The 'W' Files Explained

Genre:	Period drama Action Science fantasy Adventure Mystery
Creator:	Nelson Cheung Wong Kwok-fai
Director:	Joe Chan Wong Kwok-fai Lee Kin-wo Ho Nam-chuen Hui Sui-ping
Starring:	Gallen Lo Yoyo Mung Matt Yeung Mak Cheung-ching Michael Tong Tavia Yeung Power Chan Eddy Ko Roger Kwok Anne Heung
Theme Music Composer:	Chan Tsung-hung
Opentheme:	Mei Loi Dik Sau Mong Je (未來的守望者) performed by Gallen Lo
Endtheme:	Yu Gwo Sai Kai Mat Yau Nei (如果世界沒有你) performed by Gallen Lo
Country:	Hong Kong
Language:	Cantonese
Num Episodes:	30
Executive Producer:	Nelson Cheung
Location:	Hong Kong Shanghai, China
Camera:	Multi camera
Runtime:	45 minutes (each)
Company:	TVB
Channel:	Jade

The 'W' Files
T:	衛斯理
S:	卫斯理
L:	"Wisely"
P:	Wèi Sī Lǐ
J:	Wai6 Si1 Lei5

The 'W' Files (衛斯理) is a 2003 Hong Kong science fantasy-action-adventure-mystery television period drama serial based on Ni Kuang's novel series Wisely Series, starring Gallen Lo as Wisely. The series was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong from 2 June to 11 July 2003. The 30-episodes long series contains a total of eight different stories, set in China in the 1930s.

Plot

In the 1930s, Wisely returns to China from his overseas studies and runs a detective agency in Shanghai to investigate paranormal events. He meets a doctor named Pak So and she becomes his love interest, but they encounter several trials and tribulations to test their love before they finally get together. The series is divided into eight different stories, with Wisely and his team setting off to investigate and crack each mystery case. The stories are listed as follows:

• Paper Monkey (紙猴)
• Deadly Body Change (屍變)
• Charcoal (木炭)
• Searching Dreams (尋夢)
• Bug Suspect (蠱惑)
• Supernatural Beings (神仙)
• Ghost Story (鬼混)
• Disturbing Graves (盜墓)

Cast

Detective agency

Cast	Role	Description
		Boss of the detective agency
	Wong Hung-hung	Wisely's cousin
	Kwok Tsak-ching	Wisely's assistant
	Chan Cheung-ching	Wisely's assistant
	Choi May-sin	Wisely's secretary

Pak family

Cast	Role	Description
	Boss Pak	Boss of the Green Gang
	Pak Kei-wai	Boss Pak's son; Pa-chu's husband
	Pak So	Boss Pak's daughter; Wisely's girlfriend
	Pa-chu	Pak Kei-wai's wife
	Aunt Ho	Pak family's servant

Green Gang

Cast	Role	Description
	Sung Kin	Sung Fuk's brother
Chan Wing-chun	Sung Fuk	Sung Kin's brother
Yeung Ka-nok	To Chung
Daniel Kwok	Ma Cheung
Peter Pang	Shum Ming
	Chow Chung
Lee Kai-kit	Ho Mou
Lee Kong-lung	Ching Yee
Leo Tsang	Hon Sam
	Lau Ah-kan

Wan family

Cast	Role	Description
	Mrs. Wan	Medicine shop boss Wan Po-yu's mother
	Wan Po-yu	News journalist
	Lam Tai-yuk	Wan Po-yu's cousin
	Deaf Granny	Wan family's servant

Shanghai Police Bureau

Cast	Role	Description
	Keung Wai-tai	Shanghai Police Bureau Chief
Jimmy Au	Tit-dan	Police Inspector; Wisely's former classmate
	Wong Tong	Senior Policeman
Kam Chi-ching	Policeman
Adam Ip	Policeman
Hoffman Cheng	Policeman

Others

Cast	Role	Description
Chun Wong	Old Choi	Wisely's housekeeper
Apple Ha	Sister Fan	Wisely's house servant
John Tang	Wu Suet	Doctor
	Uncle Sam	Performer in restaurant
Deno Cheung	Gobi	Inventor; Wisely's friend
David Do	Desert	Inventor; Wisely's friend
Ken Lok	Lei Yau-wai	Newspaper agency boss
Brian Wong	Ha Kwai-jo	Reporter
Wilson Tsui	Uncle Po	Pawn shop boss; Chan Cheung-ching's uncle
Ho Man-kit	Pau Siu-lung	Pawn shop worker
	Lau Lai-ling's fan	Train station extra; appears in Ep. 11

Characters in Paper Monkey

Cast	Role	Description
	Chun Cheng-hei
Wong Man-piu	Yu Ting-man
Cheng Fan-sang	Ka Number Two
Luk Chun-kwong	Kwai Fu Bong
Suen Kwai-hing	Factory supervisor

Characters in Deadly Body Change

Cast	Role	Description
	Cheng Tin-luk	Deceased patriarch of Cheng family
	Mrs Cheng	Deceased wife of Cheng Tin-luk
Timothy Cheng	Cheng Po-wan	Cheng Tin-luk's son
Eric Chung	Dr Fai Kak
Wong Wai-tung	Ah-sing
	Ah-sing's girlfriend
So Lai-ming	Cheng Po-wan's secretary
Yau Piu	Cheng family's servant
Ngai Wai-man	Cheng family's servant

Characters in Charcoal

Cast	Role	Description
	Kai Sei
	Lam Tsi-yun Lam Pak-chun	Lam Pak-chun is Lam Tsi-yun's son
Raymond Tsang	Bin Ng	Kai Say's follower
Kwan Ching	Lam Yuk-sing	Lam family's ancestor
Janice Shum	Lam Tsi-yun's wife

Characters in Searching Dreams

Cast	Role	Description
Roger Kwok (Guest star)	Yeung Lap-kwan	Architect
Anne Heung (Guest star)	Lau Lai-ling	Singer; introduced in Ep. 11
Lau Yuk-tsui	Hung Yuk-tsing	Yeung Lap-kwan's wife
Chan Tik-hak	Wu Hip-sing
Chu Kin-kwan	Siu Chin	Yeung Lap-kwan's previous incarnation
Wah Chung-nam	Wong Sing	Wu Hip-sing's previous incarnation
Tse Po-law	Leung Pak-tsung	Hung Yuk-tsing's previous incarnation
Kwok Tak-shun	Lam Kei-lung
Chan Min-leung	Chin Yung
Ling Lai-man	Uncle Chik
Wong Tsi-wai	Yeung Lap-kwan's secretary
Ting Chu-wai	Ah-say

Characters in Bug Suspect

Cast	Role	Description
Kong Hon	King-ban	Tribal chief
Mok Ka-yiu	Mang-kor
Reyan Yan	Pa-tsi	To Chung's girlfriend
	Yat-ting	King-ban's son
Fung Hiu-man	Aunt Kam-fa	Pa-chu's aunt

Characters in Supernatural Beings

Cast	Role	Description
	Ka Yuk-tsan
Yu Tze-ming	Lau Sing Lau Hoi	Lau Sing and Lau Hoi are brothers
Dickson Lee	San-kau Ya-tsat	Japanese general
Cheng On-tung	Fung Yuen-yee	To Chung's wife
Yu Tin-wai	Old immortal
Ngan Kin-kwok	Young immortal

Characters in Ghost Story

Cast	Role	Description
	Chai-wong	Voodoo master
Wong Ching	Si-noi	Voodoo master; Chai-wong's apprentice brother
	Yu Fa / Chuen-to Fa-tsi	San-kau Ya-tsat's follower
Ho Chi-cheung	San-kau Ya-tsat's henchman
Cheung Hon-ban	San-kau Ya-tsat's henchman

Characters in Disturbing Graves

Cast	Role	Description
	Colonel Ching-lung
Savio Tsang	Tsai-pak	Pak Kei-wai's friend
Yu Yeung	Brigade General Wong	Ching-lung's boss
	Nelson	American secret agent
Law Tin-chi	Nelson's follower
Cheung Hak	Man in black
Chuk Man-kwan	Lin-heung

Popular Culture Trivia

• It Had to Be You (released in 1924) is a popular, romantic song that was written by Gus Kahn and composed by Isham Jones. Joe Junior performed the song throughout the series.
• Ruan Lingyu was a popular silent film actress in Shanghai from 1927 to 1935. Her fame and tragic suicide were occasionally mentioned throughout the series whenever the characters read articles about Ruan Lingyu from the newspaper. After their movie date, Choi May-sin discussed briefly with Wisely about Ruan's character in her notable film The Goddess (1934 film).
• When Will You Return? - 何日君再來 is a classic song that was released in 1937, Shanghai and was first performed by Zhou Xuan in the same year. Lau Lai-ling performed a segment of this song in the Searching Dreams story.
• Loch Ness has garnered national attention in 1933 due to the public's interest in the Loch Ness Monster. At the end of the series, Wisely and Pak So ended up together on a small boat in a lake. Pak So asked Wisely, "This lake is so big. Can you guess what lake is this?" Wisely responded, "I don't care what lake this is, as long as there's no strange things/events that will occur to interrupt our alone time together." The camera zoomed out and showed the sign Loch Ness and then zoomed out even further showing a giant creature swimming and howling underwater.

See also

• Wisely Series, the novel series by Ni Kuang
• Films and television series adapted from the Wisely Series:
  • The Seventh Curse, a 1986 Hong Kong film starring Chow Yun-fat as Wisely
  • The Legend of Wisely, a 1987 Hong Kong film starring Sam Hui as Wisely
  • The Cat (1992 film), a 1998 Hong Kong film starring Waise Lee as Wisely
  • The New Adventures of Wisely, a 1998 Singaporean television series starring Michael Tao as Wisely
  • The Wesley's Mysterious File, a 2002 Hong Kong film starring Andy Lau as Wisely

External links

• Official TVB site