The Last Healer in Forbidden City
The Last Healer in Forbidden City is a 2016 Hong Kong historical fiction television drama produced by TVB, starring Roger Kwok and Tavia Yeung as the main leads, produced by Nelson Cheung. It premiered on March 28, 2016, airing every Monday to Friday on Hong Kong's TVB Jade, Malaysia's Astro on Demand and Australia's TVBJ channels during its 8:30–9:30 pm timeslot, concluding April 22, 2016 with a total of 20 episodes.
The Last Healer in Forbidden City is a fictional telling told through the account of a physician of Emperor Guangxu played by Roger Kwok about the Emperor's mysterious death at the age of 37. It has long been rumored that the Guangxu Emperor was actually poisoned to death. In 2008, forensic tests done on the Guangxu Emperor remains revealed that high levels of arsenic was found in his remains. The arsenic levels were 2,000 times higher than normal.
Synopsis
The story takes place between 1898 and 1908, late in the Qing dynasty. Skillful physician To Chung is named the new Imperial Palace physician after he heals Empress Dowager Chee-Hei. He eventually grows close to the Gwong-seoi Emperor, who is under house arrest at the Forbidden City and stripped of his powers after angering Chee-hei by losing the First Sino-Japanese War and rebelling against her authority. He also heals the Emperor and helps his relationship with Consort Tsan.As great a physician he is to the imperial family, To Chung cannot heal his crippled wife Hung Bak-hap. He desperately seeks the services of bone-setter Fuk Ling. Her treatments help relieve some of Bak-hap's pain. Impressed, To Chung refers her to the Forbidden City where she becomes Chee-hei's personal bone-setter.
To Chung and Fuk Ling's friendship eventually turns romantic but his loyalty to Bak-hap and her ulterior motive to kill the Emperor prevents it from developing.
Cast
''Character names are in Cantonese romanisation.''Main cast
Names of the main cast are all homophones to Chinese herbs.- Roger Kwok as To Chung, the imperial doctor who enters the office of imperial doctors by successfully heals Empress Dowager Cixi's sleepwalking.
- Tavia Yeung as Fuk Ling, the revolutionist and an osteopath.
Imperial Qing
- Law Lan as Empress Dowager Chee-hei
- Pierre Ngo as Kwong-shui Emperor
- Rebecca Zhu as Consort Chun
- Jonathan Cheung as Tsoi-fung, Prince Shun
- Regen Cheung as Yau Lan
- William Hu as Tsoi-yi, Prince Tuen
- Pauline Chow as Empress Lung-yue
- Janice Shum as Noble Consort Wai
- Amy Fan as Noble Consort Yue
- Lee Yee-man as Consort Kan
- Kirby Lam as Princess Yuen Kai
- Rainky Wai as Tak Ling
- Jazz Lam as Kot Kan, Fuk Ling's Chuen Yan House staff and later an imperial guard.
- Tsoi Kwok-hing as '''Yuan Sai-hoi'''
Extended cast
- JJ Jia as Hung Bak-hap, To's wife who is a disable, and using a wooden wheelchair to walk instead
- Stanley Cheung as Yam Sek-gang, an imperial doctor who is a closed friend of To
- Eileen Yeow as To's elder sister who always worries about To's heritage.
- Yu Chi-ming as Lee Lin-Ying
Development
- The costume fitting ceremony and blessing ceremony was held together on May 12, 2015 at 4:00 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio 15.
- A promo image of The Last Healer in Forbidden City was featured in TVB's 2016 calendar for the month of October.
- The Last Healer in Forbidden City was one of five dramas shelved by new TVB CEO Mark Lee in early 2016, as he considered the drama low quality and not fit to be broadcast.