The Hospital (TV series)

The Hospital (Chinese: 白色巨塔; pinyin: báisè jù tǎ; literally: "The Great White Tower") is a 2006 Taiwanese drama starring Jerry Yan, Leon Dai, Janine Chang, Zhang Guozhu, Ng Man Tat and Tang Zhiping. It was produced by Yang Ming International Production (揚名國際影視) and directed by Cài Yuè Xun (Chinese: 蔡岳勳). The series comprises thirty-nine^[1] 60-minute episodes (including commercial time) and was broadcast on free-to-air China Television (CTV) (中視) from 15 August 2006 to 6 October 2006, Mondays to Fridays at 20:00.

The story of The Hospital is based on the 2000 Chinese novel of the same title by Taiwanese author Hou Wenyong (侯文詠). It depicts the power struggle and prestige in a national university-affiliated hospital in Taiwan, as well as the human relations within the community. Due to the resemblances in the title and story setting, Hou's novel is often compared alongside the Japanese novel Shiroi Kyotō, written by Toyoko Yamasaki.^{[Note 1]} Both works have been adapted into television series in Asia.

In 2007, the drama was nominated for eight awards at the 42nd Golden Bell Awards and won Best Directing for a Television Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series.^[2]

Cast

Hospital staff

• Jerry Yan (言承旭) as Su Yihua (蘇怡華), M.D.,^{[Note 2]} the male protagonist of the story, professor at the National United University School of Medicine (NUUSM; fictional) and surgeon at its affiliated hospital (聯大醫院, NUUH; fictional), takes no interest in the hospital's internal politics but eventually becomes a tool used by others to bring down his mentor, Tang Guotai
• Leon Dai (戴立忍) as Qiu Qingcheng (邱慶成), M.D., professor at the NUUSM and deputy director of the NUUH Surgery Department, sides with the peremptory Tang Guotai when Tang is in power but then joins Xu Daming to purge Tang's influence in the department after Tang's sudden stroke attack
• Janine Chang (張鈞甯) as Guan Xin (關欣), M.D., anesthesiologist at the NUUH and later director of the NUUH Anesthesia Department, Su Yihua's lover who eventually parts with him as she escapes from the power struggles in the hospital
• Zhang Guozhu (張國柱) as Xu Daming (徐大明), M.D., professor at the NUUSM and director of the NUUH Department of Internal Medicine, arch rival to Tang Guotai and winner for the appointment of superintendent to the hospital, later father-in-law of Su Yihua
• Ng Man Tat (吳孟達) as Tang Guotai (唐國泰), M.D., professor at the NUUSM and director of the NUUH Surgery Department, teacher and tormentor of Su Yihua who suffers a stroke when he learns his loss in the bid for hospital superintendency to Xu Daming
• Tang Zhiping (唐治平) as Chen Kuan (陳寬), M.D., assistant professor at the NUUSM and surgeon at the NUUH, friend of Su Yihua who fails in his bid for associate professorship due to Tang Guotai's persecution and dies of stomach cancer shortly afterwards
• Zhang Fujian
• Huang Ruobai
• Qian Demen
• Emma Ni
• Liu Renzo
• Jason Chang
• Tang Kehua
• Linda Liao
• Huang Zongyou
• Kelly Mi

Family members of the staff

• Josephine Hsu (許安安) as Xu Cuifeng (徐翠鳳), daughter of Xu Daming who eventually marries Su Yihua
• Xiu Jie Kai (修杰楷) as Liao Qishu (廖其書), a clinic doctor who eventually marries Guan Xin
• Ding Ning
• Yang Wenwen
• Zhang Kui
• Shen Shihua
• Hong Cen
• Ke Shuqin
• Jian Peien
• Wu Yanxuan
• Qiu Naihua

Patients and their relations

• Saya as Liu Xinping (劉心萍), patient and admirer of Su Yihua whose hospitalization is highly publicized due to her identity as the President's daughter
• Liang Xiushen (梁修身) as the President (fictional character), Liu Xinping's father
• Deng An'ning
• Lin Liyang
• Shen Hairong
• Xiang Liwen
• Cai Mijie
• Agnez Mo

Other roles

• Kris Phillips (費翔) as Juang Mingzhe (莊明哲), M.D., former professor at the NUUSM and surgeon at the NUUH, Kuan Xin's lover when she was a student
• Cheryl Yang (楊謹華) as Ma Yifen (馬懿芬), television journalist who develops an extramarital affair with Qiu Qingcheng
• Yao Daiwei
• Tender Huang
• Tao Chuanzheng

Multimedia

Music

• Opening theme song: "你是我唯一的执着" (You Are My Only Persistence) by Jerry Yan - released on My Secret Lover
• End theme song "曾經太年輕" (Too Young) by Shadya (藍又時)

Books

• The Hospital Photobook / 白色巨塔寫真書 - ISBN 986-174-061-9^[5]

Awards

2007 - 42nd Golden Bell Awards (金鐘獎), Taiwan^[6]

• Nominated: The Hospital for Best Television Series
• Nominated: Leon Dai (戴立忍) for Best Leading Actor in a Television Series
• Nominated: Ng Man Tat (吳孟達) for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series
• Awarded: Zhang Guozhu (張國柱) for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series^{[Note 3]}
• Nominated: Saya (張惠春) for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series
• Nominated: Cheryl Yang (楊謹華) for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series
• Nominated: 吳洛纓、彭盛青 for Best Writing for a Television Series
• Awarded: Cài Yuè Xun (Chinese: 蔡岳勳) for Best Directing for a Television Series

International broadcasts

• Japan: NHK satellite channel - October 2007. It was the first Taiwanese drama broadcast in Japan.
• Philippines: Studio 23 ABS-CBN's UHF Channel - 5 October 2009

Notes

1. ↑ Although both stories deal extensively with power struggles and various abuses in the public research university hospital system, The Hospital spends more space on the personal relations of the irresolute protagonist amid various moral predicaments, whereas Yamasaki's Shiroi Kyotō climaxes with a lawsuit involving medication error committed by the ambitious protagonist and reflects more philosophically on the vocation of a medical practitioner against personal success.
2. ↑ Names of characters, as well as actors/actresses in a leading role, are shown in bold text in this list.
3. ↑ Zhang Guo Zhu was nominated for and incorrectly announced as the winner of the 2007 Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series at the 42nd Golden Bell Awards, hence both he and fellow actor are both listed as winners.

References

External links

• (Chinese) CTV The Hospital official homepage
• (Chinese) ETTV The Hospital official homepage