The Gem of Life
Encyclopedia
The Gem of Life was a TVB grand production drama, that broadcast between October 2008 and February 2009. The series was specifically filmed to celebrate TVB's 41st Anniversary. The series was filmed in many locations apart from Hong Kong, including Tibet, Taiwan and France.

Synopsis

You may wish to be a famous socialite.
You may wish to have fame and fortune.
But is that really what you will wish for at the end?


The story centers around three sisters: Sylvia (oldest), Constance, and Jessica (youngest).
The series begins with Constance flying home on a plane. Her mother, SiuYau, had previously objected to her marriage so she eloped to Canada with her husband. However, Frankie is now financially unwell and wants a divorce. In order to keep him Constance hopes that Jessica, the wealthiest of the sisters, will lend her money so that her husband can open a business. What Jessica's family didn't know was that her husband, Patrick, is facing losses in their company. Sylvia and her husband Tim are also facing problems, their marriage is falling apart but Sylvia tries to keep it a secret from her family.

Jessica writes Constance a cheque so that she will leave. Their mother not only finds out Constance has returned, but that her Frankie is a cheater, and so she interferes. The cheque bounces, the adultery is exposed, and Constance is forced to accept divorce. Meanwhile, Tim is discovered to have another family, and SiuYau also exposes this adultery, causing Sylvia to divorce her husband as well. SiuYau is disappointed at the failures of her daughter's marriages, and praises Jessica for not only marrying well, but rich. Hearing this, Jessica helps Patrick seek rich tycoon Terrence out in hopes that he will invest in their company. Terrence initially agrees but backs out the last minute. As Jessica and her husband panic, Calvin interferes. Like Terrence, Calvin owns an entertainment company and there has been a long rivalry between them as Calvin is disgusted by people who are born into the rich life, while he had to struggle in the streets before rising. Although he personally sets out to antagonize Terrence, Calvin secretly works for Martin, Terrence's father who wants his son to learn lessons in business as well as in life. Terrence and Calvin agree on a bet, if Terrence loses a boat race then he will have to invest in Patrick's failing company.

Unable to wait for the results, Jessica and her husband tricked Jessica's father into lending them all his money. Patrick then fakes death to stall his creditors, leaving Jessica with the financial burden. Despite the fact that Jessica is about to be bankrupted she continues to spend and go to balls. Constance catches her spending money at an expensive clothing shop and attempts to stop her from spending. She accuses Jessica of tricking her own family for money, and Terrence hears them bickering. Jessica leaves Constance in tears, questioning the importance of wealth she sees an expensive dress and tries it on. When she is about to leave the sales lady informs her that Terrence had bought the dress for her. Knowing Terrence is a player, Constance chooses not to dwell on it. Later, on the day of the boat race Calvin is disqualified for cheating and Terrence wins. Wanting to help Jessica, kindhearted Constance seeks Terrence and tries to convince him to invest in her sister's company. He ignores her request, and she ends up following him to his boat. However, there's a storm and she ends up stuck on his boat for 7 days. The magazines quickly publish the story, and she catches the attention of Derek, a poor man who falls passionately for her.

Bankrupted, Jessica moves back home with her family. She ends up working for Melissa who is close friend of Martin. One of her first major job assignments is to host the wives of some wealthy husbands. One of them, Mandy, plays a prank on Jessica, getting her to go on a boat ride with them and then leaving Jessica in the caves. Martin overhears Mandy talking about it and goes there to rescue her, and the two began dating even though he's older than her father. Nevertheless Jessica is happy, she had purposely went along with the wives' prank in order to catch Martin's attention.

To sign a contract with a celebrity Terrence has been courting, Calvin hires Sylvia to work for him. Sylvia initially thinks Calvin is a jerk after he pranks her several times, bully other employees, and compete with Terrence to an unreasonable level. However, her image of Calvin changes when Sunny, Kalvin's best friend and business partner, tells her more of his past. After learning that Calvin had to endure the mockery of his wealthy clients to retrieve a project she had wanted for her, Sylvia and Calvin become a couple. Almost as soon as it becomes public, Sunny quits his job. Employees gossip about how he must be jealous, given Sylvia's and Sunny's close friendship before she got together with Calvin, they speculate Sunny must have loved her. However, Sylvia finds out that Sunny is actually gay and secretly in love with Calvin, he feels ashamed and wants to leave. Sylvia assures him that he shouldn't, because Calvin would miss his best friend.

Terrence meets Constance at a cafe near the jewellery shop where she works as a sales assistant. Convincing her to stop focusing on the past and move forward, Constance accepts him as a friend and starts to date Derek, who has risen in wealth thanks to Calvin's sponsorship. Terrence offered her to be his secretary but she declined. When Constance's mother finds out she tries to convince Constance to work there, but emotions wasn't the biggest problem Constance face - it is Elise, a spoiled but cunning woman who also happened to be one of Terrence's closest friends. After nearly hitting Constance with her car, Derek sets it on fire, creating in Elise a grudge against Constance. She sends Derek to jail and started spreading claims that Constance's family is greedy for money and connections to the upper class. To confirm those claims, she tells Terrence that Constance's sister Jessica is dating his father for money. Terrence is already biased against Jessica ever since he overheard how she had tricked her own family for money, so he starts interfering in the relationship. When he tells Constance this, she defends her sister and becomes upset at Terrence. Not wanting to work for him, she finds a job in a Japanese company, but some time later this company is acquired by Terrence's.

For all of Elise's attempts, Jessica introduces Martin to her family anyways and her father is extremely upset. He tells his wife that he does not want Jessica's lover to be someone who is older than he is, the thought of that makes him sick. Eventually Melissa tells Martin that Jessica had set herself up to be rescued by him that time she was abandoned in the caves, so Martin breaks up with Jessica.

Devastated, Jessica leaves the country for a business trip and Constance starts work as Terrence's secretary. One day, Terrence confesses his feelings to Constance but she avoided him by saying she still remembers her husband and Derek. After much persistence, they start dating. However, at almost the same time Jessica returns with Martin. It was revealed that they had gotten married. This time when the parents find out it is SiuYau who storms away. Jessica reveals that her mother only objected to her relationship with Martin because she had wanted to set Constance and Terrence up. Because of this Constance knows she can't date Terrance any more. Sylvia knows her mother had set the stage now where Constance is guilted into staying away from Terrance, and decides to help her sister. Finally after some twists, Constance gains the courage to be with Terrence again, but Jessica is upset at what people would say about two sisters marrying a father and son.

Meanwhile, Sylvia begins to question her importance in Calvin's heart. They end up fighting when he suddenly has an asthma attack. She thinks it is one of his pranks and begins to leave, but upon realizing it is serious she can't find his medication. Sunny comes in just in time to save Calvin, and she realizes that she is an incapable of taking care of Calvin, he needs Sunny more. Calvin takes her to meet his mom, but she has made her decision and breaks up with him. Despite this, Calvin is still in love with her, but they resume a professional attitude. The two of them eventually meet the new Chairwoman of L'Ete Holdings, Catherine, who falls in love with Calvin. She knows that he is still in love with Sylvia, but more importantly she knows how business-oriented the two were. Knowing that they wanted her because of her chairwoman position, she tells Sylvia to find a boyfriend and get married, only then will Catherine use her business to help Calvin.

The Hong family

Cast Role Description
David Chiang
David Chiang
John Chiang is a Hong Kong actor. His Chinese name is Chiang Da-wei . He is sometimes credited as David Chiang.-Biography:...

Hong Ching-Yeung
康青楊
Owner, Cheok Mei Jewelry.
Hong Bak Siu-Yau's husband.
Sylvia, Constance, and Jessica Hong's father.
Louise Lee Hong Bak Siu-Yau
康白筱柔
Affectionately called "Xiao Jia" (Shanghainese
Shanghainese
Shanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...

 for "miss" or "madam").
Hong Ching-Yeung's wife.
Sylvia, Constance, and Jessica Hong's mother.
Maggie Shiu Sylvia Hong
康雅言
Affectionately called "Da Mei" (Shanghainese
Shanghainese
Shanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...

 for "big sister").
Entertainment company manager.
Constance and Jessica Hong's elder sister.
Bok Mao's (博貿) CEO
Tim Yip's ex-girlfriend.
Sunny Yau's ex-wife.
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" ....

Constance Hong
康雅瞳
Affectionately called "E-Mei" (Shanghainese
Shanghainese
Shanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...

 for "the second sister").
Joint partner with Terrence and Jessica at Ego-Sky Enterprises & Miracle Holdings after Martin's death.
Manager at Cheuk Mei Jewelry.
Sylvia and Jessica Hong's sister.
Terrence Ho's ex-wife.
Derek's ex-girlfriend
Frankie Fan's ex-wife
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....

Jessica Hong
康雅思
Affectionately called "Xiao Mei" (Shanghainese
Shanghainese
Shanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...

 for "the baby sister").
Joint partner with Constance and Terrence at Ego-Sky Enterprises & Miracle Holdings after her husband Martin's death.
Sylvia and Constance Hong's younger sister.
Martin Ho's widow.
Patrick Yeung's ex-wife.

The Ho family

Cast Role Description
Elliot Ngok
Elliot Ngok
Elliot Ngok Wah, better known as Yueh Hua, is a former Shaw Brothers actor and veteran TVB actor.-Career:Elly was born Leung Lok Wah in Shanghai, with native Cantonese roots. He immigrated to Hong Kong in 1962. He joined Shaw Brothers and started his acting career in 1965. His breakout film role...

Martin Ho
賀峰
Wealthy tycoon.
Chairman of Ego-Sky Enterprises & Miracle Holdings.
Terrence Ho and Ho Zit-Seon's father.
Jessica Hong's late husband.
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...

Terrence Ho
賀哲男
CEO of Miracle Holdings.
Constance Hong's Ex-husband.
Joint partner with Constance and Jessica at Ego-Sky Enterprises & Miracle Holdings after his father's death.
Ho Zit-Seon
賀哲迅
Ho Fung & Jessica Hong's Son
Terrence Ho's half brother.
Died after kidnapped by Phillip Song.

The Shek family

Cast Role Description
Wong He
Wong He
Wong He , sometimes credited as Wong Hei, is a Hong Kong actor. He is best known for his firefighter roles in TVB's Burning Flame trilogy. Wong has acted primarily in law enforcement roles, which gave rise to rumors that his stage name is based on the Cantonese term "皇氣" Wong He (born 7 July...

Shek Tai-Wor
石泰禾
Jewelry company factory assistant manager.
William Shek's older brother.
Jessica Hong's secret admirer.
Bosco Wong
Bosco Wong
Bosco Wong Chung-chak is a Hong Kong actor under TVB management and singer under East Asia Music.-Early career:Bosco's entertainment career began in 1998. He was spotted on the street by a talent-recruiter and soon appear for the first time in a lemon tea commercial and several minor modelling jobs...

WIlliam Shek
石泰川
Businessman
Inherited Melissa Yan's business empire - the Melissa Li Group.
Melissa Yan's protege before her death.
Shek Tai-Wor's younger brother.
Elise Sung's secret admirer.

The Sung family

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...

Philip Sung
宋世萬
Wealthy Business Tycoon
Chairman of Wrestle Holdings.
Elise Sung's grandfather.
James Sung's older brother.
Helen Ma (馬海倫) Margaret Sung-Kwok
宋郭婉儀
Philip Sung's first wife.
Terrence Ho's godmother.
Queenie Chu
Queenie Chu
Queenie Chu or Queenie Chu Wai Man , born in Hong Kong, on April 22, 1981 with family roots in Shunde, Guangdong, China, is a Hong Kong television presenter and actress affiliated with TVB. She was also Miss Hong Kong 2004 1st runner-up.-Biography:Queenie studied in University of Washington,...

Man Wai (Mandy)
文慧
Philip Sung's ex-mistress.
Queena Chan (陳丹丹) Charlie Cheuk Yi
卓凝
Philip Sung's fourth mistress.
Martin Ho's mole in Sung Sai-Man's organization
Linda Chung
Linda Chung
Linda Chung Ka-yan is a Canadian TVB actress and singer based in Hong Kong. She entered the industry in 2004 when she won the 2004 Miss Chinese International Pageant. She is now an actress under TVB and a singer under the Star Entertainment label...

Elise Sung
宋子凌
William Shek's right hand person.
Philip Sung's granddaughter.

Philip Sung's mole in Melissa Li Group, after William Shek inherited it. Admires Terrance Ho.
Yu Yang  James Sung
宋世基
Philip Sung's younger brother.
Cindy Lee Kate Sung
宋佩嘉
James Sung's daughter.
Elise Sung's good friend.

The Ko family

Cast Role Description
Lai Suen (黎宣) Ko Cheung-Shing's mother.
Bowie Lam Calvin Ko
高長勝
Bok Shing Corporation's CEO
Sylvia Hong's ex-boyfriend.
Sunny Yau's friend and partner.
Shum Tsi-Tang's ex-husband.

Other cast

Cast Role Description
Eddie Kwan (關禮傑) Derek Chan
陳啟發
Admirer of Constance Hong.
Kenny Wong (黃德斌) Sunny Yau
游日東
Calvin Ko's friend/business partner/admirer.
Sylvia Hong's ex-husband and friend. Revealed to be a homosexual.
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...

Melissa Yan
虞葦庭
Businesswoman
head of Melissa Li Group
Former ally of Martin Ho.
Lau Dan
Lau Dan
Lau Dan is a Hong Kong actor.- Works :Lau is known to portray good characters, but could play cunning and sly characters with ease...

Ryan Suen Wai-Tak
孫懷德
Chairman of Kei Lei Jewelry.
Florence Kwok
Florence Kwok
Florence Kwok Siu-Wan, born 25 August 1970 in Hong Kong, is a Hong Kong film and voice actress. She entered TVB after participating in Miss Hong Kong Pageant 1992....

Catherine Shum
沈之澄
Chairwoman of L'ete Holdings.
Calvin Ko's ex-wife.
Carrie Lam Stephy Model
Ram Chiang (蔣志光) Patrick Yeung
楊志球
Businessman.
Jessica Hong's ex-husband.
Patrick Dunn Tim Yip
葉富添
Commercial airline pilot.
Sylvia Hong's ex-husband.
Matt Yeung (揚明) Oscar Artist.
Sylvia Hong's entertainment company artist
Friend to Kate and Elise Sung.
Rocky Cheng (鄭健樂) Frankie Fan
范禮奇
Constance Hong's ex-husband.
Angelina Lo (盧宛茵) Mrs. Ho
何太
Hong Bak Siu-Yau's friend.

TVB Anniversary Awards (2009)
TVB Anniversary Awards (2009)
TVB Anniversary Awards 2009 is an award ceremony that celebrates the best in TVB programming of 2009. The award ceremony took place on December 4, 2009.-Best Drama:...

 

  • Best Drama
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Drama
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Drama Series is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited . This award is usually reserved to be one of the last awards presented, and is considered to be one of the most important awards of the ceremony. Since its...

  • Best Actor
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year...

     (Bowie Lam)
  • Best Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year...

     (Maggie Shiu)
  • Best Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year...

     (Gigi Lai)
  • Best Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year...

     (Ada Choi) - Top 5
  • Best Supporting Actor
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year. This award was...

     (Elliot Ngok) - Top 5
  • Best Supporting Actor
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actor
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year. This award was...

     (Kenny Wong)
  • Best Supporting Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated year. This award...

     (Linda Chung) - Top 5
  • My Favourite Male Character
    TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Character
    The TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Television Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance as a television role in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated...

     (Moses Chan) - Top 5
  • My Favourite Male Character
    TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Character
    The TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Television Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance as a television role in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated...

     (Bowie Lam)
  • My Favourite Male Character
    TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Character
    The TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Male Television Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance as a television role in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the designated...

     (Kenny Wong)
  • My Favourite Female Character
    TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Female Character
    The TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Female Television Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance as a television role in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the...

     (Maggie Shiu)
  • My Favourite Female Character
    TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Female Character
    The TVB Anniversary Award for My Favourite Female Television Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance as a television role in Hong Kong television dramas throughout the...

     (Ada Choi)
  • Most Improved Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Most Improved Female Artiste
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Most Improved Female Artiste is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize a female artiste who has delivered improving performances in Hong Kong television dramas or variety shows throughout the designated year...

     (Queenie Chu) - Top 5
  • Most Improved Actress
    TVB Anniversary Award for Most Improved Female Artiste
    The TVB Anniversary Award for Most Improved Female Artiste is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited to recognize a female artiste who has delivered improving performances in Hong Kong television dramas or variety shows throughout the designated year...

    (Catherine Chau) - Top 5

Viewership ratings

Week Episode Average Points Peaking Points References
1
October 20, 2008
1 — 2
32
37
October 21–23, 2008
3 — 5
31
36
2
October 27–31, 2008
6 — 10
28
30
3
November 3–7, 2008
11 — 15
29
4
November 10–14, 2008
16 — 20
29
5
November 17–21, 2008
21 — 24
28
6
November 24–28, 2008
25 — 29
28
7
December 1–5, 2008
30 — 33
28
8
December 8–12, 2008
34 — 38
28
31
9
December 15–19, 2008
39 — 43
25
10
December 22–26, 2008
44 — 48
25
11
December 29, 2008 - January 2, 2009
49 — 53
28
30
12
January 5–9, 2009
54 — 58
27
13
January 12–16, 2009
59 — 63
27
14
January 19–22, 2009
64 — 67
27
January 23, 2009
68 — 69
28
29
15
January 28–30, 2009
70 — 72
25
16
February 2–6, 2009
73 — 77
30
33
17
February 9–13, 2009
78 — 82
29
35

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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