Anecdotes

Singaporeans of Chinese descent who count Hokkien as their dialect has always been consistently form the largest group in terms of Chinese dialects in Singapore, as according to the Singapore Department of Statistics. As much as this drama series is based on a historical book, it can also be seen as still the only drama series in Singapore, and in Mandarin, to also indirectly place a spotlight on the Hokkien community in Singapore.

Nanyang has often being cited by the Chinese immigrants as where they are heading in the drama series. In the modern context, it encompasses the whole of Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, East Timor, Thailand, Laos). It actually literally means 'Southern Ocean', as seen by the Chinese in China geographically-wise.

But for the purpose of the drama series, it focused on those who made it to Singapore.

Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian may be the two historical figures featured, and while both are known as businessmen and later philanthropists, they are also both Hokkiens (despite coming from different parts of China but in Hokkien-speaking areas).

Winner of Best Drama Serial at the 1999 Star Awards, honouring the best Mandarin language TV productions in Singapore as produced by Mediacorp annually. It also won other major acting awards for the cast, including Xie Shaoguang (who is Jia Fu) as Best Actor and Cynthia Koh (who is Red Bean) as Best Actress, Tay Ping Hui (who is Liu Mei, Cynthia Koh's on-screen husband) winning Best Supporting Actor.

The drama series is depicted over four decades, from the 1920s in China, before the story is set in Singapore and eventually all the way to the 1950s.