A Step into the Past (Chinese: 尋秦記; literal translation: The Chronicles of Finding Qin) is a Hong Kong television drama produced by TVB, released in 2001 and adapted from the novel Xun Qin Ji by Huang Yi. It tells the story of a 21st century Hong Kong cop, Hong Siu Lung, who travels back in time to the Warring States Period of China, and finds himself involved in important history events leading to the unification of China. Mr. ... {{Infobox actor[1] | imagesize = | caption = Raymond Lam | birthdate = December 8, 1979 ) | location = Xiamen, China | height = 180 cm (5 11) | birthname = Raymond Lam Wooi Man | othername = | homepage = }} Raymond Lam Fung is a Hong Kong TVB actor and singer. ... Jessica Hester Hsuan (Hsuan Suen) (born August 18, 1971) is a Chinese actress. ... Sonija Kwok (born 22 July 1974), or Kwok Sin-Nei (or Kwok Sin-Lei) (郭羨妮) in Cantonese (Mandarin Pinyin: Guo Xianni), is a Hong Kong-born actress. ... Mr. ... Mr. ... Cantonese is a major dialect group or language of the Chinese language, a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... Television Broadcasts Limited (SEHK: 0511), commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... REDIRECT Television Broadcasts Limited ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Cast

Main cast

• Louis Koo Tin Lok as Hong Siu Lung
• Raymond Lam Fung as Zhao Pan/Ying Zheng
• Jessica Hester Hsuan as Wu Tingfang
• Sonija Kwok Sin Lei as Chin Qing/Chun Ching
• Kwong Wah as Lian Jin/Lau Ai
• Kwok Fung as Lü Buwei
• Joyce Tang Lai Ming as Shanrou
• Suet Lei as Zhao Ya
• Michelle Saram as Princess Qian of Zhao

Mr. ... {{Infobox actor[1] | imagesize = | caption = Raymond Lam | birthdate = December 8, 1979 ) | location = Xiamen, China | height = 180 cm (5 11) | birthname = Raymond Lam Wooi Man | othername = | homepage = }} Raymond Lam Fung is a Hong Kong TVB actor and singer. ... Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) (November or December 260 BC - September 10, 210 BC), personal name Zheng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BC to 221 BC, and then the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC, ruling under the... Jessica Hester Hsuan (Chinese: 宣萱 [IPA: syn hyn]) or Suen Huen (born August 18, 1970 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese actress. ... Sonija Kwok (born 22 July 1974), or Kwok Sin-Nei (or Kwok Sin-Lei) (郭羨妮) in Cantonese (Mandarin Pinyin: Guo Xianni), is a Hong Kong-born actress. ... Kwong Wah (江華) is a Hong Kong television star currently working for TVB. He is widely known for his portrayals of Chinese historical characters such as Lau Ai (A Step into the Past), Xiang Yu (The Conquerors Story), Tang Sanzang (Journey to the West), Emperor Tang Xuanzong (The Legend of... Lü Buwei (Chinese: 呂不韋; pinyin: lÇš bù wéi) - according to Chinese beliefs, he was the real father of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng(贏政). The story that he was the real father came about because Qin Shi Huangs mother, the queen, was originally a concubine... Joyce Tang Lai Ming (Traditional Chinese: 滕麗名) (born January 20, 1974 in Hong Kong) is an actress of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). ...

Recurring cast

• Eileen Yeow Ying Ying as Empress Zhu Ji
• Waise Lee Chi Hung as Zhao Mu
• Wong Wai as Wu Yingyuan
• Yu Chi Ming as Zhou Xian
• Derek Kok Ching Hung as Wang Jian
• Sherming Yiu Lok Yee as Lü Liangyong
• Koi Ming Fai as Longyang Jun
• Tsang Wai Kuen as Shunling Jun
• Au Sui Wai as Tao Fang
• Chan Kwok Pong as Li Si
• Siu Chuen Yung as Wu Tingwei
• Mary Hon Ma Lei as Feng Jie
• Wong Wai Leung as Zhao Gao
• Peter Lai Pei Tak as King Xiaocheng of Zhao
• Law Mong as Li Zhicheng
• Lai Huen as Empress Dowager of Zhao

Derek Kok Jing-Hung (Chinese: 郭政鴻, born Nov 18) is an Hong Kong actor who has worked for TVB for nearly 20 years. ... Wang Jian (Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ;) (year of birth and death unknown), a military leader of Qin (state) in the Warring States Period. ... Li Si (Chinese: 李斯; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Li Ssu) (ca. ... Zhao Gao 趙高 (died end of October 207 BC) was the chief eunuch during the Qin Dynasty of China, who played an instrumental role in the downfall of the Qin Dynasty. ... State of Zhao (small seal script, 220 BC) Zhao (pinyin: zhao4, simplified Chinese: 赵, traditional Chinese: 趙) was a Chinese state during the Warring States Period. ...

Guest stars

• Gordon Liu Jia Hui as Cao Choudao
• Lee Lung Kei as King Zhuangxiang of Qin
• Tang Yat Kwan as Li Siu Chiu
• Liu Kai Chi as Scientist

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu (Lau Ka-Fai; Liu Chia Hui) (born 1955) is a Chinese martial arts actor. ... King Zhuangxiang of Qin, personal name Zichu, was a ruler of the State of Qin, a part of what is now China, during the 3rd century BCE. This article is based on the biography of Lü Buwei which is part of the Records of the Grand Historian written by Sima... Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智) is a Hong Kong actor. ...

Plot

Hong Siu Lung (Louis Koo) is a 21st century G4 (Very Important Person Protection Unit, 保護要人組) agent from Hong Kong. In the first episode, Hong and a colleague of his were assigned to guard an exhibition of Qin Shi Huang's terra cotta soldier figures. His colleague notices that one of the clay soldiers has a striking resemblance to Hong. Meanwhile, Hong was going through a particularly difficult period of life, having recently broken up with his girlfriend of seven years, Chun Ching (Sonija Kwok). She had wanted to get married, but he didn't- much preferring his free, happy-go-lucky bachelor's life with no commitments or responsibilities. Because of this, she ends up marrying another man. Lost and depressed, Hong was given a chance to rectify his mistake when he caught the attention of a wealthy young businessman, Li Shao Chiu (Tang Yat Kwan), whilst on the latter's protective detail and saving him from a crazy assassin. The monarch known now as Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (November / December 260 BCE – September 10, 210 BCE), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (officially still under the Zhou Dynasty... The Terracotta Army (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally soldier and horse funerary statues) or Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a collection of 8,099 life-size Chinese terra cotta figures of warriors and horses located near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ). The figures were discovered...

Li recruited Hong to participate in an ultra-secret experiment of a time machine that he had created. Hong agreed to do so in exchange for a chance to travel back in time to prevent his romantic breakup. The plan was to take Hong more than 2000 years back to the Kingdom of Qin, half an hour prior to the coronation of Ying Zheng (the first emperor who unified China and would be known as Qin Shi Huang). Hong was to document the event with a digital camera prior to a swift departure. However, a critical error occurred during the transportation stage and Hong was thrown into the wrong place and the wrong time – ending up in the Kingdom of Zhao in 250 BC, at the height of the Warring States Period. He had arrived three years earlier than originally planned. Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦), pronounced something like Shin, (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... King of Zhao was a title used by several rebellion leaders during the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in ancient China. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Hong's time machine signal device is set to work only at a specific location at a specific time – meaning that he was stranded in time. In order to return to the future, he had to make his way across thousands of miles in ancient China, ensuring that, at the same time, history happens as it was supposed to. For even a small change in the grand scheme of events will set off a chain of catastrophes that will render the 21st century, as Hong knows it, into oblivion.

Hong thus became a participant in a series of hair-raising yet hilarious adventures. In the process, he befriends Shanrou (Tang Lai Ming), a wandering female assassin; Wu Tingfang (Jessica Hsuan), a beautiful but spoiled rich girl; Zhao Princess Chian (Suet Yee); Zhao Ya (Suet Lei), the sister of the King Xiaocheng of Zhao (Peter Lai); and Ya's son Zhao Pan (Raymond Lam), as well as the beautiful scholar Chin Qing (also played by Sonija Kwok), who looks exactly like Hong's ex-girlfriend Chun Ching.

Hong's 21st-century knowledge, his experience as an elite detective and his physical and martial arts prowess made him invaluable in the eyes of the kings and nobility of the day, as well as inspiring the jealousy and ire of the wicked Chu agent Zhao Mu (Waise Lee) and his henchman Lian Jin (Kwong Wah). Later on, Hong even gained two sworn brothers (whose family had been killed by Zhao Mu's minions) who were faithful and committed to Hong.

As Hong's future is dependent on the ascension to the Qin throne by Ying Zheng, who was at that time being held hostage at Zhao with his mother Zhu Ji (Eileen Yeow), his crucial mission was to ensure that this happened. He successfully tracked down the two, only to find out, to his horror, that the real Ying Zheng, who was actually re-located by his mother since birth, is already dead. But it seemed that the wheels of history is pre-ordained, with Zhu Ji fatefully mistaking Zhao Pan as her own, having never seen the child since infancy.

The reluctant Zhao Pan is thus forced into and maintained in this illustrious role by a desperate Hong, and the party arrives successfully in the Kingdom of Qin. However for Hong, the danger is not yet over – to ensure Pan's smooth ascension as Ying Zheng, they must battle with the scheming Qin Prime Minister Lü Buwei (who had in fact fathered the real Ying Zheng with Zhu Ji) and Lü's right-hand man Lau Ai (who is actually Lian Jin in a new identity, and knows the truth of Ying Zheng being Zhao Pan). Lü Buwei (Chinese: 呂不韋; pinyin: lÇš bù wéi) - according to Chinese beliefs, he was the real father of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng(贏政). The story that he was the real father came about because Qin Shi Huangs mother, the queen, was originally a concubine...

Whether through fate or by Hong's never-ending efforts, Ying Zheng became king after the death of his "father" King Zhuangxiang (Lee Lung Kei). His mission completed, Hong is elated that his return home is now possible – only to have his hopes dashed at the last minute by the failure of his signalling device from an expired battery, which was designed to last only two years. Panicked, Hong recalled his school-taught knowledge about electricity and recruited his many friends to create a source of electric power. The experiment was successful, and Hong was on his way back home. King Zhuangxiang of Qin, personal name Zichu, was a ruler of the State of Qin, a part of what is now China, during the 3rd century BCE. This article is based on the biography of Lü Buwei which is part of the Records of the Grand Historian written by Sima...

Then at the last moment, he turned around and returned to the sides of Wu Tingfang and Chin Qing, who in Hong's heart had grown from a "replacement double" to a true love. He had found the meaning of commitment and sacrifice in a world where love came with responsibilities and loss is often brutal and eternal.

Hong stayed and continued to aid the new King of Qin, becoming more and more indispensable to him, much to the fear and hatred of other courtiers including Lü Buwei and Lau Ai. But who can be a match to one who already knew the future? Eventually, the King got rid of his enemies, and held absolute power once and for all...

And it corrupted him. The naive and kind Zhao Pan had morphed into the ruthless Ying Zheng as depicted in history. Being told numerous times by Hong that he will one day unify China and become the first true emperor holding all-encompassing imperial rule, the King knew just how invaluable Hong would be to his future quests. Hong, however, sad and sorry at the evil he'd help create and also knowing that he is not destined to leave his mark in history (he never saw his own name in history), refused, choosing instead to leave the court with his two wives forever.

Taking the view that "if you're not with me then you're against me", the furious King sent his troops after Hong, and would have captured him until he remembered that his own life and well being is linked to that of Hong's through the threads of history - that the death of one would mean the loss of the other. He remembers a time once when Hong did something that could have changed history, both of them lost their reflections as a result. Reluctant but acting out of self-preservation, the king sent Hong into exile, and decreed that the name Hong Siu Long should never be seen, heard or be spoken of again. All books that mentioned him would be destroyed, and the writers and scholars who disobeyed this edict would be killed – an imaginative explanation to account for Emperor Qin's notorious and brutal act of "burning books and killing scholars".

Hong, with his wives and sworn brothers, find paradise in the grasslands far from the city, and even has a son with Wu Tingfang. The last revelation is revealed during the final moments of the finale episode – Hong's son is in fact Xiang Yu, who would one day overthrow the Qin Dynasty. Xiang Yu (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsiang Yü; 232 BC - 202 BC) was a prominent general during the fall of the Qin Dynasty. ...

Public response and legacy

A Step into the Past is one of the most critically acclaimed TVB production ever in the studio's history. It received very high ratings during its initial run in 2001, and continued to be highly successful during its midnight re-runs in summer 2005, leading to yet another trend of late-night TV watching after At the Threshold of an Era. At the Threshold of an Era (Chinese:創世紀) was a Hong Kong epic drama series broadcast by TVB Jade Channel from late 1999 to early 2000, and was extensively promoted by TVB as its cross-milliennium epic. ...

At that time Louis Koo was already famous and popular, and had major roles in countless TV series before. This was the last TV series that he took part in, however, because he decided to concentrate on acting in feature films rather than television. He has since starred in numerous popular films such as the critically acclaimed Election and its sequel. Election (Chinese title: 黑社會 – literally Black Society, a common Cantonese reference to the society of triads) is a 2005 film directed by Johnnie To with a large ensemble cast. ... Election 2 (Chinese: 黑社會以和為貴, literally Black Society (triads) Value Peace Most) is a 2006 movie directed by Johnnie To with a large ensemble cast. ...

Raymond Lam, in his first major role, was highly praised for his breakthrough performance as Emperor Qin, and rose to fame quickly. He has starred in numerous leading roles ever since.

Home video

After its successful summer 2005 midnight re-run, TVB decided to release the complete series on DVD and VCD for the first time on November 18 of the same year. It also became the second TVB drama to receive a DVD release (after War and Beauty), and the first to receive a non-limited release. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ... VCD can stand for: Video CD Voice command device Value Change Dump (IEEE 1364 Verilog) Value-Centered Design This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... War and Beauty (金枝慾孽) was a 30-episode TV series broadcasted in Hong Kong in 2004 by TVB Jade starring Maggie Cheung, Charmaine Sheh, Gigi Lai, Sheren Tang, Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Rebecca Chan. ...

Trivia

• The wealthy businessman who invented the time machine (played by Tang Yat Kwan) resembles in many ways to Richard Li, the son of wealthy Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-Shing. The resemblance could be interpreted as intentional, as Richard Li was closing a deal to buy out Hong Kong Telecom (then renamed Cable and Wireless HKT) at the time, which was hailed as the largest takeover in Hong Kong history.

• While filming in mainland China, Jessica Hsuan was stricken with Cholera, causing her to enter a local hospital. She remained in bed for over a month until she was able to leave and start filming again. This caused Jessica's character to be absent for a while in the series. During her hospital stay, many of her co-stars, including Louis Koo, visited her regularly.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is 李 (Li) Richard Li Tzar Kai (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Lǐ ZékÇŽi) was born on 8 November 1966 in Hong Kong, the younger son of successful entrepreneur Li Ka-Shing and brother of Victor Li. ... Li Ka Shing (李嘉誠 pinyin: Lǐ Jiāch ng, Jyutping: Lei5 Gaa1-sing4), is the wealthiest person in Hong Kong and East Asia. ... PCCW Limited (PCCW, 電訊盈科) (NYSE: PCW) is the largest telecommunication enterprise in Hong Kong. ... Cholera (or Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ...

External Links

• Drama Wiki