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Ten Brothers (TVB)
Encyclopedia
Ten Brothers is a TVB costume comedy series released overseas in September 2005 and broadcast on TVB Jade
in February 2007.
The series is partially based on the Chinese mythology
of the same name
.
) sells Chinese desserts and falls in love with a wealthy girl named Gei Hao-Yee (Kenix Kwok
). Each time Dai-Ha tries to help Hao-Yee, he does something wrong and angers her instead. One day, Hao-Yee and her servant falls down a hill and he saves them. Without thanking him, she shouts at him and mistakenly drinks the soup with ten magical beans in it. The magical beans make her pregnant. However due to a law in the town forbidding unmarried pregnancy, the villagers are angry and want her punished. Dai-Ha finds out and explains to the villagers that he is the father, causing a deferral of Hao-Yee's execution.
Dai-Ha brings her to his small home where their ten babies are born. Together, they both raise the children, but soon all the children become adults except for Ten (Jeffrey Wong). The parents were afraid of their adult sons, and abandoned them. The children ran around town causing trouble. Subsequently, Two (Jason Lam)and Three (Jack Wu
) are adopted by the evil marshal Man Sai-Hung's (Liu Kai Chi
) wife, who did not want her husband to know that their real sons had died. When Dai-Ha sees them he tells Hao-Yee and they both stop the villagers from burning them revealing that she really does care. Though because they are poor, Four (Don Li
) and Ten were sold to a circus whose leader was extremely strict and disciplined harshly. Nine (Adam Ip) was sold to a richer family. The remaining sons were taught by their mother, and One (Lai Lok-yi), who was the most mature, helped Dai-Ha with his business. One and Four fall in love with the same girl that works at the circus but it turns out she loves One where as Four believes she should be with him. Meanwhile Two and Three find out that they are apart of the family because of a mark on their backs they all have and when they try to go back it starts a war. At first it seems pretty even because the brothers have special powers with one disadvantage, gunpowder which weakens them like the way kryptonite is to Superman.
Hao-Yee's decision earlier on was to help her sons instead of marrying someone else and getting pregnant. In the first place it has caused her father to disown her, but he comes back. Four gives him porridge which he says the secret is keeping the spoon in while it cooks,which is also the same thing Hao-Yee said earlier. While Hao-Yee's father deny's it; they find a painting that he said was of his daughter, one which he had refused to show them, that clearly depicts Hao-Yee. Shortly after they accept each other, Hao-Yee's father catches a disease ands is blocked away from other civilizations, like they used to do. As Ten cries over this his tears heal the disease. Hao-Yee points out when he had been stung by bees as a prank gone wrong,he cried out all the poison. So they use ten to heal everyone with the sickness.
One day, a mysterious white-haired man appears in One's visions and tells him that the brothers will die on August 15 if they do not leave with him. One did not initially believe him, but did so later. When the parents find out about the prophecy, on August 15, they sent their children away.But after they have left they see their mother in trouble and all rush back to help her. As they disappear they became ten sparkling stars in the sky.In the future they have their own son who points up to the stars and happily acknowledges them as 'brothers'.
one. Although code-switching
is very common in Hong Kong for the last 10-20 years, such practice are unheard of during the time this series is set in, and, in most circumstances, unlikely, considering the (supposedly) non-existent knowledge of English for the characters. TVB was ridiculed by the public as a result of allowing such sloppy production slip by.
TVB Jade
TVB Jade is a flagship TV channel in Hong Kong, established by Television Broadcasts Limited, and is one of the free-to-air Cantonese language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival ATV Home...
in February 2007.
The series is partially based on the Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
of the same name
Ten Brothers
Ten Brothers is a Chinese legend known to be written around the time of the construction of the Great Wall of China, most likely during the Ming Dynasty...
.
Synopsis
Chan Dai-Ha (Frankie LamFrankie Lam
Frankie Lam Man Lung is a Hong Kong actor for TVB. He is married to TVB Actress Kenix Kwok. He started off his career with a singing contest which he won and subsequently, signed a contract with TVB.-TV series:-Films:...
) sells Chinese desserts and falls in love with a wealthy girl named Gei Hao-Yee (Kenix Kwok
Kenix Kwok
Kenix Kwok Ho Ying is a Hong Kong actress. Along with Maggie Cheung Ho Yee, Esther Kwan, Marianne Chan, Ada Choi, Flora Chan and Jessica Hsuan, Kenix is known as one of the Top 7 "Fa Dans" of TVB from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s.Kwok got her start as a finalist in the Top 5 of the 1993 Miss Hong...
). Each time Dai-Ha tries to help Hao-Yee, he does something wrong and angers her instead. One day, Hao-Yee and her servant falls down a hill and he saves them. Without thanking him, she shouts at him and mistakenly drinks the soup with ten magical beans in it. The magical beans make her pregnant. However due to a law in the town forbidding unmarried pregnancy, the villagers are angry and want her punished. Dai-Ha finds out and explains to the villagers that he is the father, causing a deferral of Hao-Yee's execution.
Dai-Ha brings her to his small home where their ten babies are born. Together, they both raise the children, but soon all the children become adults except for Ten (Jeffrey Wong). The parents were afraid of their adult sons, and abandoned them. The children ran around town causing trouble. Subsequently, Two (Jason Lam)and Three (Jack Wu
Jack Wu
Jack Wu is a television actor, and host from Hong Kong, working for TVB.-TV series:-External links:*...
) are adopted by the evil marshal Man Sai-Hung's (Liu Kai Chi
Liu Kai Chi
Liu Kai-chi is a Hong Kong actor, best known for his "everyman" supporting roles. He is a Christian, and has appeared in several Christian themed projects. For 25 years he worked for TVB, Hong Kong's first over-the-air commercial station, but did not renew his contract in 2005.On April 5, 2006,...
) wife, who did not want her husband to know that their real sons had died. When Dai-Ha sees them he tells Hao-Yee and they both stop the villagers from burning them revealing that she really does care. Though because they are poor, Four (Don Li
Don Li
Don Li Yat Long is a Hong Kong singer and actor of the Emperor Entertainment Group, Music Icon Records. Don Li was a finalist in Talent Show 2002 in Hong Kong. In 2003, he began his career in the entertainment industry by acting in television series. In 2005, Li and Mandy Chiang began their music...
) and Ten were sold to a circus whose leader was extremely strict and disciplined harshly. Nine (Adam Ip) was sold to a richer family. The remaining sons were taught by their mother, and One (Lai Lok-yi), who was the most mature, helped Dai-Ha with his business. One and Four fall in love with the same girl that works at the circus but it turns out she loves One where as Four believes she should be with him. Meanwhile Two and Three find out that they are apart of the family because of a mark on their backs they all have and when they try to go back it starts a war. At first it seems pretty even because the brothers have special powers with one disadvantage, gunpowder which weakens them like the way kryptonite is to Superman.
Hao-Yee's decision earlier on was to help her sons instead of marrying someone else and getting pregnant. In the first place it has caused her father to disown her, but he comes back. Four gives him porridge which he says the secret is keeping the spoon in while it cooks,which is also the same thing Hao-Yee said earlier. While Hao-Yee's father deny's it; they find a painting that he said was of his daughter, one which he had refused to show them, that clearly depicts Hao-Yee. Shortly after they accept each other, Hao-Yee's father catches a disease ands is blocked away from other civilizations, like they used to do. As Ten cries over this his tears heal the disease. Hao-Yee points out when he had been stung by bees as a prank gone wrong,he cried out all the poison. So they use ten to heal everyone with the sickness.
One day, a mysterious white-haired man appears in One's visions and tells him that the brothers will die on August 15 if they do not leave with him. One did not initially believe him, but did so later. When the parents find out about the prophecy, on August 15, they sent their children away.But after they have left they see their mother in trouble and all rush back to help her. As they disappear they became ten sparkling stars in the sky.In the future they have their own son who points up to the stars and happily acknowledges them as 'brothers'.
The ten brothers
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Lai Lok-yi (黎諾懿) | Thousand Mile Eye (千里眼) | Brother One |
| Jason Lam (林遠迎) | Distant Hearing (順風耳) | Brother Two |
| Jack Wu Jack Wu Jack Wu is a television actor, and host from Hong Kong, working for TVB.-TV series:-External links:*... (胡諾言) |
Strong Three (大力三) | Brother Three |
| Don Li Don Li Don Li Yat Long is a Hong Kong singer and actor of the Emperor Entertainment Group, Music Icon Records. Don Li was a finalist in Talent Show 2002 in Hong Kong. In 2003, he began his career in the entertainment industry by acting in television series. In 2005, Li and Mandy Chiang began their music... (李逸朗) |
Stretchy Four (奀皮四) | Brother Four |
| Nicky Law (羅貫峰) | Flying Five (飛天五) | Brother Five |
| Kwok Cheng (郭淨) | Iron Head Six (銅頭六) | Brother Six |
| Matt Yeung (揚明) | Long Legs Seven (高腳七) | Brother Seven |
| Russell Cheung Russell Cheung Russell Cheung is a Hong Kong actor under the contract of TVB.-Television series:*Face to Face *On the Track or Off *Love is Beautiful *Let's Face It *Burning Flame II *Survivor's Law... (張智軒) |
Digging Eight (遁地八) | Brother Eight |
| Adam Ip (葉暐) | Big Mouth Nine (大口九) | Brother Nine |
| Jeffrey Wong (王秉熹) | Crying Ten (大喊十) | Brother Ten |
Other characters
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Frankie Lam Frankie Lam Frankie Lam Man Lung is a Hong Kong actor for TVB. He is married to TVB Actress Kenix Kwok. He started off his career with a singing contest which he won and subsequently, signed a contract with TVB.-TV series:-Films:... |
Chan Dai-Ha 陳大蝦 |
Gei Hao-Yee's husband. |
| Kenix Kwok Kenix Kwok Kenix Kwok Ho Ying is a Hong Kong actress. Along with Maggie Cheung Ho Yee, Esther Kwan, Marianne Chan, Ada Choi, Flora Chan and Jessica Hsuan, Kenix is known as one of the Top 7 "Fa Dans" of TVB from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s.Kwok got her start as a finalist in the Top 5 of the 1993 Miss Hong... |
Gei Hao-Yee 紀巧兒 |
Chan Dai-Ha's wife. |
| Leila Tong Leila Tong Leila Tong Ling is an actress in Hong Kong. She was born into an Indonesian Chinese family. Her birth name is used in her works during her childhood and adolescence.- Career :... |
Hung Siu-Lan 洪小蘭 |
Thousand Mile Eye's lover |
| Nancy Wu Nancy Wu Nancy Wu Ding Yan is a Chinese actress contracted to TVB. In 1999, she participated in TVB's 18th Annual New Talent Singing Awards competition and finished in the top four. In 2001, she entered TVB's 3rd Annual Cover Girl Competition and won the Most Photogenic Award, the Most Fit Award, the Most... |
Yuen Tung-Tung 阮彤彤 |
Strong Three's lover Man Sai-Hung's niece |
| Liu Kai Chi Liu Kai Chi Liu Kai-chi is a Hong Kong actor, best known for his "everyman" supporting roles. He is a Christian, and has appeared in several Christian themed projects. For 25 years he worked for TVB, Hong Kong's first over-the-air commercial station, but did not renew his contract in 2005.On April 5, 2006,... |
Man Sai-Hung 萬世雄 |
General Villain Yuen Tung-Tung's uncle |
Controversy of finale
In the series finale, actor Felix Lok ad-libbed one of his lines, and replaced one of the words in the line with a corresponding EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
one. Although code-switching
Code-switching in Hong Kong
Code-switching, or the practice of using more than one language in conversation, is very common in Hong Kong. It usually involves a mix of Cantonese and English as a result of the bilingualism in Hong Kong...
is very common in Hong Kong for the last 10-20 years, such practice are unheard of during the time this series is set in, and, in most circumstances, unlikely, considering the (supposedly) non-existent knowledge of English for the characters. TVB was ridiculed by the public as a result of allowing such sloppy production slip by.
Viewership ratings
| Week | Episode | Average Points | Peaking Points | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
February 12 - February 16, 2007 | 1 — 5 | |
|
|
| |
February 19 - February 23, 2007 | 6 — 10 | |
|
|
| |
February 26 - March 2, 2007 | 11 — 15 | |
|
|
| |
March 5 - March 9, 2007 | 16 — 20 | |
|
Award nominations
40th TVB Anniversary Awards (2007)TVB Anniversary Awards (2007)
TVB Anniversary Awards 2007 is an award ceremony that celebrates the best in TVB programming of 2007. The award ceremony took place on November 17, 2007.-Best Actor:"Best Actor in a Leading Role" Award ....
- "Best Drama"
- "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Jack WuJack WuJack Wu is a television actor, and host from Hong Kong, working for TVB.-TV series:-External links:*...
- Dai Lik-Sam)