Was watching a [tag]Hong Kong[/tag] [tag]Cantonese[/tag] [tag]TV series[/tag] the other night. Actually, i wasn’t watching it, my wife was, i was just lounging around. I’ve blogged about Hong Kong Cantonese serials before, comes with living with people who religiously watch them on videotape, TV and Astro for more than 20 years.
The thing is with tight-budgeted family / police / relationship drama-comedy serials is that they tend to re-use location sets. Watch any one show for a few episodes and you’ll see what i mean.
Top Ten Overused Clichéd Scene Locations in Hong Kong Cantonese [tag]TV Serials[/tag]
At night, on a park bench – Usually for the main character when he is depressed or facing a big problem in life, then he will meet this girl who has a secret crush on, then he pours out his problems to her… Unlike [tag]Malaysia[/tag], the parks over there are kept immaculately clean, and there are no gangs of hooligans defacing public property, kooky vagrants wandering around aimlessly…
The police station staff room – where all the chatter takes place among the policemen. Usually with a large ‘sun thoi‘ (altar) in the background.
Family dinner table – where the family gathers for lavish dinner spread. You know the [tag]Chinese[/tag] and their food lah. The foold is always nicely laid out, but the actors are seldom seen actually eating it. And strangely, they all only sit on one side of the table, even if everyone squeezes on the other side. No idea why.
In the living room – But the TV is never switched on.
In the office – always modernly decorated, usually with new teak furniture. Always also neat and tidy. Never cluttered like a real office. They must pay their cleaners good money.
At the coffeehouse – (With an English pop ballad playing in the back ground), this is where they meet up with friends to discuss a life and death situation. Over a cup of black coffee. Served by a khe-le-feh (extra) wearing bowtie and vest. If it wasn’t a life and death situation, they’ll meet…
At a coffeshop – (there’s a vast difference between a ‘coffeeshop’ and ‘coffeehouse’ here) No background music here, and an old man in a white shirt takes your order. And instead of black coffee, you order ‘nai char‘ (milk tea).
Seaside – their seaside is more like our riversides, with a green railing to deter suiciders. It’s always windy, and the actors are wearing heavy coats and scars. If they show the beach, it’s always rocky, without much sand.
Sidelane, eating fishball-on-a-stick from a pushcart vendor – If you’re lucky, the cops come and you’ll get to see the pushcart people run for their lives – while pushing the thing.
Rich man’s house, living room – 4 rich tai-tai’s playing the Hong Kong national sport – mahjong. While gossiping about their neighbours and bragging about everything they have. I dunno, maybe gambling is more ‘legal’ than around here…
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lkwtlk
something you have missed.
In the serials it is always very easy to park their cars and cars can park any where.
Also every time they need taxi the taxi is always around the corner and can come almost immediately
lilian
And it always rain along that winding road, when the hero cries…
IX
you forget to mention about the one and only law court lar
Naz
And also the gwailo police chief who’s Cantonese puts ours to shame (this applies only to serials prior to 1997).
simon
lkwtlk – lol. i heard taxi’s are famously difficult to flag down in HK!
lilian – and there is no other car on the winding road. unlike the traffic jams in real life.
IX – lol, those days the lawyers and judges had to wear the white wigs!
naz – wah, you also kena watch all these serials, ah? 🙂
suertes
You missed:
Hospital room (like, how often do real life people go to the hospital?). Almost never general ward – 99% go to private rooms.
Cemetery – The one with steep hills packed with tombstones.
The exterior of the courthouse is famous for that fountain which looks like a rambutan, similiar to the very long ago Sungai Wang fountain.
Yatz
Family dinner table : bcoz they are giving way for the camera to get a nice shot on them..
the directors dun wanna let any of the actors/actresses face to be left out =P
Swifty
Heh, the airport, where the girl is usually about to leave and the guy has to chase after her and begs her to stay. Or the hill that oversees the HK night scenery, where either something romantic will happen (main guy and gal drew closer) or bad (gal goes with a sleazebag, sleazebag forces himself on her)
laundryamah
hey time to switch to Korean dramas! On the part why they squeeze on one side of the table, aiya so all them can get in the camera la!
sexymama
I thought the “nai char” was for Taiwanese serials?
You forgot about the hospitals.
Dawn
Familiar? Anyone who is almost hit by a car or does get hit by a car is always a van, of the same kind? Subsequently, the driver’s will stick his head out of the window and point his finger up in the air and mutter.