The Little Nyonya

The Little Nyonya (小娘惹)
The Little Nyonya theatrical Poster
Genre	Period drama
Written by	Ang Eng Tee (洪荣狄)
Directed by	Chong Liung Man (张龙敏) Tay Peck Choo (郑碧珠) Chia Mien Yang (谢敏洋) Loo Yin Kam (卢燕金)
Starring	Jeanette Aw Qi Yuwu Pierre Png Joanne Peh Xiang Yun
Opening theme	如燕 by Olivia Ong
Ending theme	保温 by Bevlyn Khoo 需要 by JS
Country of origin	Singapore
Original language(s)	Mandarin Chinese, English, Bahasa Melayu, Japanese and Hokkien
No. of episodes	34
Production
Producer(s)	Chia Mien Yang (谢敏洋)
Running time	approx. 45 minutes
Release
Original network	MediaCorp TV Channel 8
Original release	25 November 2008 (Singapore) – 5 January 2009 (Final Chapter on 11 January 2009) Astro: March 2009 / ntv7: 26 October 2009 (Malaysia) 29 March 2009 (Cambodia) MIPTV: March 31, 2009 (France) 24 August 2012 (Philippines) 5 September 2009 (Burma) 1 December 2009 (U.S.) Shanghai: 2009 / China (Satellite) 16 January 2010 TPBS: 20 January 2010 (Thailand) TVB: 26 April 2010 (Hong Kong) MediaCorp Suria (Singapore): February 2, 2011 (episodes 1-12), 4 April 2011 (episodes 13-34)
Chronology
Preceded by	By My Side
Followed by	Reunion Dinner
External links
[[1] Website]

The Little Nyonya (Chinese: 小娘惹) is a 2008 drama serial on Singapore's free-to-air MediaCorp TV Channel 8. The storyline, which circles around the biographical flashback of an extended Peranakan family in Malacca, is set in the 1930s and spans to over 70 years and several generations of three families. The series was partly sponsored by the Media Development Authority of Singapore. It debuted on November 25, 2008 and concluded its run on January 5, 2009.It is known as Best Drama Serial in 2010 Star Awards.

Produced by MediaCorp in commemoration of the channel's 45-year anniversary (45载光芒·8方贺台庆), the series has been acclaimed by viewers and critics, and raked the highest viewership in the country in 14 years. The success of The Little Nyonya has led to the show being broadcast internationally. The series became the first ever Singaporean Chinese drama to be dubbed in Malay and aired on Malay-language channel Suria.

The story spans over 70 years, from the 1930s till the present day.

Huang Juxiang is born into a large Peranakan family where her mother is a mistress. She is gentle, beautiful and a fantastic cook. Due to a serious illness when she was 9 years old, Juxiang becomes a deaf-mute. Because of her handicap, she is ostracized by people. Right before the Japanese Occupation in Singapore, she is forced to marry Charlie Zhang, a rich Peranakan, and become his concubine. Juxiang resists the marriage and runs away from home. She then meets Yamamoto Yousuke, a young Japanese photographer. After overcoming many obstacles, they finally get married and Juxiang gives birth to a daughter Yueniang. During the World War, Juxiang is injured and she and her husband die, leaving behind their 8-year-old daughter.

The orphaned Yueniang eventually walks to her grandfather's house on her own. Her grandmother rejoices for her presence. Under the supervision of her grandmother, she learns to cook Peranakan dishes and sewing. She grows up looking exactly like her mother and is exceptionally beautiful. After the war, her maternal relatives who sought refuge in England return home. Yueniang ends up leading the life of her mother – always discriminated against, beaten up, blamed and tortured. She puts up with this mistreatment to protect her grandmother.