Stepping Out (Singaporean TV series)


Stepping Out is a 1999 Singaporean Mandarin drama series adapted from a historical book, which reran in 2006. It stars Yvonne Lim, Terence Cao, Cynthia Koh, Xie Shaoguang, Ivy Lee, Tay Ping Hui & Chunyu Shanshan as the casts of the series.
The series focuses on the Chinese immigrant experience in Singapore, and their rough, hard ascent to the present state of wealth and riches that is unprecedented in Singaporean history. The drama begins in China and spans roughly three decades. It was produced following the success of the 1997 period drama The Price of Peace.
The story begins at the start of the Chinese Civil War during the 1920s. The chaos and upheaval which entailed caused many Chinese to migrate to Southeast Asia, mainly Malaysia and Singapore, and sets the background for the series. The Hock Lee bus riots and Chinese middle schools riots of the 1950s were referenced and clips of the actual incidents were shown.

Plot

It is the 1920s, a time of great chaos in China. Poverty was rampant in many regions, forcing many people to seek their fortune in the fabled Southern region known collectively as Nanyang. The story begins with three young men from the Fujian province.
A poor oyster collecter named Chen Xia wishes to marry his childhood sweetheart, Hong Dou, but struggles to make ends meet.
The son of a wealthy tea plantation owner, Jia Fu is a wastrel. Lazy and childish, the only saving grace to his character is his thoughtless generosity. In his naivete he loses his inheritance and is left with nothing but the support of his industrious wife, Ju.
After Tian's father dies on the trip to Nanyang, his widowed mother and his two siblings are forced to live a life of scavenging for food in the wilderness. After his sister is killed and his brother goes missing, he is hired by a rich merchant. His new employer is cruel and his meekness makes him an easy target for bullying, but he finds himself attracted to the man's second wife, Hai Yan.
Despite the disparity between their situations and personalities, they each find themselves making the trip to the port of Singapore in Nanyang all with the same purpose: To seek a way out of their circumstances and a better future.

Cast

Star Awards 2007