The Dance of Passion
Encyclopedia
The Dance of Passion is a TVB period drama series broadcast in May 2006.
The series was filmed in Yinchuan, (Ningxia
in Mainland China) and Hong Kong.
area of the Shanbei
region during the Republican
era.
In a time before the series, a plague swept through the area where the Yim clan lives, pushing the clan to near extinction. However, the Sung clan arrived and taught the Yim clan to use gunpowder to ward off the plague. Later, after the disease was eradicated, the Sung clan taught the Yim clan the art of making fireworks and firecrackers, and this brought the Yim clan a new level of prosperity. In gratitude, the Yim clan elders of the time issued an edict, ordering the entire Yim clan and their descendants to care for all members of the Sung clan from cradle to grave, with no exceptions.
This edict is the foundation of the conflict central to the series. By the time of the series, the Sung clan is a shadow of its former self, with no brilliant or prominent clansmen of significant accomplishment. As a result, the entire Sung clan has become reliant on the care of the Yim clan. This has caused the Yim clan to perceive the Sung clan as parasites. The series focuses on the rivalries between these two formerly harmonious clans, and the efforts by the Yim clan to remove the Sung clan from their settlement. This, in addition to the intra-clan rivalries in the Sung and the Yim clans, and the constant threat from a group of bandits known as the Horseback Bandits (馬賊), set the tone of the entire series.
Palace. Many refer to this series as the "War and Beauty
II" due to its striking similarity of the cast (with the exception of Maggie Cheung
and Sheren Tang
, the latter allegedly due to contract disputes), most of the cast remained the same with the addition of Ada Choi
and Maggie Shiu. Both productions also share the same producer Johnathon Chik. However, it is not a sequel or prequel and the storyline is completely different from the original War and Beauty
.
Ratings report showed that the premiere episode broke the ratings record in recent years with an average of 36 points, which roughly translates to 2.31 million audiences. The second episode also maintained the same ratings. TVB, at the time, was confident the ratings of the series will continue to rise. However, the ratings began to fall flat following the next several weeks. Some believe that the premise of the show, which had two rival families constant bickering with each other, and the desert setting (which constantly produces a monochrome yellow color that was dramatically enhanced in Post-Production on TV), made the show somewhat tiresome. However, the ratings for all episodes were above 30 points, remarkable in Hong Kong standards.
The series was filmed in Yinchuan, (Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
in Mainland China) and Hong Kong.
Synopsis
The entire series revolves around the lives of two clans: the Yim clan (閻族) and the Sung Clan (宋族), in the Loess PlateauLoess Plateau
The Loess Plateau , also known as the Huangtu Plateau, is a plateau that covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle reaches of China's Yellow River. Loess is the name for the silty sediment that has been deposited by wind storms on the plateau over the ages...
area of the Shanbei
Shanbei
Shanbei specifies the northern portion of Shaanxi province, Northwest China, and is a natural as well as cultural area, forming part of the Loess Plateau...
region during the Republican
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
era.
In a time before the series, a plague swept through the area where the Yim clan lives, pushing the clan to near extinction. However, the Sung clan arrived and taught the Yim clan to use gunpowder to ward off the plague. Later, after the disease was eradicated, the Sung clan taught the Yim clan the art of making fireworks and firecrackers, and this brought the Yim clan a new level of prosperity. In gratitude, the Yim clan elders of the time issued an edict, ordering the entire Yim clan and their descendants to care for all members of the Sung clan from cradle to grave, with no exceptions.
This edict is the foundation of the conflict central to the series. By the time of the series, the Sung clan is a shadow of its former self, with no brilliant or prominent clansmen of significant accomplishment. As a result, the entire Sung clan has become reliant on the care of the Yim clan. This has caused the Yim clan to perceive the Sung clan as parasites. The series focuses on the rivalries between these two formerly harmonious clans, and the efforts by the Yim clan to remove the Sung clan from their settlement. This, in addition to the intra-clan rivalries in the Sung and the Yim clans, and the constant threat from a group of bandits known as the Horseback Bandits (馬賊), set the tone of the entire series.
The Yim clan
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Chung King Fai Chung King Fai Chung King-fai , BBS, is one of the pioneers of contemporary performing art in Hong Kong. He is a senior drama actor, director, performing art educator, TV producer, actor and programme host... |
Yim Kwok-Yip 閻國業 |
Yim Man-Hei and Yim Man-Yip's father. Yim Siu-Hung Yim Kwok-Gei's older brother. |
| Bowie Lam | Yim Man-Hei 閻萬曦 |
Yim Kwok-Yip's son. Kai Ming-Fung's husband. Yim Man-Tin's older brother. Chiu Yuk's lover. |
| Gigi Lai Gigi Lai Gigi Lai is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer. Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB and she retired in October 2008. She is popularly nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the "Goddess of Beauty" .... |
Kai Ming-Fung 計明鳳 |
Yim Man-Hei's wife. |
| Vinci Wong (王賢誌) | Yim Man-Tin 閻萬天 |
Yim Kwok-Yip's son. Yim Man-Hei's younger brother. Kai Ming-Fung's ex-lover. |
| Rebecca Chan Rebecca Chan Rebecca Chan Sau Chu is a TVB actress. She joined TVB in 1979, when she competed at the Miss Hong Kong 1979 pageant. She finished as a top 10 semifinalist.-Filmography:-Variety show :*1981: Sports World TVB... |
Yim Siu-Hung 閻少虹 |
Yim Kwok-Yip and Yim Kwok-Gei's younger sister. |
| Tsui Wing Tsui Wing Tsui Wing is a Hong Kong actor from TVB.-Television series:-Reference:... (徐榮) |
Yim Kwok-Gei 閻國基 |
Yim Kwok-Yip and Yim Siu-Hung's brother. |
The Sung clan
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Moses Chan Moses Chan Moses Chan Ho is an award-winning actor from Hong Kong. Having started his career working mostly on films, Chan has gained remarkable success in recent years while concentrating on his TV acting career with Television Broadcasts Limited... |
Sung Tung-Sing 宋東昇 |
Ka Chun-Fun's husband. |
| Ada Choi Ada Choi Ada Choi Siu-fun is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, and to a lesser extent, for her film work. She was the second runner-up in the 1991 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant.... |
Chiu Yuk 焦玉 |
Sung Clan Leader Yim Man-Hei's lover. |
| Charmaine Sheh Charmaine Sheh Charmaine Sheh Sze-man is a Hong Kong TVB actress.Sheh is best known for her roles in TVB dramas, including Return of the Cuckoo, Country Spirit, Perish in the Name of Love, Angels of Mission, War and Beauty, The Dance of Passion,The Drive of Life, Maidens' Vow, Forensic Heroes II,Beyond the Realm... |
Ka Chun-Fun 家春分 |
Sung Tung-Sing's wife. Sung Tung-Yeung's ex-wife. |
| Kenny Wong (黃德斌) | Sung Tung-Yeung 宋東陽 |
Su Long-Yuet's husband. Ka Chun-Fun's ex-husband. |
| Maggie Shiu | Su Long-Yuet 舒朗月 |
Sung Tung-Yeung's wife. |
| Helen Ma (馬海倫) | Gwai Lan 桂蘭 |
Other cast
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Chan Hung Lit Chan Hung Lit Chan Hung-lit , also known as Chen Hung-lieh and Golden Chan, was a Shaw Brothers actor famous for portraying villains from the 1960s to 1980s. In his acting hiatus, Chan was involved in the garment industry. He later resumed his acting career by joining TVB in 1995, left the following year and did... (陳鴻烈) |
Mau To 茅土 |
Mau Siu-Kam and Mau Siu-Cheuk's father. |
| Catherine Chau (周家怡) | Mau Siu-Kam 茅小琴 |
Mau To's daughter. |
| Reyan Yan (殷櫻) | Mau Siu-Cheuk 茅小卓 |
Mau To's daughter. |
Characters
- Yim Man-Hei (Bowie Lam) is the bullying, tyrannical leader of the Yim clan, and boss of the Yim clan's business operations: the "Kat Hing Tong (吉慶堂)". He and his brother, Yim Man-Tin, have relied on each other ever since their mother died. A childhood accident left Man-Hei deaf, but his brutal and ruthless streaks promotes him to be the clan leader.
- Yim Kwok-Yip (Chung King FaiChung King FaiChung King-fai , BBS, is one of the pioneers of contemporary performing art in Hong Kong. He is a senior drama actor, director, performing art educator, TV producer, actor and programme host...
) is the retired Yim clan leader who appears to be genial and well-tempered which concealed a ruthless and cruel personality. He is the constant stirrer of controversies within the Yim clan.
- Yim Kwok-Tin (Vinci Wong) is a timid, well-mannered, and educated member of the Yim clan, often used by others as a pawn in their overall power struggle.
- Yim Siu-Hung (Rebecca ChanRebecca ChanRebecca Chan Sau Chu is a TVB actress. She joined TVB in 1979, when she competed at the Miss Hong Kong 1979 pageant. She finished as a top 10 semifinalist.-Filmography:-Variety show :*1981: Sports World TVB...
) is the sister of Yim Kwok-Yip, who was almost beaten to death by Kwok-Yip when she discovered his affair with a Sung clan woman. The assault led to her paralysis, which created massive guilt for Kwok-Yip.
- Kai Ming-Fung (Gigi LaiGigi LaiGigi Lai is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer. Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB and she retired in October 2008. She is popularly nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the "Goddess of Beauty" ....
) is the wife of Yim Man-Hei, who is almost always treated by Man-Hei with suspicion. She is very intelligent and can view people with her perspective of their personality and the situation. At first she and her husband quarrel a lot and have many arguments but slowly their relationship changes.
- Sung Tung-Sing (Moses ChanMoses ChanMoses Chan Ho is an award-winning actor from Hong Kong. Having started his career working mostly on films, Chan has gained remarkable success in recent years while concentrating on his TV acting career with Television Broadcasts Limited...
) is part of the Sung clan who fell in love with a widow. This led to an execution by firecrackers (in what the two clans call "the Lighting of the Heavenly Lights") that was stopped by sheer luck. He was subsequently banished from the Sung clan, but managed to return shortly thereafter.
- Ka Chun-Fun (Charmaine ShehCharmaine ShehCharmaine Sheh Sze-man is a Hong Kong TVB actress.Sheh is best known for her roles in TVB dramas, including Return of the Cuckoo, Country Spirit, Perish in the Name of Love, Angels of Mission, War and Beauty, The Dance of Passion,The Drive of Life, Maidens' Vow, Forensic Heroes II,Beyond the Realm...
) was scheduled to marry Sung Tung-Sing in an arranged marriage, but the marriage was annulled because of Tung-Shung's ousting from the Sung clan. This led to her being labeled as a person of bad luck. She was forced to marry Sung Tung-Yeung afterwards, but the marriage ends in disaster.
- Chiu Yuk (Ada ChoiAda ChoiAda Choi Siu-fun is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, and to a lesser extent, for her film work. She was the second runner-up in the 1991 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant....
) is the conniving head of the Sung clan who took power upon the death of the Clan elder by forging a will. She was involved in an elaborate plan to exact revenge for her son's death towards the end of the series.
- Sung Tung-Yeung (Kenny Wong) is part of the Sung clan who eventually rose to the level of Clan leader. His secret of impotence was hidden from the Sung Clan.
- Mao To (Chan Hung LitChan Hung LitChan Hung-lit , also known as Chen Hung-lieh and Golden Chan, was a Shaw Brothers actor famous for portraying villains from the 1960s to 1980s. In his acting hiatus, Chan was involved in the garment industry. He later resumed his acting career by joining TVB in 1995, left the following year and did...
) is a well-digger who came from a family with an illustrious history of well-digging. He is also the father of the widow that Tung-Shing fell in love with.
Critical response
TVB had been promoting this series heavily, thus creating a huge hype for the series even before it began its run. An early premiere along the lines of Hollywood movie premieres was held on April 24, 2006 at the International Finance CentreInternational Finance Centre
The International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District....
Palace. Many refer to this series as the "War and Beauty
War and Beauty
War and Beauty is a Hong Kong television series broadcast in 2004 on TVB Jade. It starred TVB Awards Best Actress winners Sheren Tang, Gigi Lai, Maggie Cheung and Charmaine Sheh, and TVB Awards Best Actor winners Bowie Lam and Moses Chan....
II" due to its striking similarity of the cast (with the exception of Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Ho Yee
Maggie Cheung Ho-yee ; not to be confused with Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, is a Hong Kong actress, under contract to the television channel TVB.Born in 1969, she competed in TVB's 1994 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant, reaching the final five but not placing...
and Sheren Tang
Sheren Tang
Sheren Tang Shui-man is a famous Hong Kong television actress who is known for not signing a long-term contract with TVB, preferring to work on a per-drama contract with the TV station. She is most famous for her roles in the mega-hit TVB drama series like War and Beauty, La Femme Desperado, The...
, the latter allegedly due to contract disputes), most of the cast remained the same with the addition of Ada Choi
Ada Choi
Ada Choi Siu-fun is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, and to a lesser extent, for her film work. She was the second runner-up in the 1991 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant....
and Maggie Shiu. Both productions also share the same producer Johnathon Chik. However, it is not a sequel or prequel and the storyline is completely different from the original War and Beauty
War and Beauty
War and Beauty is a Hong Kong television series broadcast in 2004 on TVB Jade. It starred TVB Awards Best Actress winners Sheren Tang, Gigi Lai, Maggie Cheung and Charmaine Sheh, and TVB Awards Best Actor winners Bowie Lam and Moses Chan....
.
Ratings report showed that the premiere episode broke the ratings record in recent years with an average of 36 points, which roughly translates to 2.31 million audiences. The second episode also maintained the same ratings. TVB, at the time, was confident the ratings of the series will continue to rise. However, the ratings began to fall flat following the next several weeks. Some believe that the premise of the show, which had two rival families constant bickering with each other, and the desert setting (which constantly produces a monochrome yellow color that was dramatically enhanced in Post-Production on TV), made the show somewhat tiresome. However, the ratings for all episodes were above 30 points, remarkable in Hong Kong standards.
Viewership ratings
| Week | Episode | Average Points | Peaking Points | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
May 1 - May 5, 2006 | 1 — 5 | |
|
|
| |
May 8 - May 12, 2006 | 6 — 10 | |
|
|
| |
May 15 - May 19, 2006 | 11 — 15 | |
|
|
| |
May 22 - May 26, 2006 | 16 — 20 | |
|
|
| |
May 29 - June 2, 2006 | 21 — 25 | |
|
|
| |
June 5 - June 9, 2006 | 26 — 30 | |
|
|
| |
June 12, 2006 | 31 — 32 | |
|
Awards
39th TVB Anniversary Awards (2006)TVB Anniversary Awards (2006)
TVB Anniversary Awards 2006 is an award ceremony that celebrates the best in TVB programming of 2006. The award ceremony took place on 10 November 2006.-Best Actor:"Best Actor in a Leading Role" Award ....
- "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Kenny Wong - Sung Tung-Yeung)
Nominations
39th TVB Anniversary Awards (2006)TVB Anniversary Awards (2006)
TVB Anniversary Awards 2006 is an award ceremony that celebrates the best in TVB programming of 2006. The award ceremony took place on 10 November 2006.-Best Actor:"Best Actor in a Leading Role" Award ....
- "Best Drama"
- "Best Actor in a Leading Role" (Bowie Lam - Yim Man-Hei)
- "Best Actor in a Leading Role" (Moses ChanMoses ChanMoses Chan Ho is an award-winning actor from Hong Kong. Having started his career working mostly on films, Chan has gained remarkable success in recent years while concentrating on his TV acting career with Television Broadcasts Limited...
- Sung Tung-Sing) - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" (Ada ChoiAda ChoiAda Choi Siu-fun is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, and to a lesser extent, for her film work. She was the second runner-up in the 1991 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant....
- Chiu Yuk) - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" (Charmaine ShehCharmaine ShehCharmaine Sheh Sze-man is a Hong Kong TVB actress.Sheh is best known for her roles in TVB dramas, including Return of the Cuckoo, Country Spirit, Perish in the Name of Love, Angels of Mission, War and Beauty, The Dance of Passion,The Drive of Life, Maidens' Vow, Forensic Heroes II,Beyond the Realm...
- Ka Chun-Fun) - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" (Gigi LaiGigi LaiGigi Lai is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer. Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB and she retired in October 2008. She is popularly nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the "Goddess of Beauty" ....
- Kai Ming-Fung) - "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Chung King FaiChung King FaiChung King-fai , BBS, is one of the pioneers of contemporary performing art in Hong Kong. He is a senior drama actor, director, performing art educator, TV producer, actor and programme host...
- Yim Kwok-Yip) - "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Kenny Wong - Sung Tung-Yeung)
- "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Chan Hung LitChan Hung LitChan Hung-lit , also known as Chen Hung-lieh and Golden Chan, was a Shaw Brothers actor famous for portraying villains from the 1960s to 1980s. In his acting hiatus, Chan was involved in the garment industry. He later resumed his acting career by joining TVB in 1995, left the following year and did...
- Mau To) - "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" (Catherine Chau - Mau Siu-Kam)
- "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" (Helen Ma - Gwai Lan)
- "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Bowie Lam - Yim Man-Hei)
- "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Moses ChanMoses ChanMoses Chan Ho is an award-winning actor from Hong Kong. Having started his career working mostly on films, Chan has gained remarkable success in recent years while concentrating on his TV acting career with Television Broadcasts Limited...
- Sung Tung-Sing) - "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Chung King FaiChung King FaiChung King-fai , BBS, is one of the pioneers of contemporary performing art in Hong Kong. He is a senior drama actor, director, performing art educator, TV producer, actor and programme host...
- Yim Kwok-Yip) - "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Kenny Wong - Sung Tung-Yeung)
- "My Favourite Female Character Role" (Ada ChoiAda ChoiAda Choi Siu-fun is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, and to a lesser extent, for her film work. She was the second runner-up in the 1991 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant....
- Chiu Yuk) - "My Favourite Female Character Role" (Charmaine ShehCharmaine ShehCharmaine Sheh Sze-man is a Hong Kong TVB actress.Sheh is best known for her roles in TVB dramas, including Return of the Cuckoo, Country Spirit, Perish in the Name of Love, Angels of Mission, War and Beauty, The Dance of Passion,The Drive of Life, Maidens' Vow, Forensic Heroes II,Beyond the Realm...
- Ka Chun-Fun) - "My Favourite Female Character Role" (Gigi LaiGigi LaiGigi Lai is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer. Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB and she retired in October 2008. She is popularly nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the "Goddess of Beauty" ....
- Kai Ming-Fung)
External links
- TVB.com The Dance of Passion - Official Website
- Butterfly's Place.net The Dance of Passion - Episodic Synopsis