TVB City of Splendour drama features Macau family inheritance battle
The TVB anniversary drama City of Splendour premiered on October 12 at 8:30 PM on Jade, bringing a high-stakes Macau family inheritance battle to screens with a stacked cast featuring Zhang ZhiLin, Wu Zhuoxi, Gao Haining, Zhang Xiweng, Jiang Dawei, Jiang Meiyi, Cai Zhi, Chen Ying, Gong Cien, Chen Wei, Jiang Zuman, Jiang Jiamin, Zhou Zhikang, Zheng Zicheng, Chen Xiaohua, and Huang Ziheng. According to stheadline.com reporting, the 20-episode series centers on the powerful Shang Lifeng Group, helmed by patriarch Guan Zhi Chen, played by Jiang Dawei, who enforces a brutal corporate jungle law where greed and conflict are actively rewarded.
Joint CEOs Engage in Power Struggle
Jiang Dawei’s character sets up his two sons—Guan Hauyin, played by Zhang ZhiLin, and Guan Haukwan, played by Wu Zhuoxi—as joint executive co-CEOs to provoke internal warfare. stheadline.com noted that this marks the first television collaboration between Zhang ZhiLin and Wu Zhuoxi in 13 years since Triumph in the Skies II. To sabotage his younger brother and his ambitious wife, Wong Suetying, played by Zhang Xiweng, the eldest son Hauyin enters a political marriage with former Hong Kong prosecutor Hung Hoiwan, played by Gao Haining.
As the power struggle escalates across the first fifteen episodes, the characters face intense corporate and personal turmoil. In early episodes, stheadline.com detailed how Jiang Dawei’s character is mysteriously injured, prompting the brothers to scramble for control. Later, as corporate tensions mount over the revitalization of the historic Chun Sheung Fong boat and the No. 10 San Ma Lo street project, alliances fracture. Concurrently, hk.on.cc reported that Jiang Dawei’s magnetic portrayal of the ruthless patriarch has earned widespread acclaim, particularly in scenes where he taunts his fictional sons and engages in fierce verbal sparring.
Controversies and Behind-the-Scenes Realities
The production has also generated off-screen discourse regarding its production choices and actor boundaries. stheadline.com and hk01.com both covered discussions surrounding intense scenes, including a widely discussed moment involving Zhang Xiweng and a costume adjustment. Addressing media inquiries during a promotional event reported by hk01.com, supporting actress Gong Mimi discussed the nuances of performing sensitive scenes, stating that actors must personally accept the material to deliver compelling performances. Gong also noted her own role in the series as a former romantic interest of Jiang Dawei’s character who becomes entangled in the family’s web of manipulation.
Adding to the confusion, hk.on.cc highlighted the breakout popularity of veteran actress Jiang Meiyi, whose character Ding Laiming—the mother of Wu Zhuoxi's character—emerges from a psychiatric facility to upend the family dynamics. Jiang’s intense confrontation scenes and her layered delivery have positioned her as a strong contender for upcoming industry accolades, adding deep emotional stakes to an already volatile corporate war.
The Escalation of Corporate and Personal Warfare
By the tenth and eleventh episodes, the rift between the aging patriarch and the next generation reaches a breaking point. stheadline.com outlined how Zhang ZhiLin’s character resigns from his executive post and establishes a rival development fund after a direct clash with Jiang Dawei. Tensions culminate in a violent physical altercation on a staircase, a sequence where Jiang Dawei’s character is pushed after a fierce confrontation. According to behind-the-scenes production notes reported by CCUE, Jiang Dawei initially offered to perform the stunt himself before the production team intervened for safety reasons, relying instead on professional stunt doubles and safety mats while retaining close-up reaction shots.
As the narrative progresses toward its later episodes, characters such as the enigmatic butler Fong Yeeon, played by Zheng Zicheng, continue to obscure their true allegiances, leaving audiences guessing about hidden parentage and ulterior motives. With multiple factions vying for control of the 1 billion HKD stock portfolio and managing complex webs of betrayal, the drama continues to test the boundaries of prime-time television storytelling in Hong Kong and Macau.