Point of No Return (TV series) explained

Native Name:西關大少
Genre:Period drama, Romance
Runtime:45 minutes (approx.)
Producer:Lee Tim-shing
Starring:Damian Lau
Angie Chiu
Julian Cheung
Charmaine Sheh
Sammul Chan
Opentheme:"Dreamless Loving" by
Julian Cheung
Country:Hong Kong
Language:Cantonese
Network:TVB
Num Episodes:30

Point of No Return (Traditional Chinese: 西關大少) is a 30-episode TVB drama broadcast between November 2003 and December 2003. It is a story about a family shipping business and various love triangles set in Guangzhou, China, in the 1920s. This series again saw Julian Cheung and Charmaine Sheh as an on-screen couple after their partnership in Return of the Cuckoo (2000), and as with previous occasions, their on screen chemistry was praised by audiences.

Synopsis

Chow Ming Hin (Damian Lau) single-handedly builds his family shipping business into a successful enterprise despite other family members who are either corrupt or incompetent. His son Chow Tin Chi (Julian Cheung) is earmarked as his successor, he is a spoiled brat who enjoys playing pranks on others, in particular Ho Seung Hei (Charmaine Sheh). Ng Yuk Hing (Angie Chiu) is both Chow Ming Hin's right-hand-man in business and love of his life, even though he is married. Eventually he marries her as a second wife and has a child (Tin Chi's half brother) together, arousing much jealousy from his first wife Lee De Yung (Lui San).

On Chow Ming Hin's death, the firm is left in the hands of Ng Yuk Hing, Chow not trusting his son's ability to run the business. She has to fend off both Lee's increasing bitterness towards her as well as the avarice of Tin Chi's uncles. Their feuding leads to Tin Chi and Seung Hei falling in love with each other, but it does not last long due to their differences in status, a point which Tin Chi's family drive home as they conspire to force Seung Hei out.

Tin Chi is gutted by the breakup, and Yuk Hing tries her best to make him focus on taking over the shipping business to not much avail. Loh Bik Kei (Belinda Hamnett) plays his childhood friend who falls in love with him, but is unable to win his love. She is secretly happy that Seung Hei has gotten a new boyfriend, Chen Kwok Bong, but no matter how hard she tells Tin Chi to give up, he refuses to. Even when Seung Hei marries to Kwok Bong, Tin Chi's heart remains hers.

Subsequently, the shipping business runs into trouble when Ng Yuk Hing is forced to take care of her newborn child and has to leave the business to her brother and Tin Chi's uncles. Foreseeing the firm's bankruptcy, she claims her entitlement under Chow Ming Hin's will, but incurs the wrath of all. Seung Hei decides to join her husband, Kwok Bong in England, and Tin Chi is desperate to see her one last time. Bik Kei dissuades him, but in doing so, gets knocked down by a car when Tin Chi rushes across a road and she pushes him away. She is paralyzed for life and Tin Chi promises to take care of her. In the end, she manages to walk with a walking stick.

It turns out that Ng Yuk Hing had claimed her portion of the will not to escape from the family's impending misfortunes, but to have a substantial amount of money to start all over again when the firm was liquidated. With her foresight she finally earns the respect of her parents-in-law, as well as Lee De Yung.

The finale of the show revolves around the unresolved love affair between Chow Tin Chi and Ho Seung Hei. Seung Hei became widowed when her husband, Kwok Bong died with an illness while they were both in Africa helping the sick victims. Kwok Bong tells Seung Hei to find the man that she loves as he knew he was dying on his deathbed. With Tin Chi's promise to care for Bik Kei and traditional attitudes to the probity of marrying a widow, Tin Chi is hesitant to rekindle his relationship with Seung Hei. Bik Kei, realizing where Tin Chi's heart is, encourages him to try one last time and this time with his family's support. Tin Chi tries one more time to go after Seung Hei and finally they are together. Seung Hei marries to Tin Chi and soon they have a child together.

Cast

Chow family

Cast Role Description
Chow Mao
周 茂
Chow Tin-chi's grandfather
Mrs. Chow Chow Tin-chi's grandmother
Samuel Kwok Chow Cheung
周 昌
Chow Tin-chi's granduncle
Chow Mao's younger brother (Semi Villain)
Lam Dong
林 東
Chow Tin-chi's granduncle
Mrs. Chow's younger brother (Semi Villain)
Damian LauChow Ming Hin
周明軒
Chow Tin-chi's father
Rosanne LuiLee Tak-yung
李德蓉
Chow Tin-chi's mother (semi-villain)
Angie ChiuNg Yuk Hing
伍玉卿
Chow Tin-chi's stepmother
Lo Chun Shun Chow Ming Fai
周明輝
Chow Tin-chi's uncle
Bell Liew Chow Ming Feng
周明鳳
Chow Tin-chi's aunt
Julian CheungChow Tin Chi
周天賜
Charmaine ShehHo Seung Hei
何雙喜
Chow Tin-chi's wifeChen Kwok Bong's widowChan Kai Tong's ex-girlfriend
Chow Tin-yan
周天恩
Chow Tin-chi's brother

Ho family

Cast Role Description
Siu Leung Ho Bei
何 北
Ho Seung-hei's father
Angelina Lo Leung Tai
梁 娣
Ho Seung-hei's mother
Wai Ka-heung Leung Woi
梁 和
Ho Seung-hei's uncle

Other cast

Cast Role Description
Loh Bik Kei
羅碧琪
Loves Chow Tin-chi
Chen Kwok Bong
曾國邦
Ho Seung-hei's late husband
Chan Kai Tong
陳繼棠
Ho Sheung Hei's ex-boyfriendChow Ming-feng's boyfriend(villain)
Wong Ching Lee Tak Sum
李德森
Lee Tak-yung's brother (villain)
Ng Man-shing
伍晚成
Ng Yuk-hing's brother (semi-villain)
Auguste Kwan Ding Sau-yi
丁守義
Chow Tin-chi's friend
John Tang Chu Him
朱 謙
Chow Tin-chi's friend