The Greed of Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) |
The Greed of Man (Traditional Chinese: 大時代, "Great Era") was a Drama Series that was broadcast by TVB in Hong Kong during 1993. It is extremely controversial for its depiction of violence and is well remembered for its effects of the stock market in general, known as the Ding Hai Effect.
The entire series took place in the form of a continuing flashback.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Ding Family
- Ding Hai (played by Adam Cheng- A brute, stubborn character who beat his best friend, Fong Chun Sun, to death. He struck it rich in the stock markets due to sheer dumb luck in a bear market, but was eventually defeated by Fong Chun Sun's son, Fong Chin Bok.
- Ding Hou Hai(played by David Siu Chung Hing)- The oldest son in the family, he is the head of a Hong Kong Triad. Initially considered the most compassionate son, and initial love interest of Fong Ting; eventually he becomes as cold and ruthless as his brothers.
- Ding Yik Hai (played by Michael Tao Dai Yu)- The second oldest son in the family, he is a cruel, vulgar, and unforgiving member of his brother Hou Hai's triad squad.
- Ding Wong Hai (played by Ng Kai Ming)- the third son, a lawyer who displayed none of his profession's required ethical scruples.
- Ding Lei Hai (played by Derek Kwok Jing Hung),the youngest son, an unethical doctor who sells drugs to patients.
[edit] The Fong Family
- Fong Chun Sun (played by Damian Lau)- A premier Chinese stockbroker, who initially tried to clean up the corrupt market headed by Chen Man Yien. Chun Sum later lost most of his brain functions after being beat up by Ding Hai (originally his best friend) over a woman. He was later killed by him as well.
- Fong Chin Bok (played by Lau Cheng Wan)- Son of Fong Chun Sun and enjoyed a privilleged life. Was driven into despair and laziness but eventually redeemed himself through his mentor Yip Tien. Eventually the only survivor of his family after Fong Ting and Fong Fun are killed by the Ding family's triads, he vowed revenge.
- Fong Fun (played by Ng Wing Hung)- The eldest daughter in the family.
- Fong Ting (played by Loletta Lee)- The second daughter of the family who attended high school. She originally fell in love with Ding Hou Hai, though she was hired by stockbrooker Chen To-To who also had a crush on her. When Ding Hai was released from jail, the relations broke off.
- Fong Mun (played by Yang Ling)- The youngest daughter of the family, she was a bright schoolgirl. She committed suicide by jumping off a high-rise flat after being raped by Ding Yik Hai, who promptly had the incident publicized.
[edit] Other Characters
- Lo Wei Ling (played by Lam Kit Ying, also known as Yammie Lam)- The love interest of Ding Hai, she sought protection from Sun after she discovers Ding Hai's brutal ways. After Sun's death, she serves as a surrogate mother to the Fong children. She was eventually driven insane by Ding Hai. In a case of life imitating art, the actress who played this character became known in the years following this series for her repeated mental problems.
- Yuen Mui (also known as "The Thrifty Girl", and in Taiwan by a racist epithet, played by Vivian Chow)- Fong Chin Bok's love interest. Was born with a congenital heart defect and eventually died on Bok's embrace during the final minutes of the series finale.
- Long Kei Mun (played by Amy Kwok Oi Ming)- One of the many children of a corrupt former police officer in Hong Kong, who escaped to Taiwan before he could be charged. She met with Fong Chin Bok by chance, and developed a crush on him, which never materialized.
- Chen To-To (played by Bowie Lam)- A stock market expert and estranged son of Stock exchange chairman Chen Man Yien. He and Fong Chin Bok help to overthrow the chairman. He had a secret crush on one of his employees, Fong Ting, but he was unable to compete with Ding Hou Hai. Leaving for America for a while, he returned to Hong Kong vowed revenge after Fong Ting, was murdered. His first engagement with the Ding bloc ended in utter financial ruins, but rehabilitated his finances after he met up with Fong Chin Bok and started to work for him.
- Long Shing Bong (played by Kenneth Tsang)- A corrupt former Hong Kong police officer who escaped to Taiwan in the 70's to avoid charges. His connections with the drug cartels helped Fong Chin Bok avert certain death in Hong Kong by the Ding family's triads.
- Chou Jai Sun (played by Liu Kang)- A drug cartel and triad elder who escaped to Taiwan. His dramatic dialogue with Long Shing Bong is widely considered as classic. He initially refused to help Fong Chin Bok avert a Triad-imposed death sentence, but Yuen Mui's knowledge of Hangchow cuisine (whose quality matches those by Chou's late wife) helped to clear the death sentence.
- Yip Tien (played by Law Lok Lum)- A stock market guru and mentor of Fong Chin Bok. He eventually went mentally insane. His stock market tip, which he gave to Fong Chin Bok before Tien's death, became a subplot that lasts until the end of the series.
- Chen Man Yien (played by Kwong Knai)- The first chairman of a Chinese Stockbrokers club, which was corrupt under his tenure, and estranged father of Chen To-To. Fong Chun Sun unsuccessfully attempted to oust him. Fong's son Bok and To-To later succeed in overthrowing Man Yien and he is subsequently imprisoned on corruption charges. His insulting remarks to Ding Hai was somehow interpreted as valuable tips by Ding Hai himself, and transformed Ding Hai into a billionaire.
[edit] Synopsis
The show is centered around the character Ding Hai (Traditional Chinese: 丁蟹), played by Adam Cheng. In the show, Ding Hai was a stubborn, uneducated, and somewhat mentally unstable person who managed to befriend Fong Chun Sun (played by Damian Lau), who was a rich stock broker. Eventually, Ding beat Fong to death over Lo Wei Ling who did not want to marry Ding. Fleeing to Taiwan, he murders someone else and is jailed there for fourteen years, though his four sons manage to grow powerful in his absence.
The other major story is that of Fong's son, Fong Chin Bok (played by Lau Cheng Wan), who struggles to get himself from laziness and despair. He eventually fulfils his father's goal of riding the stock market of corruption, by working with Chen To-To to overthrow chairman Chen Man Yien (who is also Chen To-To's estranged father).
When Ding Hai returns to Hong Kong for his mother, he later goes after Lo Wei Ling against his mother's wishes. Ding Hai is arrested and tried for the murder of Fong Chun Sum. Despite the repeated harassment from the Ding family triads, the Fong family secures the conviction of Ding Hai for their father's murder.
In their father's name, Ding Hai's four sons have their triads cause the death of Fong Chin Bok's three sisters. The sons later secure Ding's release from prison and by luck Ding manages to become extremely wealthy through speculating futures on the stock market. Bok vowed revenge and eventually manages to confront Ding and his four sons on the trading floor. The final showdown, around the eve of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, is between Ding Hai and Bok who bet against each other in a winner-take-all, with only one destined to walk away. Ding is financed by criminal syndicates, while Bok has enlisted three of Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoons (that were associated with his father) to help provide momentum in shifting the market. As Ding bets wrong on the market (which goes up when the Gulf War breaks out), his fortune is wiped out, causing him and his sons to fear reprisals from organized crime. The Dings plunged to their death from the top of the stock exchange building. Surprisingly Ding survives and Bok keeps him in an asylum out of pity.
The show, which is centered around the bustling stock market during the early 1990s, has been studied by international stock brokers for its peculiar effect on the global stock market trend. The effect, known as the Ding Hai Effect, is a hot topic amongst stock brokers in general.
[edit] Stock Market Tip
In the middle of the series, Fon Chin Bok received a prophetic "Tip for Stock Market Invincibility" from Yip Tien who has since turned mentally unstable. The words were at first arranged in an incoherent manner, and it was not decipherable. Not until the end of the series did viewers, and Bok, notice what the tip was.
The tip translates from Chinese as follows:
"The original intent of the stock market is to allow a place for people to gather capital, which leads to a prosperous society where everyone gains. However, human instinct tends towards the greedy, and many will go to no end to gain unearned wealth. Thus, a paradise turns into hell, complete with ceaseless violence and killing. Countless people become penniless, even lose their lives. The winners lose all conscience and become inhuman. I have been in the stock market for years, and I have never seen a true winner. A smart person should know that this is a battlefield where no winners will emerge. There is only one way to win: leave the market early."
There has been some controversy as to the subplot, in that the final, translated tip bears some significant syntax and character differences than the original incoherent version
[edit] Controversies
The show was (and still is) the subject of many controversies amongst Hong Kong people. Indeed, after this series was aired, few (if at all) TV shows made by TVB or ATV featured such extreme plotlines.
Many people believe that the part where Ding Hai's sons had their triad thugs throw Fong Chin Bok's three sisters down to their deaths to be "over the top" and pushing the boundaries of broadcast acceptability. Some also considered this as where the series jumped the shark, as they found it unbelievable that the Ding brothers' triad were so outrageous that even the police could not stop them. Indeed, the personality of Fong Chin Bok did change to that of pursuing outright revenge, while the remaining friendly ties between the Fong and Ding families - including a potential love relationship between Fong Ting and Ding Hao Hai - were severed.[1]
In addition, many believe that the final part of the finale, where Ding Hai pushed his four sons off of the roof of the stock exchange headquarter, was too violent and unacceptable for a TV broadcast. This resulted in complaints made against the TV station to Hong Kong's government broadcast commission.
Also, there are those who pointed out that the stock market portrayed in The Greed of Man does not resemble real-life stock market operations. However, as the show is only meant for pure entertainment, and not for educational purposes, the issue is often dismissed as irrelevant.
[edit] Inspirations for Ding Hai
The inspiration for Ding Hai, if there is one, was never revealed. However, two main theories as to his inspiration are touted. These theories were never proven, and will quite likely remain unproven for some time.
[edit] Communist China
Some have said that Ding Hai is a hidden reference to the Communist People's Republic of China, for the following reasons
- The name "Hai" (蟹) translates to "crab" in English. In Cantonese culture, a crab's movement (sideways) is often portrayed as a sign for unyielding and unreasonable behaviors.
- When cooked, a crab turns into a red colour
- One big crab (Ding Hai) carries four tiny crabs (his sons) somewhat resembles the arrangement of the stars on the flag of the People's Republic of China.
[edit] Scarface
Another suggestion is that Ding Hai is based upon Tony Montana in Brian De Palma's Scarface.
Supporters of this theory point to the following similarities:
- Both Montana and Ding Hai are hot-headed and dead set on their ways, with no room for reason to prevail.
- Both characters believes that they, and they alone, are righteous, even though the other characters, along with most, if not all, of the audience clearly disagrees.
- Both characters have a slight sense of morality, refusing to partake in dirty tactics when advised to do so.
- Both lack character refinement, and are very obnoxious.
- Both lose control of their fortune and empire when it grows too big. Ding Hai's financial backing near the end is relying increasingly on organized crime, which will prove to be a double-edged sword. Tony's business grows so big that he looses control of his money laundering, Manny and associates, his wife, and his own addiction.
- Both character's mothers have warned others of their son's ability to wreak much havoc.
- Both characters have an amazing amplitude for withstanding pain, and as such, they consequently do not understand the impact on their actions on others.
