Wu Cheng Yi
Wu Cheng Yi is the name of a ficticious character which appears in several Mediacorp drama series, sitcoms, and variety shows, a popularity, although short-lived, is similar to Phua Chu Kang, who also appears in several media, including his own sitcom on TV. The name Wu Cheng Yi, when spoken in Chinese, sound like "No Sincerity". Cheng Yi is usually portrayed as a comical terrorist threatening destruction on Singaporeans with little action. The role of Wu Cheng Yi is often played by Mediacorp actor Ix Shen.
Appearances
Cheng Yi's appearance in most of the Mediacorp series or sitcoms are either mere cameos, or as a guest starring in that particular episode of the series. He made his first appearance in The Unbeatables III as a supporting role. He appeared in a few episodes of that series, portrayed as a mere rogue who works with the Cobra Organization of G.I. Joe. As a touch of humour, the series also made Cheng Yi into a homosexual and have Ix Shen play out the gay stereotypes which infuriated the homosexual community when the series aired.
Mediacorp liked the character of Cheng Yi so much so that they feature him again on variety shows or sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang. However, due to the controversy caused when he first appeared in The Unbeatables III, the homosexual characteristic was removed, instead focusing on parodying terrorists. Then in 2007, Mediacorp decided to write off his character like how the writers for South Park decided to write off Kenny McCormick. His last appearance would be in a major Mediacorp production.
His final role is much more prominent, this time as the main antagonist in Honour and Passion, a 2007 Mediacorp series sponsored by the Ministry of Defense. In this series, Cheng Yi is given a much more serious portrayal than in his previous incarnations. In this show, his homosexual characteristic returned again as one of the main highlights of the show, but however the intention was to portray the plight of the homosexuals in Singapore, who are otracised by people who viewed themselves as "normal". This time his performance was praised by the homosexual community for portraying them in a positive light.
Referenced in Metamorphosis
- Actor: Ix Shen
- Role: Dragontooth Terrorist
As some kind of a homage to Cheng Yi, Mediacorp Actor Ix Shen once again takes the role of a terrorist, this time named Ryan Ho, and as part of an organisation known as Dragontooth, which takes the law into its own hands and metes out the punishment it deems that criminals deserved. Ryan was often seen using a fake pass with the name of "Wu Cheng Yi" to inflitrate various buildings to spy or kill criminals. Early on in the series, Xi Cun who is the leader of Dragontooth had revealed that Ryan was thought to be dead years ago after he disappeared during an terrorist attack in Afghanistan. When Xi Cun was shocked to see the return of his friend Ryan, he mumbled: "I thought the last I saw of you was Qusay that terrorist." This apparently hints that upon Ryan's disappearance, Qusay Bin Laden took the opportunity to undergo surgery to look like him, so that he can sneak into Singapore with this new identity - Which led to the events of Honour and Passion.
This also hints that the events of The Unbeatables III, Honour and Passion, and Metamorphosis took place in the same universe.
Trivia
- There is a cross-over between The Unbeatables III and Honour and Passion - The characters Cheng Yi and Yan Fei appeared in both series. However, there is an inconsistency - Cheng Yi and Yan Fei are enemies in The Unbeatables III while Yan Fei actually aided Cheng Yi in his terrorist plan in Honour and Passion. Some fans who believed that there is continuity between the two series theorized that after the events of The Unbeatables III, Yan Fei became a mercenary who sided with neither good nor evil.
- In Honour and Passion, Cheng Yi is given greater character depth - He struggles with moral issues like homosexuality, killing, and friendship.