Stepping Out (Singaporean TV series)

Stepping Out
出路

Title card
Genre Period drama
Written by Ng Kah Huay
Ang Eng Tee
Directed by Loo Yin Kam
Starring Yvonne Lim
Terence Cao
Cynthia Koh
Xie Shaoguang
Ivy Lee
Tay Ping Hui
Chunyu Shanshan
Country of origin Singapore
Original language(s) Mandarin
No. of episodes 30
Production
Producer(s) Kwek Leng Soong
Running time 60 Minutes
Release
Original network TCS 8th Frequency (Now MediaCorp Channel 8)
Picture format 576i PAL
First shown in 6 August 1999
Original release 1999
External links
[Stepping%20Out Website]

Stepping Out (Chinese: 出路) is a 1999 Singaporean Mandarin drama series adapted from a historical book, which reran in 2006.

The series focuses on the Chinese immigrant experience in Singapore, and their rough, hard ascent (along with the rest of Singapore) 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 (Terence Cao) wishes to marry his childhood sweetheart, Hong Dou (Cynthia Koh), but struggles to make ends meet.

The son of a wealthy tea plantation owner, Jia Fu (Xie Shaoguang) 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 (Ivy Lee).

After Tian's (Chunyu Shanshan) 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, HaiYan (Yvonne Lim).

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

1999 Accolades

1999 Star Awards nominations

Award Nominee Result
Best Actor Terence Cao Nominated
Xie Shaoguang Won
Best Actress Cynthia Koh Won
Ivy Lee Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Tay Ping Hui Won
Best Supporting Actress Yvonne Lim Nominated
Best Drama Serial Stepping Out Won
Best Theme Song 我吃得起苦 by Power Station Won


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