Wong Fei Hung - Master Of Kung Fu

Cast
Bosco Wong - Wong Fei Hung
John Chiang - Wong Kei Ying
Rain Lee - Mok Kwai Lan
Power Chan - Dai Siu Tin
Winnie Yeung - Bo Yi
Sammul Chan - Leung Foon
Cerina da Graca - Dai Siu Ting
Angela Tong - Yuk Yu
Dickson Li - Lam Sai Wing
Kenneth Ma - Kan Kin
Chan Kwan - Chan Ah Soh
Gordon Lau - Mok Tin Long
Halina Tam - Ho Jeh
Michael Tong - Jean

The Story
For years, 19-year-old Wong Fei Hung travelled in and around China with his well-intentioned but sometimes overly protective father, Wong Kei Ying. Having learned martial arts from the tender age of three from Kei Ying, Fei Hung is highly skilled in it but according to Kei Ying, is not fit enough to be a kung fu master yet. Nonetheless, like his father, Fei Hung has a strong sense of righteousness and uses his kung fu to uphold justice and help those in need.

On one occasion when father and son prepare to travel to Fut San, their native hometown, Fei Hung accidentally boards the ship without his father. He arrives without money for food or lodging, but the kind-hearted albeit impulsive Lam Sai Wing takes him in. Sai Wing is a butcher in the wholesale market which is often patronized by troublemakers Gan Kin and company. Determined not to let these gangsters get their way, Fei Hung fights them and even teaches Sai Wing some kung fu for self-defence.

Just then, Kei Ying also arrives at Fut San, and they find their way back to their old house, now owned by Bo Yi (younger sister of Kei Ying's deceased wife). Having had an overseas education, Bo Yi is westernized and liberal both in her appearance and mindset. She urges Kei Ying to make his home once again in Fut San, but he is reluctant to do so owing to a prolonged misunderstanding between him and his former and only disciple, Dai Siu Tin. Siu Tin is furious with Kei Ying for keeping the Dai Family's Iron Wire Fist Kung Fu Manual from him. In actual fact, the manual had been stolen from Kei Ying. Still, because Fei Hung expresses fatigue from roaming the world and desires to settle down among family and friends, Kei Ying finally agrees to remain in Fut San.

Kei Ying, an established bonesetter, sets up his clinic Bo Zhi Lam at Bo Yi's house, and with Fei Hung's assistance, heals many of the sick and the injured among the villagers. Meanwhile, also at Bo Zhi Lam, Fei Hung continues to impart his kung fu to Sai Wing and their friendship blossoms. Not only that, but Fei Hung also eventually takes a few more others under his wing - Leung Foon (good-for-nothing turned filial son), Kan Kin (former bully with a good heart), and Chan Ah Soh (overly ambitious lad turned fidlial son).

In the meantime, the conflict between Kei Ying and Siu Tin escalates with Kei Ying's appointment as head coach of the militia, a position Siu Tin has been eyeing. With the return of Kei Ying and Fei Hung to Fut San, Siu Tin feels all his efforts to establish himself in the pugilistic world going down the drain. While his ill feelings towards them increases, his sister Siu Ting falls deeper in love with Fei Hung, who, however, only has eyes for her best friend, Kwai Lan.

Despite living under the shelter of a brothel, Kwai Lan and her adoptive elder sister Yuk Yu are resolute about maintaining their chastity. To further protect herself, Kwai Lan dresses up as a boy, and under difficult circumstances, she is forced to be a pick-pocket. However, her situation turns 180 degrees around when Fei Hung helps her reconcile with her natural parents. Despite their mutual liking for each other, various obstacles prevent Fei Hung and Kwai Lan from getting together. Primarily, Kwai Lan does not want to hurt Siu Ting by snatching away her love, and this leaves Fei Hung in a helpless position.

At the same time, Kwai Lan's newfound family joy unfortunately proves to be rather short-lived as her father, Mok Tin Long, despite being a loving family man by day, is a cunning and unscrupulous businessman by night - illegally trading opium and even natural treasures without batting an eyelid. Siu Tin, blinded by anger and a sense of injustice in his life, works for Tin Long in a bid to rebuild the reputation of Chivalry Hall, a martial club he is in charge of.

Will the evil Tin Long get his just desserts? Will the misunderstanding between Kei Ying and Siu Tin ever be resolved? Will Fei Hung end up with Kwai Lan or Siu Ting? Watch the series to find out!

The Characters

Bosco Wong - Wong Fei Hung
Under the strict upbringing and personal influence of his father, Wong Fei Hung is upright, honest, and highly skilled in kung fu. Yet, at 19 years of age, he is not yet rid of all the playfulness and childish air of a boy. Bosco did very well to balance the maturity and innocence that made up his character - he was convincing as the up and coming kung ku master instructing his 'disciples', and also endearing as the obedient son looking up to his father in a mixture of awe and fear. It always made me laugh to see the way his face lighted up each time after his father agreed to one of his pleas. Bosco is especially adept at the use of facial expressions to convey various moods, and I'd like to see him take up even more challenging and emotional roles in future.
Performance Rating - 4.25/5

John Chiang - Wong Kei Ying
Wong Kei Ying was a respected kung fu master, and John negotiated the kung fu moves with ease. He has very strong screen presence, and any scene with him immediately catches your attention. However, as the character of Kei Ying was rather stern and serious, John did not have much opportunity to showcase much acting skills. The chemistry between John and Bosco was a joy to watch, they were great at playing father and son.
Performance Rating - 4/5

Rain Lee - Mok Kwai Lan
This was the first time I'd watched Rain in a series, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from her. However, surprisingly, her acting proved to be rather natural for a relative newbie. But she has to be more careful with her voice when she does emotional scenes as it tends to go too high and as a result sounds rather exaggerated. Still, I think Rain gave a satisfactory performance.
Performance Rating - 3.5/5

Power Chan - Dai Siu Tin
Without even doing much, Power had half the battle won already. He has this air about him which makes him so suitable for ancient series and perfect for a role like Dai Siu Tin - skilled in kung fu, and the strong, silent type. Add to this his solid acting skills, and you have a brilliant performance from Power, possibly the best among the cast.
Performance Rating - 4.5/5

Winnie Yeung - Bo Yi
Comparing all her previous performances, this must be Winnie's best so far. I have always found her acting too bland and unnatural, but as Bo Yi, she was really pretty good. Her improvement was evident, and at last, I was not constantly reminded that she was simply ACTING when I watched her. She really got into character and pulled off this performance credibly and smoothly - well done!
Performance Rating - 4/5

Sammul Chan - Leung Foon
Sammul did well portraying Leung Foon's transition from a good-for-nothing lad who thought too highly of himself, to a filial son who was humbled into taking on less-than-glamorous jobs after he caused his family to lose their wealth. Sammul's strength lies in his versatility; confident lawyer ("Survivor's Law"), humble rickshaw puller ("Wong Fei Hung") - he plays them convincingly with little trouble.
Performance Rating - 4/5

Cerina da Graca - Dai Siu Ting
Dai Siu Ting is the younger sister of Dai Siu Tin, and this character had quite a few emotional scenes that Cerina did not really manage to carry off. Her acting seemed awkward somehow, and while it is not her fault that she cannot speak Cantonese well, she needs to work on it as that is definitely affecting the way she delivers her lines. Lastly, I think the scriptwriters could have given her character something constructive to do; it was annoying hearing her repeat the same line "Ngor zeng zhor di goh dim bei lei dei sek" (I've made some cakes/pastries for you to eat) about 10 times throughout the series!
Performance Rating - 3/5

Angela Tong - Yuk Yu
I believe Yuk Yu can be considered a breakthrough role for Angela as she has always been typecast as the loud and boisterous, jealous and irritating girlfriend/mistress. While I have to say I'm not too used to seeing her so sweet, demure and submissive, I think she delivered the job well.
Performance Rating - 3.5/5

Dickson Li - Lam Sai Wing
Kind-hearted and eager to help but always too impulsive, Sai Wing is Wong Fei Hung's earliest disciple. Dickson has good comic timing and is perfect in roles like this one.

Kenneth Ma - Kan Kin
Essentially a man with a good heart but for survival's sake, was forced to be a bully. An extremely filial grandson to Sam Por (Helena Law) who suffers from dementia. Has a crush on Kwai Lan which didn't work out, eventually becomes one of Wong Fei Hung's disciples too.

Gordon Lau - Mok Tin Long
Kwai Lan's long-lost natural father. Loving family man by day, unscrupulous businessman by night. The biggest villain in the series.

Chan Kwan - Chan Ah Soh
Another disciple of Wong Fei Hung. Starts out in the series as an immature, overly ambitious lad, but he turns over a new leaf and becomes a filial son to Soh Ma (Akina Hong).

Halina Tam - Ho Jeh
Lady boss of a teahouse, has a crush on Wong Kei Ying. Makes a quarrelsome pair with Bo Yi, but they eventually become friends.

Michael Tong - Jean
The Chinese-French boyfriend of Bo Yi, a charming baddie.

Overall Comments
The plot of this series is strong with compelling stories, not just for the main characters, but many of the supporting ones as well. Characterization is also vivid, especially for Power Chan's Dai Siu Tin. In all, an engaging series with solid performances from the main and supporting cast alike. Definitely worth a watch even if, like me, you're not usually into ancient series, as the more serious themes are interspersed with light-hearted and heart-warming moments to create a good balance. Bosco fans should definitely not miss this, non-fans will probably be converted after watching!