Nostalgia took center stage in TVB’s anniversary drama “Radiant City” when its ninth episode aired on August 22, featuring the long-awaited reunion of veteran actors Damian Lau and Kong Cho-nga. The pair, who last shared the screen in 1997, now portray former lovers navigating a fraught intersection of sentiment and self-interest.
Lau plays Koon Chi-sum, a man willing to mine past relationships for career gain. He approaches his ex-girlfriend Sam Cho-mei, played by Kong, with a calculated proposition: her endorsement for the LKS chief regional director post in exchange for helping her avenge her son’s death. Sam, unswayed by romantic history, rebukes him sharply. “If you think I’ll help you just because we were once together, you’ve greatly overestimated my sentimentality,” she declares. Koon counters pragmatically: “I’m not here to beg, but to propose a deal.”
The exchange has ignited social media buzz, with fans unearthing photos of the actors from their younger years and marveling at their timeless chemistry. The production deepens this nostalgic pull through a prop — a photograph Koon obsessively examines over three episodes. It turns out to be a publicity still from Kong’s 1985 drama “Big Hong Kong,” taken 41 years ago, when she first gained acclaim as a ethereal “fairy-like actress.”
Meanwhile, episode 9 delves into the Ko family’s power struggles. Pang Lun, nursing years of grievances against the Ko dynasty, launches a “gold member program” to rival LKS’s star system. Hau Yin makes a calculated effort to support his brother Hau Kwan’s board promotion, but his maneuvering throws an advisory council into chaos. Just when Hau Yin thinks he has secured an advantage, LKS announces Koon as the new chief regional director — a twist that reveals the brothers have been pawns manipulated by their father all along.
Julian Cheung, who plays Hau Yin, and Lee Shing-chung, as Pang Lun, also share on-screen history traceable to the 1996 drama “The Good Earth,” where Lee’s character was nicknamed “Four Fours.” Cheung still uses that nickname for Lee off-set, a testament to the rapport forged nearly three decades ago.
“Radiant City” continues to draw viewers by weaving decades of television legacy into a fresh narrative. Each episode offers a mix of familiar faces and evolving conflicts, demonstrating how Hong Kong drama can honor its past while pushing its stories forward. As the series heads toward its conclusion, audiences remain invested in both the character outcomes and the real-life trajectories of the actors whose careers defined an era.
