Moonlight Resonance


Moonlight Resonance is a 2008 grand production HDTV drama by TVB. It is a spiritual sequel to 2007's award-winning series, Heart of Greed featuring most of the original cast members. The series is written and edited by Cheung Wah-biu and Sit Ga-wah. Sponsored by Kee Wah Bakery, the series began broadcast on 28 July 2008. It stars Louise Lee, Ha Yu, Michelle Yim, Susanna Kwan, Moses Chan, Raymond Lam and Linda Chung. Its final episode was one of the highest rated TVB episodes in the 2000s decade at 50 points. The series was met with critical acclaim, with praise to the intense plot, excellent performances by the cast, and moving storyline. It went on to receive various awards and is one of the highest-rated TVB series in viewership in the 2000s.

Plot

Chung Siu-Hor discovers her husband Gan Tai-Cho's affair with their employee Yan-Hung, leading to their divorce. Yan-Hung and Tai-Cho take over the successful Moonlight Bakery, while Siu-Hor struggles with her own bakery. Yan-Hung manipulates the family for years, causing strife.
After a miscarriage, Yan-Hung blames Wing-Yuen, manipulating him further. Siu-Hor's sister, Siu-Sa, attempts to sue for the bakery's name but loses. Wing-Ka overcomes his stock market addiction and falls for his cousin Ka Mei.
So-Sum abandons her feelings for Wing-Ho for Dr. Ling Chi Shun, who is already in a relationship. Despite complications, So-Sum and Wing-Ho eventually reunite. Ka Mei's relationship with Wing-Yuen ends when she has an abortion due to uncertainty about the baby's paternity.
Wing-Ho encourages So-Sum to find a job, leading to her meeting Kelvin, who they eventually marry despite initial opposition from his mother. Wing-Chung, sent to England as a child, dislikes school and is allowed to drop out by Siu-Hor.
Yan-Hung's jealousy leads her to legal action, attempting to seize 90% of the family assets. She murders Gwan-Lai to prevent evidence gathering but is eventually exposed by Ka Mei for the murder. Yan-Hung is convicted and sentenced, with Tai-Cho promising her shares upon her release.
In the end, Yan-Hung, living in New Zealand, refuses her shares and approves of So-Sum and Wing-Ho's relationship, while Wing Ka and Hou Yuet are happily married.

Production

Development

TVB's 2007 series, Heart of Greed, was successful enough to commission this series. In June 2007, Louise Lee presented on the Heart of Greed chatroom that the producers had already begun to write another series with the same actors but a different story line. Details about the new series were leaked by the media in October 2007 and Lau Kar Ho, the director, writer and producer of the series, vowed to catch the person who leaked this information because few people knew about the new series. The sales presentation clip was released on 19 November 2007. The clip gave clues about the new series which featured Michelle Yim as the new villain and a mooncake business instead of the abalone business in Heart of Greed. New cast members included Kate Tsui, Lee Heung Kam, Vincent Wan and Wayne Lai.
On 28 January 2008, the cast celebrated their kick-off in filming, which included a costume fitting. Lee, Raymond Lam and Fala Chen had to attend baking lessons in order for them to film baking scenes realistically. Filming commenced on 14 February 2008, where Lee, Lai and Lam were the first to shoot at a bakery. The main cast and Lau Kar Ho celebrated the blessing ceremony of the series on 7 March 2008. The release of its official trailer was aired at the Shanghai Television Festival on 11 June. Principal filming ended on 1 July 2008, and its official English title was revealed. TVB officially began promotional and advertising work on the series on 5 July 2008, with an advertisement being aired followed up with its official website being released on 8 July 2008.

Music

The opening theme song for the series Mo Sam Hoi Ni was performed by Susanna Kwan, while the ending song Ai Bu Kau was performed by Raymond Lam and was featured in his album Your Love. The ending theme was nominated as one of the top-10 song of the 31st RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards. A featured song for the series entitled "" was written and produced by London-based production team DNR DNR who are better known as .

Casting dilemma

was originally cast as the character who would eventually become the husband for Susanna Kwan's character. However, Lai explained on the celebrity talk show Be My Guest that due to health problems, the role was offered to Louis Yuen instead. Lai took over the part of the baker Nin Tze Yung, which Yuen was originally assigned to.

Cast

Chung Household

Kam Household

Others

Characters

The Elders

  • Gan Tai Cho - Tai Cho is a loving and witty man. In 1996, he was tricked by his employee Yan Hung into having an affair with her, which causes his and Siu Hor's happy marriage to abruptly end. Although for 10 years he did not really care about Hor, he is always worried about his children and tries his best to spend time with them. During the series, Cho admits his mistakes, asks all the children for their forgiveness, and tries to make it up to Hor. Soon, Cho and Hor go through a lot together and memories of their past together resurface. After many long years, Cho finally gets the confidence to stand up to Hung, and during the two-hour finale, he officially reunites with Hor.
  • Chung Siu Hor - Hor is an honest, kind, independent and loving woman. Although very uncompassionate to Hung, Hor is very loving to Cho, even after he had an affair, stole the bakery name, and forcefully took three of the children. In the beginning of the series, we see Hor and her children struggling to maintain the bakery, getting by with just enough to spare. Although Hor spends much time managing the bakery, she also puts a great deal of time into raising her children and caring for her father. She is very admired by her children, including the children who followed Cho. She is very happy when Cho finally admits his mistakes and happily agrees to remarry him when he gets a chance.
  • Yan Hung - Hung is a petty, greedy, cunning, and dishonest woman. She started out as a young worker from the countryside with no knowledge of urban technology. Eventually she found her way to the Moonlight Bakery and found work there as a dish washer. As time passed, Hung became better educated and became one of Moonlight Bakery's most talented and well-loved employees. It was Hung who started the affair with Cho and caused the Kam household to split up. Once Cho and Hor are divorced, Hong deliberately manipulated the family by fueling arguments between the two sides. She also steals the Moonlight Bakery trademark, and with Cho, expands the bakery throughout Hong Kong, making over one billion Hong Kong dollars. After Cho and Hor patch things up with each other and Jo gets back in touch with his children, Hong continually tries to keep him away from Hor's family. Hong even kills her mother in law when she tries to reveal all the bad things Hung has done. Eventually Hung is arrested and sent to jail for manslaughter. Yu So Sum, more commonly known as Yu So Tsau, is Hung's daughter from her first husband.
  • Salina Chung Siu Sa - Sa is Hor's younger sister. In the beginning and middle of the series she is a caring but mean and greedy woman who was abandoned by her husband in Portugal and had no choice but to return to Hong Kong. Sa resembles her sister in some ways, but not in others. Like Hor, she is smart, caring, and straightforward, but unlike her, she is mean, unwilling to just forget, talks too much, and will do anything for money. Towards the middle of the series everyone discovers that she is adopted and she gets kicked out of the house having become tired of her trouble-making and greediness. This experience changes her life, and she realizes how awful she had been to people. She begs for forgiveness and is let back into the family. Sa becomes very defensive of her sister and cares about her a lot. Sa marries Yuen Yan Chi during the series. Lo Ka Mei is Sa's adopted daughter. Many people skip the webcam episode and conclude that she and Camie are blood-related.
  • Sheh Gwan Lai - She is Cho's mother. Gwan Lai is an old, loving grandmother who cares very deeply for her son and all her grandchildren, especially Ah Ho, who is her favourite grandchild. Even though she can get very grumpy sometimes, her grandchildren still love her because they understand that she's old and cannot get out her emotions any other way when she feels bad. Willing to use her life to save Cho's or her grandchildren's lives. Grandma refuses to eat, drink or take her medicine multiple times during the series when they persist in doing things she does not approve of. She starts out in the series hating Hor to the gut, but as Hung's evil schemes are slowly revealed, Grandma learns to admit her misunderstandings and her relationship with Hor improves. When Hung gives up on Cho and creates a secret scheme to steal profits from the company, grandma finds out and reveals it to Cho, Hor, and the children. Near the end of the series, when she prepares evidence against Hung for the court case, Hung pushes grandma down the stairs and she was subsequently killed.
  • Chung Fan Dat - Grandpa is Hor's father. An old grandfather who, like Grandma, cares very much about his daughter and grandchildren. He has always been there when Hor or her children need him the most. He resembles Grandma in the sense that they both will do anything for their children or grandchildren. It was Grandpa who came up with the name "Moonlight Bakery". When the two families entangled in the shop brand name lawsuit, Grandpa gathers all his friends, the bakery employees, Hor's friends, and all the grandchildren who followed Hor to sue Cho and Hung. Cho and Hung win the case and keep the name 'Moonlight Bakery". Eventually he learns to accept back Cho when he admits his mistakes and turns himself around.
  • Sheh Lai Mui and Mak Yau Gung - Mui is Grandma's twin sister and resembles her caring, firm ways. Gung is Sheh's son and a total opposite to her. Both are blackmailed by Hung to work for her due to their constant insecure status in the family. Eventually both free themselves and Gung opens his own small business.
  • Yuen Yan Chi - Yan Chi is Siu Sa's second husband. He first met her at a dance in Fontainhas was office manager at Ga Mei's dancing school and also her private dance teacher. Although he is ten years younger than Sa, they still married because they were in love and Yan Chi cared about Ka Mei. Educated, funny and caring, he is at first well liked by the family. During the big court case, they almost get divorced because he says in court that Jo and Hor were likely having an affair, but when Sa goes to the hospital and throws the wedding ring at him when he comes to see her, he repents and is punished by having to find her ring. For the rest of the series they are on good terms and everything is well.