The Dance of Passion
The Dance of Passion (Traditional Chinese: ) is a TVB period drama series broadcast in May 2006. The series was filmed in Yinchuan, (Ningxia in Mainland China) and Hong Kong. Synopsis. The entire series revolves around the lives of two clans: the Yim clan (閻族) and the Sung Clan (宋族), in the Loess Plateau area of the Shanbei region during the Republican era. In a time before the series, a plague swept through the area where the Yim clan lives, pushing the clan to near extinction. However, the Sung clan arrived and taught the Yim clan to  use gunpowder to ward off the plague. Later, after the disease was eradicated, the Sung clan taught the Yim clan the art of making fireworks and firecrackers, and this brought the Yim clan a new level of prosperity. In gratitude, the Yim clan elders of the time issued an edict, ordering the entire Yim clan and their descendants to care for all members of the Sung clan from cradle to grave, with no exceptions. This edict is the foundation of the conflict central to the series. By the time of the series, the Sung clan is a shadow of its  former self, with no brilliant or prominent clansmen of significant accomplishment. As a result, the entire Sung clan has become reliant on the care of the Yim clan. This has caused the Yim clan to perceive the Sung clan as parasites. The series focuses on the rivalries between these two formerly harmonious clans, and the efforts by the Yim clan to remove the Sung clan from their settlement. This, in addition to the intra-clan rivalries in the Sung and the Yim clans, and the constant threat from a group of bandits known as the Horseback Bandits (馬賊), set the  tone of the entire series. Critical response. TVB had been promoting this series heavily, thus creating a huge hype for the series even before it began its run. An early premiere along the lines of Hollywood movie premieres was held on April 24, 2006 at the International Finance Centre Palace. Many refer to this series as the ""War and Beauty II"" due to its striking similarity of the cast (with the exception of Maggie Cheung and Sheren Tang, the latter allegedly due to contract disputes), most of the cast remained the same with the addition of Ada Choi and Maggie  Shiu. Both productions also share the same producer Johnathon Chik. However, it is not a sequel or prequel and the storyline is completely different from the original "War and Beauty". Ratings report showed that the premiere episode broke the ratings record in recent years with an average of 36 points, which roughly translates to 2.31 million audiences. The second episode also maintained the same ratings. TVB, at the time, was confident the ratings of the series will continue to rise. However, the ratings began to fall flat following the next several weeks. Some believe that the premise of the show , which had two rival families constant bickering with each other, and the desert setting (which constantly produces a monochrome yellow color that was dramatically enhanced in Post-Production on TV), made the show somewhat tiresome. However, the ratings for all episodes were above 30 points, remarkable in Hong Kong standards. Awards and nominations. Awards. 39th TVB Anniversary Awards (2006) Nominations. 39th TVB Anniversary Awards (2006)