A Kindred Spirit
Hong Kong TV series or program
| A Kindred Spirit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 真情 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Starring | Louise Lee Lau Dan Nancy Sit Kwan Hoi San Lai Suen |
| Opening theme | Chan Ching Sai Syut (真情細說) performed by Joyce Lee [1] |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original languages | Cantonese Mandarin English |
| No. of episodes | 1,128 (Hong Kong original TV broadcast edition) 590 (official releasing) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Tsui Yu On |
| Running time | approx. 20 minutes (normal)/ 30 minutes (the length of some episodes are extended)/ 45 minutes (official releasing) |
| Original release | |
| Network | TVB |
| Release | 15 May 1995 (1995-05-15) – 13 November 1999 (1999-11-13) |
A Kindred Spirit (Chinese: 真情) is a television drama series that was broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from 15 May 1995 to 13 November 1999. It is one of the longest running drama shows in Hong Kong television history (the longest being the sitcom Hong Kong 81 series). Its exceptional longevity is unusual for a city where scripted TV drama programs typically only last around 20 episodes.[citation needed] The total number of episodes is 1,128. One episode were aired per day, on Monday to Friday.
The show centres on a family who operates a barbecue pork (char siu) restaurant in Happy Valley, Hong Kong, and their life.
Cast
As the show progressed, more and more new characters were added into the show, as in a soap opera. The show finally ended on 13 November 1999 with a lavish farewell that included all the actors who participated in the show from past to present.
Main cast
| Actor | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Louise Lee | Leung Yun Shin 梁潤善 | Original cast member |
| Lau Dan | Lee Biu Bing 李標炳 | Original cast member |
| Nancy Sit | Leung Yun Ho 梁潤好 | Joined cast in 1996 |
| Kwan Hoi San | Leung Yao 梁 友 | Joined cast in 1995 |
| Lai Suen | Yuen Man Guen 阮文娟 | Original cast member |
| Ram Chiang | Lee Tim Fuk 李添福 | Original cast member |
| Louisa So | Chan Wing Kum 陳詠琴 | Original cast member, departed |
| Kenix Kwok | Lee Daw Foon 李多歡 | Original cast member, departed in 1995 |
| Ben Wong | Yung Heung Hoi 容向海 | Original cast member |
| Angie Cheung | Lee Choi Yiu 李彩瑤 Ng Fong Gwai 吳芳貴 | Original cast member, departed and returned |
| Marco Lo | Tong Lap Sang 唐立生 | Joined cast in 1996 |
| Lau Nam Kwong | Leung Yun Choi 梁潤才 | Original cast member, departed |
| Sze Ming | Ma Yuk Yu 馬玉瑜 | Original cast member, departed |
| Florence Kwok | Lee Daw Yan 李多欣 | Original cast member |
| Hawick Lau | Lee Tim On 李添安 | Original cast member |
| Sin-hung Tam | Auntie Yung (容妹 or 容姨) | Original cast member.[2] |
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 impact of the show on its cast is enormous, 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 is the actor, Timothy Cheng, 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 ended (though he did play some protagonist roles recently).
Kindred Spirit is shown in Hong Kong on TVB's Grand Theatre Channel, which belongs to TVB's new pay television services. The show aired in Canada via Fairchild TV.
The show was previously on rerun on Thursday, 13 September 2007 from Monday to Friday at 2:15pm on TVB Jade in Hong Kong. It currently airing from Monday to Friday at 10:00am on TVB Jade.
