Heart of Greed


Heart of Greed was a 2007 grand production drama by Hong Kong's TVB. It stars Moses Chan, Bosco Wong, Raymond Lam, Linda Chung, Tavia Yeung, Yoyo Mung, Louise Lee, Ha Yu, Michelle Yim, Susanna Kwan, Lai Lok-yi, Fala Chen and Louis Yuen.
The reception was excellent for the series, and subsequently led it to win many of the TVB Anniversary Awards in 2007, including the 'Best Series' Award. It became 2007 highest rated series when it hit 48 points, within the final minutes of its finale. The series is currently re-running on TVB's Pay Vision Classic Channel, upgrading the series status as a classic. Due to the success of the series, TVB produced a spin-off Moonlight Resonance, and it was broadcast in 2008 featuring the majority of the original cast and a different storyline.

Plot

Tong Yan-Gai owns a dried sea-products and abalone store with 31 shops for rental with a total net worth of HK$600 million. He is married to Ling Hau, a rich man's daughter and also has a second wife called Wong Sau-Kam, a former nurse who used to take care of Hau when Hau had cancer. He has 4 children: Tong Chi-On, Tong Chi-Yat, Tong Chi-Yan through Ling Hau, and Tong Chi-Foon through Wong Sau-Kam. Hau had cancer and did not expect to survive and wanted Gai to be happy with another woman. Hau wanted Kam to take care of him after she died, but fortunately she recovered. Kam thinks that she has no power in the family because she has no true status and becomes a woman stirring a range of petty acts that tend to haunt her in full circles. She seeks the family fortune and in order to do that she causes trouble in the family. Hau, a wise lady pulled the family back together and turned their frowns into smiles. However, Hau becomes extremely frustrated and angry at Kam and expels her from the house, and this lead into Hau's cancer resurface, and she continually faints. One day in the hospital, Hau lies on her deathbed, and Kam comes to beg for forgiveness for her past actions. She is unable to speak, but she finally mutters a few words only audible to the ears of Tong Chi-Foon. Her words are "普通朋友", which means "ordinary friend." Foon, however, lies to everybody and says that Hau said that Kam is forgiven. The incentive of this is because Foon's mother has put much pressure on him to secure her a position in the family again.
It seems like a peaceful family, but Kam starts planning evil ideas with Sheung Joi-Duk and together they cause a lot of trouble in the family. They plotted for years to find a means to take the family fortune and even created public false accusations about her own family in the media. Kam formed her own support group from the worst family members and in-laws to help plot against the Tong household to gain their family fortune. After much careful planning and even going as far as contaminating public opinion about the Tong family, she drove Gai into severe illness and eventually death from stroke. Kam and Duk begin a long war against the Tong family in an attempt to invalidate the family will to take the family fortune for their own as a way to punish the Tong family's "mistreatment" towards her. The family is in mayhem for once and they have only one person who can help them, a lawyer, Sheung Joi-Sum, who is also an excellent friend of Tong Chi-On and Tong Chi-Yan.

Cast

Tong Family

Cheuk family (the in-laws)

Others

Characters

Tong Family

Accolades

The reception for the series was excellent, garnering a massive 46 peak points and topping at 48 points within the final minutes of its series finale. Thus, Heart of Greed was only 2 points behind Dae Jang Geum, the highest rated drama on TVB that garnered 50 points. Critical reaction was also excellent. This was shown when a massive crowd turned out to watch the finale in a shopping centre, Discovery Park, together with the cast. At the TVB Anniversary Awards ceremony in 2007, the cast and crew were nominated and won many of the awards, including the prestigious "Best Drama" award. Elsewhere, Heart of Greed has also won many awards and excellent reception.

List of awards and nominations

Sequel

The series was successful enough to be commissioned another season. The tentative title for the new series was Heart of Greed II with its Chinese title, 溏心風暴之家好月圓. The sales presentation clip was released on this year's sales presentation on November 19. The clips gave clues about the new series which will feature Michelle Yim as the new villain and a mooncake business instead of abalone. On June 9, 2008, its official working English title was released, Moonlight Resonance. It surpassed Heart in both terms of support and ratings.