Reunion Dinner
Encyclopedia
Reunion Dinner is a Singaporean Chinese
drama which was telecasted on Singapore
's free-to-air channel, MediaCorp Channel 8. It made its debut on 6 January 2009 and ended on 3 February 2009. This drama serial consists of 20 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.
Due to the series' heavy Chinese New Year
theme, it was broadcast during the Chinese New Year season for 2009.
The series is partially sponsored by the Media Development Authority
of Singapore.
and Wang Yuqing
. Many also praised veteran actor Zhu Houren for his performance as the retired police officer. His catchphrase "我是警察!" (I am the Police!) was often mimicked by people to great delight.
Star Awards 2010
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...
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 6 January 2009 and ended on 3 February 2009. This drama serial consists of 20 episodes, and was screened on every weekday night at 9:00 pm.
Due to the series' heavy Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
theme, it was broadcast during the Chinese New Year season for 2009.
The series is partially sponsored by the Media Development Authority
Media Development Authority
The Media Development Authority is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts .-History:...
of Singapore.
Liang Family (梁家)
- Ah Ping (阿萍, portrayed by 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...
(陈莉萍))- A 43-year-old housewife, she is known as the "Iron Lady" (女铁人), maintaining the overwhelming demands of a family. Her husband, Liang Tianhua (portrayed by Wang YuqingWang YuqingJeffrey Tan Chooi Leong, better known as Wang Yuqing, is a Singaporean actor, most known for his role in The Flying Fish , which catapulted him to stardom...
) works in a low-paying job, and as a result, Ah Ping has to bake pastries to supplement her family's income. In addition to the family, she also has to take care of her elderly father-in-lawFather-in-lawA parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship...
, who suffers from dementiaDementiaDementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
. When her husband lost his job, the burden on her became even greater, and she began to breakdown. - Liang Tianhua (梁天华, portrayed by Wang YuqingWang YuqingJeffrey Tan Chooi Leong, better known as Wang Yuqing, is a Singaporean actor, most known for his role in The Flying Fish , which catapulted him to stardom...
(王昱青))- The husband of Ah Ping. A weak-willed man who works in a low-paying job. He has worked in the same job for 30 years, and not once did he asked for a raise, resulting in his salary still being S$Singapore dollarThe Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
3,000 per month. He also shrugs off unreasonable requests, making him a small and nearly invisible figure in his company. - Liang Zhigao (梁志高, portrayed by 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...
(朱厚任))- A former police officer, he retired some years ago, and now suffers from Dementia. Despite forgetting about almost everything, his memories of his police days are still pristine, resulting in hims still thinking that he is a police officer, constantly arresting people for various crimes. - Liang Meiqi (梁美琪, portrayed by Koh Yah Hwee (许雅慧))- The eldest daughter of the Liang family, she is a university student who is preparing to study abroad, she is relying on her scholarship and giving tutoring lessons to lessen her family's burden of sending her overseas. However, she fears that she might be pregnant, after she was intoxicated at a party with her classmates, and woke up next to a man she doesn't know.
- Liang Meihui (梁美慧, portrayed by Koh Zhengning (许政宁))- A first year Junior College student, she has a liberal mind, which created controversies. She once created a public furore when she was caught being intimate with her boyfriend in public, resulting in public complaints to her Junior College.
Liu Family (刘家)
- Liu Jiachang (刘家昌, portrayed by Chen HanweiChen HanweiChen Han Wei , is a MediaCorp TV artiste in Singapore. He is a permanent resident of Singapore.-Early life:Chen grew up and lived in Kampung Ungku Mohsin, Johor Bahru. Born into a poor family, Chen nonetheless excelled academically and studied at one of the most famous Chinese independent schools...
(陈汉伟))- A plumber, Jiachang is also a gambling addict, frequently losing his salary to the gambling table, as well as running up huge gambling debts. His wife, who is normally tolerating of her husband's gambling addiction, left the family and ran away after Jiachang lost a lot of money in gambling, resulting in the family not having enough money to buy rice to eat in the New Year. Realizing what his addiction has done, he vowed to change for the good, and went out to look for his wife. He got into legal trouble instead, and was detained by Police. - Lin Fangfang (林芳芳, portrayed by 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...
(莫小玲))- Wife of Liu Jinchang. A baker, and she usually lets her children take bread from her store. She left her family after her husband lost so much money that her family cannot have a decent meal for the New Year. In order to earn as much money in the shortest possible time, she worked as a bar lady to earn extra money. - Liu Qiangqiang (刘强强, portrayed by Chen Jiele (陈杰乐))- The eldest son in the Liu family, he is addicted to video games, and can be seen with a black PSPPlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in hand in many scenes. - Liu Sisi (刘思思, portrayed by Xiao Zhiying (箫芷莹))- The eldest daughter in the Liu family, she neglects her studies, and always goes online to chat with others. only with her parent's disappearance did she turned around, and began to shoulder the burden of taking care of her brother and sister.
- Liu Yaya (刘牙牙, portrayed by Regene Lim Yong Yi (林咏谊))- The youngest child of the Liu family. She is academically inclined, and very cunning. Upon learning of her parent's separation, she tried to unite them together, just in time for the new year.
- Fang Mu (芳母, literally "Fang's Mother", portrayed by Chen Peiqing (陳佩菁))- The mother of Lin Fangfang, she never remarried after her husband's death, and dresses trendily. She urged her daughter to get a divorce. However, she is seen having an affair with Ah Gang (Wang Le)
Wang Family (王家)
- Wang Hao (王浩, portrayed by Hu Wensui (胡问遂))- A father from China, he took his son to Singapore to further his studies, while his wife, who worked in a high-level positing in a multinational corporation in China, remained there to further her career. In order to reduce his wife's burden, Hao, who was once a professional swimmer, taught swimming to supplement her income. However, he is a bit miffed that his wife did not send him money for air tickets back to China, so that the entire family can spend the New Year together in China.
- Li Tong (李彤, portrayed by Wang Huajing (王华婧))- A high level worker in a multinational corporation in China, she is the wife of Wang Hao. Her intelligence and ambition led to rumours that she "slept" her way up (having affairs with her supervisors), which led to a marriage crisis for her.
- Wang Jie (王杰, portrayed by Xiong Tianyang (熊天扬)- The only child of the Wangs, he is academically inclined, and under the strict supervision of his father, Hao Jie excels in school, and improved his English significantly.
Hu Family (胡家)
- Laksa Uncle (叻沙叔, portrayed by Liang Tian (梁田))- Father of Hu Daxiong, he operates a Laksa stall along with his wife (hence the name), becoming a moderately famous Laksa vendor. He always wanted to teach Daxiong how to make Laksa, but Daxiong just shrugged it off. His fiery tempers led to arguments between him and Daxiong.
- Laksa Auntie (叻沙嫂, portrayed by Zhu Xiufeng (朱秀凤))- An elderly woman, she sells Laksa along with her husband (hence the name). Working for decades meant that she suffers from many medical problems. Still, she thinks she will rest only when she is lowered into a coffin.
- Banana (Portrayed by Kym NgKym NgKym Ng is a Singaporean actress with MediaCorp. She began with a singing career, but switched to hosting later and joined the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation in Year 1995. She is often on the Chinese language channels and is famous for her direct connection with the audience and her...
(鐘琴))- The owner of the apartment flat where Wang Hao rented a room. She was a secondary school classmate of Lin Fangfang, and never studied beyond secondary school. In an effort to support her lazy husband, Hu Daxiong, she worked as a supermarket promoter and a beer lady. The income was great, until competition from China came. She decided then to train herself, in an effort to better compete with the newcomers. - Hu Daxiong (胡达雄, portrayed by Alan TernAlan TernAlan Tern is a Singaporean actor. Tern was a finalist in the Star Search Singapore 2001, and joined MediaCorp after the competition. Tern's acting in Double Happiness earned him a Star Awards 2005 Best Supporting Actor Award Nomination in 2005....
(唐育书))- Although he graduated from a university, he does not want to work, and only wants to enjoy life. He would resign a few days after starting a new job, and his business ventures would fail. He took over his father's Laksa stall, but ran it to the ground through mismanagement.
Awards and nominations
Reunion Dinner was widely applauded for its great script and also its realistic depiction of everyday Singaporean life. Reunion Dinner was also a considerable ratings success. Many credit this success for the veteran cast led by Chen LipingChen Liping
Joyce 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...
and Wang Yuqing
Wang Yuqing
Jeffrey Tan Chooi Leong, better known as Wang Yuqing, is a Singaporean actor, most known for his role in The Flying Fish , which catapulted him to stardom...
. Many also praised veteran actor Zhu Houren for his performance as the retired police officer. His catchphrase "我是警察!" (I am the Police!) was often mimicked by people to great delight.
Star Awards 2010Star Awards 2010Star Awards 2010 was a double television award ceremony held in Singapore. It is part of the annual Star Awards organised by MediaCorp for the two free-to-air channels, MediaCorp Channel 8 and MediaCorp Channel U. Star Awards 2010 was telecast 'LIVE' on Channel 8, on 18 April 2010 and 25 April 2010...
Awards and Nominations
- 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...
clinched the Best Actress award. - 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...
clinched the Best Supporting Actor award. - Regene Lim (Lin Yongyi) clinched the Young Talent Award for another consecutive year after Perfect Cut.