Looking Back in Anger

''Looking Back in Anger'' () was a 1989 Hong Kong TV series and one of the most watched TVB series by Chinese people in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and around the world. Many factors contributed to the success of this series. As well as its tragic but memorable storyline, the series featured a strong cast, with Felix Wong, Deric Wan (who rose to fame with his role as the main antagonist), Carina Lau, Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei and Maggie Shiu. The popular theme song of the series " Yat sang ho kau" (一生何求) was sung by Danny Chan and later by Deric Wan himself.

In 2022, the drama was selected as one of ten classic TVB dramas being honoured for a new joint Youku and TVB programme.

Cast

*Felix Wong as Alex Ting Yau Kin and Ting Wing Cheung, Kin and Hong’s father
*Deric Wan as Ben Ting Yau Hong, Kin's brother and the series’ main antagonist
*Yammie Lam as Mui Fan Fong, Kin and Hong’s mother
*Soh Hang-suen as Aunt Wan (Yip Sau Wan), Cheun’s wife and the adoptive mother of Kin and Hong
*Maggie Shiu as Chiu Kar Mun, Hong's girlfriend and later fiancee
*Kathy Chow as Connie Lee Wah, Kin's first girlfriend
*Carina Lau as Sandy Ngai Chor Gwun, Kin’s friend, later girlfriend and then wife
*Kwan Hoi-san as Ngai Kwan, Gwun’s father, a business tycoon and Fong Sai Bong’s business rival
*Lee Shing-cheung as Michael Fung Yiu Kwok, Bong’s elder son
*Cheng Gwun-meen as Martin Chu Siu Shan
*Elliot Ngok as Henry Fung Sai Bong, father of Michael, Sam and Cindy
*Felix Lok as Mr. Szeto
*Bowie Wu as Lee Ho Cheun, Wan’s husband
* Ng Kai Ming as Sam Fung Yiu Ming, Bong’s younger son
* Gregory Lee as young Ting Yau Kin (in the 1960's)
*Kong Ngai as Lee Lap, Wah's father
* Spencer Leung as Chow Zhi Mun
*Carrie Ho as Chan Siu Ling
*Frankie Lam as Rich classmate 1
*Mak Cheung-ching as Rich classmate 2
*Gilbert Lam as Mr Yeung
*Michael Tao as Herman
*Gallen Lo as Wong Kwok-Kei
*Kiki Sheung as Cindy Fung Mei Yan, Bong’s daughter and later Hong’s wife
*Lily Li as Miss Lam, Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Ngai Chor Gwun's former boss
*Steve Lee as Toh Kum Siu
* Lau Sek-Ming as Francis Ngai Chun Kit, Gwan’s half-brother with whom she was very close to
* Galen Yu as Yau Kwok Cheung
*Cheng Kun Sin
*Chan Lei Si as Fong Hung
* Chu Sing Choi

Plot

The series starts with tycoon, Alex Ting Yau Kin (Felix Wong), waiting for a phone call. The entire story is then told in flashback.

1960s

Kin (Gregory Lee) was born into a poor family. Kin's father, Ting Wing Cheung (also played by Felix Wong) is a gambling addict much to the displeasure of his wife, Mui Fan Fong (Yammie Nam).

Fong steals from a man who is murdered shortly after. Fong is wrongfully accused of the murder and sentenced to death. Before her execution, Fong makes Kin promise to always protect his newborn baby brother, Hong. Cheung goes insane after his wife’s death.

Lee Ho Cheun (Bowie Wu) and his wife, Yip Sau Wan (So Hang Suen) adopts Kin and Hong. They have two other adopted children, Chow Zhi Mun and Chan Siu Ling.

Cheun suffers a fatal stroke. When her brother-in-law (Kong Ngai) refuses to help, Wan takes on menial jobs to support the children.

1980s

Wan is working as a hospital cleaning lady. Kin (Felix Wong) works multiple jobs to help Wan support the family. Wan takes in her brother-in-law’s daughter, Lee Wah (Kathy Chow), after he falls on hard times.

In university, Hong becomes friends with Sam Fung (Ng Kai Ming) whose father is Fung Sai Bong (Elliot Ngok), the prosecutor responsible for his mother’s conviction. Kin loses his job at the university’s cafeteria after an altercation with Bong. Kin meets heiress Ngai Chor Gwan (Carina Lau), daughter of powerful business tycoon, Ngai Kwan (Kwan Hoi-san), on a tv show.

Hong manipulates Wah to do his assignments while he socializes with the upper class. Hong starts pursuing Nurse Lan’s daughter, Chiu Kar Mun (Maggie Shiu). When Wah realizes Hong is only using her and stops helping him, he drops out of university and goes to work for Bong.

Kin and Wah become a couple. Hong and Bong’s eldest son, Michael (Lee Seng Cheong), run over Gwan’s brother, Kit (Canti Lau). Hong manipulates Kin into taking the rap for him.

Hong influences Ling to become Michael’s mistress and recruits Zhi Mun to become Michael's personal assistant. When Kar Mun uses her uncle (Chu Tit Wo) in Malaysia to pressure him into marriage, Hong kills her.

Hong marries Bong’s daughter, Cindy (Kiki Sheung), and usurped Michael's position in the company. This causes Michael to become abusive towards Ling and Zhi Mun. Michael leaves Ling after getting her pregnant. She tries to commit suicide, but Gwan talks her out of it.

Kin is released from prison and starts a successful restaurant chain with his inmate friends. Kin and Wah breaks up. Kin realizes Gwan is in love with him and they become a couple.

Wan visits Nurse Lan in Malaysia, and finds a note by Kar Mun incriminating Hong. Hong kills Wan. Kin manages to recover Wan’s body and Kar Mun’s note. Hong avoids extradition due to a legal loophole. Zhi Mun cuts ties with Hong.

Cindy, having seen Hong's true colours, initiates a divorce. Hong loses his position in Bong’s company. Cindy resorts to drinking due to Hong’s constant harassment and dies from a heart attack before the divorce is finalized. Hong inherits her wealth.

Wah’s parents are killed in a plane crash. Wah survived but is paralyzed from the waist down. She uses her disability to cling to Kin. Gwan gives Kin an ultimatum. Kin makes clear to Wah his decision to marry Gwan. Wah gives them her blessing but commits suicide on the night of the wedding.

Hong suffers major financial losses. In order to recoup his losses, Hong kidnaps his own son for ransom but is outsmarted by Bong and becomes a fugitive. Desperate to obtain money to flee Hong Kong, Hong tries to rob his own family but fell down an elevator shaft after a fight with Kin.

1990s

Kwan dies peacefully and leaves his fortune to Kin and Gwan. The couple have a young son. Kin spots the destitute Hong on the streets. He gives Hong a lowly job at his restaurant but otherwise ignores him, as Gwan is still unable to forgive Hong for causing Kit’s death.

Plotting to inherit Kin’s fortune as his next of kin, Hong poisons Kin and his family during a company dinner. Kin and Gwan survived, but their son did not. Kin deduces that Hong is the culprit.

Kin sets a trap for Hong and have him arrested in Malaysia. Hong is sentenced to death for the murders of Wan and Kar Mun. Kin finds out that Michael has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and successfully persuades a broken Bong to allow Hong's son to visit him one final time.

After Hong is executed, Gwan separates from Kin because he has kept too many things in the dark from her. Gwan decides to leave for Ethiopia to do volunteer works. Kin tells her he will be waiting for her at the church where they got married exactly ten years to the day.

Before the ten year deadline, Kin agrees to do a retrospective of the tv show where he first met Gwan. Kin makes a touching plea on air for Gwan to return to him.

Present

The story comes out of flashback to the present.

Gwan calls to tell Kin she is touched by his plea and agrees to return home. While rushing to the airport, Kin gets into a car crash. Later, news reports indicate that Ethiopia has suffered a massive earthquake and Gwan is amongst the missing. Kin survives the car crash and clings to the hope that Gwan will return on their ten year deadline.

On the day of the ten year deadline, Kin heads to the church and waits for Gwan. After midnight, a disappointed Kin falls asleep on a pew. A lady in red, visible only from the waist down appears. She approaches the sleeping Kin and leaves him a note.

Kin wakes up and finds the note which implores him to forget Gwan and move on. Kin desperately calls out Gwan’s name.

Ending

There were many speculations as to the identity of the lady in red, from Kin’s sister to Gwan herself, and even her dead spirit.

25 years after the series finale aired, lead actor Felix Wong confirmed that the lady in red was Kin's adopted sister Ling, and that Gwan had already died in Ethiopia.

Filming

Principal filming occurred in Hong Kong with some scenes set in Macau. Extensive filming also took place in Malaysia; notable locations filmed include Kuala Lumpur railway station, Chin Swee Caves Temple, Genting Highlands, and Christ Church Malacca.

Notes

:1. A passing reference to the murder of Vincent Chin is made as having occurred months ago in the US.

External links

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References

{{List of TVB series

TVB dramas
1989 Hong Kong television series debuts
1989 Hong Kong television series endings
Cantonese-language television shows