Sinful Debt

Sinful Debt[2][3][4] is a 1995 Chinese television drama directed by Huang Shuqin and produced by Shanghai Television. It was written by Ye Xin, based on his 1992 novel Educated Youth.[5] The series follows five innocent-eyed teens (all portrayed by first-time actors) who travel more than 2000 km from remote Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture to Shanghai searching for their unacquainted parents — former sent-down youths who in order to return home (in the late 1970s or early 1980s) abandoned them in the countryside. They teens did not expect, however, that their unannounced arrivals would create myriads of economic and relational problems for their urban parents, many of whom already remarried with new families.

Sinful Debt
A screenshot from ep. 1
Also known as	Sinful Debts[1] The Wages of Sin
Traditional	孽債
Simplified	孽债
Mandarin	Niè Zhài
Shanghainese	Nyih Tsa
Created by	Huang Haiqin
Based on	Educated Youth by Ye Xin
Written by	Ye Xin
Directed by	Huang Shuqin
Starring	Zhao Youliang Yan Xiaopin Jin Xin Wu Mian Wu Jing Wang Huaying Tu Ruying Li Jiayao Li Ying Dong Rongrong Li Yanbo Luo Zhenhua Hai Jia Yang Chengyun
Narrated by	Liang Shan
Opening theme	"Shei Neng Gaosu Wo" (谁能告诉我) by Li Chunbo
Ending theme	"Nali You Wo De Jia" (哪里有我的家) performed by Xie Liangzi and Fire Bird
Composer	Zou Huiming
Country of origin	China
Original languages	Shanghainese Mandarin some English, Japanese
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producer	Qian Qingqing
Producer	Cai Yongrui
Cinematography	Liu Lihua Xinghao
Running time	45 minutes
Release
Original network	Shanghai Television
Original release	January 9, 1995 (1995-01-09)
Chronology
Followed by	Sinful Debt 2 (2010)

The poignant tearjerker hit home with a national audience, particularly those affected by the devastating Cultural Revolution (1966–76) and its Down to the Countryside Movement, registering a record-setting 42.62% audience share in Shanghai.[6] According to reporter Yu Liangxin of the Shanghai Times, when more than 20 reporters sat together to watch the drama, most cried their eyes puffy.[7] The dialogue is mostly in Shanghainese, and the TV series is generally considered a representative TV drama of Haipai culture.

The series was also shown in Vietnam in 1997 and became a hit as well. A sequel also written by Ye Xin, Sinful Debt 2, was first shown in 2010, returning many of the older actors from the original series.