Wok of Life
Encyclopedia
Wok Of Life is a long-running Chinese drama which aired in Singapore
in 1999. The show starred Chew Chor Meng
, Ann Kok
, and Evelyn Tan as the main characters.
Ri-an meets an American-trained chef, Yaoqing, and is impressed with his culinary skills. Ri-an offers to take him on an eating spree around the country. Yaoqing is hounded by the press at the seafood restaurant and decides to go back to Ri-an’s place. Nanhua is upset as Ri-an has misplaced Yue-e’s photo. When Ri-an learns that Yue-e is coming back to Singapore, he arranges for Nanhua to pick her up.
Yaoqing’s pepper crab proves to be more popular with the restaurant patrons than Nanhua’s stewed duck. Nanhua is peeved. The mentally slow Wu Jin gets cheated by dishonest customers when he sells lottery tickets. Jia-sao blames it on Yue-e’s incompetence when she helped to deliver Wu Jin years ago. Suddenly, Nanhua passes out and is sent to the hospital. As he enters the ambulance, he tries to tell Ri-an something.
Ri-an mistakenly thinks that Nanhua wants him to take his place in the contest. He loses to Yaoqing and, feeling utterly ashamed of himself, he contemplates leaving home. Nanhua tells Yue-e and Daixiang that he deserves retribution for what he did to Yaoqing’s family. Ri-an and Zhenzhen are transported back to the ‘60s after an urn toppled and dropped on them.
Ri-an thinks he has died and gone to another dimension. Soon after, Ri-an realizes he is back in the’60s and has become Yongfu. He is eager to return to the ‘90s as he wants to claim the prize money he won in Toto.
Dadi runs a restaurant named Fu Man Lou. He was bewildered when Ri-an does not recognise them. Ri-an is confused when Dadi and his family addresses him as You Yongfu. He discovers that a man called You Yongfu worked at Fu Man Lou, and had an uncanny resemblance to himself. He had escaped to Malacca after he thought he killed someone. On the boat to Malacca, Yongfu meets a woman named Daxiang and makes her pregnant.
Ri-an finds himself falling in love with a woman called Saiman, who was Yongfu's worst enemy. It turned up that Yongfu and Saiman were once lovers, but had fallen out with each other after it was revealed that Yongfu, who was a playboy, had 107 other girlfriends. Suddenly, Daxiang arrived to stay with her father, Mr. Four-eyes. Ri-an was shocked to see that it was a younger version of his own mother.
Daixiang, who is unknowing pregnant with Yongfu's son, who happens to be Ri-an himself, has a crush on Ri-an the moment she sees him. She puts on her most feminine front.
Dadi is kidnapped and his kidnappers demand a large ransom of 20,000 dollars. Ri-an meets up with Yongfu in Malacca and tells him that he is his future son, but the latter thinks he is his half-brother. Back in Singapore, Daixiang mistakes Ri-an for Yong-fu and is furious to see him with Zhenzhen. She threatens to commit suicide unless ‘Yongfu’ (Ri-an) marries her.
Dadi leaves the Fu Man Lou to Nanhua. Suddenly, a very pregnant Daixiang returns and demands that Ri-an marry her. Zhenzhen suspects Daixiang’s unborn baby is Ri-an, and Ri-an from the ‘90s shudders at the thought. Daixiang gives birth to her baby, Ri-an and Zhenzhen finds themselves back to the ‘90s, as two Ri-an's cannot exist at the same time.
A fire breaks out in Fu Man Lou and Nanhua thinks that You Yongfu (Ri-an) and Ang Mo Kio (Zhenzhen) were trapped inside but chooses to run away from the fire, saving himself. He feels guilty about it when Yongfu and Ang Mo Kio 'disappear'.
Back in the 1990s, Nanhua is shocked to learn that Yaoqing is his son. Ri-an finally verifies that Daixiang is his mother. He cannot get over the loss of the Toto ticket despite being ticked off by Zhenzhen. Yaoqing refuses to acknowledge the fact that Nanhua was his father.
Yaoqing is arrested while Nanhua is warded in the intensive care unit. Nanhua finally regains consciousness and leaves the running of the restaurant to Ri-an. Unexpectedly, Dadi's sons pay a visit to Fu Man Lou. They bring Nanhua to the real You Yongfu, who had become a monk!
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...
in 1999. The show starred Chew Chor Meng
Chew Chor Meng
Chew Chor Meng is a Singaporean television actor.-Career:Chew started his career in MediaCorp Studios after winning Star Search in 1990, a bi-annual nationwide talent search. Since then, he has never failed to make it to the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in Star Awards, an award ceremony for...
, Ann Kok
Ann Kok
Ann Kok is a Chinese Singaporean television actress and singer.-Biography:Kok is the youngest child of a family of six children. She has three brothers and two sisters. She started her acting career in 1993 after emerging as a finalist in Star Search Singapore. She won a contract to work on...
, and Evelyn Tan as the main characters.
Cast
- Chew Chor MengChew Chor MengChew Chor Meng is a Singaporean television actor.-Career:Chew started his career in MediaCorp Studios after winning Star Search in 1990, a bi-annual nationwide talent search. Since then, he has never failed to make it to the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in Star Awards, an award ceremony for...
- You Yongfu (Swimming Trunks)/You Ri-an (1960s and 1990s) - Evelyn Tan - Ang Mo Kio/Zhenzhen (1960s and 1990s)
- Ann KokAnn KokAnn Kok is a Chinese Singaporean television actress and singer.-Biography:Kok is the youngest child of a family of six children. She has three brothers and two sisters. She started her acting career in 1993 after emerging as a finalist in Star Search Singapore. She won a contract to work on...
- Saiman, Yue-e (1960s) - Florence Tan - Ma Daixiang (1960s)
- Yang Libing - Zeng Haolian (1960s)
- Richard LowRichard LowRichard Low , also known as Richard Low Qianyi or Richard Liu Qianyi; also spelled as Richard Loh, is a Singaporean Chinese veteran MediaCorp TV Channel 8 actor. He used to be typecast as villains or characters with unruly behaviour...
- Huang Dadi (1960s) - Zheng Ge Ping - Huang Xiaodong (1960s and 1990s)
- Lin Yinzhu - Ka-sou (1960s)
- Li Meiguang - Ka-sou (1990s)
- Brandon WongBrandon Wong (actor)Brandon Wong is a Mediacorp artiste. He was nominated in the Star Awards 2010 for the Best Leading Actor award for his role in Housewives' Holiday after 15 years in the industry. However, he lost the award to Chen Hanwei.-Career:...
as Wang Xia (1960s) - Ye Shipin - Mr Four-Eye (1960s)
- Florence Tan - Margaret (Ma Daixiang (1960s)
- Xiang YunXiang YunXiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....
- Margaret (Ma Daixiang) (1990s) - Jason Oh - Zeng Nanhua (1960s)
- Zhu HourenZhu HourenZhu Houren is a Singaporean MediaCorp actor, most notable for his role in Wok of Life.In 2003, Zhu directed and acted in After School.In the recent Star Awards 2010, Zhu won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Sgt...
- Zeng Nanhua(1990s)
Sypnosis
Ri-an, an apprentice cook, turns up at Hua Da Hotel to answer an advertisement for the job of a cook. He keeps the matter from his teacher, Nanhua. To Ri-an’s disappointment, the panel of interviewers do not like the way he cooks the dish. Nanhua, the resident chef of Fu Man Lou, sets very high standards for his staff. They respect and fear him at the same time.Ri-an meets an American-trained chef, Yaoqing, and is impressed with his culinary skills. Ri-an offers to take him on an eating spree around the country. Yaoqing is hounded by the press at the seafood restaurant and decides to go back to Ri-an’s place. Nanhua is upset as Ri-an has misplaced Yue-e’s photo. When Ri-an learns that Yue-e is coming back to Singapore, he arranges for Nanhua to pick her up.
Yaoqing’s pepper crab proves to be more popular with the restaurant patrons than Nanhua’s stewed duck. Nanhua is peeved. The mentally slow Wu Jin gets cheated by dishonest customers when he sells lottery tickets. Jia-sao blames it on Yue-e’s incompetence when she helped to deliver Wu Jin years ago. Suddenly, Nanhua passes out and is sent to the hospital. As he enters the ambulance, he tries to tell Ri-an something.
Ri-an mistakenly thinks that Nanhua wants him to take his place in the contest. He loses to Yaoqing and, feeling utterly ashamed of himself, he contemplates leaving home. Nanhua tells Yue-e and Daixiang that he deserves retribution for what he did to Yaoqing’s family. Ri-an and Zhenzhen are transported back to the ‘60s after an urn toppled and dropped on them.
Ri-an thinks he has died and gone to another dimension. Soon after, Ri-an realizes he is back in the’60s and has become Yongfu. He is eager to return to the ‘90s as he wants to claim the prize money he won in Toto.
Dadi runs a restaurant named Fu Man Lou. He was bewildered when Ri-an does not recognise them. Ri-an is confused when Dadi and his family addresses him as You Yongfu. He discovers that a man called You Yongfu worked at Fu Man Lou, and had an uncanny resemblance to himself. He had escaped to Malacca after he thought he killed someone. On the boat to Malacca, Yongfu meets a woman named Daxiang and makes her pregnant.
Ri-an finds himself falling in love with a woman called Saiman, who was Yongfu's worst enemy. It turned up that Yongfu and Saiman were once lovers, but had fallen out with each other after it was revealed that Yongfu, who was a playboy, had 107 other girlfriends. Suddenly, Daxiang arrived to stay with her father, Mr. Four-eyes. Ri-an was shocked to see that it was a younger version of his own mother.
Daixiang, who is unknowing pregnant with Yongfu's son, who happens to be Ri-an himself, has a crush on Ri-an the moment she sees him. She puts on her most feminine front.
Dadi is kidnapped and his kidnappers demand a large ransom of 20,000 dollars. Ri-an meets up with Yongfu in Malacca and tells him that he is his future son, but the latter thinks he is his half-brother. Back in Singapore, Daixiang mistakes Ri-an for Yong-fu and is furious to see him with Zhenzhen. She threatens to commit suicide unless ‘Yongfu’ (Ri-an) marries her.
Dadi leaves the Fu Man Lou to Nanhua. Suddenly, a very pregnant Daixiang returns and demands that Ri-an marry her. Zhenzhen suspects Daixiang’s unborn baby is Ri-an, and Ri-an from the ‘90s shudders at the thought. Daixiang gives birth to her baby, Ri-an and Zhenzhen finds themselves back to the ‘90s, as two Ri-an's cannot exist at the same time.
A fire breaks out in Fu Man Lou and Nanhua thinks that You Yongfu (Ri-an) and Ang Mo Kio (Zhenzhen) were trapped inside but chooses to run away from the fire, saving himself. He feels guilty about it when Yongfu and Ang Mo Kio 'disappear'.
Back in the 1990s, Nanhua is shocked to learn that Yaoqing is his son. Ri-an finally verifies that Daixiang is his mother. He cannot get over the loss of the Toto ticket despite being ticked off by Zhenzhen. Yaoqing refuses to acknowledge the fact that Nanhua was his father.
Yaoqing is arrested while Nanhua is warded in the intensive care unit. Nanhua finally regains consciousness and leaves the running of the restaurant to Ri-an. Unexpectedly, Dadi's sons pay a visit to Fu Man Lou. They bring Nanhua to the real You Yongfu, who had become a monk!
Trivia
- Two characters in the show exist in real-life, one being Da Xia and the other being Yeh Feng.
Awards
- Wok of Life won Best Drama in Taiwan in the year during Star Awards 1999; actress Yang Libing also won Best Supporting Actress for the drama.
- Top 5 Most Popular Drama Serials, Star Awards 25th Drama Anniversary Gala ShowStar Awards 2007Star Awards 2007 is a television award ceremony held in Singapore. It is part of the annual Star Awards organised by MediaCorp for MediaCorp TV Channel 8. This year, Star Awards will be scheduled to telecast on two Sunday nights. The first award ceremony will be held on the 9 December 2007, in...
(Year 2007)