Just in Singapore
Encyclopedia
Just in Singapore is a Singaporean Chinese
modern comedic drama which was telecasted on Singapore
's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 25 February 2008 and ended on 04 April 2008. This drama serial consists of 30 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.
This drama serial is written by the highly acclaimed scriptwriter, Hong Rong Di (洪荣狄), who has produced popular dramas such as The Golden Path
, The Little Nyonya
and An Ode to Life
.
Uncle Kopi (Liang Tian) and Auntie Kopi (He Bing) have a large ceramic tub at home. Left behind by Uncle Kopi’s father, it has held water for the baths of many generations in their family. When their youngest daughter (Ong Ai Leng) wishes to entrust her parents with the care of her young son, she is worried that the tub may be a hazard and thus asks her parents to dispose of it. The old couple is unwilling to give it up and decide to put it at their neighbour Grandmother Ma’s (Hong Da Mu) home for the time being.
Grandmother Ma’s grandson Ma Zhigang (Adam Chen) is a lazy young man who refuses to hold a proper job. He owes a huge debt and so decides to sell the tub. However, he runs into loansharks while on the way to sell the tub and therefore leaves the tub behind while on the run. He is saved by Qianqian (Apple Hong), a Vietnamese bride purchased and brought to Singapore by San Wan (MC King). Zhigang, seeing how beautiful Qianqian is, cheats San Wan of a large sum of money and instigates Qianqian to elope with him.
The tub left behind by Zhigang is picked up by the Weijie, the eldest son of the lazy couple Robert (Nelson Chia) and Mary (Patricia Mok). Thereafter, it ends up with Auntie Auto (Li Yingzhu), and then Lin Bang’s (Huang Wenyong) family.
Lin Bang’s wife Nancy (Chen Liping) runs a shrine and they have two daughters. Their eldest daughter Xiuzhen (Paige Chua), a university student, is pretty, intelligent, and carries a torch for Su Dingyi (Kang Chengxi), a handsome and stylish young man from a wealthy family. But Lin Bang is actually her stepfather and so her biological father does not recognise her as his daughter. To get closer to him, she hides the fact that she is from a poor family, so that she will not feel ashamed of her parents.
Their younger daughter Xiuming (Fiona Xie) is not as intelligent as her elder sister. After finishing her ‘N’ levels, she operates a stall at a night market. She has grown up among the lower social levels and feels that even though people of this class are not wealthy and have no social status to speak of, they can etch an honest living and give support to one another. Hence, she does not mind when people find out that she lives in a rented flat, has a father who sings at Chinese stage performances and a mother who gets up to dodgy things at the temple. Xiuming’s honest and open nature attracts Dingyi and he begins to woo her.
Uncle Kopi’s son (Rayson Tan), a professor, discovers that a Chinese ceramics auction by Sotheby’s includes a particular piece named ‘Nine Dragon Tub’. This is a precious treasure from the palace dating back to the year of Qing Kang and is valued at US$5,000,000. He suddenly remembers that there is a tub just like that in their home and it might just turn out to be that very same tub! Thus, he secretly tries to gain possession of it for himself. Unfortunately, the tub has been passed around and its whereabouts is unknown. Very quickly, news of the ‘Nine Dragon Tub’ spreads far and wide. Everyone is desperately trying to locate the tub…
The ‘treasure’ has in fact ended up with Lin Bang who is currently using it as a spa tub. He soaks himself in warm water in the tub every day to ease aches and pains. When Nancy finds out the true value of this tub, she decides to keep it a secret and sell the tub away quietly. This way, she will be able to get the family out of their rented flat and they will become wealthy folks. Will this plan of hers succeed?
and Nanny Daddy.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
modern comedic drama which was telecasted on Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 25 February 2008 and ended on 04 April 2008. This drama serial consists of 30 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.
This drama serial is written by the highly acclaimed scriptwriter, Hong Rong Di (洪荣狄), who has produced popular dramas such as The Golden Path
The Golden Path (TV series)
The Golden Path is a 30-episode drama serial. Set in 1982 and spanning 25 years, it tells the story of a family embroiled in conflicts of interest, webs of deceit, love, hatred and vengeance...
, The Little Nyonya
The Little Nyonya
The Little Nyonya is a 34-episode drama serial which debuted on 25 November 2008 on Singapore's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp TV Channel 8. The storyline, which involves an extended Peranakan family in Singapore, is set in the 1930s and spans 70 years. The series was partly sponsored by the Media...
and An Ode to Life
An Ode To Life
An Ode To Life is a 40-episode blockbuster Chinese drama aired in Singapore. It was telecast in August 2004. The show is set in the 1970s and goes through history all the way to the modern days of 2000s...
.
Main cast
- Chen LipingChen LipingJoyce Chen Liping is a Singaporean-born actress. Probably best known for her role as "Miss Ai-Yo-Yo" in the drama series Good Morning, Sir!, it earned her a "Most Unforgettable TV Character" Award for that role in Star Awards 2003. In the same year, she also took the Best Actress award for her...
as Nancy - Huang WenyongHuang WenyongHuang Wenyong is a Malaysia-born Chinese Singaporean actor who has appeared in many Chinese drama Series, and is best known by his own generation for his appearance in The Awakening and The Seletar Robbery...
as Lin Bang - Fiona XieFiona Xie-Career:Xie was spotted by a talent scout at the age of fifteen while was studying in St. Hilda's Secondary School. She modeled for numerous print and television commercials in Singapore and Hong Kong before joining MediaCorp Studios as a full-time artiste in 2001....
as Lin Xiu Ming - Kang Cheng XiKang Cheng XiKang Cheng Xi is a Singaporean actor. He first appeared on television recognized through the competition Star Idol. Cheng Xi is best known as the 2nd runner up of the competition. He has since left the TV station to concentrate on his studies...
as Su Ding Yi - Li YinzhuLi YinzhuLi Yin Zhu is a Singaporean veteran Chinese actress, appearing in MediaCorp drama serials. She has been in the entertainment industry since Year 1969 and has filmed more than 150 drama serials to date....
as Zi Dong Sao (Automatic Auntie)
Supporting Cast
- Jimmy NahJimmy NahJimmy Nah , better known by his nickname "MC King" was a Singaporean comedian and actor who appeared frequently in Comedy Night.-Career:...
(a.k.a. MC King) as San Wan (Actor died during period of filming) - Apple HongApple HongApple Hong is an entertainer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her career in show-business started when she was awarded first-runner up in the Malaysian Star Search 1999, and was then known as ‘Malaysian Shu Qi’ due to her slight resemblance to the Hong Kong actress...
as Qian Qian - Paige ChuaPaige ChuaPaige Chua is a model and television actress from Singapore. She graduated from National University of Singapore Faculty of Arts and Social Science with a Bachelor in Arts...
as Lin Xiu Zhen - Hong HuifangHong HuifangHong Huifang is a veteran Singaporean actress. She was known for her roles in dramas such as Samsui Women and she won Best Supporting Actress award in the annual Star Awards ceremony twice - in 1997 and 2006 .She married fellow actor Zheng Geping in 1993 and they have two...
as Wang Jiao - Adam ChenAdam ChenAdam Chen is a Chinese Singaporean television and film actor.-Biography:Chen is a civil engineering graduate and was offered a contract to join MediaCorp before his graduation. Before becoming an actor on MediaCorp Channel 8, Chen worked as a model for numerous print and television commercials in...
as Ma Zhi Gang - Patricia MokPatricia MokPatricia Mok is a Chinese Singaporean actress, best known for humorous roles on Comedy Nite during her stint as a JTEAM artiste. Patricia Mok has established herself as a competent host and a versatile actress, having bagged the Best Supporting Actress Award in Star Awards 2003 for playing a dowdy...
as Ma Li (Mary) - Nelson ChiaNelson ChiaNelson Chia is a Singaporean actor/director/lecturer who has taken on many roles on stage and on TV. He snared his first major TV role in the drama Together Whenever, which was aired on SPH MediaWorks Channel U, alongside Erica Lee. Chia has been working in theatre both as an actor and director...
as Luo Ba (Robert) - Liang Tian as Kopi Shu
- He Bing as Kopi Sao
- Ong Ai LengOng Ai LengOng Ai Leng is a Malaysian MediaCorp actress, most notable for her debutanté role in Home Coming.-Filmography:*Home Coming *2046 *Redness of Seventh Month *Perfect Woman *Changing Lane *A Life of Hope...
as Shu Min - Rayson TanRayson TanRayson Tan is a Singaporean MediaCorp actor.Before joining MediaCorp, Tan worked as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. In 1990, he emerged as the 2nd Runner-Up in Singapore's Star Search talent competition...
as Jian Hui - Zhang Xin Quan as Peter
- Yan Bing Liang as Ah Pao
- Zhang Wei as Mr. Fang
- Hong Da Mu as Granny Ma
- Vivian Lai as Jin Yan
Synopsis
The story is set in a block of government-rental HDB flats and revolves around its occupants. Everyday, heartwarming scenes of tears and laughter take place in these humble settings. Characters include Lin Bang, an over-the-hill stage-singer, and his family; Robert and Mary, a married couple who are not disabled in any way but totally rely on relief funds from the government to get by; Ma Zhigang, a man without conscience who secretly caused his grandmother’s death so he can claim insurance funds; ‘Auntie Auto’ and ‘San Wan who are misers; ‘Uncle Kopi’ and ‘Auntie Kopi’ who are still living in their rental flat even though their children are doing very well...Uncle Kopi (Liang Tian) and Auntie Kopi (He Bing) have a large ceramic tub at home. Left behind by Uncle Kopi’s father, it has held water for the baths of many generations in their family. When their youngest daughter (Ong Ai Leng) wishes to entrust her parents with the care of her young son, she is worried that the tub may be a hazard and thus asks her parents to dispose of it. The old couple is unwilling to give it up and decide to put it at their neighbour Grandmother Ma’s (Hong Da Mu) home for the time being.
Grandmother Ma’s grandson Ma Zhigang (Adam Chen) is a lazy young man who refuses to hold a proper job. He owes a huge debt and so decides to sell the tub. However, he runs into loansharks while on the way to sell the tub and therefore leaves the tub behind while on the run. He is saved by Qianqian (Apple Hong), a Vietnamese bride purchased and brought to Singapore by San Wan (MC King). Zhigang, seeing how beautiful Qianqian is, cheats San Wan of a large sum of money and instigates Qianqian to elope with him.
The tub left behind by Zhigang is picked up by the Weijie, the eldest son of the lazy couple Robert (Nelson Chia) and Mary (Patricia Mok). Thereafter, it ends up with Auntie Auto (Li Yingzhu), and then Lin Bang’s (Huang Wenyong) family.
Lin Bang’s wife Nancy (Chen Liping) runs a shrine and they have two daughters. Their eldest daughter Xiuzhen (Paige Chua), a university student, is pretty, intelligent, and carries a torch for Su Dingyi (Kang Chengxi), a handsome and stylish young man from a wealthy family. But Lin Bang is actually her stepfather and so her biological father does not recognise her as his daughter. To get closer to him, she hides the fact that she is from a poor family, so that she will not feel ashamed of her parents.
Their younger daughter Xiuming (Fiona Xie) is not as intelligent as her elder sister. After finishing her ‘N’ levels, she operates a stall at a night market. She has grown up among the lower social levels and feels that even though people of this class are not wealthy and have no social status to speak of, they can etch an honest living and give support to one another. Hence, she does not mind when people find out that she lives in a rented flat, has a father who sings at Chinese stage performances and a mother who gets up to dodgy things at the temple. Xiuming’s honest and open nature attracts Dingyi and he begins to woo her.
Uncle Kopi’s son (Rayson Tan), a professor, discovers that a Chinese ceramics auction by Sotheby’s includes a particular piece named ‘Nine Dragon Tub’. This is a precious treasure from the palace dating back to the year of Qing Kang and is valued at US$5,000,000. He suddenly remembers that there is a tub just like that in their home and it might just turn out to be that very same tub! Thus, he secretly tries to gain possession of it for himself. Unfortunately, the tub has been passed around and its whereabouts is unknown. Very quickly, news of the ‘Nine Dragon Tub’ spreads far and wide. Everyone is desperately trying to locate the tub…
The ‘treasure’ has in fact ended up with Lin Bang who is currently using it as a spa tub. He soaks himself in warm water in the tub every day to ease aches and pains. When Nancy finds out the true value of this tub, she decides to keep it a secret and sell the tub away quietly. This way, she will be able to get the family out of their rented flat and they will become wealthy folks. Will this plan of hers succeed?
Trivia
- One of the cast member of this drama, Jimmy NahJimmy NahJimmy Nah , better known by his nickname "MC King" was a Singaporean comedian and actor who appeared frequently in Comedy Night.-Career:...
, also known as MC King, died during the period of filming for this drama serial. Thus, he only filmed 80% of the screentime from the requirement of his role. The remaining 20% of his role was filmed by a replacement. However, his face was edited into the replacement actor. Since he died during the period of filming, this was the last show/drama serial he was in. - Most of the audience felt that Li Yin Zhu gave the best performance as her role Automatic Auntie out of the many cast members.
- This was the last Chinese drama serial Fiona XieFiona Xie-Career:Xie was spotted by a talent scout at the age of fifteen while was studying in St. Hilda's Secondary School. She modeled for numerous print and television commercials in Singapore and Hong Kong before joining MediaCorp Studios as a full-time artiste in 2001....
filmed before she left the local TV station, MediaCorpMediaCorpMedia Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
in December 2009.
Viewership rating and reception
Since the debut of this series, it has generated largely positive reviews from critics. This drama serial is ranked the third Highest Viewership Drama for Year 2008, behind The Little NyonyaThe Little Nyonya
The Little Nyonya is a 34-episode drama serial which debuted on 25 November 2008 on Singapore's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp TV Channel 8. The storyline, which involves an extended Peranakan family in Singapore, is set in the 1930s and spans 70 years. The series was partly sponsored by the Media...
and Nanny Daddy.
| Week | Episode | Date | Percentage of Population (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Ep 1 to Ep 5 | 25 February 2008 to 29 February 2008 | 18.7% |
| Week 2 | Ep 6 to Ep 10 | 03 March 2008 to 07 March 2008 | 18.1% |
| Week 3 | Ep 11 to Ep 15 | 10 March 2008 to 14 March 2008 | 18.7% |
| Week 4 | Ep 16 to Ep 20 | 17 March 2008 to 21 March 2008 | 19.4% |
| Week 5 | Ep 21 to Ep 25 | 24 March 2008 to 28 March 2008 | 20.4% |
| Week 6 | Ep 26 to Ep 30 | 31 March 2008 to 4 April 2008 | 21.5% |