| Great Expectations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
|
| Written by | Chen Sicheng |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 48 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | |
| Running time | 45 mins |
| Production companies |
|
| Budget | $55.5 million |
| Original release | |
| Network | Hunan TV |
| Release | April 1 (2018-04-01) – April 29, 2018 (2018-04-29) |
Great Expectations (Chinese: 远大前程) is a 2018 Chinese television series starring written by Chen Sicheng, starring himself alongside Yuan Hong, Tong Liya and Amber Kuo. The series airs on Hunan TV starting April 1, 2018.
Synopsis
The story is set in the 20th century, and follows Hong Sanyuan who travels to Shanghai together with his mom and close friend, Qi Lin to seek a better life. There, he came under the guidance of Yan Hua, a ferry worker who is seen as the leader by his contemporaries. In Shanghai, Hong Sanyuan becomes entangled in the power struggles between two large conglomerates, and eventually also gets involved in political affairs.
Cast
Main
| Actor | Character | Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Chen Sicheng | Hong Sanyuan | A street hooligan who is drawn into the feudal conflicts of powerful tycoons in Shanghai. |
| Yuan Hong | Qi Lin | Hong Sanyuan's good friend. |
| Tong Liya | Lin Yiyi | A girl seeking revenge for her father. |
| Amber Kuo | Yu Mengzhu | Daughter of the wealthiest man in Shanghai. She is forward-thinking and independent. |
| Zhao Lixin | Du Yusheng | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Third boss of Yongxin Company. Hong Sanyuan's teacher. |
| Ni Dahong | Huo Tianhong | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Big boss of Yongxin Company. |
| Liu Yijun | Zhang Wanlin | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Second boss of Yongxin Company. Qi Lin's teacher. |
Supporting
| Actor | Character | Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Jane Todd | Yi Sha/Isa | Huo Dun/Horton's daughter. A Holy Nun of the Church. Love interest of Hong Sanyuan. |
| Guo Jinglin | Xia Junlin | Adviser of Yongxin Company. One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. A cunning and cruel man. |
| Fu Dalong | Yan Hua | An exemplary ferry worker who is seen as a leader by his colleagues. After being saved by Liang Xingyi, he joins the Communist Party. |
| Chen Taisheng | Liang Xingyi | A passionate communist who helps spread the ideals to comrades. |
| Tan Kai | Shen Da | Department Chief of Shanghai Municipal Police. Hong Sanyuan's sworn brother. |
| Li Nian | Lu Ningchun | A famous troupe actress. Huo Tianhong's mistress. |
| Du Zhiguo | Yu Hangxing | Chairman of the Chamber of commerce. Yu Mengzhu's father. |
| Zhang Shuangli | Guai Ye | Accountant at the biggest commerce center. He is a man whom Hong Sanyuan respects and relies on, and goes out to help Hong Sanyuan whenever he faces problems. |
| Wang Deshun | Chu Tianshu | Leader of Beggar Sect. A man of precision. |
| Yan Jie | Chu Hang | Chu Tianshu's son and heir of the Beggar Sect. |
| Li Ping | Hong Kuihua | Hong Sanyuan's mother. |
| Wang Yanhui | Shen Qingshan | Boss of "New World" Dance Hall. |
| Xie Wenxuan | Meng Louchun | A famous troupe actress. Shen Qingshan's mistress. |
| Fu Mei | Du Meihui | Daughter of Du Xian. Yu Mengzhu's close friend, but in reality is Japanese. and a spy planted by Japan, and is a skilled martial artist. |
| Yao Anlian | Du Xian | Vice president of Shanghai's Chamber of Commerce, but is in reality Japanese, and a spy planted by Japan. He is the father of Du Meihui, but it is not clear whether the two are biologically related. It turned out in the final episode that he is also the head ninja. |
| Dai Mo | Lin Yuanbu | Lin Yiyi's brother. He later becomes a member of the Communist Party. |
| Tian Xiaojie | Chu Yuxian | A divine physician. Lin Yiyi's subordinate. |
| Zhang Yu | Ah Xing | Also known as "Cloud Han Tan". Lin Yiyi's subordinate. |
| Sang Ping | Tie Gu | Lin Yiyi's subordinate. |
| Zheng Wei | Bo Liu | Also known as "Parrot Yu", a man of glib tongue. Lin Yiyi's subordinate. |
| Mo Tse | Du Yufang | Also known as "Nan Xiaodu". |
| Chen Hao | Chen Zheng | A passionate youth. |
| Xu Seng | Yu Likui | Head of Federation of Rickshaw Pullers Association. Wang Yuqiao's disciple. |
| Jin Song | Qin Hu | One of the three Qin brothers. A man of exceptional strength. |
| Xing Yu | Qin Long | One of the three Qin brothers. |
| Huang Xifei | Qin Pao | One of the three Qin brothers. |
| Jonathan Kos-Read | Huo Dun/Horton | A Consul from England. Cunning and sly man. |
| Guo Peng | Cha Liangwei | Number one reporter in Shanghai. |
| Zhang Guoqing | Housekeeper Zhao | Cao Dun's housekeeper. |
| Huo Yaming | Hu Kun | Leader of Cao Sect. |
| Mark Luu | Hei Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. |
| Charles Luu | Bai Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. |
| Liu Zhifu | Hui Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. |
| Wu Di | Nalan Shu | Third young master of the Nalan family. |
| Yi Junzheng | Wu Shan | Huo family's subordinate. |
| Wang Yu | Yin Jiuhua | A drunkard. |
| Zhao Wuyou | Su Chuwu |
Special appearance
| Actor | Character | Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Huang Zhizhong | Huang Fu | |
| Zhang Li | Little Ahqiao | Shen Da's wife. One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. She specializes in gathering the latest information about slave trading. |
| Liu Haoran | Huo Zhenxiao | Young master of the Huo family. He dislikes the rules and regulations of Shanghai. |
| Chin Shih-chieh | Huang Shang | A man of influence in Shanghai, who currently lives in seclusion. |
| Lian Yiming | Wang Yuqiao | Also known as "Bei Lao Jiu" (Ninth Master of the South). Leader of Axe Head Sect. Hong Sanyuan's teacher in name. |
| Cao Bingkun | Jiang Ying | |
| Guo Jingfei | Prisoner Officer | |
| Xu Yajun | Xu Shizhao | A member of the Communist Party. |
| Yin Zhusheng | Li Baozhang | |
| Liu Huan | Xue'er | |
| Jiang Feng | Shi Shuangling | Shen Qingshan's housekeeper. |
| Ren Zhengbin | Chief of police department. | |
| Cao Kefan | Chen Jiuheng |
Production
Filming for the series took place from July to December 2016, taking a total of 155 days.
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Great Expectations (远大前程)" (Theme song) | NZBZ | |
| 2. | "True or False (真假)" (Theme song) | Jason Zhang | |
| 3. | "Past Events of Shanghai (上海往事)" (Opening theme song) | Chen Sicheng | |
| 4. | "Bustling (熙熙攘攘)" | Jin Zhiwen | |
| 5. | "No Reason (无由)" | Yisa Yu | |
| 6. | "In this Lifetime, I'll Wait for You to Turn Back (今生等你一次回眸)" | Jin Sha | |
| 7. | "The Great Age (大时代)" (Ending theme song) | Sun Bolun |
Spin-off
A spin-off titled Great Expectations: Meeting of the Two Dragons (远大前程·双龙会) starts airing on Tencent Video from April 30, 2018. It will focus on the stories of Huo Zhenxiao (portrayed by Liu Haoran), Chen Zheng (portrayed by Chen Hao) and a new character portrayed by Shang Yuxian.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China | Best Actor | Chen Sicheng | Won | |
| 25th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Liu Yijun | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Actor pays tribute to Shanghai with new TV series". China Daily. April 19, 2018.
- "陈思诚&袁弘《远大前程》曝新海报 郭采洁&倪大红同台飚戏 主创阵容空前豪华". Mtime (in Chinese). December 15, 2017.
- ^ "《远大前程》首支预告发大招 老戏骨重磅集结开启演技盛宴". China.org.cn (in Chinese). July 19, 2017.
- "《远大前程》定档4.1 陈思诚袁弘佟丽娅逐梦上海". Sina (in Chinese). March 23, 2018.
- "《远大前程》首曝人物海报 袁弘"亨"行上海滩". Netease (in Chinese). October 12, 2016.
- "《远大前程》佟丽娅颠覆性演绎过足戏瘾". Sina (in Chinese). January 4, 2017.
- "《远大前程》佟丽娅攻气十足 郭采洁财大气粗". Netease (in Chinese). October 22, 2016. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- "《远大前程》热拍 赵立新演绎传奇黑帮老大". Netease (in Chinese). October 11, 2016.
- "《远大前程》热血开播 倪大红"大当家"气势凌人". ifeng (in Chinese). April 2, 2018.
- "刘奕君《远大前程》杀青 诠释流氓大亨". Sina (in Chinese). December 23, 2016.
- "《远大前程》发布会大咖集结 果靖霖调侃三大亨". Netease (in Chinese). October 21, 2016.
- "富大龙加盟《远大前程》 西装帅气"活久见"". Netease (in Chinese). November 28, 2016.
- "李念《远大前程》戏份杀青 对镜上妆千娇百媚". ifeng (in Chinese). December 20, 2016.
- "《远大前程》热拍"不老腊肉"张双利显潮叔风采". Netease (in Chinese). September 23, 2016.
- "付枚《远大前程》演技获肯定 柔美帅气内外兼顾". Netease (in Chinese). October 21, 2016.
- "姚安濂加盟《远大前程》 变身商会副会长". Netease (in Chinese). November 21, 2016.
- "戴墨亮相《远大前程》发布会 再度合作佟丽娅". Netease (in Chinese). October 21, 2016.
- "《远大前程》首曝海报 四代大亨驾临上海滩". Tencent (in Chinese). October 11, 2016.
- "任正斌亮相《远大前程》发布会 与众戏骨飙戏". Netease (in Chinese). October 21, 2016.
- "《远大前程》开机 陈思诚:再也不写电视剧". Sina (in Chinese). July 29, 2016.
- "《远大前程》杀青 陈思诚高空跳楼超拼命". Sina (in Chinese). December 29, 2016.
- "番外篇《远大前程·双龙会》定档四月三十日播出！刘昊然来啦！". ifeng (in Chinese). April 24, 2018.
- ""文荣奖"奖项出炉 陈思诚刘涛获最佳男女主角". Netease (in Chinese). October 22, 2018.
- "第25届"白玉兰奖"入围名单公布 《都挺好》成夺奖热门". People's Daily (in Chinese). May 23, 2019.