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When Heaven Burns

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When Heaven Burns
Promotional poster
GenreSuspense drama
Created byJonathan Chik
Written byChow Yuk-ming
StarringBowie Lam
Moses Chan
Kenny Wong
Charmaine Sheh
Angela Tong
Maggie Shiu
Astrid Chan
Elaine Jin
Chan Hung-lit
Queenie Chu
Opening theme"天與地" (Heaven and Earth) by Paul Wong
Ending theme"年少無知" (Youthful Ignorance) by Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong
ComposerPaul Wong
Country of originHong Kong
Original languagesCantonese
Mandarin
No. of episodes30
Production
ProducerJonathan Chik
Running time45 minutes
Production companyTVB
Original release
NetworkTVB Jade, HD Jade
Release21 November 2011 (2011-11-21) –
1 January 2012 (2012-01-01)
When Heaven Burns
Traditional Chinese天與地
Simplified Chinese天与地
Literal meaning"Heaven and Earth"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTián Yú Dì
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingTin1 Jyu2 Dei6

When Heaven Burns is a 2011 Hong Kong television serial produced by TVB and starring Bowie Lam, Moses Chan, Kenny Wong, Charmaine Sheh and Angela Tong. First revealed during TVB's Sales Presentation 2009 in 2008, filming took place in late 2009 to early 2010, with the first episode airing both in Hong Kong and TVB's overseas affiliates and partners on 21 November 2011. On 27 December 2011, the show was blacklisted by the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, making it the first Hong Kong television drama to be censored in Mainland China in more than two decades.[1]

Despite being the second lowest-rated TVB drama of 2011, When Heaven Burns gained a strong cult following online and received critical acclaim in Hong Kong, winning Best Drama at the 2012 TVB Anniversary Awards.

Plot

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In their youth Joe (Bowie Lam), Angus (Moses Chan), Ronnie (Kenny Wong) and Ka Ming are good friends and bandmates. During a mountaineering trip, the four are stranded on a snowbound mountain and Ka Ming was left gravely injured. This event has a traumatic effect on them; their friendship dynamic; and their relationship with Yan (Charmaine Sheh), Ka Ming's girlfriend; leading the previously close group to go their separate ways and abandon their friendship.

Eighteen years later, Yan who remains haunted by the memory of Ka Ming, leads an unfulfilled and occasionally self-destructive personal life while enjoying success professionally as a jaded but popular radio announcer. Joe, Angus and Ronnie have also forged their own successful professional paths, albeit with drastic changes to their actual personalities and characteristics.

A chance incident reunites them and the group bonded again. Unfortunately, the discovery of Ka Ming's body by police revealed Joe, Angus, and Ronnie's long held dark secret of murder and cannibalism, and their continued psychological manipulation and gaslighting of Yan into believing Ka Ming's death was merely an accident. The fragile ties to each other begin to unravel leading each of them to finally confront their true selves. The resulting conflicts bring permanent changes and tragic consequences to all of them, but also a just resolution to their moral dilemmas in accordance with the life decisions they made.

The poetic, well thought out ending was satisfying and thought-provoking in equal measures regarding topics of whether there exists such a thing as karmic retribution and whether different decisions will lead to different consequences in life or if they will all still lead to the same final outcome: free will vs fate.

Additionally, the series also address the modern Hong Kong public’s concerns and anxieties regarding the gloomy political outlook, the social injustices and the increasing disregard of moral values; in the years since its handover back to China.

There are also sharp commentaries on the appalling moral quality of the members of the Legislative Council and the forgetful tendencies of the Hong Kong society as a whole. Emphasis on values such as free will, choice of rights, independent personality, and resistance to hegemony accurately reflects the public's disaffection and thus resonated with younger more politically aware audiences.

Cast

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The Lau family

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Cast Role Description Age
Bowie Lam
Ronald Law (youth)
Lau Chun Hung (Joe)
劉俊雄
An accountant/A trade union executive/A Legco candidate
A band drummer
Ma Wing Yee's husband
Au Hoi Ching's love interest, later her lover
Yip Chi Yan's admirer
Sung Yee Long and Cheng Chun Hin's friend
Au Hoi Ching's superior, later lover, finally broke up
Yung Cheuk Wah's subordinate, later lover
Killed and ate Hui Ka Ming
43
Astrid Chan
Joey Mak (youth)
Ma Wing-yee (Gina)
馬詠儀
A nurse
Lau Chun Hung's wife
Ivan's mistress, later broke up
41

The Yung family

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Cast Role Description Age
Elaine Jin Yung Cheuk Wah (Brenda)
翁卓樺
Yung Cheuk Tung's older sister
Pointed against Sung Yee Long
Lau Chun Hung's superior, later mistress
Died in a car accident in Episode 25
50
Maggie Shiu Yung Cheuk Tung (Emma)
翁卓桐
Yung Cheuk Wah's younger sister
Sung Yee Long's girlfriend turned wife
Yip Chi Yan and Cheng Kin Sang's friend
Lai Sze Man's love rival
40
Moses Chan
Yeung Chiu Hoi (youth)
Sung Yee Long (Angus)
宋以朗
A securities agent
Lau Chun Hung and Cheng Chun Hin’s friend
Yung Cheuk Tung's boyfriend turned husband
Lam Pui Ling's ex-boyfriend, later lover
Yip Chi Yan's ex-boyfriend
Killed and ate Hui Ka Ming
38

The Cheng family

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Cast Role Description Age
Kenny Wong
Kelvin Leung (youth)
Cheng Chun Hin (Ronnie)
鄭振軒
A former actuary
A bass guitarist
Yeung Suet Mei's husband
Cheng Man-shan and Cheng Man-kei's father
Lau Chun Hung, Sung Yee Long and Yung Cheuk Tung's friend
Killed and ate Hui Ka Ming
44
Angela Tong Yeung Suet Mei (Shirley)
楊雪薇
Cheng Chun Hin's wife
Cheng Man-shan and Cheng Man-kei's mother
Lau Chun Hung's admirer
Yip Chi Yan's good friend, later friendship breaks
39
Rachel Poon Cheng Man-shan (Katie)
鄭文珊
Cheng Chun Hin and Yeung Suet Mei's daughter.
Yeung Ka Shing Cheng Man-kei (Frankie)
鄭文基
Cheng Chun Hin and Yeung Suet Mei's son
Cheng Man-shan's brother

The Yip family

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Cast Role Description Age
Yu Tsz Ming Yip Kwong Loi
葉光來
Yip Chi Yan's father
Doollou Poon Cheung Pui Kwan
張珮君
Yip Chi Yan's stepmother
Charmaine Sheh
Angel Chiang (youth)
Yip Chi Yan (Hazel, Yan)
葉梓恩
DJ
Yip Kwong Loi's daughter
Cheung Pui Kwan's stepdaughter
Yung Cheuk Tung's friend
Hui Ka Ming, Sung Yee Long's ex-girlfriend
Arthur's mistress, later broke up
Lau Chun Hung, Sung Yee Long and Cheng Chun Hin's friend and love interest
34

Workers' Right Protection Association

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Cast Role Description Age
Lau Dan Kong Siu Chuen
江兆泉
A trade union leader/A Legco candidate
Lau Chun Hung's master, later broke up
Bowie Lam
Ronald Law (youth)
Lau Chun Hung (Joe)
劉俊雄
A trade union executive/A Legco candidate
Kong Siu Chuen's apprentice, later broke up
Au Hoi Ching's superior and love interest, later her lover, finally broke up
43
Cindy Lee Au Hoi Ching (Cloris)
區海晴
A trade union member
Lau Chun Hung's assistant
Love Lau Chun Hung, later his mistress, finally broke up
Committed suicide on Episode 27

Ching Ho Finance

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Cast Role Description Age
Elaine Jin Yung Cheuk Wah (Brenda)
翁卓樺
Shareholder
Hau Chiu Ping's ex-girlfriend
Lau Chun Hung's superior, later mistress
Died in a car accident in Episode 25
50
Moses Chan Sung Yee Long (Angus)
宋以朗
Chief Operations Officer
Resigned in Episode 20
40
Bowie Lam Lau Chun Hung (Joe)
劉俊雄
Chief Operations Officer
Yung Cheuk Wah's subordinate, later lover
Joined in Episode 20
43
Chan Hung-lit Hau Chiu Ping (George)
侯釗平
Yung Cheuk Wah's ex-boyfriend
Queenie Chu Lam Pui Ling (Jessica)
林佩玲
Sung Yee Long's subordinate and lover
Yung Cheuk Tung's love rival
Resigned in Episode 20
27
Cheung Kwok Keung Lui Yiu-bun (Ben)
雷耀彬
Triad member
Sung Yee Long's subordinate, later Lau Chun Hung's subordinate
Loved Lam Pui Ling
Kenny Wong Cheng Chun Hin (Ronnie)
鄭振軒
Actuary
Joined in Episode 24
44

CC Radio

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Cast Role Description Age
Andy Tai Hung Mao Sum (Sam)
洪茂森
Radio Commander
Charmaine Sheh
Angel Chiang (youth)
Yip Chi Yan (Hazel, Yan)
葉梓恩
DJ 34
Catherine Chau Mabel DJ
Yip Chi Yan's colleague
Rachel Kan Daisy DJ
Yip Chi Yan's colleague
Bryant Mak Gordon DJ
Yip Chi Yan's colleague
Joe Junior Dr. Dylan A retired DJ that works in Yip Chi Yan's DJ Radio Station
Tai Yiu Ming Rico DJ assistant
Yip Chi Yan's assistant

Other cast

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Cast Role Description
Stanley Cheung Hui Ka Ming
許家明
A telecom technician, a band guitarist
Yip Chi Yan's boyfriend and love of her life
Lau Chun Hung, Sung Yee Long and Cheng Chun Hin’s friend
Killed and eaten by Lau Chun Hung, Sung Yee Long and Cheng Chun Hin at the snow mountain
Felix Lok Ivan Wong A doctor
Ma Wing-yee's lover, later broke up
Tsui Wing Arthur Yip Chi Yan's lover, later broke up
Ben Wong Bowman A cook
Yip Chi Yan's husband, later divorced
Calinda Chan (陳宛蔚) Sweets Shop owner
Yeung Ching Wah (楊證樺)
Ho Wai Yip (何偉業)
Yiu Ho Ching (姚浩政)
Cheung Hon Pan (張漢斌)
Fu Kim Hung (傅劍虹)
Chung Yuk Ching (鍾鈺精)
Tsang Yuen Sa (曾琬莎)
Wong Lok Yee (黃樂兒)
Janice Ting (丁樂鍶)
Owen Ng (吳雲甫)

Viewership ratings

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Week Originally Aired Episodes Average Points Peaking Points References
1 21 November 2011 1 29 30 [2]
21–25 November 2011 1 – 5 26 30 [3]
2 28 November – 1 December 2011 6 – 9 25 28 [4]
3 6–9 December 2011 10 – 13 23 [5]
4 12–16 December 2011 14 – 18 23 [6]
5 19–23 December 2011 19 – 23 23 26 [7]
6 26–30 December 2011 24 – 28 24 [8]
1 January 2012 29 – 30 30 34 [9]

Theme songs

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The opening and closing theme songs of When Heaven Burns were composed by Paul Wong, formerly of the Hong Kong band Beyond. Paul Wong is the guitarist for both songs and is the vocalist for the opening theme. The closing theme is sung by the three male leads and serves as the reconstructed lost song.

The plot line of a band returning home with one of their member dead has led to comparisons between the fictional band and Beyond.[citation needed]

Censorship in mainland China

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On 27 December 2011, with four episodes to go, China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television ordered the sub-licensees to withdraw the video streaming on 11 websites based on the pretext of cannibalism, making When Heaven Burns the first Hong Kong soap opera series to be censored in Mainland China in over two decades.[1] The real-time relay in Guangdong province was unaffected, however, and the remaining episodes were shown on television without hindrance in that province.[10] The underlying reason for this withdrawal was thought to be because of the show's underlying allusions to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and non-mainland China media considered this move as censorship.[11] The storyline and the characters demonstrated similarities to the Tiananmen Square protest. When interviewed by Hong Kong's Apple Daily, the show's screenwriter agreed that the story was inspired by the government crackdown on the student democracy movement.[1]

Awards and nominations

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On 17 December 2012, When Heaven Burns won the TVB Anniversary Award for best drama in 2012, the award was a result of a popular vote.

2012 TVB Anniversary Awards

  • Best Drama
  • Nominated – Best Actress (Charmaine Sheh) – Top 5
  • Nominated – My Favourite Female Character (Charmaine Sheh) – Top 10

My AOD Favourite Awards 2012

  • Nominated – Best Drama
  • Nominated – Best Actress (Charmaine Sheh) – Top 5
  • Nominated – Top 15 Character (Charmaine Sheh)
  • Nominated – Top 15 Character (Bowie Lam)
  • Nominated – Best Theme Song (年少無知 by Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong)

CASH Golden Sail Music Awards 2012

  • Best Chorus Performance (年少無知 by Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong)

17th Asian Television Awards 2012

  • Best Actor – Moses Chan

Metro Radio Hits Music Awards 2012

  • My Most Appreciated Song (年少無知 by Paul Wong)

Ultimate Song Chart Awards 2012

  • WeChat Chit Chat Most Popular Song (年少無知 by Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong)
  • My Favourite Song (年少無知 by Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong)

RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards 2012

  • Top 10 Gold Songs
  • Nominated – Top 10 Singers (Bowie Lam, Moses Chan and Kenny Wong)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hui, Polly (28 December 2011). "Hong Kong Cannibal Drama Censored". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. ^ Day 1 Ratings
  3. ^ Week 1 Ratings
  4. ^ Week 2 Ratings
  5. ^ Week 3 Ratings
  6. ^ Week 4 Ratings
  7. ^ Week 5 Ratings
  8. ^ Week 6 Ratings
  9. ^ Finale Ratings
  10. ^ "When Heaven Burns suddenly banned in the mainland (《天與地》內地網突禁播)". Ming Pao. 28 December 2011.
  11. ^ Ng, Joyce; Li, Raymond; Nip, Amy (28 December 2011). "Hong Kong drama series banned on the mainland". South China Morning Post.
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