Country Spirit

Cast:
Gordon Lam Ka Tong - Ah Shun
Charmaine Sheh Si Man - Shun Fung
Sheren Tang Sui Man - Gu You

Episodes: 42

Plot:

Country Spirit is basically a story about a winery. Charmaine's character, Shun Fung, is portrayed as a strong-willed and stubborn person, Gordon's character, Ah Shun, a filial, gullible person who has basically NO pride and respect for himself and Paul Chan Pui as the Gu Sai Long, the owner of the winery. The whole 42 episodes show the troubles which a modern-day company may go through, with its own people as betrayers with their own selfish means for the power to control the winery.

Shun Fung pulls a boat over a river everyday to make a living for her drunkard father and immature brother. There, she meets Ah Shun-the 'jau mei gong' (lowest position in the winery) who always gets bullied and doesn't like him for no apparent reason. But as the series progresses, Shun Fung is forced to marry into the Gu family and makes friends with Ah Shun, and is even made the 'Chief' of the whole winery. Feelings on the love matters are changed and their character changes, and at towards the end of the series, EVERYTHING changes.

Characters:

Charmaine Sheh- She was the great in this series. I think she is nearing the peak of her career, as this is the best I haven ever seen of her. In this series, I could almost feel her emotions at that very moment- sadness, happiness reluctance, etc. I also think she is very suitable for playing strong willed characters, from what I have seen of her characters in DIF4, Return of The Cukoo and A Herbalist Affair.

Performance rating: 10/10

Gordon Lam- I think he was good I this series as well, however I could not see his emotions being displayed appropriately. I couldn't see the progress of his love for Charmaine and in the first part of the series, I didn't even realise that his love started developing for Charmaine until he confessed his love to her. However, he did a good job playing a dumb and gullible 'jau mei gong'.

Performance rating: 8/10

Sheren Tang- I think she was considerably good in this series, aside from the fact that her role didn't require much face expressions or acting. In the middle of the series, I got a it confused when she seemed so anxious to whether her brother would consent to her marriage with Gordon, as I didn't know that she had fallen in love with him earlier! She seems a bit stiff when it comes to acting out certain love scenes but I could still visualize her as her character in those semi-modern days.

Performance rating: 9/10

Yuen Wah- I think he had the funniest role in this series! Whenever there was a scene with him in it, I would brace myself for lots of laughter. I think his acting was up to standard as well, he was as good as Charmaine. His role of the wine expert changed my opinion of the limited number of roles I thought he could act as. He was just GREAT in this series.

Performance rating: 10/10

Joe Ma- I think he was okay in this series. He didn't have much screen time, though, so I couldn't really analyse his acting. But from what I can see, he was as consistant as usual. (in an unrelated issue, I think he shouldn't comb his hair this way, makes him looks like a nerd!)

Performance rating: 9/10

Comments on this series:

What can I say? This is the best series of TVB that I have seen in a long, long time. The acting was great and the scenery was breath-taking. I highly-recommend this series. At first, it may seem abit slow and boring but as the story progresses, it gets more and more exciting. If you don't like any of the actresses or actors, at least watch it for the show. The first 5 episodes make one feel impatient, but the wait is worth it. Unlike other tv serials, the story is neither fast or slow, but at a just-right pace. I thinkthe setting is great as well, with it being semi-modern not the usual very old or very modern shows. Charmaine's acting is getting very good as well, much better than her portrayal of her character in 'A Herbalist Affair'. Not that her acting was bad, but it isn't as good as it is now. She has great chemistry with Gordon and the pair are very compatitable. As each episode courses by after the two actually make peace with each other, you can see the love progress between them. Knowing their love but refusing to admit it, Shun Fung (Charmaine) and Ah Shun (Gordon) eventually end up together publicly after 42 loveable and enjoyable episodes. This show is a MUST WATCH!!!!! Rent it or buy it, whatever it is, just watch it. Each episode gives you a purge of excitement, making you wonder what is next in this unpredictable show. Overall, this is a great show!