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The Golden Path (Chinese: 黄金路) is a 30-episode blockbuster drama serial. Set in 1982 and spanning 25 years to tell the story of a family embroiled in conflicts of interest, webs of deceit, love, hatred and vengeance. The drama was produced by MediaCorp in celebration of the company's 25 years of local Chinese drama production and incorporates scenes from past dramas such as The Seletar Robbery, The Flying Fish, Pretty Faces, Turn of The Tide, Finishing Lines, The Last Applause, Stepping Out, and Holland V.

This serial is being telecast on MediaCorp TV Channel 8, from 11 December 2007, weekdays at 9pm, and will end on 21 January 2008.

Cast

Ng Family

First Generation

• Xiao-gu (笑姑, portrayed by Chen Liping (陈莉萍))- The pivotal character of the entire series. She is the matriarch of the Ng family. Xiao Gu's first husband, Ah Shun (阿順), died early, forcing her to raise her three children alone. She insisted on marrying Ah Jin against all odds, and adopts his two children when he commits suicide after a confrontation with the police.

• Ah Shun (阿順, portrayed by Yang Xinquan)- The first husband of Xiao-gu. He died before the start of the serie's universe in 1982, and appeared only in flashbacks. His connections with the criminal underworld almost cost Xiao-gu's life very early on in the series.

Second Generation

• Kaida (凯达), portrayed by Chew Chor Meng (周初明))- The eldest son of Xiao-gu. Always the most academically inclined member of the family, he became a medical student, and served as a doctor at a local hospital. When Kaida discovered the crime his brother, Kaijie, had committed, he covered up for his brother. The pressure of such a cover-up drove Kaida to insanity, costing Kaida his medical licence, as well as his love interest, Lu Simin.

• Kaijie (凯杰), portrayed by Tay Ping Hui (郑斌辉))- The youngest son of Xiao-gu. He has always been the person who resorted to unscrupulous methods to attain his goals. He, along with neighbour Fatty Ying, tipped off police as to the real identity of Ah Jin, thus causing Ah Jin's death. Although Kaijie had lagged academically in his youth, he attended university, and entered the police force after graduating in Law. He has a love interest for his adopted sister, Jinfeng, but when he made her pregnant, Kaijie pushed Jinfeng into the sea during a cruise, which killed her. He eventually married Lin Fei despite the latter's affections for Jin Long, and went into hiding after his crime was investigated by his superiors.

• Kaiqi (凯琪), portrayed by Joanne Peh (白薇秀))- The only daughter of Xiao-gu, Kaiqi is a good-natured, justice-minded individual who aspires to be a journalist. She was only one who could communicate with Jinlong. When she discovered Jinlong's exploits in the underworld, she tried to persuade Jinlong to leave the underworld and return to the family, without avail.

Jin Family

First Generation

• Ah Jin (阿金, portrayed by Li Nanxing (李南星))- On the surface, Ah Jin appeared to be a kind person, albeit with a rough edge. However, it is soon discovered that Ah Jin was a green-skinned extraterrestrial who landed on Singapore accidentally, and was hiding from secret agents. Xiao-gu, unbeknownst of his horrifying background, eventually decided to marry him, only to be pursued by the police on their day of their marriage after a tip-off from Xiao-gu's second son, Kaijie. His children Jinlong and Jinfeng were entrusted in her care after he committed suicide.

Second Generation

• Jinlong (金龙) portrayed by Li Nanxing (李南星), young version portrayed by Fraser Tiong (張家奇))- The son of Ah Jin, he was entrusted in Xiao-gu's care after Ah Jin committed suicide. Throughout the series, Jinlong was spiteful towards the Xiao-gu's family because of his perception that Xiao-gu was responsible for his father's death and that she used his jewelry heist loots as a springboard for her future business successes. He had a love interest towards Huang Kaiqi, but eventually left the family after the death of his sister, Jinfeng. He joined a terrorist group by the name of Singapore Tigers in order to repay his grandfather's debts, and marries Bak Kut Girl.

• Jinfeng (金凤), portrayed by Joey Feng (冯瑾瑜))- The only daughter of Ah Jin. She had been, in contrast to her brother, on endearing terms with Xiao-gu's family. She was not academically inclined, and always dreamt of being a celebrity. She was the love interest of Kaijie, who made her pregnant. Refusing to acknowledge the relationship, and unwilling to give up his chance at millions of dollars with Lin Fei, Kaijie pushed Jinfeng into the ocean during a cruise, which put Jinfeng into a coma that eventually killed her.

Other Characters

1982 Era

• Ah Ying (阿英)- The wife of Ah Lin. She operated a wanton store alongside Xiao-gu's cookery. She was a gossip-monger, always gossiping about others. Ah Ying held Xiao-gu responsible for Ah Lin's insanity, and became hostile towards her after her husband's arrest.

• Ah Lin (阿林, portrayed by Wang Yuqing)- The husband of Ah Ying. He is a cowardly man, and frequently abused by Ah Ying. This drove him into becoming the "Oily Man" (油鬼仔): a man covered in motor oil who rapes women across town. When Jinlong found out, he attempted to blackmail Ah Lin, but Ah Lin could not come up with the money, and went insane. After chasing Jinlong, Kaiqi, and Kaijie across Chinatown with a butcher's knife, Ah Lin was arrested and committed to a mental institution, though years later he recovered.

• Lao Cai (老蔡, portrayed by Li Wenhai (李文海))- A police officer in Chinatown, a well-meaning but seemingly muddle-headed man who doesn't gave much thought to the idea of Ah Jin being the robber.

• Chen Ge (成哥, portrayed by Edmund Chen)- A close friend of both Xiao-gu and her deceased first husband, Ah Shun. He helped them out when Ah Shun was gravely ill. He was a member of the triads, and was betrayed and murdered by his wife's lover, Ah She in the first episode. Before he breathed his last, he entrusted a key to his hidden ill-gotten money to Xiao-gu via Jinlong. The money was destroyed in a house fire during a struggle between Xiao-gu and Ah She.

• Ah She (阿蛇)- The lover of Chen Ge's wife. He ordered the killing of Chen Ge, and when he and Chen Ge's wife found out about the key to the safe that Chen Ge gave to Xiao-gu, they kidnapped Xiao-gu and Kaijie. They safe was found at an abandoned house, full of money, but a scuffle between Xiao-gu and Ah She broke out, and a fire was subsequently started (with the original intent to kill Xiao-gu and Kaijie). Ah She died in the blaze.

• Chen Sao (成嫂, literally "The Wife of Chen", portrayed Joey Swee)- She had an affair with one of the members of her husband's triad. She collaborated with her lover, Ah She, to murder Chen Ge and set their hands on his ill-gotten riches. When they discovered that the key to the safe that held the money was in Xiao-gu's hands, they kidnapped both Xiao Gu and Kaijie. The money was discovered, but it was lost it in a fire set by Ah She in an attempt to kill Xiao Gu and Kaijie. Xiao-gu, after escaping the house with Kaijie, returned into the burning house to save her life.

1995 era

• Lin Fei (林菲, portryed by Felicia Chin (陈凤玲))- Born into a rich family, Lin Fei suffered from a grave illness with a bone marrow transplant only possible from Kaijie to save her life. She fell for Jinlong first, but married Kaijie after some misunderstandings arose between Lin Fei and Jinlong. Despite that, she still had feelings for Jinlong, and was in a dilemma after she found out about the dark secret Kaijie has been hiding for years.

• Bak Kut Girl (肉骨妹, real name Ah Zhen (阿真), portrayed by Cai Peixuan (蔡佩璇))- A runaway from Kelantan, Malaysia, where she was forced to marry a rich man to clear her father's debts. She worked at Jinlong's grandfather's bak kut teh stall. She is rough and brute, but caring for her friends inside. She developed a love interest in Jinlong, and eventually married him. She killed a rival gang leader for Jinlong, and fell to her death when Jinlong rescued her on the day of the trial for her murder.

• Lin Desheng (林德生, portrayed by Huang Wenyong (黄文永))- A famous lawyer in Singapore, his investments have earned him millions of dollars. Aware of his daughter Lin Fei's grave illness, he dotes on her and gives her free will to do anything she wants. When she was saved by a successful bone marrow transplant operation, however, his relationship with her begins to worsen as he starts to plan for her life. Unbeknownst to him, Lin Fei is actually the beneficiary of a trust fund worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The trust fund was left by Lin Fei's mother, who hated Lin Desheng.

2003 Era

• Old Monkey (老Monkey)- Rival gang member who tried to kill Jinlong, but ended up dead instead during the attempt. Although it was an accident, Jinlong was nonetheless implicated for the murder, and was acquitted by the help of the top lawyer in Singapore, Su Ma.

• Su Ma (Huang Yiliang) - The top lawyer in Singapore, whom amongst the Huang family, only Lin Fei was able to afford to hire to help Jin Long in his case with the dead Old Monkey.

Synopsis

The story is set in the early 80s. The protagonist, Xiao Gu (Chen Liping), is a young widow with 3 children. Together, the family of 4 set up a street hawker stall, “Happy Restaurant” in Chinatown, selling cooked food. Xiao Gu gets to know a guy, named Ah Jin (Li Nanxing). Although he seems to be trustworthy, in reality he is a robber. On the day of their marriage, Ah Jin’s involvement in the robbery of a blacksmith factory is brought to light, and in the tussle with the police, he shot himself in the head. Prior to that, he pleaded with Xiao Gu to take care of his 2 children, a son and a daughter. With her ever optimistic approach to life, Xiao Gu readily takes on the challenge of raising the 5 children. With Xiao Gu’s capability, she not only succeeds in running “Happy Restaurant”, but also ventures into the coffeshop and wet market businesses. While things seem to be finally looking up for Xiao Gu, her 5 grown up children on the other hand, are either plagued by financial woes or are entangled with affairs of the heart…

Xiao Gu’s elder son, Kaida (Chew Chor Meng) is a medical student while her 2nd son, Kaijie (Tay Ping Hui) is studying law. Her youngest child and only daughter, Kaiqi (Joanne Peh) is also an undergraduate. While her own children seem to have a bright future ahead of them, the same cannot be said of Ah Jin’s off springs. Ah Jin’s son, Jinlong (also played by Li Nanxing) has a carefree nature, and does not have any direction in life. As for his daughter, Jinfeng (newcomer and Miss Singapore Universe 2007 first runner-up and Miss Photogenic Joey Feng), she has her mind set on being a TV artiste, and is therefore not interested in pursuing her studies. Except for Kaiqi, Jinlong has always regarded Xiao Gu and her family with enmity, thinking that she is somewhat responsible for his father’s death and that she has made use of his father’s loot to rise to riches. While he has a secret liking for Kaiqi, as a result of their disparity in station, Jinlong keeps his feelings for Kaiqi to himself.

Although Jinlong is at loggerheads with Kaijie, his sister, Jinfeng on the other hand, is especially on close terms with him. Jinlong suspects that Kaijie has a hand in the sudden drowning of Jinfeng. He breaks away from the Huang family, and goes astray. He joins the secret society, and after some time, rises to be the infamous ‘Loan shark King’. As for Kaijie, he joins the police force after graduating with a law degree. He makes a name for himself in the police force, after having led a number of successful operations. At the opposing ends of the law, Jinlong and Kaijie’s feud continues.

On a yacht trip,Kaijie quarrels with Jin Feng and pushes her overboard.The rest,downstairs in the cabin,are oblivious to the tussle.

Kaida discovers that Kaijie is responsible for Jinfeng’s death. However, he decides to cover up for his brother. Saddled by guilt, he soon becomes mentally affected, and is unable to fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor. After her graduation, Kaiqi becomes a journalist. While researching the crimes of the underworld, Kaiqi learns that Jinlong is already one of the underworld chiefs. She tries to persuade Jinlong to leave the underworld, but to no avail as he reasons that he has already ventured onto path of no return….

The friction between Jinlong and Kaijie intensifies. Forced by circumstances, Jinlong has to leave Singapore. As for Kaijie, following investigation by his superiors, he has also gone into hiding. After much effort, Jinlong manages to trace the whereabouts of Kaijie, with the intention of killing him. However, in the end, he changes his mind, and instead returns to Singapore to give himself up.

For the past 20 years, in spite of the various challenges that come her way, Xiao Gu has always take them in her stride. She sells all her properties and donates the proceeds to charities. Together with Kaida who is recovering from his mental illness, she re-starts the “Happy Restaurant” business.

Being ever optimistic, Xiao Gu still stands by her personal belief and dictum: “A day passes whether you laugh or cry. So, shouldn’t you choose to laugh your day away instead?”

(Source: Channel 8 website)

Criticism

There has been some criticisms that the costumes worn by the actors and actresses, as well as the props that are used, are anachronistic, compared to the time period and settings portrayed. Also, some believe the role of Jinlong was miscast, as Li Nanxing is much older than the character he portrays.

Viewership

See also

• List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp TV Channel 8
• List of MediaCorp Chinese series (2007)

References

1. The family's surname appears as Huang (the standard Pinyin translation) on all English subtitles. However, the family's surname is discovered to be "Ng".
2. "Failure in set designing/backdrop". MediaCorp Communities Forum. 6 January2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "LNX (Li Nanxing) as a 20s chap?". MediaCorp Communities Forum. 19 December2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Official website
• Theme song
• Channel 8 webpage (English)
• Channel 8 webpage (Chinese)

• Singapore Chinese dramas