The King of Yesterday and Tomorrow
Encyclopedia
The King of Yesterday and Tomorrow is a Hong Kong
television drama produced by TVB in 2003. According to legend, Yongzheng Emperor
of the Qing dynasty
may not have died of natural death and was actually assassinated. The plot is an imaginative time-traveling
story based on the continuation of what happens after the assassination attempt.
, China
with Yongzheng Emperor
disguising himself among commoners to have a meal outside the imperial courts. At the restaurant he encounters a woman named Lui Sei-leung who was under attack by loan shark
s for not returning debts. The emperor
comes across her situation, and pays off the debt for her. Later during a ship departure, Lui approaches the emperor and thanks him for his deed. She suddenly reveals herself to be a Ming Dynasty
revolutionist and attempts to kill the emperor. The boat is then all of a sudden caught in a time-traveling vortex
/hurricane.
in 2003. The assassin continues her mission to assassinate the emperor in the city, only to find out that he became a commoner and impersonates Lee Dai-ha (literally Big Shrimp Lee). The emperor is somewhat fascinated by the bermuda triangle
and was looking for explanations of his time travel. They also learn about the fall of the Qing dynasty including the rise of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution
and founding of modern China through a historic TV video, which also mentioned the emperor's death was shrouded in some mystery.
Both the emperor and the assassin encounter difficulties with HK daily life, culture and society. They both end up working in a company that sells kitchen tile
s. The emperor and the assassin often find themselves collaborating to deal with opposing co-workers who dislike them. The emperor later fell in love with Rachel, the office worker. The story then becomes a more romantic drama, as the assassin also falls in love with him. She feels there is a special connection between them since they both were from the same dynasty. They end up living together with a host of other characters. The show also contains mini plots such as Ko King getting accused of carrying illegal drugs in a club, Hugo and Kenneth's homosexual relationship, and many other side stories.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
television drama produced by TVB in 2003. According to legend, Yongzheng Emperor
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
of the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
may not have died of natural death and was actually assassinated. The plot is an imaginative time-traveling
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
story based on the continuation of what happens after the assassination attempt.
Qing dynasty
The story begins in Qing dynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with Yongzheng Emperor
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
disguising himself among commoners to have a meal outside the imperial courts. At the restaurant he encounters a woman named Lui Sei-leung who was under attack by loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
s for not returning debts. The emperor
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
comes across her situation, and pays off the debt for her. Later during a ship departure, Lui approaches the emperor and thanks him for his deed. She suddenly reveals herself to be a Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
revolutionist and attempts to kill the emperor. The boat is then all of a sudden caught in a time-traveling vortex
Vortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
/hurricane.
Modern Hong Kong
When they wake up, they are both warped to modern Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 2003. The assassin continues her mission to assassinate the emperor in the city, only to find out that he became a commoner and impersonates Lee Dai-ha (literally Big Shrimp Lee). The emperor is somewhat fascinated by the bermuda triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
and was looking for explanations of his time travel. They also learn about the fall of the Qing dynasty including the rise of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
and founding of modern China through a historic TV video, which also mentioned the emperor's death was shrouded in some mystery.
Both the emperor and the assassin encounter difficulties with HK daily life, culture and society. They both end up working in a company that sells kitchen tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
s. The emperor and the assassin often find themselves collaborating to deal with opposing co-workers who dislike them. The emperor later fell in love with Rachel, the office worker. The story then becomes a more romantic drama, as the assassin also falls in love with him. She feels there is a special connection between them since they both were from the same dynasty. They end up living together with a host of other characters. The show also contains mini plots such as Ko King getting accused of carrying illegal drugs in a club, Hugo and Kenneth's homosexual relationship, and many other side stories.
Cast
- Kwong Wa as Yongzheng EmperorYongzheng EmperorThe Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
/ Lee Dai-ha (李大蝦) - Maggie Cheung Ho-Yee as Assassin Lui Sei-leung (呂四娘)
- Melissa NgMelissa NgMelissa Ng Mei Hang is a semi-retired TV actress in Hong Kong. She has been a TVB actress since 1996 after coming second in the Miss Chinese International Pageant, retiring from acting in 2007 to start a family...
as Rachel Shum (岑日愛) - Gilbert LamGilbert LamGilbert Lam Wai San is a former Hong Kong TVB and ATV actor,http://www.spcnet.tv/Gilbert-Lam-Wai-Sun-ac34.html most famous for his role in To Catch the Uncatchable , which sent the insurance industry into uproar.-Filmography:-References:...
as Frankie Shum (岑日禮) - Paul ChunPaul Chun (actor)Paul Chun Pui is a Hong Kong based actor.He is the brother of actor David Chiang and half-brother of actor/ director Derek Yee Tung-Shing. His son Benji Chiang and his daughter Lesley Chiang are duo in the pop group "Benji and Lesley". Paul started his acting career at the age of three...
as Shum Shiu-hong (岑兆康) - Edmond So as Kenneth
- Anthony Tang as Hugo Shum (岑日孝)
- Akina Hong as Szeto Yuk-ming (司徒旭明)
- June Chan as Po Chu (寶珠)
- Lo Meng as Po Fei (寶飛)
- Joe Cheng as Ko King (高勁)
- Jack WuJack WuJack Wu is a television actor, and host from Hong Kong, working for TVB.-TV series:-External links:*...
as Po On (寶安) - Gordon LiuGordon LiuGordon Liu is a Chinese martial arts film actor. He became famous for playing the lead in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and its sequels...
as Heung Yeung (向陽) - Ram Tseung as Brian Shum (岑日忠)
- Halina TamHalina TamHalina Tam, also known as May is a model, singer and television actress. She is also best known for her role in Legend of the Demigods and The Gentle Crackdown with co-star Wayne Lai.Tam was the winner of the Miss Hong Kong Pageant 1994...
as Tina Wan (尹天娜) - Derek Kwok as 14th Imperial UncleYinti, Prince XunYinti , born Yinzhen of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the 14th son of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He was born to Empress Xiaogongren and was a full younger brother of the Yongzheng Emperor. As his original name was similar to Yongzheng's personal name, Yinzhen , it was changed to Yinti...
(十四皇爺) - Mark KwokMark KwokMark Kwok Yiu Ming is a TVB actor from 1995. His debuteed in TVB in A Kindred Spirit . He acted in one drama in ATV before moving to TVB.-Filmography:-External links:*...
as Marco - Savio Tsang as 8th Imperial UncleYinsi, Prince LianYinsi, the Prince Lian to avoid breaching the tradition of naming taboo on the Yongzheng Emperor's name; Akina after losing his peerage title) was born to the Kangxi Emperor and Imperial Consort Liang of the Wei clan As the Kangxi Emperor's eighth son, he was the Eighth Imperial Prince.After...
(八皇爺)
Time travel antics
- The emperor liked Rachel, the fellow office worker, and was trying to impress her with the Manchu Han Imperial FeastManchu Han Imperial FeastManhan Quanxi, literally Manchu Han Imperial Feast was one of the grandest meals ever documented in Chinese cuisine. It consisted of at least 108 unique dishes from the Manchu and Han Chinese culture during the Qing Dynasty, and it is only reserved and intended for the emperors. The meal was held...
. - The emperor spoke ancient Chinese in modern HK, and everyone thought he was just educated.
- In one scene an antique store sold an exact furniture piece that the emperor broke when he was in the Qing dynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. A stubborn customer tried to prove the furnitures were fakes by saying the traditional chinese character was missing a stroke. The emperor proved to him that the furniture did not have that stroke during that era.