| Native Name: | The Awakening 雾锁南洋 |
| Genre: | Period drama |
| Creator: | Liang Liren (梁立人) Jiang Long （江龙） |
| Developer: | Yang Ji (杨基) |
| Starring: | Huang Wenyong Xiang Yun Chen Shucheng Huang Peiru Qian Zhigang Li Yongxi Wang Yuqing Hong Huifang |
| Opentheme: | Wu Suo Nan Yang (雾锁南洋) sung by Sun Zhenfu (孙振福） |
| Country: | Singapore |
| Language: | Chinese |
| Num Episodes: | 53 |
| Executive Producer: | Lai Shuiqing (赖水清) |
| Producer: | Xie Xilun （谢希伦） |
| Location: | Singapore |
| Company: | Singapore Broadcasting Corporation |
| Channel: | SBC 8 |
The Awakening (Traditional Chinese: 霧鎖南洋, Simplified Chinese: 雾锁南洋) is a 1984 Singapore's officially very first local blockbuster drama series produced by Singapore Broadcasting Corporation to celebrate the nation's 25th National Day celebrations. The series mainly covers the Chinese Singaporean experience in Singapore, from the first generation of Chinese immigrants, who arrived to a relatively undeveloped island, through the Japanese occupation periods, and to the Chinese Singaporeans at the present day (1984), who resides in a developed nation that is radically different from the land their ancestors arrived to. The Chinese Drama Division’s first major success was The Awakening in 1984 a highly popular series about the toils and troubles of Singapore’s early Chinese immigrants in the 19th century. The Awakening was officially formal full grand opening took place as Singapore's officially very first local long-length blockbuster drama on 6 February 1984 during Chinese New Year holiday. The Awakening officially celebrated took place its forty years of anniversary since original broadcast on 6 February 2024 during Chinese New Year holiday.
There are two parts to the series, and two sections in each of the parts:
The first series consisted of two parts, The Awakening: Eternity (霧鎖南洋之地久天長) and The Awakening: Before the Dawn of the Lion City (霧鎖南洋之獅城拂曉/雾锁南洋之狮城拂晓). The former covers the lives of Chinese Singaporeans, who came to Singapore as migrants from China in the early part of the 20th century and the latter covers the Japanese occupation of Singapore. The series cover the period between 1920 and 1945.[1]
The second series consisted of two parts, The Awakening: Through the Storm Together (霧鎖南洋之風雨同舟/雾锁南洋之风雨同舟) and The Awakening: Dawn at the Equator (霧鎖南洋之赤道朝陽/雾锁南洋之赤道朝阳). The former covers the years after the Japanese occupation, and the events that led to Singapore's independence and the latter covers the development of Singapore after its independence.
1st series
2nd series
An outdoor studio was built at the cost of $500,000 to film the drama. Period costumes and antiques were sourced overseas to match the era of the drama.
The first series of the drama received an audience of 800,000 adults.[3]
The Awakening is often seen as one of Singapore's pioneer Chinese Dramas. To this day, it is considered a Classic among Singaporean viewers and the theme song remains popular. Actors Huang Wenyong and Xiang Yun were catapulted to fame through this drama. The second main actor and actress Chen Shucheng and Huang Peiru who played a couple, eventually married after the drama was broadcast.
Perfect World Pictures (Singapore) will be shooting a reboot of the series in 2018 with Tay Ping Hui in a starring role.[4]