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.

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, Cheng Ban Kiu is a young scholar preparing for the Imperial examination. Supporting himself through the sale of his paintings, Cheng comes to the attention, and becomes a confidante, of the Emperor.

Wong Yut Che is Cheng's first love, and promised to him in marriage. However Wong Yut Che's mother wishes for her daughter to marry better and substitutes her adopted daughter, Chui Shi, for Yut Che. Only when he lifts the bridal veil does Cheng learn that he has been cheated, however Wong's mother insists that she has kept the letter of her promise. Although Chui Shi is devoted in her love to him, Cheng loathes Chui for conspiring with her mistress to rob him of his first love. It is only when he discovers that Chui is dying that, too late, he realises that he loves Chui. Knowing her husband is prone to despair and that, without her by his side, Cheng will allow himself to waste away, Chui forces Zheng to marry her protege Hiu Ng-mui.

Years later and Qianlong is the Emperor and Zheng is a local magistrate. Hiu Ng-mui has taken the place of Chui, and devotes herself to caring for Cheng, earning a reputation as a good and dutiful wife. Cheng however has convinced himself that in losing Chui, he has lost the one true love of his life, and is cold and indifferent to Hiu.

Unexpectedly Wong Yut Che re-enters Cheng'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 Cheng 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 a fearful and impatient Wong steals the duplicate scroll from Cheng and sets in place the downfall of her family. Blaming Cheng for this Wong seeks revenge. On her death bed Chui had feared such an event and asked Hiu to protect Cheng from her old mistress. Hiu manages to thwart Wong, and on learning the truth, Wong exists Cheng's life again.

Cheng returns home to find that Hiu has left the family home. Hiu 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, Hiu acquiesces to the divorce that Cheng has wanted for many years. However, on finding Hiu gone, Cheng realises that he has made the same mistake twice, but that with Hiu he has a chance to correct it, and he runs after her.

Cast

The following uses Cantonese romanisations

Main cast

Other cast

References

External links

• (Chinese) Doomed to Oblivion official page on TVB's website