A House Is Not a Home (TV series)

A House Is Not a Home (Chinese: 家變) is a 1977 TVB television series. It stars Liza Wang, Simon Yam, Ha Yu, Bak Man-biu, Tang Pik-wan and Lee Heung-kam.

A House Is Not a Home
Chinese家變
Created byYip Kit Hing
StarringLiza Wang
Simon Yam
Tang Pik-wan
Bak Man-biu
Nam Hung
Ha Yu
Lee Heung-kam
Opening theme"家變" (A House Is Not A Home) by Roman Tam
ComposerJoseph Koo
Country of originHong Kong
Original languageCantonese
No. of episodes110
Production
Executive producerYip Kit Hing
Running time45 minutes (110 episodes)
Original release
NetworkTVB

Synopsis

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In 1970s Hong Kong, the construction industry was booming, but hidden dangers, due to corruption often jeopardized the public's safety. Lok Fai (Bak Man-biu) is one of these construction company owners. He has two wives, the first, Yuen Heng Wan (Tang Pik-wan) has 3 children including a gay son, Lok Wah (Simon Yam). Lok Fai's second wife Wong Yee Tak (Nam Hung) has two daughters, Lok Lam (Liza Wang) and Lok Man (Tsui Mei-leng).[1]

Between the two families, sandwiches Lok's friend a banker and his lawyer son who helps to mediate between the two wives but Heng Wan and her best friend, Sze Li Mo-Yung (Lee Heung-Kam), have deep hatred for them. Lok Lam creates a magazine, but the magazine's publication has Lok Wah's nude photos! (based on the 1970s standard, it is) This causes a war among the two families, and all hell breaks loose....with the anti-corruption ICAC investigators (played by Chow Yun-fat and Bill Chan respectively) who are hot on Lok Fai's trail. With his unworthy son-in-law Ma Chun Yau (Ha Yu) taking over the business it is now up to Lok Lam to save the family business.

History

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The TVB drama A House Is Not a Home premiered on 1 August 1977 and had 110 episodes.[2][3] Roman Tam sang the series' theme song. His performance became more popular than the theme song "Raging Tide".[2] The series was viewed by 2.4 million people, which broke the previous record.[4]

Legacy

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According to the scholars Heung-wah Wong and Hoi-yan Yau, Liza Wang's depicted Lok Lam, the heroine of the story, as a strong woman which "found great favor with Hong Kong audiences, especially young women". Numerous Hong Kong women mimicked the "Lok Lam hairstyle", which is a "straight shoulder-length cut with a wavy fringe". Career women viewed Lok Lam, a powerful woman focused on her career, as their exemplar in the several years after the drama was broadcast.[4]

The heroine's brother was depicted as "sissy" gay man. Although a small part, during 1970s Hong Kong television, his character was "the major representation" of a gay Hong Kong man.[5] The South China Morning Post's Lisa Cam said A House Is Not a Home made Liza Wang, Simon Yam, Ha Yu, and Tang Pik-wan "Hong Kong acting legends".[6]

References

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  1. ^ "A House Is Not a Home". spcnet.tv. 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b Chu, Yiu-Wai (2017). Hong Kong Cantopop: A Concise History. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-988-8390-57-1. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Feng, Lin (2017). Chow Yun-fat and Territories of Hong Kong Stardom. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-0591-1. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Wong, Heung-wah; Yau, Hoi-yan (2016). "The Anthropology of Chinese Masculinity in Taiwan and Hong Kong". In Louie, Kam (ed.). 978-988-8208-56-2. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-988-8208-56-2. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Kong, Travis S. K. (2011). Chinese Male Homosexualities: Memba, Tongzhi and Golden Boy. London: Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-415-451-89-5. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Cam, Lisa (18 October 2020). "Below the Lion Rock singer Roman Tam is the 'Grand Godfather of Cantopop' and a Hong Kong LGBT icon whose claim to fame was TVB-produced drama theme songs". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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