Another war serial? Yes, this time with Nanxing and Priscelia Chan.

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MediaCorp is doing a new serial on the theme of the Second World War (again!). But before you groan, this show will be different from The Price Of Peace, so the producers claim.

<Eastciti.com, September 16> He Ri Zun Jai Lai is made up of 10 little stories, with different leading characters in each story. The serial aims to reflect the vicissitudes of life, of how the war changed everything from the perspective of a few families. We will witness the changes in these young people's values under the impact of the ruthless Occupation. Leading the cast will be Priscelia Chan, Qi Yuwu and Li Nanxing.

Priscelia Chan As Ah Gui
Priscelia will appear on the small screen in 8 out of 10 episodes. She plays Ah Gui, an 18-year-old Teochew songstress who feels that life is short and unpredictable. However, she is steadfast in love, giving it her all. Although she has no strong opinions about fighting the Japanese, she willingly joins in the fight alongside sweetheart Lin Fan. When he meets setbacks, she is there to take care of him and encourage him. The faithful lover, indeed. Alas, beauties have unfortunate lives (from a Chinese idiom, Hong Yan Bo Ming), for when Ah Gui discovers that the head of the anti-Japanese movement has turned traitor, she rushes to inform Lin Fan and the others, only to meet trouble.

Priscelia says, " I love the character; she is very devoted to love and willing to forgo what she had for her lover. There were quite a few emotional scenes for me to bring into play. I find the script well-written and the love affair between Lin Fan and Ah Gui is sad but beautiful." This is the first time that she will be working with co-star Qi Yuwu, but off-screen, they are good friends. That, unfortunately, makes it "very awkward to be playing a couple with a friend".

Qi Yuwu As Lin Fan
This leading role was originally meant for Chew Chor Meng, who later pulled out because of other work commitments. Lin Fan is a rash and emotional, but patriotic, 23-year-old. In the beginning, he has a happy family with his father and 2 sisters. Then war breaks out and his world crumbles; his father goes missing, 1 sister dies and the other becomes a comfort woman.

Says Yuwu, "I'm happy, not to mention excited at the chance to play this role. This is a bigger role than the other 2 roles in Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng and Dare To Strike. Lin Fan has being through quite a lot from the start of the serial to the end. There is much undulation in the role. When I first read the script, I felt the instant pressure. Wow, so many emotional scenes. However, after studying it, I am more prepared now and less stressed."

How is he going to prepare for his role? "From young, I watched many war-related movies. I think I can understand the doubts people of that time had about the meaning of life. I will also try to read up on how the locals fought and felt about the war," he says. Quite the diligent artiste. Keep it up.

His love interest in the serial is good friend Priscelia, but while she is slightly embarrassed at having to play his lover, he is not. "No. I don't feel funny. In this line, one will pair up with anyone as a couple, so it does not really make a difference to me if that person is a friend or a colleague."

How about being a second choice for the role? The handsome chap does not care about such trivialities. "No, I got this role by coincidence, or you can call it fate. I never thought about myself not being the first choice for the role. Anyway, to be first choice or not is not up to me to decide, so I don't worry about it."

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