This year has been a reflective one for the local Chinese drama industry. More than a celebration of how far the industry has come, the fact that local drama turned 30 this year had us recalling just how much fun we’ve had over the years with our favourite dramas, actors and characters.

That’s why, for our cover shoot, we dressed our funniest variety show hosts up as Chinese drama’s most iconic characters. Because we could. But Kym Ng, Sharon Au and Bryan Wong have also had their fair share of drama, you know.

“Samsui Women was an iconic show,” enthused Au, who acted in dramas like Springs Of Life and Lucky Numbers. “I remembered being really impressed with the local drama scene. We didn’t feel that the actors were stars — we just felt they were someone we could relate to.

“The other show I really loved was Painted Faces. Those were the days when the dramas were heartwrenching — a lot of tragedy and brilliant acting from the cast,” she added. “The storyline was very powerful. That’s what impressed me most about those scripts. It was like a dream come true for any actor because the script really enabled even the supporting roles to shine. Everybody’s sub-plot was so intriguing and captivating.”

As for Ng, she has been dabbling in acting since she had a part in Strange Encounters in 1987. It remains one of her favourite shows, together with Tofu Street (“Every time cry, one!”) and The Unbeatables (“I just remember Zoe’s glamorous clothes — she was very wealthy-looking. That’s what impressed me!”).

Wong was most enthusiastic about playing dress-up with us: He loves period costumes and said acting in sword-fighting shows like The Chinese Paladin and The Chinese Ghost Story were the “roles of his life”. And here’s something you might not remember: Wong began his entertainment career as a child actor in 1978, starring in Children’s Drama.

“Actually ... when I was doing Children’s Drama, (Huang) Wen Yong just started out. I was playing the lead role but he was only playing my tuition teacher,” Wong sniggered. “One of my classmates (in acting class) was Fann Wong. But as a child, she was very shy and reserved.”

Wong’s successful turn as a TV host, he said, wasn’t planned. “I always call myself the accidental host. And this accident lasted a long, long time — in fact, throughout my entire career,” he said. “Being an artiste, I guess you love the idea of being in someone else’s shoes and being another person altogether. That is the luxury that a host doesn’t have because you have to be yourself every day.”

Well, we asked 30 more Channel 8 actors to share their most unforgettable memories from their time on the sets of well-loved shows over the years.

Zoe Tay: We were filming The Unbeatables ... Nanxing was shaking the dice in the cup. I was standing behind him ... The atmosphere was very serious. He shook and shook the dice. All of a sudden, I yelped. The director yelled, “Cut — what happened?” I said, “One of the dice has fallen down the front of my dress!”

Darren Lim: The most memorable scene I’ve done was with Cynthia Koh in The Little Nyonya. There was a kissing scene and (I had) a fake moustache. When we kissed, my moustache came loose ... (I) mumbled, “My moustache is dropping!” Because we have chemistry — I’ve worked on many, many projects with her, and she is very smart — we twisted and turned; it looked as if we were having a wonderful time; and then the director finally said cut, and I came up, and my moustache was hanging loose. We gave everybody a good laugh.

Zheng Geping: In Tofu Street, there’s a scene where my character elopes with his brother’s wife, and onlookers pelt them with rotten eggs. I was covered in raw egg and the smell was awful! And it hurts when eggs hit you!

Wang Yu Qing: A memorable incident during filming was when I was bitten by a parrot. I was supposed to reach into my bag for a textbook, and there was a parrot in the bag!

Zhang Zhen Huan: Together remains my only period drama. My most memorable scene was when I had to wear tights, a dress, smoky-eyed make-up, false lashes, a wig and US size 11 heels to play a cross-dresser in the street. Luckily, I didn’t cause a traffic jam that day. I think being a woman is quite tough — I found just standing in high heels tiring!

Chen Hanwei: My favourite drama in my 20 years of acting is Cupid Love — the one with that song, Guan Huai Fang Shi. And the most unforgettable moment in my career was when I first entered the industry and I had to do a kissing scene with a veteran actress. I had no experience so I French kissed her wildly! She got a shock but then she kissed me wildly back! It was Chen Anna.

Ann Kok: I love ancient period shows. Flying around and doing fight scenes are really fun. In my first one, The Valiant One, I did some sword-fighting moves and flew out from a bamboo garden. That earned me a lot of fans in China!

Kate Pang: My most unforgettable show has been Joys Of Life. On my birthday, we were really busy filming long scenes in the studio, but Ling Ling and Cynthia Wang both brought cakes to surprise me with, so I had two cakes that day! It was really sweet and touching.

Adam Chen: I played an Ah Beng character in Just In Singapore. In the finale, he gets crushed by a car. We spent almost half the afternoon filming under the hot sun in a deserted car park — being trapped under a car was no joke!

Qi Yuwu: In Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng, I played a thief. I actually contemplated going out and stealing something, just so I’d know what it felt like. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it!

Edmund Chen: Patrol, where I met my wife — we were romancing throughout the whole project.

Eelyn Kok: In A Song To Remember, I beat up Joanne Peh, Chen Hanwei and Julie Tan, trapped them in a room and set them on fire. I had to hold a barrel of “gasoline” — which was actually just water — a gun and a lighter. But I’ve never smoked so I didn’t know how to use the lighter. I am a kancheong spider and I was terrified of the fire. I was supposed to flick the lighter and throw it — but I threw the gun instead! It was a fake gun and part of the pistol broke, and they had to spend 10 minutes trying to fix it with glue!

Elvin Ng: Breakout tried to be different; it was daring. And I liked my character in the show. To do an autistic character was quite tough — I think that was the most work I’ve done for a role.

Huang Shi Nan: Men Of Valour was the first ancient period show and there were fight scenes, which many actors were unfamiliar with. We used real knives, so there were lots of mishaps. My eye was injured — someone had to stand in for me to do a flying scene. When he was up in the harness, he injured his leg ... it has still not fully recovered. So it’s rather unfortunate.

Cavin Soh: In Portrait Of Home, I had to fight with Zhang Yao Dong, and I happened to be wearing a watch. As my fist was going past his face, the watch accidentally scratched his lip and there was a lot of blood. It was very realistic! When I saw the blood, my knees turned wobbly. I apologised non-stop but he didn’t hold it against me!

Chen Tian Wen: Man From The Past was a sci-fi, time-travel show. I played the hero who had been buried in the snow for 300 years and was dug up and revived by present-day scientists. That show was a classic because it was the first to use live sound, the first to feature period fashions, the first with kung fu scenes, the first to be filmed overseas in Korea, and the first to take a whole year to film. It was also the show for which I was criticised the most heavily by the newspapers!

Yvonne Lim: Legend Of The Condor Heroes was my first period drama. In period costume at high noon, we were sweating buckets, but the director, who was quite strict, said we weren’t allowed to move. It was only when Christopher Lee, as Yang Guo, told the director he couldn’t take it any more, that we got a chance to rest. I guess any newbie has to suffer a little in order to learn.

Andie Chen: I never knew filming could be so much fun (until) Joys Of Life. So I’m looking forward to doing my next comedy. We were so tired from shooting 18-hour shifts, there was a moment where I actually fell asleep standing up for a few seconds.

Yuan Shuai: In 995, we were filming a suicide scene where I had to jump from the third storey without a harness. And I had to cry because the character was full of remorse, so I had brought wasabi and other stuff to help the tears — which I didn’t need in the end because I was so emotional!

Jesseca Liu: Falling In Love was my first “ugly” role. I wore a wig and looked like a guy. Every time I went to the ladies’ room, people would think I was a guy. But I felt comfortable and free.

Ian Fang: My role in Don’t Stop Believin’ was very different from my usual: I played a good student instead of a rebellious one! My grandfather passed away while we were filming. On the day he was to be cremated, at 4.30pm, I asked the director, “Please give me one minute.” I got out of the car, said a prayer and had a cry. Then I said, “Okay, I can go on.”

Rebecca Lim: In Poetic Justice, we wanted to try something different (in terms of) subject matter, script, lighting and cinematography… I was very happy and every day I’d look forward to going to work, even though I was sick and lost my voice for two weeks.

Pierre Png: The Little Nyonya revealed a lot of things that I never knew about my own culture, and also a lot of things I took for granted, like the food that my mum cooks. I never knew it was such a delicacy; I never knew it was so sought-after … I don’t do anything in the kitchen. All I do is eat.

Ya Hui: Secrets For Sale marked my first on-screen kiss — with Chew Chor Meng. I’d been watching him on TV since I was young and he’s a TV idol. All of a sudden, I was acting as his mistress and I had to kiss him — in Hotel 81! It was unreal. I got goosebumps watching it.

Edwin Goh: On The Fringe was the first time I worked with Li Nanxing. I was very, very nervous and I was fumbling with my lines.

Jeanette Aw: In Breakout, Guo Liang took me out on a yacht and he was supposed to throw me overboard into the water. The first time was perfect ... but the second and the third time, I was released on my side and it was head first. When I came up, I had burst blood vessels on my face and legs. That was very painful.

Xiang Yun: I was filming Return Of The Prince with Wen Yong. The two of us were boating on the pond at Little Guilin, and we were supposed to fall into the water. I couldn’t swim and I was terrified. They made me get into the water and I was clinging on to the boat for dear life. I saw a water snake swimming around right next to me! I was petrified!

Richard Low: In Living In Geylang, I played a pimp-cum-driver. He was a vulgar character, but because we couldn’t utter vulgarities on television, we had to invent a bad word: “Rotten eggs”. The Chinese papers talked about it for two weeks. They captured screen images of me gesticulating and said that not only did I spew vulgarities, I also made obscene gestures. My nephews and nieces told me that their teacher at school said they were not to watch that show. But I heard there was a teacher who got really angry at her students and the phrase “rotten eggs!” escaped her lips while scolding them. Once, while filming, there was a real pimp, dropping a streetwalker off, and when he got out of the car, I got a shock — because he was dressed the same way as me! Shaven head, jeans, a polo tee and canvas shoes. I said: “Isn’t that me?”

Pan Ling Ling: For Sile And Romance, we filmed in Suzhou. That was the show that got me recognition in China. I heard that the outfits I wore in the show started a trend there.

Desmond Tan: In A Song To Remember I played a rickshaw puller, and in one of the scenes, I had to pull Ling Ling and Julie Tan up and down a hill for over an hour. I was wearing thin-soled shoes and the hill was full of stones and gravel, so it was very painful!