The Greed of Man

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The Greed of Man
TVB drama greed cover.jpg
Official Poster
大時代
Genre Financial thriller
Drama
Created by Wai Ka-fai
Screenplay byKwan Ching-man
Chan Po-yin
Ng Lap-kwong
Fong Sai-keung
Cheung Lei-lei
Chan Po-wah
Lung Man-hong
Cheung Po-yin
Kwan Ching-wan
Directed byYuen Ying-ming
Yau Nam-lung
Lau Chun-ming
Wong Chun-man
Lam Kin-lung
Fung Pak-yuen
Lin Chi-fan
Starring Adam Cheng
Sean Lau
Yammie Lam
Vivian Chow
Amy Kwok
Bowie Lam
Loletta Lee
David Siu
Damian Lau
Michael Tao
Kenneth Tsang
Opening themeSui Yuet Mou Ching (歲月無情; 'Ruthless Life') performed by Adam Cheng
Country of originHong Kong
Original languageCantonese
No. of episodes40 [1]
Production
ProducerWai Ka-fai
Running time45 minutes each episode
Original release
Network TVB Jade
Release5 October (1992-10-05) [2]  –
27 November 1992 (1992-11-27)

The series, which centers on the bustling stock market during the early 1990s, has been studied by international stockbrokers for its peculiar effect on the global stock market trend. A phenomenon is observed, that whenever a television drama starring Adam Cheng, the actor for the character Ting Hai, is aired, the stock market will drop for unexplainable reasons. [9] In 1992 when the series made its debut, the Hong Kong stock market dropped by 1200 points in one month. In 2009 when Cheng starred in The King of Snooker , the Hang Seng Index fell by 600 points again. [2]

The actual "Day of Miracle"

Because the ending date of the drama was set in the future, in 1994, when it did happen, the stock market was also in the middle of a skid.

The "Days of Miracle" happened of sorts on 4 January 1994, Heng Seng Index closed on a then-historical high of 12,201, by 23 January, it fell to 6967.5, almost halving the value. On 7 June 1994, the day of the fictional miracle, Heng Seng Index closed at 9,247.9, down 135.1 from the Friday before (4 June, at 9,383).

Others

Sean Lau's character Fong Chin-bok was involved in a love triangle with Yuen Mui and Long Kei-man, played respectively by Vivian Chow and Amy Kwok. Fong married Yuen eventually in the series before she was presumed dead from her heart conditions, but in reality, Lau dated Kwok and married her in 1998, and they were encouraged by Chow to become a couple after the filming. [10] Amy Kwok has not been acting since 2006.

Yammie Lam, who played Lo Wei-ling, became mentally unstable like her character in the series. The Hong Kong media has since speculated that she has been possessed and cannot get out of her role. [11] In September 1998, Lam lost control of her car while driving at Repulse Bay, and was admitted into hospital. Her mental illness was announced in the following year. [11] She alleged that she was sexually harassed by two renowned seniors in the industry, and was found dead on 3 November 2018, having died a few days prior from injuries incurred from slipping in the bathroom in her flat in Stanley, Hong Kong. [12]

Future film director Derek Kwok was so inspired by a quote spoken by the actor Law Lok-lam in episode 8 that he quit his original job as a graphic designer and started to study screenwriting in order to become a director. [13]

Sequel

In 2000, TVB's rival station ATV produced Divine Retribution , as a sequel to The Greed of Man. Both its Chinese and English titles, as well as its characters, were modified to avoid association with The Greed of Man. It was directed by Wai Ka-fai and featured Adam Cheng and Sean Lau.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Ting Hai effect, also known as the Adam Cheng effect, is a stock market phenomenon in which there is a sudden and unexplained drop in the stock market whenever a film or a television series starring Hong Kong actor Adam Cheng is released. It still remains as a popular topic among stock brokers, years after the television drama The Greed of Man was broadcast in Hong Kong in late 1992. The effect is named after Ting Hai, the primary antagonist in the drama, who was portrayed by Cheng.

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References

  1. 1 2 Dianying.com. "Dianying.com." The Greed of Man. Retrieved on 2009-08-11.
  2. 1 2 Sina.com. "Sina.com." 香港股市現“丁蟹效應” 鄭少秋喊冤:股民又賴我. Retrieved on 2009-08-11.
  3. ↑ Sina.com. "Sina.com." 丁蟹效應累恒指瀉663點. Retrieved on 2009-08-11.
  4. ↑ 朱奕錦 (18 May 2022). "優酷同TVB合辦綜藝《那年的精彩》 邀兩地人重演10套無綫經典劇". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "娛樂蘋台 - 即時新聞 - 20150421 - 【狂煲大時代】「孝蟹」邵仲衡炒股過來人「似食鴉片，始終輸凸」". Apple Daily . Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "秋官激讚藍潔瑛好戲 韋家輝憶首播狂收投訴 剪掟落街戲". olmingpao.com .
  7. ↑ "丁蟹吊頸自殺 方敏跨窗跳樓曝光網民要求還原《大時代》足本". mingpaoweekly.com.
  8. ↑ "Rerun of TVB stock market soap Greed Of Man draws record ratings, Hang Seng index rises". straitstimes.com. 22 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Big5.Chinanews.com. "Big5.Chinanews.com Archived 2012-07-07 at archive.today ." 何謂“丁蟹效應”. Retrieved on 2009-08-11.
  10. ↑ HKHeadline.com. "HKHeadline.com." 結婚10年屢傳不育 與郭藹明助養孤雛 劉青雲拒談生育大計. Retrieved on 2009-08-11.
  11. 1 2 Sina.com. "Sina.com." 蓝洁瑛 靓绝五台山，癫狂一阕梦. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  12. ↑ "hk01.com". 3 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "「你搵到你的世界未？」經典對白敲醒郭子健". mingpaoweekly.com.
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The Greed of Man
Traditional Chinese 大時代
Simplified Chinese 大时代
Literal meaningThe Great Times
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Dà Shí Dài
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Daai6 Si4 Doi6