| Country: | China |
| Language: | Mandarin |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 48 |
| Runtime: | 45 mins |
| Channel: | Hunan TV |
| Budget: | $55.5 million |
Great Expectations is a 2018 Chinese television series starring written by Chen Sicheng, starring himself alongside Yuan Hong, Tong Liya and Amber Kuo.[1] [2] The series airs on Hunan TV starting April 1, 2018.[3] [4]
The story is set in the 20th century, and follows Hong Sanyuan who travels to Shanghai together with his mom and close friend, Qi Lin to seek a better life. There, he came under the guidance of Yan Hua, a ferry worker who is seen as the leader by his contemporaries. In Shanghai, Hong Sanyuan becomes entangled in the power struggles between two large conglomerates, and eventually also gets involved in political affairs.
| Actor | Character | Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Sanyuan | A street hooligan who is drawn into the feudal conflicts of powerful tycoons in Shanghai. | |
| Qi Lin | Hong Sanyuan's good friend.[5] | |
| Lin Yiyi | A girl seeking revenge for her father.[6] | |
| Yu Mengzhu | Daughter of the wealthiest man in Shanghai. She is forward-thinking and independent.[7] | |
| Zhao Lixin | Du Yusheng | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Third boss of Yongxin Company. Hong Sanyuan's teacher.[8] |
| Huo Tianhong | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Big boss of Yongxin Company.[9] | |
| Zhang Wanlin | One of the top three tycoons in Shanghai. Second boss of Yongxin Company. Qi Lin's teacher.[10] | |
| Actor | Character | Introduction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Jane Todd | Yi Sha/Isa | Huo Dun/Horton's daughter. A Holy Nun of the Church. Love interest of Hong Sanyuan. | |
| Guo Jinglin | Xia Junlin | Adviser of Yongxin Company. One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. A cunning and cruel man.[11] | |
| Fu Dalong | Yan Hua | An exemplary ferry worker who is seen as a leader by his colleagues. After being saved by Liang Xingyi, he joins the Communist Party.[12] | |
| Chen Taisheng | Liang Xingyi | A passionate communist who helps spread the ideals to comrades. | |
| Tan Kai | Shen Da | Department Chief of Shanghai Municipal Police. Hong Sanyuan's sworn brother. | |
| Li Nian | Lu Ningchun | A famous troupe actress. Huo Tianhong's mistress.[13] | |
| Yu Hangxing | Chairman of the Chamber of commerce. Yu Mengzhu's father. | ||
| Zhang Shuangli | Guai Ye | Accountant at the biggest commerce center. He is a man whom Hong Sanyuan respects and relies on, and goes out to help Hong Sanyuan whenever he faces problems.[14] | |
| Wang Deshun | Chu Tianshu | Leader of Beggar Sect. A man of precision. | |
| Yan Jie | Chu Hang | Chu Tianshu's son and heir of the Beggar Sect. | |
| Li Ping | Hong Kuihua | Hong Sanyuan's mother. | |
| Wang Yanhui | Shen Qingshan | Boss of "New World" Dance Hall. | |
| Xie Wenxuan | Meng Louchun | A famous troupe actress. Shen Qingshan's mistress. | |
| Fu Mei | Du Meihui | Daughter of Du Xian. Yu Mengzhu's close friend, but in reality is Japanese. and a spy planted by Japan, and is a skilled martial artist.[15] | |
| Yao Anlian | Du Xian | Vice president of Shanghai's Chamber of Commerce, but is in reality Japanese, and a spy planted by Japan. He is the father of Du Meihui, but it is not clear whether the two are biologically related. It turned out in the final episode that he is also the head ninja.[16] | |
| Dai Mo | Lin Yuanbu | Lin Yiyi's brother. He later becomes a member of the Communist Party.[17] | |
| Tian Xiaojie | Chu Yuxian | A divine physician. Lin Yiyi's subordinate. | |
| Zhang Yu | Ah Xing | Also known as "Cloud Han Tan". Lin Yiyi's subordinate. | |
| Sang Ping | Tie Gu | Lin Yiyi's subordinate. | |
| Zheng Wei | Bo Liu | Also known as "Parrot Yu", a man of glib tongue. Lin Yiyi's subordinate. | |
| Du Yufang | Also known as "Nan Xiaodu". | ||
| Chen Hao | Chen Zheng | A passionate youth. | |
| Xu Seng | Yu Likui | Head of Federation of Rickshaw Pullers Association. Wang Yuqiao's disciple. | |
| Jin Song | Qin Hu | One of the three Qin brothers. A man of exceptional strength. | |
| Qin Long | One of the three Qin brothers. | ||
| Huang Xifei | Qin Pao | One of the three Qin brothers. | |
| Huo Dun/Horton | A Consul from England. Cunning and sly man. | ||
| Guo Peng | Cha Liangwei | Number one reporter in Shanghai. | |
| Zhang Guoqing | Housekeeper Zhao | Cao Dun's housekeeper. | |
| Huo Yaming | Hu Kun | Leader of Cao Sect. | |
| Mark Luu | Hei Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. | |
| Charles Luu | Bai Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. | |
| Liu Zhifu | Hui Wuchang | One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. Shen Qingshan's subordinate. | |
| Wu Di | Nalan Shu | Third young master of the Nalan family. | |
| Yi Junzheng | Wu Shan | Huo family's subordinate. | |
| Wang Yu | Yin Jiuhua | A drunkard. | |
| Zhao Wuyou | Su Chuwu |
| Actor | Character | Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Huang Fu | [18] | |
| Zhang Li | Little Ahqiao | Shen Da's wife. One of the experts of Thirteen Taibao. She specializes in gathering the latest information about slave trading. |
| Huo Zhenxiao | Young master of the Huo family. He dislikes the rules and regulations of Shanghai. | |
| Huang Shang | A man of influence in Shanghai, who currently lives in seclusion. | |
| Lian Yiming | Wang Yuqiao | Also known as "Bei Lao Jiu" (Ninth Master of the South). Leader of Axe Head Sect. Hong Sanyuan's teacher in name. |
| Jiang Ying | ||
| Guo Jingfei | Prisoner Officer | |
| Xu Yajun | Xu Shizhao | A member of the Communist Party. |
| Yin Zhusheng | Li Baozhang | |
| Liu Huan | Xue'er | |
| Jiang Feng | Shi Shuangling | Shen Qingshan's housekeeper. |
| Ren Zhengbin | Chief of police department.[19] | |
| Cao Kefan | Chen Jiuheng | |
Filming for the series took place from July to December 2016, taking a total of 155 days.[20] [21]
A spin-off titled Great Expectations: Meeting of the Two Dragons (远大前程·双龙会) starts airing on Tencent Video from April 30, 2018. It will focus on the stories of Huo Zhenxiao (portrayed by Liu Haoran), Chen Zheng (portrayed by Chen Hao) and a new character portrayed by Shang Yuxian.[22]
| Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China | Best Actor | [23] | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Liu Yijun | [24] | ||
| Best Cinematography | ||||
| Best Art Direction | ||||