Holland V (TV series)

Holland V (Chinese: 荷兰村) is a 2003 Singaporean drama series produced by MediaCorp. It was the third long-running drama in Singaporean television history, and was modelled on the long running Hong Kong drama A Kindred Spirit. Like A Kindred Spirit, the main family in the series, the Mo family, operates a small restaurant (serving Nasi Lemak) in Holland Village (also known as Holland V, hence the title).

Originally intended to be 115 episodes long, the series was extended to 125 episodes after performing strongly in ratings.

Plot

Written by famed Singaporean scriptwriter Mr. Ang Eng Tee. Holland V, spanning more than 100 episodes, Holland V, as the title suggests, revolves around the quaint neighbourhood of Holland Village, particularly singling out the Mo Family.

"Big Sister" Mo Wanwan is known not only for her famous nasi lemak, but also for her Herculean strength, huge appetite and rotund build. Yet, she hasn't always looked like that. The hefty-sized Mo used to be a pretty, svelte girl, and had a daughter, Lin Siting, with Lin Jingcai at the age of 18. Jingcai then brought the baby back home to be taken care of by his wife Su Yueping, who is unable to conceive. Ever since Jingcai was put behind bars for a crime he committed, Yueping forbides Wanwan from seeing Siting. The 2 women are always squabbling, and are known as 'the most quarrelsome duo in Holland Village'.

Upset from not being able to see her daughter, Mo turns her misery into eating sprees. Within a decade, she has turned into a boorish 'Iron Lady' whom everyone fears. She is however, forced to look into her weighty issues when she finds herself falling for Fang Nuowen, a doctor.

Mo Wanwan has many siblings: second sister, the deceptively skinny Mo Lingling, possesses a formidable kick when she's provoked. Otherwise, though, Mo Lingling is all demure and kind but sadly, she is often bullied by her colleagues and even her own foul-tempered husband, Tian Dahua.

Third sister, Mo Yanyan, is a lazybones who holds a record of sleeping continuously for 3 days and nights. A beauty with brains but who's so lazy, she could give up a Varsity exam for sleep! She soon begins to see the harsh reality of the working world but yet dreams of amassing $100m by the age of 30.

Mo Jingjing is the exact opposite of her twin sister. She is dim-witted, has a low IQ but works very hard at Wanwan's nasi lemak stall. An innocent and kind girl who often gets cheated of her money and love, she nevertheless remained optimistic and bear no grudges against those who had done her wrong. Although her family often berates her for being stupid, Lady Luck is always by her side - she strikes lottery frequently and everyone begs her for lottery numbers.

As a dedicated botanist, Mo Rourou's life revolves around nothing but plants. Though blessed with good looks, suitors are often put off by her highly scientific talks and unromantic soul. When out collecting specimens in the forest on one occasion, Rourou runs into her love interest's half-brother and is raped. She wakes up from the ordeal mentally traumatized.

The only son and baby of the family, Yangyang is the other half of yet another pair of twins with Rourou. Agile and alert, Yangyang is quickly promoted in the Police Force. However, when his girlfriend runs into some problems with the law, he gets himself onto the wrong side of the law in a bid to cover up for her...

Main cast

Mo family

(in order of seniority)

• Chen Liping as Mo Wanwan
• Patricia Mok as Mo Lingling
• Cynthia Koh as Mo Yanyan
• Jeanette Aw as Mo Jingjing
• Vivian Lai as Mo Rourou
• Pierre Png as Mo Yangyang

Others

• Shaun Chen as Yu Hongzhi
• Jamie Yeo as Lin Siting
• Huang Wenyong as Lin Jingcai
• Xiang Yun as Su Yueping
• Zheng Geping as Fang Nuowen
• Huang Yiliang as Tian Dahua
• Xie Shaoguang as Yang Xiong
• Mark Lee as Su Hao
• Yao Wenlong as Wu Ah Ming
• Chen Tianwen as Gao Tianxiang
• Chen Guohua as Liang Ah Huo
• Hu Wensui as Yang Zhe
• Le Yao as Yang Lin
• Jeff Wang as Ying Tiancheng (Edison)
• Zhang Yaodong as Ying Tianyang
• Wendy Tseng as He Yujie
• Ho Yeow Sun as Angel

Awards

At the Star Awards 2003, the show set a record for the most number of acting nominations awarded to a cast in a single year (with 9 nominations), 4 of which were in the Best Supporting Actor category, which was also a record. It also made history by becoming the first show to win all 4 acting categories at the Star Awards (5, if one includes the Young Talent Award, which is handed to child actors). The previous record holders for the most number of acting wins by a cast were Stepping Out and The Price of Peace, with 3 wins each.

Additionally, at the Star Awards 25th Anniversary show (2007), Holland V's theme song was voted as one of the top five favorites theme songs and the character of Mo Wanwan (portrayed by Chen Liping) was named one of the 5 most memorable characters. The show itself was honored as one of the top 5 favorite dramas. The character of Edison Ying Tiancheng (portrayed by Jeff Wang) was named one of the Top 10 most memorable villains.

See also

• Holland Village, Singapore

External links

• Holland V at the Internet Movie Database
• Holland V (English) on MediaCorp website