''A House Is Not A Home'' (家變) is a

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and ...

television series, premiered on 1 August 1977. It is a very successful classic series boasting the likes of stars

Liza Wang Elizabeth "Liza" Wang Ming-chun SBS (born 28 August 1947), is a Hong Kong diva, actress and MC. She is a personality in Chinese-speaking communities. She has been nicknamed "The Big Sister" in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.Xinhuanet.Xinh ...

, Simon Yam, Ha Yu and also veteran actors like

Bak Man-biu Bak Man Biu（1921–2007) was a veteran Hong Kong actor best known for his role as the Patriatch Lok Fai in the TVB drama '' A House Is Not A Home'' (1977). Career Born as Chew Hong Fook in 1921, during the 1940s, Bak was involved in Cantones ...

Tang Pik-wan Tang Bik-wan () (27 September 1924 – 25 March 1991) was a former Chinese actress and a Cantonese opera singer from Hong Kong. Tang is credited with over 280 films. Early life On 27 September 1924, Tang was born as Tang Cheuk Fu. Tang Bik Wan ...

and

Lee Heung-kam Lee Heung-kam (13 January 1932 – 4 January 2021) was a Hong Kong Cantonese opera and TVB actress. Career She joined the entertainment industry when she was 14 years old. Since 1960, she became known for being an antagonist in many Cantonese o ...

. The show became a 1970s drama classic, well-known also for its theme song, "A House Is Not A Home"; 家變, which was composed/arranged by

Joseph Koo Joseph Koo Kar-Fai, MBE, GBS (born 3 February 1933), is a Hong Kong composer, who is considered one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong. He used the pen name Moran (莫然) for Mandarin songs early in his career. Early life Koo h ...

with lyrics by the late

Wong Jim James Wong Jim (; 18 March 1941 – 24 November 2004, also known as "霑叔" or "Uncle Jim") was a Cantopop lyricist and songwriter based primarily in Hong Kong. Beginning from the 1960s, he was the lyricist for over 2,000 songs, collaboratin ...

, and sung by

Roman Tam Roman Tam Pak-sin (; 12 February 1945– 18 October 2002), known professionally by his stage name Law Man (), was a Hong Kong singer. He is regarded as the "Grand Godfather of Cantopop". Career Born in Baise, Guangxi, China, with family root ...

The Synopsis

In 1970s

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, the construction industry was booming, but hidden dangers, due to corruption often jeopardized the public's safety. Lok Fai (

) is one of these construction company owners. He has two wives, the first, Yuen Heng Wan (

) has 3 children including a gay son, Lok Wah ( Simon Yam). Lok Fai's second wife Wong Yee Tak ( Nam Hung) has two daughters, Lok Lam (

) and Lok Man ( Tsui Mei-leng). Between the two families, sandwiches Lok's friend a banker and his lawyer son who helps to mediate between the two wives but Heng Wan and her best friend, Sze Li Mo-Yung (

Lee Heung-Kam Lee Heung-kam (13 January 1932 – 4 January 2021) was a Hong Kong Cantonese opera and TVB actress. Career She joined the entertainment industry when she was 14 years old. Since 1960, she became known for being an antagonist in many Cantonese o ...

), have deep hatred for them. Lok Lam creates a magazine, but the magazine's publication has Lok Wah's nude photos! (based on the 1970s standard, it is) This causes a war among the two families, and all hell breaks loose....with the anti-corruption ICAC investigators (played by

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: '' A Better Tomorrow'', '' A ...

and

Bill Chan Shek Sau (, born Chan Shek-sau, Bill, 21 November 1947) is a Hong Kong actor working for TVB. His son Sam Chan also works for TVB as an actor. In 2005, they appeared in a cooking show together for a Father's Day Father's Day is a holiday ...

respectively) who are hot on Lok Fai's trail. With his unworthy son-in-law Ma Chun Yau ( Ha Yu) taking over the business it is now up to Lok Lam to save the family business.

Success

The series was hugely successful after its broadcast and established

's status in TVB with her portrayal of Lok Lam, the heroine of the story. The ensemble cast (including Tang Pik-wan and Pak Man-biu) helped make the series a success. Liza herself sang her own version of the theme song.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Is Not A Home 1970s Hong Kong television series 1977 Hong Kong television series debuts 1977 Hong Kong television series endings TVB dramas Cantonese-language television shows