A bit on Taiwan Tornado: in Hokien on NTV7

I stumbled upon part of an episode of this Taiwanese (Hokien) serial some months ago, and a family scene caught my attention.

Without knowing the story, there is an old matriarch of the family who seems a nice woman. Then there is her daughter Bee Hua who in another scene was earlier discussing with another lady somewhere else about NT$35 billion which the other lady could raise only NT$30 billion and she was visibly disappointed but accepted reluctantly.

An authoritative looking man, Pingqiu, came with his wife and a daughter who calls Bee Hua 'ah chim' which in Hokien, normally refers to wife of father's younger brother. But I found out later, that she is her father's mistress. This proud man who is known as company chairman is in financial difficulty but still maintains his pride, though he came to ask Bee Hua for help. What struck me for being unusual was Bee Hua's insistence that the chairman should kneel before her, like what his daughter and wife offered and did in their desperate plea for help, to avoid company's bankruptcy. Bee Hua actually counted '1, 2, and 3', during which time, chairman has to kneel before she would agree to help. The matriarch was sympathetic, so were the other relatives present and they all encouraged him to do so in order to save the company. He finally did it. This once very proud man had to kneel before his step-mother so that his company could stave off financial ruin. But it was obvious he must have been a really cruel guy before to be subjected to this ultimate humiliation insisted upon him, and he was obviously not remorseful as he was shown thinking to himself that one day he is going to take revenge on her.

Hong Meihua (Beehua), mother of Huang Zhizhong (below, right)...

Yuan Zhilong and Huang Zhizhong...

Lu Tianmin, adopted daughter of Huang Pingqiu (Ng Ping Chiu)

The following incomplete information and family tree help me in identifying who is who. Even for a Chinese (but one who doesn't read Chinese), it was difficult because the sub-titles show spelling of names in Mandarin but the dialogue is in Hokien. Notice the difference in the names shown above and below. I am actually new to Taiwanese serials but beginning to enjoy them because I get to understand Taiwanese Hokien which is more correct, as in writable in Chinese characters, unlike our local Hokien with a mixture of Malay or English or whatever. This is to Hokien, what Hong Kong Cantonese is to our local rojak Cantonese.

Chao Lian Enterprises - the family company,

Grandma Huang Guo Ah Man (Matriarch)

She has 2 sons Huang Pingqiu and younger brother Huang Pingchun, who has a long lost twin brother called Chen Ah Niu (Ah Gu) a simpleton.

Huang Pingqiu Wife: Bai Yanqing
Sons: Zhiling andZhiming
Adopted daughter: Lu tianming

Huang Pingchun First wife: Liu Yuying (Gaik Eng)
Son: Yuan Zhilong (Huan Chee Liong); Yuan Shixiong is Yuan Zhilong's real father.
Second wife: Hong Meihua (Hong Bee Hua)
Son: Huang Zhizhong (Ng Chee Tiong, acted by Aaron Chen Zhaorong)
Daughter: Huang Zhihan; Zhihan's boyfriend, Huang Wenting (Ng Boon Ting)

A recent episode:

Huang Zhizhong's wife, Fang Jiayi (Kah Yi, acted by Ye Quanzhen) is pregnant with twins, but confirmed both girls; Zhizhong had a one-time affair with Maggie Ye Meiqi, initiated by her! She claimed to be pregnant with Zhizhong's and she claimed to be a boy, much to the delight of the matriarch. The old lady insisted that she moved in even though Zhizhong was against it. Jiayi had no choice but to move out instead. It was a classic case of sex discrimination very common among Chinese.

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