Safe Guards
Encyclopedia
Safe Guards is a TVB costume drama series broadcast in February 2006.
. However, the agency was discovered to be close to bankruptcy, due to financial mismanagement. Together with his four sons, the patriarch of the family, Sheung Ching-Tong (Samuel Kwok) must, along with other allies and confidantes, rebuild the agency and save it from near certain death.
The series consists of 25 episodes and centers around the character - Sheung Chi who is the third son of Sheung Ching Tong.
The series starts off with Sheung Chi having to go to the help of his elder brother - Sheung Chung and their tumultuous relationship. This relationship was severely strained when Sheung Ching Tong had to decide on who will succeed him as the master of the agency.
Sheung Ching Tong's indecisiveness by first appointing Sheung Chung and then deciding against it and then to appoint Sheung Hao and then deciding against it too, resulted in a myriad of crisis in the agency which Sheung Chi had to face and manage. That Sheung Chi was the adopted son unlike Sheung Chung and Sheung Hao who are the natural sons of Sheung Ching Tong, made Sheung Chi's actions more questionable and difficult.
In the end, after much turmoil, Sheung Ching Tong appointed Sheung Chi as the master of the agency. Surprisingly, Sheung Chung supported the appointment but this is after having accepted that Sheung Chi will make a better leader than he would.
This took up almost 2/3 of the series and towards the end - episode 20/21, the character of Sheung Yi was introduced. Having spent his youth overseas, Sheung Yi came back when the father (Sheung Ching Tong) died. He then told Sheung Chi that with the modernisation ie. building of railroads etc. the agency's method of delivering goods on land will be a thing of the past. Sheung Chi on hearing this decided to embark, together with his brothers Sheung Chung and Sheung Yi, on acquiring the rights to deliver goods via river. This formed the last part of the story.
The sub-plots in the series involved the relationship of Sheung Chi with Lei Cheung-Fung (Elaine Yiu) and how Sheung Hao (together with his mother and uncle) tried to destroy everything that Sheung Chi tried to achieve.
While the storyline is very light, it does have its dark and serious moments including the death of 3 main characters.
Synopsis
The story revolves around the Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局), which is the most prominent safeguard and escort agency in HangzhouHangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. However, the agency was discovered to be close to bankruptcy, due to financial mismanagement. Together with his four sons, the patriarch of the family, Sheung Ching-Tong (Samuel Kwok) must, along with other allies and confidantes, rebuild the agency and save it from near certain death.
The series consists of 25 episodes and centers around the character - Sheung Chi who is the third son of Sheung Ching Tong.
The series starts off with Sheung Chi having to go to the help of his elder brother - Sheung Chung and their tumultuous relationship. This relationship was severely strained when Sheung Ching Tong had to decide on who will succeed him as the master of the agency.
Sheung Ching Tong's indecisiveness by first appointing Sheung Chung and then deciding against it and then to appoint Sheung Hao and then deciding against it too, resulted in a myriad of crisis in the agency which Sheung Chi had to face and manage. That Sheung Chi was the adopted son unlike Sheung Chung and Sheung Hao who are the natural sons of Sheung Ching Tong, made Sheung Chi's actions more questionable and difficult.
In the end, after much turmoil, Sheung Ching Tong appointed Sheung Chi as the master of the agency. Surprisingly, Sheung Chung supported the appointment but this is after having accepted that Sheung Chi will make a better leader than he would.
This took up almost 2/3 of the series and towards the end - episode 20/21, the character of Sheung Yi was introduced. Having spent his youth overseas, Sheung Yi came back when the father (Sheung Ching Tong) died. He then told Sheung Chi that with the modernisation ie. building of railroads etc. the agency's method of delivering goods on land will be a thing of the past. Sheung Chi on hearing this decided to embark, together with his brothers Sheung Chung and Sheung Yi, on acquiring the rights to deliver goods via river. This formed the last part of the story.
The sub-plots in the series involved the relationship of Sheung Chi with Lei Cheung-Fung (Elaine Yiu) and how Sheung Hao (together with his mother and uncle) tried to destroy everything that Sheung Chi tried to achieve.
While the storyline is very light, it does have its dark and serious moments including the death of 3 main characters.
Cast
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Steven Ma Steven Ma Steven Ma Chun-wai is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You , that December... |
Sheung Chi 尚智 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) Fourth Master Lei Cheung-Fung's lover. Sheung Ching-Tong's adopted son. |
| Elaine Yiu Elaine Yiu Elaine Yiu Tse-ling is a Hong Kong television actress and presenter.-Career:Yiu entered the entertainment industry after winning the TVB8 Presentator Contest in 2002, subsequently signing a management and filming contract with TVB. From 2002 to 2004, Yiu hosted Mandarin-language television... |
Lei Cheung-Fung 利祥鳳 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) Guard Sheung Chi's lover. |
| Wayne Lai Wayne Lai Wayne Lai Yiu-cheung is a Hong Kong TVB actor.-Biography:Lai entered TVB in 1983 as a clerk in the business department. In 1985, he gave up the job and trained in the TVB Acting School. He starred in a few series in 1989. He started out in some minor roles, and took on some more significant roles... |
Sheung Chung 尚忠 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) Second Master Sheung Ching-Tong's son. |
| Ben Wong Ben Wong Ben Wong Chi-yin is a Hong Kong actor best known for his role as Yung Heung-hoi in the long-running drama series A Kindred Spirit.-Film:-Television dramas:-Hosting gigs:*1989: 陽光節拍一小時*1991: Flash Fax... |
Sheung Hao 尚孝 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) Third Master Sheung Ching-Tong's son. |
| Samuel Kwok (郭峰) | Sheung Ching-Tong 尚正堂 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) First Master Sheung Chung, Sheung Hao, and Shueng Yi's father. Sheung Chi's guardian. Sheung Ching-Pang and Sheung Ching-Man's brother. |
| Lai Lok-yi | Sheung Yi 尚義 |
Sheung Ching-Tong's son. |
| Lau Kong Lau Kong Lau Kong is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network TVB.-Biography:Little is known of Lau's private life, but he has been acting since 1976, when he first joined the now defunct network Commercial Television, he later joined RTV Lau Kong (劉江) is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network... (劉江) |
Sheung Ching-Pang 尚正鵬 |
Sheung Ching-Tong and Sheung Ching-Man's older brother. |
| Chiang Chi Kwong (蔣志光) | Sheung Ching-Man 尚正文 |
Yan Ching's husband. Sheung Ching-Pang and Sheung Ching-Tong's younger brother. |
| Kara Hui Kara Hui Kara Hui Ying-Hung is a Hong Kong actress of Manchu ancestry.-Biography and career:Hui's family moved to Hong Kong in 1966 and she started working at night clubs at fourteen. In her interview on Be My Guest, Hui revealed her family lost their savings from her father's business acquaintances... |
Yan Ching 殷靜 |
Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) Guard Sheung Ching-Man's wife. |
| Makbau Mak (麥長青) | Fo Yeung-Hung 火樣紅 |
Characters
- Sheung Ching-Tong (Samuel Kwok) is the patriarch of the Sheung family, he took over the Wui Yau Safeguard Agency (會友鏢局) from his father, and turned it into one of the most prominent safeguard agency in HangzhouHangzhouHangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. However, when Ching-Tong attempted to buy a gentryGentryGentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
official position with 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....
government, he discovered that Wui Yau is actually facing an acute financial crisis, due to deferred payments on loans issued by Wui Yau, and failure to receive payments for safeguard missions. This led to his decision to devolve duties to his three sons, in an effort to save the safeguard agency from certain demise.
- Sheung Ching-Pang (Lau KongLau KongLau Kong is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network TVB.-Biography:Little is known of Lau's private life, but he has been acting since 1976, when he first joined the now defunct network Commercial Television, he later joined RTV Lau Kong (劉江) is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network...
) is the elder brother of Ching-Tong, he always hoped to secure control of the safeguard agency, but this did not come to fruit. His bitterness on this issue was partly responsible for his negativeness on many issues, which culminated in a full-blown attempts to destabilize or dissolve Wui Yau. He was eventually expelled from the Sheung family after he was discovered to be an illegitimate child, whose biological father was an opera singer. He died in poverty, unwilling to accept his status as an illegitimate child.
- Sheung Ching-Man (Chiang Chi Kwong) is the younger brother of Ching-Tong, he is often considered by many to be the unproductive member of the family. He has never escorted goods, nor has he participated in the family business. However, his unwillingness to participate in the battle to control of the safeguard agency led Ching-Man to become Ching-Tong's private adviser and confidante during many crisis. It was only after the death of his wife, Yan Ching, that Ching-Man played a more active role in the agency.
- Yan Ching (Kara HuiKara HuiKara Hui Ying-Hung is a Hong Kong actress of Manchu ancestry.-Biography and career:Hui's family moved to Hong Kong in 1966 and she started working at night clubs at fourteen. In her interview on Be My Guest, Hui revealed her family lost their savings from her father's business acquaintances...
) is the wife of Ching-Man, she is the martial arts instructor for the safeguard agency, as well as the agency's first female safeguard. She was killed in a bandit attack during a risky safeguard escort mission. She undertook the mission in order to secure funding for Sheung Chi's effort to acquire the rights to deliver goods via river.
- Sheung Chung (Wayne LaiWayne LaiWayne Lai Yiu-cheung is a Hong Kong TVB actor.-Biography:Lai entered TVB in 1983 as a clerk in the business department. In 1985, he gave up the job and trained in the TVB Acting School. He starred in a few series in 1989. He started out in some minor roles, and took on some more significant roles...
) is the eldest biological son of Ching-Tong, his brutish demeanors and carelessness led many to write him off as a black sheep. However, his subsequent change in character and loyalty to the agency made him a central character in the efforts of Sheung Chi to acquire the rights to deliver goods via river.
- Sheung Hao (Ben WongBen WongBen Wong Chi-yin is a Hong Kong actor best known for his role as Yung Heung-hoi in the long-running drama series A Kindred Spirit.-Film:-Television dramas:-Hosting gigs:*1989: 陽光節拍一小時*1991: Flash Fax...
) is the second biological son of Ching-Tong. While he started off with great promise, his anger at not being chosen as the master of the agency led him to make mistakes after mistakes. His refusal to acknowledge his mistakes and his actions in trying to sabotage everything that is good for the agency made him an outcast and the ultimate bad guy in the series.
- Sheung Yi (Lai Lok-yi) is the third biological son of Ching-Tong, he was educated in the West, and had a bleak outlook for the safeguard industry. His foresight led Sheung Chi to embark on the effort to acquire the rights to deliver goods on river.
- Sheung Chi (Steven MaSteven MaSteven Ma Chun-wai is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You , that December...
) is the adopted third son of Ching-Tong, he helped out the family business, steering it through many crisis and tribulations. His work was recognized by Ching-Tong upon his death, who bequeathed the entire agency to him for continued operation.
Viewership ratings
| Week | Episode | Average Points | Peaking Points | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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February 27 - March 3, 2006 | 1 — 5 | |
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March 6 - March 10, 2006 | 6 — 10 | |
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March 13 - March 17, 2006 | 11 — 15 | |
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March 20 - March 24, 2006 | 16 — 20 | |
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March 27 - March 31, 2006 | 21 — 25 | |
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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 ....
- "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Steven MaSteven MaSteven Ma Chun-wai is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You , that December...
- Sheung Chi)
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" (Steven MaSteven MaSteven Ma Chun-wai is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You , that December...
- Sheung Chi) - "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Wayne LaiWayne LaiWayne Lai Yiu-cheung is a Hong Kong TVB actor.-Biography:Lai entered TVB in 1983 as a clerk in the business department. In 1985, he gave up the job and trained in the TVB Acting School. He starred in a few series in 1989. He started out in some minor roles, and took on some more significant roles...
- Sheung Chung) - "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Samuel Kwok - Sheung Ching-Tong)
- "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Lau KongLau KongLau Kong is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network TVB.-Biography:Little is known of Lau's private life, but he has been acting since 1976, when he first joined the now defunct network Commercial Television, he later joined RTV Lau Kong (劉江) is a Hong Kong actor who works on the network...
- Sheung Ching-Pang) - "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Chiang Chi Kwong - Sheung Ching-Man)
- "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Steven MaSteven MaSteven Ma Chun-wai is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, Lucky for Meeting You , that December...
- Sheung Chi) - "My Favourite Male Character Role" (Wayne LaiWayne LaiWayne Lai Yiu-cheung is a Hong Kong TVB actor.-Biography:Lai entered TVB in 1983 as a clerk in the business department. In 1985, he gave up the job and trained in the TVB Acting School. He starred in a few series in 1989. He started out in some minor roles, and took on some more significant roles...
- Sheung Chung)
External links
- TVB.com Safe Guards - Official Website