A Kindred Spirit

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
Country of origin Hong Kong
Original language(s) Cantonese
Mandarin
English
No. of episodes 1128
Production
Producer(s) Tsui Yu On
Running time approx. 20 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel TVB
Original run 15 May 1995 – 13 November 1999
External links
Website

A Kindred Spirit (Chinese: 真情) was 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 still amazes people in a city where scripted TV drama programs typically only last around 20 episodes. The total number of episodes is 1,128. Each episode airs a few days in each week.

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 in 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) Remarks
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 Yau
梁 友
Joined cast in 1995
Lai Suen Yuen Man Kuen
阮文娟
Original cast member
Cheung Chi Kwong Lee Tim Fook
李添福
Original cast member
Louisa So Chan Wing Kam
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 Kwai
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
Tam Sin Hung Auntie Yung
容妹 or 容姨
Original cast member

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 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.

See also