After almost two decades, a sequel to The Little Nyonya is finally here.
Singapore Airlines is the only airline to be showing Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story in flight this April.
Out of the many shows that Mediacorp has produced, none seem to hold as much cultural weight as 2008’s The Little Nyonya. Widely regarded as one of the best Singapore TV series of all time, the period drama followed the struggles and triumphs of two generations of Peranakan women in a patriarchal society in the past century.
While rooted in a specific local context, the show’s success also extended to overseas audiences, attracting viewers all over Asia. Even now, it continues to win fans through word of mouth. Its success even spawned overseas imitators, but none of those series left as enduring an impact as The Little Nyonya.
So, as a spinoff to the beloved local classic, Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story has big shoes to fill. The series immediately acknowledges its predecessor, opening with the familiar theme song from The Little Nyonya, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Jeanette Aw, the lead actress of the original series, even returns to reprise her role as Yue Niang, the titular Nyonya of the show.
Emerald Hill opens in the present day, where a young woman discovers that the character Yue Niang was based on her relative. Inspired by the show, she goes on to rediscover her heritage and family history, bringing us back in time to her grandmother’s childhood. At the age of three, Zhang An An was kidnapped and lost, only to be found seven years later, and she subsequently grew up embroiled in the tumultuous Zhang family drama.
This time, the title of Little Nyonya is shared amongst three women: Zhang Xin Niang (Tasha Low), who discovers she’s the long-lost granddaughter of the Zhang family; Zhang An Na (Chantalle Ng), who returns to the family to stay at 10 years old after being sent away as a baby; and Zhou Hong Yu (Ferlyn Wong), a prostitute who somehow gets entangled with the Zhangs in unexpected ways. Ng steps into a new acting challenge with her first villainous role, following in the footsteps of her mother, Lin Meijiao, who was the villain in The Little Nyonya.
No drama of this scale is complete without a formidable matriarch, and Zoe Tay steps into the role of Liu Xiu Niang, the iron-willed head of the family whose presence looms over every decision made within the Zhang household, who’s also dealing with her own sorrows and grief. An ensemble cast brings the story of the Zhangs to life — from veteran actress Chen Liping, who plays Xin Niang’s adoptive mother, to up-and-coming actors Tyler Ten and Zhang Zetong, who play love rivals vying for Xin Niang’s affections.
The world of Emerald Hill is filled with the sights and sounds of a bygone era — batik fabrics, Peranakan kitchenware, and classic Peranakan dishes. Written by Ang Eng Tee, the screenwriter of the original series, Emerald Hill is based heavily on the real-life stories of the Peranakan community. Many Peranakans shared their experiences with Ang during the years of research he put into the show.
As is typical of a MediaCorp drama, there are family secrets here to unveil, as well as plenty of betrayals, love triangles, and power struggles to keep viewers hooked. Emerald Hill doesn’t just lean on nostalgia — it carves out its own identity by exploring themes such as shifting cultural norms and familial duty versus self-actualisation.
As the story unfolds, Emerald Hill promises to be more than just a spinoff of a beloved show from your childhood. Whether it reaches the heights of its predecessor remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the series is off to a strong start. If you’re looking for family intrigue, love triangles, or maybe just something that will get you salivating (just look at those kuehs on the show!), Emerald Hill will tick all those boxes.
Conflicts arise with three drastically different “Little Nyonya” living under the same roof.
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A story that spans decades, it tells the life of Yue Niang, a pretty little Nyonya skilled in Peranakan traditions.
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