''Sinful Debt'' is a 1995 Chinese television drama directed by
Huang Shuqin
Huang Shuqin (9 September 1939 – 21 April 2022) was a Chinese film director known for her film ''Woman, Demon, Human'' (1987). Widely considered the first feminist Chinese film by critics and scholars,Kang, Kai. "Beyond New Waves: Gender and ...
and produced by
Shanghai Television
Shanghai Television () is a TV station based in Shanghai, China. It was founded in early 1980s. Its old web site address was www.stv.sh.cn. In 2001, it was merged with Radio Shanghai, Eastern Radio Shanghai, Oriental Television Station and Shanghai ...
. It was written by
Ye Xin, based on his 1992 novel ''
Educated Youth
The sent-down, rusticated, or "educated" youth (), also known as the ''zhiqing'', were the young people who—beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution, willingly or under coercion—left the urban districts of the ...
''. The series follows five innocent-eyed teens (all portrayed by first-time actors) who travel more than 2000 km from remote
to
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 ...
searching for their unacquainted parents — former
sent-down youth
The sent-down, rusticated, or "educated" youth (), also known as the ''zhiqing'', were the young people who—beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution, willingly or under coercion—left the urban districts of the ...
s who in order to return home (in the late 1970s or early 1980s) abandoned them in the countryside. They teens did not expect, however, that their unannounced arrivals would create myriads of economic and relational problems for their urban parents, many of whom already remarried with new families.
The poignant tearjerker hit home with a national audience, particularly those affected by the devastating
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
(1966–76) and its
Down to the Countryside Movement
The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China between mid 1950s and 1978. As a result of what he perceived to ...
, registering a record-setting 42.62% audience share in Shanghai. According to reporter Yu Liangxin of the ''Shanghai Times'', when more than 20 reporters sat together to watch the drama, most cried their eyes puffy.
沪语版《孽债》重播：又到泪流满面时
/ref> The dialogue is mostly in Shanghainese
The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the Districts of Shanghai, central districts of the Shanghai, City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as ...
, and the TV series is generally considered a representative TV drama of ''Haipai
''Haipai'' (, Shanghainese: ''hepha'', ; literally "hangai style") refers to the avant-garde but unique "East Meets West" culture from Shanghai in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is a part of the culture of Shanghai.
Etymology
The term was coine ...
'' culture.
The series was also shown in Vietnam in 1997 and became a hit as well. A sequel also written by Ye Xin, ''Sinful Debt 2
''Sinful Debt 2'' is a 2010 Chinese television drama and the sequel of the 1995 hit series ''Sinful Debt''. Again created by novelist Ye Xin, the story follows the same 5 children of sent-down youths—no longer teens but young adults nearing 30, ...
'', was first shown in 2010, returning many of the older actors from the original series.
Cast and characters
*Dong Rongrong as Shen Meixia, 14. Her mother was Dai.
*Zhao Youliang as Shen Ruochen, Meixia's father.
*Yan Xiaopin as Mei Yunqing, Shen Ruochen's wife.
*Shen Guangwei as Shen Guanchen, Shen Ruochen's brother.
*Gao Longshu as Yuefang, Shen Guanchen's wife.
*Shen Minhua as Shen Ruochen's mother.
*Li Ji as Shen Ruochen's father.
*Li Yanbo as Liang Sifan, 15. His mother is also Dai. Like many Dai boys, Sifan is a novice Buddhist monk.
*Jin Xin as Liang Mancheng, Sifan's father.
*Wu Mian as Ling Shanshan, Liang Mancheng's wife.
*Luo Zhenhua as An Yonghui, 15.
* Wu Jing as Yang Shaoquan, Yonghui's mother.
*Wang Huaying as Wu Guanchao, Yonghui's father.
*Zhang Xiaoming as Hanping, Wu Guanchao's wife.
*Yang Chengyun as Sheng Tianhua, 16.
*Tu Ruying as Yu Leyin, Tianhua's mother.
*Li Guoliang as Ma Chaojun, Yu Leyin's husband.
*Chi Huaqiong as Ma Yumin, Yu Leyin's stepdaughter.
*Liu Changwei as Yu Lesheng, Yu Leyin's brother.
*Wu Meimei as Yu Leyin's mother.
*Hai Jia as Lu Xiaofeng, 15.
*Hua Mingwei as Lu Zhengqi, Xiaofeng's father.
*Li Jiayao as Lu Pinshan, Lu Zhengqi's father.
*Li Ying as Lu Yuqi, Lu Zhengqi's sister.
*Shen Wei as Lu Jiaqi, Lu Zhengqi's brother.
References
External links
*{{YouTube, YzYzt3mCuFI, End theme song
1995 Chinese television series debuts
1995 Chinese television series endings
Television shows set in Shanghai
Television shows based on Chinese novels
Wu-language television shows
Television shows filmed in Shanghai
Television shows filmed in Yunnan
Mandarin-language television shows
Chinese drama television series