A group of Hong Kong residents and a group of mainlanders fought in front of a bag shop in a street in Hong Kong, throwing water, bottles, milk powder and even bags, till the police came and they dispersed. But don't get scared. It's only a scene from a new TVB serial called Inbound Troubles (Laobiao, Ni Hao Ye).

Inbound Troubles stands out among other TVB serials of our time for incorporating realistic topics. By telling the story of two cousins, the comedy reflects the cultural differences between Hong Kong and the mainland. But the show's characters have caused opposition from both sides with some people saying the show brings shame on them.

"We were thinking about a comedy when the conflict between mainlanders and Hong Kongers became headline news, so we put it in," Wong Wai-sing, executive producer of the show explained to the media, "But we don't mean to satirize any side."

Realistic touch

The cousins of Inbound Troubles are Cai Xin and Ng Ka-yee. They had never met until Cai went to Hong Kong. Cai is from Dongguan, Guangdong Province and he goes to Hong Kong to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. Cai's cousin Ng is a Hong Kong native who owns a travel agency and relies on the fat wallets of mainland visitors for his livelihood.

Cai feels the cultural clash many times the minute he sets foot in Hong Kong. And a series of troubles happen around the two cousins highlighting the differences between Hong Kong and mainland people. But finally Cai and Ng manage to adapt to each other and Cai successfully blends into the local life.

Cai's image as a mainlander includes scenes of him parking illegally, running a red light and littering. Ng is shown persuading the mainlanders to shop more just so he can make more money.

Though a comedy, the show includes many realistic topics. The notorious incidents that happened last year were incorporated in the show, such as the "D&G incident" caused by mainlanders who took photos in front of Hong Kong's famous shop, and the "tour guide Zhen incident" in which a Hong Kong tour guide forced mainland tourists to shop and cursed at them for not spending enough.

One scene shows a group of Hong Kongers singing the "Locust" song in which they belittled mainlanders who go to Hong Kong to purchase milk powder or come to give birth to babies only to establish the child's residency there.

"It is rare to see such a realistic TVB show," Shao Jingjing, a drama critic, told the Global Times, "It is a bold attempt and a breakthrough."

She said that the production of the show is average, lacking subtle descriptions of interpersonal relationships, but she added that she needs to "watch the whole show to evaluate it properly."

Extreme reaction

Inbound Troubles, which started to air in Hong Kong one week ago, has caused much controversy. The reactions seem to fall in two extremes. On the one hand, there are numerous complaints from both Hong Kong and mainland audiences who feel the show deepens the conflict. Amid the dispute, its rating has been higher than average these days.

It is reported that as of Wednesday, the Office of the Communication Authority and TVB have received more than 200 complaints including claims that the show has misled the audience, enlarged the contradiction, plagiarized songs, libeled Hong Kong people, beautified mainlanders, and affected the image of Hong Kong as a shopping paradise. Wong Wai-sing even got a call of harassment attacking the serial. As a result, there were rumors that the show might be canceled.

"Can't these audiences understand what I'm trying to express?" asked Wong Cho-lam, the actor who plays Cai and a scriptwriter for the show, on Sina Weibo, in response to the complaints, "While people grumble that TV serials in Hong Kong are not innovative and dare not picture reality, these complainers might kill TV dramas."

The pressure is not only from Hong Kong. The depiction of Cai, who represents mainlanders, displeases many on that side. Some who saw the show online said it denigrates mainlanders by exaggerating their bad habits.

Wong Cho-lam called upon the audience to stay tuned. "Some start to criticize after watching the first episode and quoted words out of context. It will not be late to curse after watching the whole serial," he wrote on Weibo.

"There are exaggerations. Cai can only represent some mainlanders. But it does truly depict some defects of the mainlanders," Shao told the Global Times. She also thinks the reaction of the audience is natural.

Some viewers said it is just a comedy to make fun, so people should keep a spirit of entertainment and not mind the jest. Some praised the act of publicizing bad manners. "Many … are reluctant to reflect on themselves. Lodging complaints cannot bury the truth," posted one netizen on Weibo.

Cultural integration

Wong Wai-sing once told reporters that he had expected this would stir controversy about "defaming," but he didn't mean to intensify the conflict, adding that their starting point was to make a comedy for people to enjoy. In fact, he wants to demonstrate the concept of harmony through it.

"We are not pointing fingers at mainlanders, to say nothing of purposely attacking or offending them," he said, "In contrast, we sometimes are satirizing Hong Kong people. We are all Chinese. But the cultural differences between us are undeniable, which needs time [to run its course]."

He revealed that with time Cai and Ng will develop into good brothers and their affection will show the message of co-existing cultures. The realistic topics as a start are just pavestones for latter plot developments: there will seldom be scenes showing contradictions later.

Even the production team shows the integration of Hong Kong and the mainland. According to Wong, besides himself and Wong Cho-lam, two other team members are from the mainland. "We learn from each other in designing the story. It is a harmonious process."

Wong Cho-lam also explained to the media that exaggeration of the characters is necessary for the pace of a comedy. "We cannot help but offend them a bit," he said, "It is no big deal. Anyway, it will have a happy ending and shows the ties between the two sides."

According to him, as the plot pushes on, the focus will transfer from current events to Cai's pursuit of his dream and his family's farcical distractions. As Cai participates in a talent contest, the show will look more like a musical drama.

Shao told Global Times that, though a comedy, the show could have realistic significance by showing the true side of life. "Looking straight into the problem is the first step to solving it," Shao said, "If the serial can really help both sides realize their defects and learn to put themselves in others' shoes, it will be rather meaningful."