''The 'W' Files'' (衛斯理) is a 2003 Hong Kong

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

television period drama serial based on

Ni Kuang Ni Cong (30 May 1935 – 3 July 2022), courtesy name Yiming, better known by his pen name Ni Kuang (also romanised Ngai Hong, I Kuang and Yi Kuang), was a Hong Kong-American novelist and screenwriter. He wrote over 300 Chinese-language ''w ...

's novel series ''

Wisely Series The ''Wisely Series'' is a series of Chinese adventure-science fiction novels written by the Hong Kong novelist Ni Kuang. The protagonist of the series is Wisely (sometimes also spelt "Wesley"). In total, there are 161 stories about Wisely record ...

'', starring

Gallen Lo Gallen Lo Ka-leung () is a Hong Kong actor and singer who primarily acts in television series. He is sometimes credited as King Gallen or Law Ka-Leung. Career Lo started his television career in 1984 at ATV. He received short-term success in a ...

as Wisely. The series was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong from 2 June to 11 July 2003. The 30-episodes long series contains a total of eight different stories, set in China in the 1930s.

Plot

In the 1930s,

Wisely The ''Wisely Series'' is a series of Chinese Adventure fiction, adventure-science fiction novels written by the Hong Kong novelist Ni Kuang. The protagonist of the series is Wisely (sometimes also spelt "Wesley"). In total, there are 161 stories ...

returns to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

from his overseas studies and runs a detective agency in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

to investigate paranormal events. He meets a doctor named Pak So and she becomes his love interest, but they encounter several trials and tribulations to test their love before they finally get together. The series is divided into eight different stories, with Wisely and his team setting off to investigate and crack each mystery case. The stories are listed as follows: *''Paper Monkey'' (紙猴) *''Deadly Body Change'' (屍變) *''Charcoal'' (木炭) *''Searching Dreams'' (尋夢) *''Bug Suspect'' (蠱惑) *''Supernatural Beings'' (神仙) *''Ghost Story'' (鬼混) *''Disturbing Graves'' (盜墓)

Cast

Detective agency

Pak family

Green Gang

Wan family

Police

Others

Characters in ''Paper Monkey''

Characters in ''Deadly Body Change''

Characters in ''Charcoal''

Characters in ''Searching Dreams''

Characters in ''Bug Suspect''

Characters in ''Supernatural Beings''

Characters in ''Ghost Story''

Characters in ''Disturbing Graves''

Popular Culture Trivia

* It Had to Be You (released in 1924) is a popular, romantic song that was written by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...

and composed by

Isham Jones Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter. Career Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jones ...

Joe Junior Joe Junior (born Jose Maria Rodrigues Jr.) is a Hong Kong English pop singer from Macau who as active during the 1960s. He has since been in a number of TVB drama series in the 1990s and 2000s playing older character roles. He has regularly ap ...

performed the song throughout the series. *

Ruan Lingyu Ruan Lingyu (born Ruan Fenggen; April 26, 1910 – March 8, 1935), also known by her English name Lily Yuen, was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her exceptional acting ability and suicid ...

was a popular silent film actress in Shanghai from 1927 to 1935. Her fame and tragic suicide were occasionally mentioned throughout the series whenever the characters read articles about

from the newspaper. After their movie date, Choi May-sin discussed briefly with Wisely about Ruan's character in her notable film

The Goddess (1934 film) ''The Goddess'' ( Chinese: 神女) is a 1934 Chinese silent film released by the Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay). The film tells the story of an unnamed woman, who lives as a streetwalker by night and devoted mother by day in order to get ...

. * When Will You Return? - 何日君再來 is a classic song that was released in 1937,

and was first performed by

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (; born Su Pu (); August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), also romanized as Chow Hsuan, was an iconic Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Singing Stars. She was the best known o ...

in the same year. Lau Lai-ling performed a segment of this song in the ''Searching Dreams'' story. *

Loch Ness Loch Ness (; gd, Loch Nis ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for clai ...

has garnered national attention in 1933 due to the public's interest in the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

. At the end of the series, Wisely and Pak So ended up together on a small boat in a lake. Pak So asked Wisely, "This lake is so big. Can you guess what lake is this?" Wisely responded, "I don't care what lake this is, as long as there's no strange things/events that will occur to interrupt our alone time together." The camera zoomed out and showed the sign Loch Ness and then zoomed out even further showing a giant creature swimming and howling underwater.

External links

Official TVB site
{{DEFAULTSORT:W Files TVB dramas 2003 Hong Kong television series debuts 2003 Hong Kong television series endings Hong Kong action television series Martial arts television series Science fantasy television series Adventure television series Mystery television series Detective television series Serial drama television series Television shows based on Chinese novels Television shows set in Shanghai 2000s Hong Kong television series