Doomed to Oblivion
Doomed to Oblivion is a 2002 costume drama produced by Hong Kong's TVB, it takes its Chinese name, Zheng Banqiao (Chinese: 鄭板橋), from the name of the protagonist of the series. It was also known as Nande hutu (Chinese: 難得糊塗 roughly lucky to be blessed with foolishness) a motto of the Qing dynasty painter that the series is a fictionalised account of.
| Doomed to Oblivion 鄭板橋 | |
|---|---|
 Doomed to Oblivion poster | |
| Genre | Costume drama |
| Starring | Wong Hei Gigi Lai Adia Chan Myolie Wu |
| Opening theme | "Nande hutu" performed by Wong He 難得糊塗 |
| Ending theme | "Taciturn" performed by Wong He 沉默寡言 |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original language | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 25 Hong Kong 30 overseas |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes (approx.) |
| Release | |
| Original network | TVB |
| Original release | 5 January – 24 January 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The series was aired overseas by TVB affiliates in 2002, however in Hong Kong itself it was warehoused until March 2005, when it was aired by TVB's subscription drama channel; in May 2007 it aired on TVB's main free to view channel in a graveyard slot, Tuesdays to Saturdays 03:15- 05:00 in the morning. The series was aired in Taiwan in 2006, by TVB subsidiary TVBS Entertainment Channel, breaking viewership records for the 8.00 p.m. time slot.
Plot summary
Late in the sixty-year-long reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Zheng Ban Kiu is a young scholar preparing for the Imperial examination. Supporting himself through the sale of his paintings, Zheng comes to the attention, and becomes a confidante, of the Emperor. However, the Emperor died before he could fulfill his promise to grant Zheng a position as an official.
Wong Yut Che is Zheng's first love, and promised to him in marriage. Hearing about the Emperor's passing, Wong's mother realizes that Zheng is just an ordinary artist, she wishes for her daughter to marry a high-ranking official instead and substitutes her adopted daughter, Chui Chun Heung as the bride. Only when he lifts the bridal veil does Zheng learn that he has been cheated, however Wong's mother insists that she has kept the letter of her promise. Although Chui is devoted in her love to him, Zheng loathes Chui for conspiring with her mistress to rob him of his first love. Over time, Zheng softened towards Chui and their relationship improved.
Unexpectedly, Wong re-enters Zheng's life, asking him to forge a copy of a damaged scroll for her. The scroll is the last work by Kangxi, and in recreating it Zheng discovers a secret to the Imperial succession. Cheng keeps the secret revealed by the scroll to himself as knowledge of such secrets is a death sentence. However, Wong's mother became fearful and impatient, she steals the duplicate scroll from Cheng and sets in place the downfall of her family. Blaming Zheng for this, Wong seeks revenge.
Years later, Zheng wrote a poem criticizing the corrupt officials and became a wanted man. In an attempt to save Zheng from the local police, Chui was badly injured. At the time, the Emperor in charge was Qianlong, he was impressed with Zheng and gave him a place as a high-ranking official, but Zheng refused in favour of being a local magistrate and leading a simpler life. However, Chui's injuries were getting worse and she knew her days were numbered. Knowing her husband is prone to despair and that, without her by his side, Zheng will allow himself to waste away, Chui forces Zheng to marry her protege Yiu Ng-mui. On her death bed, Chui recalled seeing Wong again. She feared Wong would seek revenge and asked Yiu to protect Zheng from her.
Two years later, Zheng is a local magistrate. Yiu Ng-mui has taken the place of Chui, and devotes herself to caring for Zheng, earning a reputation as a good and dutiful wife. Zheng however has convinced himself that in losing Chui, he has lost the one true love of his life, and is cold and indifferent to Yiu. At this time, Qianlong Emperor had a task for Zheng, and Zheng was given a rise in ranks. Wong took opportunity of that and framed Zheng of trying to rebel against the Emperor, Zheng was arrested. Yiu tried everything she can to save Zheng, and eventually manages to let Wong learn the truth about her mother's actions. Wong later regrets framing Zheng and admits to her crimes. Having received her punishment, Wong exits Zheng's life again.
Zheng returns home to find that Yiu has left the house. Yiu can no longer bring herself to continue living with the man that she loves, but who does not love her in return. With her promise to Chui fulfilled, Yiu acquiesces to the divorce that Zheng has wanted for many years. However, on finding Yiu gone, Zheng realizes that he has made the same mistake twice, but that with Yiu he has a chance to correct it, and he runs after her.
Cast
The following uses Cantonese romanisations
Main cast
| Actor | Role | Notes |
| Wong Hei | Zheng Ban Kiu (鄭板橋) | At first an impoverished scholar selling his paintings to make ends meet, confidante of the Kangxi Emperor, later a magistrate and famous painter. |
| Gigi Lai | Wong Yut Che (王一姐) | Daughter of court official whose family have fallen on hard times following the death of her father. Her mother hopes to restore the family fortune by arranging a favourable marriage. Zheng's first love. |
| Adia Chan | Chui Chun Heung (徐春香) | Hand maiden and bodyguard of Wong Yut Che, raised by the Wong family, she marries Zheng in place of Wang Yijie out of gratitude to the Wang family. Zheng's first wife. |
| Myolie Wu | Yiu Ng-mui (饒五妹) | Originally a petty criminal and fraudster, saved and befriended by Chun Heung. She agrees to marry, care for and protect Zheng out of gratitude to Chui. Zheng's second wife. |
Other cast
| Actor | Role | Notes |
| Paul Chun | Kangxi | |
| Raymond Cho | Qianlong | |
| Mok Ka Yiu | Jin Nong | |
| Mark Kwok | Chow Si Jun (周士俊) | |
| Gilbert Lam |
References
External links
- (in Chinese) Doomed to Oblivion official page on TVB's website