Women of Times

Women of Times (Chinese: 至尊红颜) is a 20-episode Chinese drama telecast in Singapore in 2006.

Main cast

• Fann Wong as Marissa Wang Xiyi
• Edmund Chen as Justin Jia Zengtu
• Chen Hanwei as Ding Hanzhe
• Cheng Pei-pei as Mrs. Jia-She Hui Jun
• Huang Wenyong as Andrew Jia Zengmu
• Aileen Tan as Cynthia Jia Zengyue
• Huang Yiliang as Kuang Qicai

Supporting/Minor roles

• Julian Hee as Michael Jia Ruoqi
• Jesseca Liu as Jia Wanqi
• Felicia Chin as Ou Xiangyun
• Terence Cao as Du Zhongxian (Ryan)
• Candyce Toh as Lin You'er
• Lin Meijiao as Guiying
• Joey Swee as Wang Fengyi
• May Phua as Jessie
• MC King as Hong Hai
• Eelyn Kok as Wu Yabin
• Chen Shucheng as Chen Tianfa
• Zen Chong as Bruce

Synopsis

This series traces the ups and downs of the Jia empire, a family of restaurateurs controlling the highly profitable Jin Le chain of restaurants.

At its helm is the very capable matriarch, Old Mrs Jia (Cheng Pei-pei), who has single-handedly steered the business to where it is today. Each member of the clan, though diverse in his or her character and motivations, keeps up with appearances in order to maintain the harmony on the surface. But it is only too soon that self-interest gets in the way and human weaknesses rears its ugly head.

Main character profile

• Jia-she Hui Jun (Cheng Pei-pei): Starting from scratch, Mrs Jia has single-handedly brought the highly successful 'Jin Le' chain of restaurants to where it is today. After suffering a heavy blow from her husband's death, she decides to retire from the business. Nonetheless, her conservative decision to let her incompetent sons take over the family-business soon causes internal strife to arise.

• Jia Zengtu (in the Philippine airing: Justin Jia) (Edmund Chen): As the youngest descendant, Zengtu does show strong potential but is predictably pampered and overly self-indulgent. A marriage to Xiyi (Fann Wong) is arranged to ensure his swift rise through the company's ranks but it only served to make him more complacent. His selfish pursuit of pleasure also causes him to neglect Xiyi and start a string of dirty affairs, causing Xinyi to eventually file for a divorce.

• Wang Xiyi (in the Philippine airing: Marissa Wang) (Fann Wong): Beautiful, intelligent and determined. Xiyi has painstakingly worked her way up to become one of the restaurant's executives. Her sensitivity to the needs of others and selflessness has earned her the respect and trust of the Jia household. Even so, her envious sister-in-law Zengyue (Aileen Tan) continues to hold a grudge against her for her constant success.

• Jia Zengyue (in the Philippine airing: Cynthia Jia) (Aileen Tan): As Mrs Jia's sole daughter, Zengyue is a capable but unscrupulous woman who will do anything for personal gain. She remains resentful over her position as a finance administrator and harbours more ambitious designs. Her self-interest and jealousy often puts her in enmity with other household members.

• Jia Zengmu (in the Philippine airing: Andrew Jia) (Huang Wenyong): While Zengmu is usually perceived as stable and well-organized, doing everything on an even keel, he is in fact a timid side-liner when it comes to making decisions. His father's unexpected death forces him to take on the role of general manager despite his shortcomings. Zengmu is also a paranoid, taking extreme measures when it comes to safe-guarding his health. He eventually dies on the same day with his wife (Lin Meijiao), the reason of him passing on is because of a quarrel with Zengyue, and that resulted in a heart attack. His wife, Guiying died in a car accident, while rushing to the hospital to see her husband.

See also

• List of MediaCorp Chinese series (2006)
• Women of Times Theme Song
• Women of Times (Chinese)