powerful tool by a woman,as illustrated by this series.It helps if you make the King so drugged with viagra substance he wouldn't care if you're Shuen Gwai Yan or Shuen Yan Yan.As long as you're a woman,that's fine with him.


How To Make Sure He's Back To You Not Because He Had No One Else : Cannot make sure because like I said,all miniters dead ah?After a while somebody will suspect why a normally hardworking King would now rather spend his time in the company of women than in the company of men?Ok,I didn't mean it that way but you do know what i mean right?And to drug him until he died?That's not a very good plan because that takes time,takes effort and it gives other people time to rescue him.Which Bobby did by the way,by cooking some food which contained the cure for the King's supposed illness,but they dcan't cook all cure into one dish,then the woman will know,so they had to make sure the King eats like 5 dishes to get all the remedy and will the cure work.And when it did,the King woke up,slapped that woman and you do know what will happen to her and her uncle,even if they didn't show it.They will all be beheaded,or probably be given the most severest of punishment.What?Scroll down below to the Interesting Facts column,since this has nothing to do with the series.

You're Confusing Me.How Come....

Bobby fell for Marianne : Because he had no other women I guess.

Bobby didn't wait for Ngok Sum yue's return : She wrote him a letter unfortunately the letter became soaked in water or something so he couldn't read most of it.He just could read the portion where she sayd good bye to him.But the letter actually contains her declaration of love for him.That's why he married Marriane instead of Ngok.He didn't know.

King's Mom hated Tak Fei : Because she is bad luck,according to some astrologer.Also in a way she resents Han people because the King's real mom was a Han servant girl raped by her husband.I would assume,and I am reading a lot of this into the series,that her husband ignores her.She couldn';t give him a son,and the one that gave him a son was a Han servant girl,so I geuss the resentment stems from there though they never really showed this. Also because she thought Tak Fei wanted her dead(not true),she resents the fact also that the son spends so much time with this Han woman.You know,could be incestual actually,but again I am reading too much into the series.

Bobby was scared of fire : He was a little boy and he saw his father,a famous chef died in a fire.Hence his fear of fire.

Bobby later wasn't scared of fire anymore : Because Marianne,Wu Fung,his mother,Roger,Fiona and everybody else forcved him to overcome his fear,and when he got used to fire,he wasn't so scared of it anymore,and thus began his great and illustrous career as a chef,starting as a chef for Tak fei,the everybody asked him to cook for them,and then as a personal chef for the King.

Bobby and King became best friends : one of the highlights of this series is the relationship between Bobby and Kong Wah as the King.The King a lonely man actually,no friends anmd Bobby offered him the window to ordinary life.Moreover,they both loved to eat,they both share the same passion for food and also becasue Bobby was the only one who will be willing to tell the King the truth about things.Though Bobby may be a Yes man,but he is not always a Yes man to everything,though he never really say no to the King for everything.Moreover,The King liked him because Bobby was terribly cute in here.

You didn't mentioned a thing on Roger : What to mention?This series isn't about Roger you know.And I did mention some.Anyway,his role is as a best buddy to Bobby,and a loyal servant to the King.What more can i say?

Shuen Gwai Yan is so stupid/greedy/selfish/mean/evil/bad : I don't know.Somebody has to be evil in here right?But I do agree,she is stupid.Could have been queen and yet she wanted more.She wanted to be King I guess.But not really,because she wanted to be Queen/Empress and teh funny thing was that the Mother wanted her to be empress,though the KIng wanted to marry Ngok,but i doubt he would go against the Mother's wishes as to who should be queen.So really stupid of her.

The King got drugged : He was actually at his wits end as to how to officially marry Ngok.And so he decided to run away with her,leave his throne to one of teh trusted and loyal Uncles and become an ordinary citizen to live happily ever after with his Ngok Sum Yue.And then before he could do so,Shuen Gwai yan confiscated the letter to the Ministers,drugged the King,and the rest is as above.

Bobby could save the King : Like I said,they needed to feed the king the cure,and they can't do it in one dish because he is no longer a chef in the royal kitchen.So seizing the opportunity when it comes,ie the Manchurian and Han ministers were arguing with each other,(due to the fact that Ngok's father had to call off the engagement between his daughter and that annoying Royal Blood Machurian guy after he found out that the daughter is pregnant with "Bobby's" child,so the Manchruian general was pissed off,when his son became so love sick that he made mistakes in his army regime and was demoted,and then they begin to insult each other's races) and Roger suggested that they work this problem out by cooking competition between the Manchurian representative and the Han representative,and the King,before he was drugged agreed.And thus when he was drugged,and the moment came,Bobby represented the Hans and Jeung Hing Ka represented the Manchurian,and he cooked 5 dishes all with the cure,praying that the King would eat all 5 dishes.But halfway through it,Jeung Hing Ka used a dirty trick,he used Kiwi fruit as one of his ingrediant and Bobby is allergci to Kiwi fruits.HE became dizzy but he still had to cook.He asked a doctor to block his sense of smell by acupuncture but that could only last for a few hours and after that he might die of some haemorrhage,but he took the risk amidsts his wife's loud protest.the competiton was not really important,but saving the King was important.At the end of the day,the kIng ate all 5 dishes,vomitted but Bobby fainted,and as described above,everything is Happy ever After.

You're not telling me the ending : Because that's the ending.For more on this point,scroll down further.

You're always asking me to scroll down : Because the answer is not up there,but down there.Anyway,I have to ask you to scroll down because I like this review to be categorised and neatly laid out for you to read.i know it's annoying to "Please Scroll down further" but I hate to repeat the same points.So scroll down please!!

Some Dissatisfaction
I have some unhappiness with this series,so I'll lay it down one by one.

The Ending : They began with an old Bobby reminiscing the past.Why then they didn't end it with an old Bobby ?They ended it with Marianne drinking the supposed poison,then cut to the next scene,she is heavily pregnant,they have lots of kids.I mean give me some consistency please.It's like they're in a hurry to end it or something.I hate the ending.For all the drama before the ending,an ending with an old Bobby and an old Marianne and an old King together would've been great.

Nadia's reaction(or lack of it) : As Tak Fei she was good,especially that scene where she was crying and begging the Mother to please listen to her explanation.Itw as sad when she died.You do realise that she die right?I mean 2 Nadias,one King?You have gotta know that that's the ending.Anyway,as Ngok Sum yue,I see no difference in her interpretation.Other from the fcat that Ngok smiles much more than Tak fei,they're both the same with expressions,mannerisms,etc,but we do know that Tak Fei is older because of her hairstyle.Anyway,it wasn't a great performance.Especially when after sleeping with the King not knowing he is the King,and being pusjed into a loveless marriage,he reaction to his statement was really lacking.Too superficial,and perhaps it was because teh director cut the scene too soon to the next scene.

King's falling in love with Sum Yue : I mean this guy loved that Tak Fei sooooooo much and she died like weeks?Months and he fell in love again.Of course fell for a woman that looks like her but still....he knows that Sum Yue ain't her.I mean mourn longer won't die right?Anyway,it's just too fats,too soon,too fake.I certainly would hope for naother actress to play Ngok Sum Yue,instead of Nadia in two roles.I mean must they show the only reason that first attracted him to her was her likeness to Tak fei?Why not a diferent woman who wins his heart by being different?

The Characters' actions : Mainly the King's and Ngok's actions.

THe King is a very dutiful King.Even when his mother killed his beloved Tak Fei,he smiled on,and worked even harder to fill that empty void of his.

Ngok Sum yue is a very charitable and patriotic woman.NOW,my question is how come these two prefectly responsible and patriotic people would even consider eloping just for love?I mean again they should've show a scene where Nadia stops him from such an action but they didn't.She wnet along with it,which is so inconsistent wit the whole characters' behaviour.I would expect more from the King than to elope.It is one of the worst element of this series,wanting to milk the viewers' sympathy for their plight,instead it looks more like a half baked storyline.It's just too inconsistent with the whole series.

Ngok's willingness to sleep with the King : Call me old fashion,I mean they lived during a time where a woman was not allowed to show skin at any plave other than those unavoidable places like face,hands,etc.Ngok Sum Yue struck me as a very soft,lady like and very well mannered girl who was educated and nice.Then they had to show her giving herself to a man she hardly knew.I eman it was just too unreal.Maybe they're tryintg to show her as a very forward thinking person but I find it rather disturbing.Women at that time treasure nothing more than propriety and pureness.i know it's wrong to associate virginity with pureness but that's a fact during that time.To have that one scene totally spolis teh whole image or perception that I had of Ngok Sum Yue.But actually I like that scene because well you know,Kong Wah,Nadia,kissing(cut!darn!) but that scene just doesn't feet her eprsonality who earlier when was touched by this man she didn't know,she quislcy backed her had away.Of course you'll say they're in love but I personally feel it is wrong to have that scene.

Marianne's jealousy : I mean one outburst of jealousy fine but do we have to see the same outburtsts again and again and again?After a while,it is just so tiring,and you would be wondering,what did he saw in her?

Marianne's actions : i wouold expect her character to argue to death for not allowing the husband to marry Ngok.But what comes after is pure cinematic stupidity.She found out the real truth as to why Bobby must marry Ngok but instead of going along with it,she appeared before the King's Mother and screamed to the King to stop his plan.Then the King's mother knew and even wanted to chop off Marianne's head for rudeness within the palace.I eman is this woman stupid or what?What does she think?That she can pursuade the King's mother to ask teh king to retract his order?Even Bobby told her to shut up.Think of the bigger picture.This character os Siu Siu reminds me of a woman who can't think beyond themselves,too narrow minded and probably too stupid to veen know what a big mess they've created by their own ignorance.

Then at the almost end,where Bobby wanted to stick those pins into his head,her first statement was "Don't do this!" I won't let you do this",kicking and crying.Again I would expect such a statement from this character,like I say she is too stupid to think beyond herself or her husband's.I know,admire her,respect her,love her for loving her husband that much.But I wanted to scream at her and say "Lady!The country,may not be a country by tomorrow when the kIng dies!Even if your husband were to die saving the King,it must be done,because CHina ain't just about you and your husband,it's about a few million people,and having a biased MAnchurian of non royal blood on the throne could start a war with the hans,bloodshed,civil war,and if such a good king dies,where to find one just as good?!!!!!!!!!".

Of course,he's not that great a king since he considered eloping,abdicating his throne.But still........hate that Siu Siu.

The Most Pitiful Character
Tak Fei.The saddest character in this series,the way she died was really horrifying.

The Most Romantic Scene :
Not taking into account that Superman scene where The King took Sum Yue on a flying around moment,distributing money to the poor by throwing into teh houses chunks of gold,this one below I feel is the most romantic scene.

The King found out his Tak Fei is still alive.Pining for her for 3 long years he went in search of her in the jungle.She was hiding behind a big rock with her servant,afarid to come out to see him due to her promise to the Mother to not see him,he screams and then he fell to the ground,and she ran out thinking that he was hurt and he immediately tied a scarf around his wrist and hers and not letting go,forver.Too her home to see his mom,of course mom's not happy but what can she do?

I thought it was romantic.

The Best Scenes :
Any scenes with the King,the Mother,or Bobby and the King.Especially those scenes where the King fell to the river,suffered from amnesia and Bobby found him,took care of him not realising who he was.Those were the funniest scenes,and the best of the whole series because of the chemistry between Kong Wah and Bobby.

The scene where Tak Fei died,the King had to sit down listening to what his mother had to say,and she was trying very hard to please him and the King just looked empty inside,he just looked so inconsolable,and he was agreeing to what she had to say.

Bobby without Marianne,funny and cute.

The scenes where Fiona found out of her husband's intention to marry Cheung.She didn't say anything,she just used his money.I mean it was funny because I have never seen a much poorer mistress like Cheung,her clothes devoid of gold.In fcat,it was Fiona that had all the gold because she had all the money.And she owuld flaunt to the mistress,"See,I got gold,you got the man?Ha ha ha".And that scene where Fiona took every opportunity to torture that mistress.When she found out she msitreated the mom in law(not true actually),she quicly slapped Cheung and the husband did nothing about it.A good scene that shows to us being a mistress ain't easy.

The scene where Roger was begging for forgiveness from Fiona.She said if she poured the bucket of water onto the street,he must svae every drop of it and then she will forgive him.She pured,he tried but obviously he would fail.And he looked desperate and thought thatw as the end.And then suddenly she walked towards him,took out a handkerchief and soaked it with the water on the street and squeezed ont othe empty bucket.Looked at him and you knew everything is forgiven.A very good scene.Again,not a word spoken.

The starting scene where an old King and Old Bobby,and Bobby wished the King a happy birthday and said that he wished that he could serve the kind decades more,and both were teary eyed.In that one scene,I couldn't wait for the series to move on to the possible scenes of blossoming friendhsip between these two men of diffenet background,different classes but with the same passion.

The Ultimate Classic Scene
Just one,and this one scene shows to us why Kong Wah is my favouriite actor.I always admire actors/actresses that can act with their eyes.I mean no words,just eyes that tell us all.Just the eyes that probably woukd have said much more than the dialougue.Not eyes like " I am sad",or "I am happy" but eyes that could speak volumes of emotions,beyond what words could tell us and you could almost fill in the empty silence with your own words.This one scene is the one for Kong Wah,and he was so good,you could almost feel his pain.

Tak Fei just died.The King was minutes too late.It was raining,thunders and all and he carried her lifeless body out.On the way out,he saw his mother.She walked quickly in front of him,faced him and told him "You know what she did?She wanted to poison me!",and she stopped midway.Because it was obvious he wasn't listening at all.He was too angry,he didn't believe her accusations and as he slowly looked at his mother right in the eyes,she stopped talking and let him walk past her,because without words,his eyes spoke of hatred for his mother.The mother had to let him leave.

Perfect scene,such hatred,such anger,such angst all in the eyes and no words,not a single dialougue from Kong Wah.That I call true acting!

Most Annoying Character
Who else but Marianne's Siu Siu.Really hated her.Jealous jealous jealous all the time.Boring.

Most Favourite Pair :
Not man/woman pair but pair with great chemistry,it had to be Kong Wah and Bobby.I just love the scenes where they're together.

Best Performances :
Kong Wah.Enough said.Of course,I do have my complaints with his characters' actions but still,he was very good.

If Kong Wah is the drama element in here,Bobby has to be the comic element in this series.He is just too cute,more so with his pot belly.He is funny,though his acting,after this series is becoming stale.Need some spice Bobby,a different role perhaps?

Marianne Chen for all my hatred for her character Siu Siu,she was good in here.But if her character is a bit much more cuter,perhaps I might like her even more.Anyway,I have been following her acting career closely,it wasn't until Life For Life(after this series) that she found her niche in acting,and she has improved ever since,dramatically in fact.She has a moldable face,not too pretty,not too ugly and a voice that can be soft or hard.WHen she gives you the stare you might just feel the room's temperature below 0 degrees but if she were to give you her warm smile,you feel warm actually.She strikes me as an actress with great potential and hopefully she will continue to play a myrid of characters,and truly find her true acting method.There was alwyas consistency in her performance of any character,and I guess because of this consistency I hated Siu Siu.She clearly understands her character and I guess this is why she performs so well lately.This is one actress that should be given much more attention and hopefully she will get to play an all out villian one day in a big production.That will truely tell me if she has what it takes to make it and to carry a series all by herself.

Roger Kwok,another actor that shows deep understanding for his characters.His performance is always consistent,alwyas good and always sincere.I like him,and I hope to see him as a villian someday.Want to see real acting.

Hong Wah. An underrated actress of TVb,always playing those mean types.She is good,and I do like her but I guess she is restricted by her looks,which is a great pity.

Not so Good Peformances
Fiona Leung.Still lacking in the emotional scenes,probably her voice.

Nadia Chan,who could have been right below if not for another worse than her.Anyway,I find her interpretation of both Tak Fei and Ngok lacking,seriously lacking.First of all,they do not have any differences.If not for the hairdo,I would never be able to tell the two of them apart.And her reactions to some really drama type moments is just too amateurish as an actress.The only one good scene is as Tak fei begging for her life, if in that scene she is not that emotional,I'll tell you her name would be below.

Worst Performance
Consistently bad,probably the only actress worse than Charmaine Sheh herself,or even any actresses,would be Suet Lei.Is that her name?Anyway,that woman who plays the King's mother.I can't stand her.The only reason that this show could possibly stink is because of her eprformance.She suffered the same fate as Charmaine Sheh or any recent Miss HKs,her voice,I can't stand her voice.And everytime she speaks,in any of her seris,its like she has to take in gallops of oxigen and then she speaks.Like takes a lot of effort.And her acting is just so bad,i would dare say she is the worst actress in TVB today,the worst Actor belongs to the old guy who plays Gallen's father in ATE/ATE II.Bad bad bad acting.And she has the most interesting role!Give me Charmaine anytime!

Interesting Facts
This series was a hit overseas,and i guess in HK too.But some were turned off by this series because of Nadia's bad acting,so my complaints do have some basis.

There was a Making Of..... documentary of this series.When they have that,you know it's a big production.Indeed!The gold plates?Real,and same designs as thsoe in the real banquest during that time.The food?According to the real menu of Machurian-Han Banquet.The big studio?Actually it was Studio One of TVb,the biggest,usually for Miss HK pegeants,took 300 men to built,three days to finish filming,designs according to the real Forbidden Palace,but of course obviously smaller scale.Those abalone?Shark Fins?Scallops?All sponsored by a restaurant owner?Cooking scenes of Bobby?Those hands belong to a real chef.ALL THIS YOU GET TO SEE IN THE LAST TAPE OF THIS SERIES.

The history of punishment,as promise by "Please Scroll Down Further" statement above.I read in a book about teh Forbidden City,for any Dynasty,the severest punishment you would think was beheading.You know one chop and that's it.Not really,Sometimes that chop guy will miss,ad you're left with half chopped head,and your'e still alive.That's the trouble for not using the guillotine.Sometimes,the most severest could punishment out of public eyes.You know,jealous queen killing King's favourite concubines.The most horrifying one should be this one;where the mistress was chopped off her hands,her legs,stuffed into one big black pot,locked in a dungeon with no lights,tounge cut out and fed shit for the rest of her pitiful life.All becasue the King,when he was alive loved her more.

Another would be the Empress Dowager,Old Buddha hersefl,where she hanged a girl high up,by the feet and hands and then,let go of the rope and Splat!You do knwow aht happened right?

Now for those legal type of punishment,this wopuld be the severest.I am not sure which dynasty but it sounds painful.Only for the worst of crime,or traitors.Anyway,the prisoner will be led to a podium,and guy will come with a knife,and he will skillfully and slowly slice your flesh like a chef would to a Peking Duck,and sure you'll scream of pain.Then comes your nose,ears,lips,forarms,etc one slice at a time,slowly and plainfuly.Blood would come oozing out of the flech,and after a while,the slicing will take such a long time that your blood will stop annd thsoe that ooze out will be yellow substance.And by this time you would be begging for instant detah becaseu too painful but now way.Slice slice slice until you die or they finish slicing.Cruel eh?

There was an Emperor Qian Lung,he loved his mother like crazy,built a golden stupa just to keep her fallen white hair!Anway,was he a product of a Han woman and the king Yung Ching like so many stories loved to depict?Rumour had it that Yung Ching may have killed his own father,Hong hei for the throne .Runour also had it that Qian Lung could be a Han woman's son.But the truth is,not true I guess.All rumours.He was truly the son of a Manchurian Queen and the Manchurian King,like that depicted in War And Remembrance.So don't believe everything you see on TV.Not true at all.

Was there a Tak Fei?Rank maybe,but same woman? NO!

Hong Wah plays a Gwai Yan,meaning Privileged Person I guess,by literal translation.that is the lowest ranks of all for a concubine.Highest rank would be a Fei like Tak Fei.The Queen would be teh officially married one,usually from a rich,powerful noble family.The erst must at least be from a family of third ranked minister.See,be a mistress msut also have some family connection.As to how Ching Dynasty Kings chose the woman to sleep with for the night,go to Legend Of Lady Yang's reviews,click it,then click The Bedroom.If you really wanna know.

So you wanna be a Minister eh?You must either have family connections or if your'e a brilliant but poor scholar,you could try to sit for the Imperial Exams,that will all be based on Confucious teachings,you know reiterate his teachings word for word.Usually a candidate sitting for the exam cannot leave the exam for days/weeks,so they eat/sleep there right at the exam table.Those that can write the fullest reiteration of Confucious teachings,perfectlt,with great handwritings,etc will be the one.Not much brobery there because there were poor scholars who made it.Exams is dunno how many years once,only ONE will pass the exam,hence the high standard of the exams.Sometimes the King will set the exams paper.Different categories,from small exams to the highest exams.Each will give a different ranking post,starting from the lowest ,the 9th ranked minister.Some successful candidate,especially that of the highest exam that a candidate can sit for were often offered a princess as a bride,meaning he became the King's son in law,some became magistrate,all will be given official posts,but never first ranked official.That they would have to work their way up.

The most famous one to sit for such an exam and passed should be Justice Bao during Dynasty Song.It seemed that he was already a genius as a child in his village,dunno passed how many exams even befroe he reached puberty.By the way,there was a Justice Bao.

Anyway,I must tell you this famous story of Justice Bao.You see,there was this poor but briliant scholar,suported for years by his poor but loyal wife.he went fro the exams,made the first place for the highest exams in the country and he was offered a princess as a bride,apart from a high ranking official position.he took both,forgetting aboutbhis poor wife.Sure,polygamy is allowed then,but not disregarding the existance of your first wife and marryng for power.He was already the son in law but Justice Bao heard the woman's pleas for justice and he heard,tried the case and sentenced thant man,KING's SON IN LAW mind you to death!!!And he just chooped off his head,and the King could do nothing.You see Justice Bao had this power to "Chop first,explain later",courtesy of teh King himself,and he was never afraid to use that power.As such,that was waht he became a legend.whether this story is true or not i don't know,but there was a Justice bao who was terribly fair during the tiome where every official was corrupted and scheming mean old chauvinistic men.

You may ask,why Confucionism as a basis for the exams?Probably because Confucious,or Hung Foo Tze was the father of Chinese philosophy.I mean this guy lived even before Shih Huang Ti!!That was like way BC people!Anyway,he was also the same guy that said (if I am not mistaken) ,women should have the qualities of (literal translation)"3 obedience,4 capabilities",you know listen to husband,etc.the rest i do not know.Yeah,chauvinist I know but still a great intelligent man.


Interesting Observation
Kong Wah,If I am an actor,I would envy him for this role.Best clothes,lots of women around him for him to hug/kiss/cajole,food he eats first,chair he sits the highest,he gets to shout at you,scream at you.Pure fun for him I guess.

Unimportant Stuff
The chinese title is "Kam Yoke Moon Tong",which bears an auspiscious meaning,what auspiscious meaning I wish i could translate but I couldn't,because I do not know where to begin . Maybe a gathering of family.

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