Kindred Spirit
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Disambiguation: you may be looking for the phrase 'kindred spirits' as used in Anne of Green Gables.
Kindred Spirit (真情) was a television drama series that was broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from 1994-2000. It is the longest running drama show in Hong Kong television history. Its exceptional longevity still amazes people in a city where scripted TV drama programs typically only last around 20 episodes, with the show running daily. The total number of episodes is 1,128.
The show centers around a family who operates a barbeque pork (char siew) restaurant in Hong Kong.
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Main Characters and Some Recurring Characters
Patriarchs, Matriarchs
- Bing (often called Char Siu Bing by his family members)- The head of the family who operates the restaurant and makes Chinese BBQ foods for a living.
- Auntie Shin- Wife of Bing. A typical housemaker who took care of her children carefully and fed them for many years.
- Grandma Ga- Auntie Shin's mother, known for her feistiness and hard-to-get-along characteristics. She is a Vietnamese Chinese and probably came to Hong Kong during periods of instability in Vietnam.
- Leung Yao- Long lost husband of Grandma Ga, who ran away long ago and eventually was reunited with her wife.
- Auntie Yung- The servant of Grandma Ga. She has followed Grandma Ga ever since she was married and has served her without question for years.
Sons, Daughters, and their spouses
- Fuk- Son of Bing and Auntie Shin. He is the only uneducated son in the family due to a lack of financial resources, and this has made Auntie Shin and Bing feel guilty from time to time. He helps out his parents in their restaurant. His gullibility has led him into troubles in the series from time to time.
- Lap Sang- The most educated son in the family. He is a doctor who eventually was convicted of manslaughter and served time in prison. Since that time, he went through a transformation and rehabilitated his reputation. He is remembered for his romance with a social worker, whose trials and tribulations lasted the entire series.
- Dai Ma (literally the big sister)- One of the two daughters of the family. She is married to a wealthy businessman who went broke in the middle of the series. She is sometimes a bit demanding.
- Ching Hwa- The husband of Dai Ma. He is a wealthy businessman who was victimized by Ji Ho and went broke. His mother is widely remembered in the series as the upper-class person.
- Sei Ma (literally the little sister)- The other daughter in the family. She left early in the series, and is remembered for her stubborness (some would call it determination).
- Hoi- Adopted son of Auntie Yung. His biological mother, from whom he was separated from during a big fire in the city slum, is the wife of a wealthy Malaysian Chinese tycoon.
- Choi Yiu- First wife of Hoi, she died during a bandit attack in Mainland China.
- Gwai- Second wife of Hoi, who looks very similar to Choi Yiu (in fact, the two characters were played by the same actress, who needed a break from the show during its production).
- On Jai (also known as Andy)- He is a college grad who works in the same company as his sister does. His good looks often gets him into a lot of love entanglement. His love affair with Joan, the sister of his boss, and Joon Joon, another girl, stretches through the entire series. (The actor who plays this character is actually the son of the actor who plays his character's father in the series. In other words, his dad on the show is actually his real dad)
- Ji Ho- The most memorable villain of the story. He is the biological son of Auntie Yung, but money and greed drove him to commit unthinkable deeds. His death was one of the most celebrated events in the show. This character is so successful that the actor who played it has never played a protagonist in any movies or drama shows ever since.
- May May- Illegitimate daughter of another Malaysian Chinese Tycoon. Best known for her marriage to the main villain of the story, Ji Ho, and her feistiness paralleled only by Grandma Ga.
Other Characters
- Helen- Director of a clothing company that Sei Ma and his little brother works in. Her sister, Joyce, is entangled in a love affair with Sei Ma's little brother.
- Joan- Girlfriend of On Jai. Their on again, off again relationship is very rocky, and Joyce did seduce a wealthy businessman during the series because of his wealth. The businessman eventually fell in love with her elder sister, Helen.
- Dai Sing- Brother of the wife of Fuk, who did some time in prison before he appears on the show. He has since operated a tea stand in the restaurant.
- Auntie Ho- Sister of Auntie Shin, who just came from Shanghai. She is quite feisty and works in many different occupations. Her love interests include Melvin (a doctor) and another doctor whose characteristics is not much different than Seymore Skinner on US Cartoon Series The Simpsons.
As the show progressed, more and more new characters were added into the show, as in a soap opera. The show finally ended in 2000.
Impact on Hong Kong Culture
The show's impact on Hong Kong culture is immense, although its influence is fading away as new series are being aired. Everyone can remember the approximate arc of the story and most can sing the theme song.
The show's impact on its cast is much more prevalent, as some actors have suffered a form of "curse" from the series, being that they can never break out of their mold that were set during this series. A good example listed earlier is the actor who played Ji Ho in the series. His performance on the series was so convincing and memorable that it has prevented him from playing heroes or protagonists since his run on the show was ended.zh:真情