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The Bund (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Bund is a Hong Kong period drama television series first broadcast on TVB
in 1980. The series spawned several sequels, remakes and film adaptations. The theme song of the series, performed by Frances Yip
, also became a memorable Cantopop
hit.
(then an international settlement), and their rise to prominence in the triad world later. Hui Man-keung and Ting Lik join Fung King-yiu's triad and both of them fall in love with Fung's daughter, Ching-ching, who has a crush on Hui. When Hui Man-keung discovers that Fung King-yiu is actually collaborating with secret agents from Japan to destroy the patriotic Ching-mou School
, he turns against Fung and kills the Japanese spy Kaoriko Yamaguchi in a gunfight. Fung King-yiu is furious with Hui Man-keung's betrayal and he sends Ting Lik to kill Hui, but Ting secretly helps Hui escape on account of their friendship.
Hui Man-keung settles in Hong Kong, where he marries Tai and starts a new life with her family. Fung King-yiu is still furious with Hui Man-keung for betraying him and he sends his men to Hong Kong to kill Hui. The killers murder Tai and her family, while Hui Man-keung survives because he was not at home. He swears vengeance on Fung King-yiu and he returns to Shanghai to take revenge. During Hui Man-keung's absence, Ting Lik starts a romantic relationship with Ching-ching and she promises to marry Ting on one occasion after Ting is seriously injured in a fight. Hui Man-keung suffers an emotional breakdown due to the loss of his family, and after seeing that his love interest has agreed to marry his best friend. His depression ignites the anger in him and increases his thirst for revenge. Hui Man-keung challenges Fung King-yiu to a Russian roulette
game later and he kills Fung. Ching-ching is unable to forgive Hui Man-keung for killing her father and she leaves China for France. Although Hui Man-keung and Ting Lik co-operate and manage to dominate the triad world of Shanghai later, Hui is uninterested in triad affairs as he is eager to find Ching-ching and patch up with her. In the last episode, Hui Man-keung is shot to death outside a restaurant on the night before he leaves for France.
was propelled into the limelight and became a household name in Hong Kong. The scene where Hui is assassinated outside a restaurant is culturally considered one of the all-time greatest scenes in Hong Kong television.
by Frances Yip
. It was one of the early collaborations composed by Joseph Koo
with the lyrics by Wong Jim
. The song would also become one of the top 10 songs awarded in the 1980 RTHK Gold songs awards
.
The 1996 film Shanghai Grand
released some 16 years later also re-used the same song. This version was performed by Andy Lau
.
's popularity also increased due to his performance in the series.
Chow Yun-fat's character had died at the end of The Bund so he did not return for the sequel The Bund II
except for a brief flashback cameo appearance. In both The Bund II and The Bund III
, Ray Lui reprised his role as Ting Lik.
The original series was also remade in 1996 as a 40-episodes television series titled Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
, starring Adam Cheng
, Carol Cheng
, Sunny Chan
, Gordon Lam and Nadia Chan
.
A 1996 film Shanghai Grand
was also released with a similar Shanghai triad theme. It was directed by Poon Man-kit and produced by Tsui Hark
.
In 2007, a 42-episode television series remake starring Huang Xiaoming
, Huang Haibo and Betty Sun
was released in mainland China.
Television Broadcasts Limited
Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967...
in 1980. The series spawned several sequels, remakes and film adaptations. The theme song of the series, performed by Frances Yip
Frances Yip
Frances Yip Lai-yee is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer. She is best known for performing many of the theme songs for television series produced by TVB in the 1980s and early 1990s....
, also became a memorable Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
hit.
Plot
Set in the 1920s Republican era in China, the story tells how triad members Hui Man-keung and Ting Lik struggle to survive in ShanghaiShanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement began originally as a purely British settlement. It was one of the original five treaty ports which were established under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the first opium war in the year 1842...
(then an international settlement), and their rise to prominence in the triad world later. Hui Man-keung and Ting Lik join Fung King-yiu's triad and both of them fall in love with Fung's daughter, Ching-ching, who has a crush on Hui. When Hui Man-keung discovers that Fung King-yiu is actually collaborating with secret agents from Japan to destroy the patriotic Ching-mou School
Chin Woo Athletic Association
Chin Woo Athletic Association is a Chinese martial arts association founded in Shanghai on July 7, 1910, but other sources also cite dates in 1909. It can be found spelled in many ways - Jing Mo, Ching Wu, Jing Wo, Jing Wu etc....
, he turns against Fung and kills the Japanese spy Kaoriko Yamaguchi in a gunfight. Fung King-yiu is furious with Hui Man-keung's betrayal and he sends Ting Lik to kill Hui, but Ting secretly helps Hui escape on account of their friendship.
Hui Man-keung settles in Hong Kong, where he marries Tai and starts a new life with her family. Fung King-yiu is still furious with Hui Man-keung for betraying him and he sends his men to Hong Kong to kill Hui. The killers murder Tai and her family, while Hui Man-keung survives because he was not at home. He swears vengeance on Fung King-yiu and he returns to Shanghai to take revenge. During Hui Man-keung's absence, Ting Lik starts a romantic relationship with Ching-ching and she promises to marry Ting on one occasion after Ting is seriously injured in a fight. Hui Man-keung suffers an emotional breakdown due to the loss of his family, and after seeing that his love interest has agreed to marry his best friend. His depression ignites the anger in him and increases his thirst for revenge. Hui Man-keung challenges Fung King-yiu to a Russian roulette
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
game later and he kills Fung. Ching-ching is unable to forgive Hui Man-keung for killing her father and she leaves China for France. Although Hui Man-keung and Ting Lik co-operate and manage to dominate the triad world of Shanghai later, Hui is uninterested in triad affairs as he is eager to find Ching-ching and patch up with her. In the last episode, Hui Man-keung is shot to death outside a restaurant on the night before he leaves for France.
Cast
- Chow Yun-fatChow Yun-FatChow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
as Hui Man-keung (許文強) - Ray Lui as Ting Lik (丁力)
- Angie ChiuAngie ChiuAngie Chiu , born 15 November 1954 in Hong Kong is an actress, and was the third runner up in the 1973 Miss Hong Kong pageant...
as Fung Ching-ching (馮程程) - Lau DanLau DanLau Dan is a Hong Kong actor.- Works :Lau is known to portray good characters, but could play cunning and sly characters with ease...
as Fung King-yiu (馮敬堯) - Kent TongKent TongKent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong Kent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong Kent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong (Traditional - 湯鎮業 Simplified - 汤镇业）was born on 29 September 1958 in Hong Kong, China. He was a popular TVB actor during the 1980s...
as Chan Hon-lam (陳翰林) - King Doi-yum as Tai (阿娣)
- Lam Kin-ming as Fong Yim-wun (方艷芸)
- Wong Sun as Nip Yan-wong (聶人王)
- Chong Man-ching as Wong Yuet-kei (汪月琪)
- Susanna Au-yeung as Yamaguchi Kaoriko (山口香子)
Cultural reference
Two scenes have subsequently been replicated and parodied in many films and television series in Hong Kong. The wedding of Ting Lik and Fung Ching-ching was one. The death of Hui Man-keung was another. In particular, Chow Yun-fatChow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
was propelled into the limelight and became a household name in Hong Kong. The scene where Hui is assassinated outside a restaurant is culturally considered one of the all-time greatest scenes in Hong Kong television.
Theme song
The theme song Sheung Hoi Tan (上海灘) is well known in Hong Kong. The song was originally performed in CantoneseCantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
by Frances Yip
Frances Yip
Frances Yip Lai-yee is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer. She is best known for performing many of the theme songs for television series produced by TVB in the 1980s and early 1990s....
. It was one of the early collaborations composed by Joseph Koo
Joseph Koo
Joseph Koo Kar-Fai, MBE, SBS is one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong. He used the pen name Moran for Mandarin songs. He is the younger brother of famous Chinese singer Koo Mei .-Career:...
with the lyrics by Wong Jim
Wong Jim
James Wong Jim was a Cantopop lyricist and writer based primarily in Hong Kong. He was also a well known in Asia as a columnist, actor, film director, screenwriter and talk show hosts. He took part in creative directing positions within the entertainment industry in Hong Kong...
. The song would also become one of the top 10 songs awarded in the 1980 RTHK Gold songs awards
1980 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
The 1980 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards was held in 1980 for the 1979 music season.-Top 10 song awards:The top 10 songs of 1980 are as follows.-References:*...
.
The 1996 film Shanghai Grand
Shanghai Grand
Shanghai Grand, also known as Shanghai Grand 1996 to differentiate this film from the more illustrious television series of the same Chinese title, The Bund , is a 1996 Hong Kong film directed by Poon Man-kit and starring Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung and Ning Jing.This film was directed by Poon Man-kit...
released some 16 years later also re-used the same song. This version was performed by Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
.
Sequels, remakes and adaptations
The series was a phenomenal success throughout Asia and the episodes were subsequently re-edited into two features in 1983. Chow Yun-fatChow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
's popularity also increased due to his performance in the series.
Chow Yun-fat's character had died at the end of The Bund so he did not return for the sequel The Bund II
The Bund II
The Bund II is a Hong Kong period drama television series broadcast on TVB in 1980. The series was a direct sequel to The Bund, produced and released earlier in the same year, and was followed by The Bund III later that year.-Plot:...
except for a brief flashback cameo appearance. In both The Bund II and The Bund III
The Bund III
The Bund III is a Hong Kong period drama television series broadcast on TVB in 1980. The series is a direct sequel to The Bund and The Bund II, both released earlier in the same year.-Plot:...
, Ray Lui reprised his role as Ting Lik.
The original series was also remade in 1996 as a 40-episodes television series titled Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai, also known as New Bund, is a remake of the 1980 Hong Kong period drama television series The Bund. It was first aired on TVB in Hong Kong in 1996. The series starred Sunny Chan, Gordon Lam and Nadia Chan as the original characters Hui Man-keung, Ting Lik and Fung...
, starring Adam Cheng
Adam Cheng
Adam Cheng Siu-chow is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer.-Career:Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reputation for playing the lead roles in TVB Wuxia drama series based on the works of Louis Cha and Gu Long, such as The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and Chor Lau Heung...
, Carol Cheng
Carol Cheng
Carol Cheng , commonly referred to as Do Do, is an actress and host from Hong Kong.-Biography:Cheng began her career in the 1970s working on a number of Television Broadcasts Limited series. She also hosted the Hong Kong version of the game show The Weakest Link from 2001-2002...
, Sunny Chan
Sunny Chan
Sunny Chan Kam-Hung is a Hong Kong television and film actor. His breakout film role was in the internationally multi-award-winning 1998 Hong Kong film Hold You Tight, for which he won the coveted Silver Screen Award for Best Actor at the Singapore International Film Festival in...
, Gordon Lam and Nadia Chan
Nadia Chan
Nnadia Chan Chung Ling is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She started show business in 1985 at the age of 14 winning a Sally Yeh impersonation contest hosted by TVB, within the show Enjoy Yourself Tonight . Thereafter she hosted many children's show and sang many children's songs which gained her...
.
A 1996 film Shanghai Grand
Shanghai Grand
Shanghai Grand, also known as Shanghai Grand 1996 to differentiate this film from the more illustrious television series of the same Chinese title, The Bund , is a 1996 Hong Kong film directed by Poon Man-kit and starring Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung and Ning Jing.This film was directed by Poon Man-kit...
was also released with a similar Shanghai triad theme. It was directed by Poon Man-kit and produced by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
.
In 2007, a 42-episode television series remake starring Huang Xiaoming
Huang Xiaoming
Huang Xiaoming is a mainland Chinese actor, singer, and model. He is often referred to as China's "number one heartthrob" or "number one young male"...
, Huang Haibo and Betty Sun
Betty Sun
Betty Sun Li is a Chinese actress.She first entered show business by participating in 2001's Star Search, held by Singapore's Mediacorp...
was released in mainland China.
DVD release
On 6 February 2009, TVB released the original series and its two sequels on DVD format. The original series, substantially edited, was previously released on VCD format in 2000.See also
- The Bund IIThe Bund IIThe Bund II is a Hong Kong period drama television series broadcast on TVB in 1980. The series was a direct sequel to The Bund, produced and released earlier in the same year, and was followed by The Bund III later that year.-Plot:...
- The Bund IIIThe Bund IIIThe Bund III is a Hong Kong period drama television series broadcast on TVB in 1980. The series is a direct sequel to The Bund and The Bund II, both released earlier in the same year.-Plot:...
- Once Upon a Time in ShanghaiOnce Upon a Time in ShanghaiOnce Upon a Time in Shanghai, also known as New Bund, is a remake of the 1980 Hong Kong period drama television series The Bund. It was first aired on TVB in Hong Kong in 1996. The series starred Sunny Chan, Gordon Lam and Nadia Chan as the original characters Hui Man-keung, Ting Lik and Fung...
- Shanghai GrandShanghai GrandShanghai Grand, also known as Shanghai Grand 1996 to differentiate this film from the more illustrious television series of the same Chinese title, The Bund , is a 1996 Hong Kong film directed by Poon Man-kit and starring Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung and Ning Jing.This film was directed by Poon Man-kit...