| Native Name: | 富貴門 |
| Alt Name: | Root of Evil |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Creator: | Chong Wai-kin |
| Director: | Man Wai-hung So Man-chung Hung Kam-fat Lee Kin-wo Yip Chun-fai Kwok Wai-sing |
| Starring: | Ray Lui Gallen Lo Joe Ma Anita Yuen Kenix Kwok Jaime Chik Nancy Sit Benz Hui Lau Siu-ming Kenneth Ma Sharon Chan Vincent Wong Angelina Lo |
| Theme Music Composer: | Chan Chung-hung |
| Opentheme: | On the Verge of Eternity (差一剎的地老天荒) by Gallen Lo |
| Endtheme: | Two Rounds of Life (兩生關) by Kay Tse |
| Composer: | Adrian Chow Cousin Fung |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Language: | Cantonese |
| Num Episodes: | 41 |
| Executive Producer: | Chong Wai-kin |
| Location: | Hong Kong Sabah, Malaysia |
| Camera: | Multi camera |
| Runtime: | 42 minutes (each) |
| Company: | TVB |
| Network: | TVB Jade |
| Born Rich | |
| Piccap: | Title screen shot |
| T: | 富貴門 |
| S: | 富贵门 |
| L: | "Gate of Wealth" |
| P: | Fù Guì Mén |
| J: | Fu3 Gwai3 Mun4 |
Born Rich (Traditional Chinese: 富貴門, literally Gate of Wealth) is a 2009 Hong Kong television drama produced by TVB under executive producer Chong Wai-kin. The drama was promoted as TVB's "grand production" for 2009. Running for 41 episodes, the last two episodes were of two hours each.
Sophisticated banker Marcus Cheuk mistakes con artist Sha Fu-loi for his half brother Cheuk Yatming, fortuitously elevating the swindler to one of the leading figures in the banking industry. The lost and found brotherhood has blinded Marcus to Fu-loi's real nature and intentions.
Marcus is kidnapped overseas by a group of rioters. He undergoes a dramatic personality change after the incident. His wife Connie has tried her best to console him but still cannot help him get over the unpleasant experience. Longing for more comfort and support, Marcus gets back with his ex-lover Angie. Connie is heartbroken to learn about the affair and it has left the broken mirror that can't be mended.
The identity of Cheuk Yatming gives Fu-loi not only a sense of family warmth but also a sweet taste of romance. He finds himself in love with Marcus's younger sister Rene. Rene is also attracted to Fu-loi, but thinking that they are true biological siblings, she decides to keep her love under wraps and stays with her longtime admirer Topman instead. Later on, Yatming kisses her and, thinking that her brother loves her in the wrong way, goes to Sabah to try forget about Yatming.Topman follows her there and they fall back in love after Topman finds the ring she throws into the ocean. This comes as a huge blow to Fu-loi. He is not willing to lose his love, but neither can he reveal his real identity. Caught up in the dilemma between love and money, Fu-loi finally chooses the fortune road of no return.
It is all about a tough battle for money, a devious triangle of love, and a severe challenge to ethics.
In the end the Sha brothers return to Sabah. From the suicide attempt Fu-loi loses his memory and recollection of his swindling past. Brother Po-loi eventually opens a pastry shop with Yan Dai. While failing to find the fortune, the Sha brothers return to a simpler and happier life in Sabah.
Although the series, along with Beyond the Realm of Conscience, were both heavily promoted as TVB's annual grand production, the series' ratings fell flat, when compared with its counterpart. While Beyond the Realm of Conscience regularly drew viewing shares of over 90%, Born Rich only drew viewing shares of around 80%, with only the final two weeks of episodes drawing over 90% viewing shares.
In addition, some members of the cast, most notably Ray Lui, have come out and criticized the series' plot as "poor", even after the cast offered suggestions to the scriptwriters on how to improve it.[1]
See main article: List of Born Rich characters.
| Week | Episodes | Average Points | Peaking Points | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 19–23, 2009 | 1 — 5 | 31 | 33 | [2] |
| 2 | October 26–30, 2009 | 6 — 10 | 29 | 32 | [3] |
| 3 | November 2–6, 2009 | 11 — 15 | 28 | 30 | [4] |
| 4 | November 9–13, 2009 | 16 — 20 | 28 | 31 | [5] |
| 5 | November 16–20, 2009 | 21 — 24 | 28 | 30 | [6] |
| 6 | November 23–27, 2009 | 25 — 29 | 29 | — | [7] |
| 7 | November 30 - December 3, 2009 | 30 — 33 | 28 | — | [8] |
| 8 | December 7–11, 2009 | 34 — 39 | 30 | — | [9] |
| December 13, 2009 | 40 — 41 | 36 | 41 |