the little Nyonya

Cast

Huang family

Elders

• Huang Yuan (黄元, also known as Tow Kay, meaning "Head of Household", portrayed by Yan Bing Liang (严炳量))- Head of the Huang family. He is also forced to follow the family's manipulations (for example, he is persuaded into disregarding Juxiang as part of their family).

• Guihua (桂花, also known as Tua Ji or "Big Sister", portrayed by Lin Meijiao (林梅娇))- The matriarch of the Huang family. She is very protective of her daughters, and hates Tian Lan's side of the family with a passion, treating them as mere inferiors. She later confesses her sins and suffers a stroke during her attempt to burn Yueniang, whom she blames for all the misfortunes happening in the family.

• Tian Lan (天兰, portrayed by Xiang Yun (向云)) - Mother of Juxiang. She was a maid of the Huang family. Having been raped by Huang Yuan, she was taken in as second mistress of the house. However, her status in the family is essentially that of a maid. She is accidentally thrown off the second floor of the Huang residence by Jincheng, after Tian Lan stumbles upon his affair with Xiujuan. Tian Lan's injuries from this fall prove fatal.

• Tua Kor (大姑, portrayed by Guan Xuemei (管雪梅))- Huang Yuan's elder sister and mother of Xiulian, Xiufeng and Xiujuan. Being a very demeaning elder in the Huang family, she often abuses Ah Tao.

First generation

• Huang Jincheng (黄金成, portrayed by Darren Lim (林明伦)) - Son of Huang Yuan and Guihua. He has a crush on Xiu Juan but is arranged to marry her sister, Xiu Feng instead. He died of a massive heart attack upon learning that Tianbao had been sentenced to death for murdering Chen Sheng, as well as Charlie and Robert Zhang.

• Huang Meiyu (黄美玉, portrayed by Apple Hong (洪乙心)) - Eldest daughter of the Huang family, and sister of Jincheng. Wife of Chen Sheng. However, Chen Sheng does not regard her as his wife. As a result, she shows a great sense of hatred towards Juxiang and Yueniang.

• Xiufeng (秀凤, portrayed by Pan Lingling (潘玲玲)) - daughter in law of Guihua. Married to Jincheng.Xiufeng listens to her mother-in-law’s every word. She will do whatever she can to marry her two daughters off to wealthy families, even if it’s at Yueniang’s expense. She suffers a terrible shock when she finds out that her husband is having a clandestine affair with her sister Xiujuan. She gradually turned good (all to prevent Guihua/Tua Ji for getting into the first woman of the Huangs) throughout the later episodes.

• Xiujuan (秀娟, portrayed by Cynthia Koh (许美珍)) - Younger sister of Xiufeng. She had an affair with Jincheng. When Huang Tianbao was arrested for the murder of Chen Sheng, she plotted a scheme to defraud the Huangs of their money, under the pretext of bribing a high-ranking police officer. The plot succeeded, with the Huangs giving her the proceeds from their sale and mortgage of virtually all of the Huang's assets. She ran away to Hong Kong after she received the money. However, she kept the money in a bank during her years on Hong Kong, where it earned a tidy sum of interest. She returned the money to the Huangs after many years.

• Huang Juxiang (黄菊香, portrayed by Jeanette Aw (欧萱))- Although born into a wealthy Peranakan family, she is treated with scorn and insult because of her mother's humble origins. She became a deaf-mute from the age of nine due to an illness; as a result, she cannot stand up for herself in many cases. She died of internal injuries soon after her husband, Yamamoto Yousuke, was killed by Japanese soldiers.

Second generation

• Huang Tianbao (黄天宝, infrequently called Alexandre Huang, portrayed by Andie Chen (陈邦鋆)) - The only son of Huang Jincheng and Xiufeng. He sent someone to kill Chen Sheng with hopes that Robert would reinstate him as deputy GM, but was laughed at instead. He was sentenced to death for instigating the murder of Chen Sheng as well for the murder of Charlie and Robert Zhang.

• Huang Zhenzhu (黄珍珠, portrayed by Eelyn Kok (郭蕙雯)) - first daughter of Xiufeng and Jincheng. A wilful girl who fancies Chen Xi. Zhenzhu is however lazy, straightforward and naive. She witnessed Yuzhu being raped by Robert and tried to save her, but was caught in mind by Xiujuan's advice and did nothing. In Episode 13, it is revealed that although she almost tortured Yueniang, but she does not want to see her die. She managed to marry Chen Xi but in the end, she ran away with another man as she didn't want to stay with Chen Xi, who ends up hating and disliking her. She is the only half-antagonist-half-protagonist of this show.

• Huang Yuzhu (黄玉珠, portrayed by Joanne Peh (白薇秀)) - Second daughter of Xiufeng and Jincheng. A demure girl who fancies Chen Xi, she often helps Yueniang and Ah Tao out of situations where they would otherwise get into trouble with the family elders. However, having been raped by Robert Zhang, she is forced to marry him, and thereafter suffers an ill fate under him. Tortured into insanity, she is committed to a mental institution for the rest of her life after giving birth to Zuye, the father of Angela. It is not known what happened to her after that.

• Yamamoto Tsukamusume (Yamamoto Yueniang) (山本月娘, portrayed by Jeanette Aw (欧萱), elder version portrayed by Xiang Yun (向云))- The daughter of Juxiang. She looks exactly like her mother. Her parents' deaths made her a rather strong-willed and feisty woman, yet she is still forgiving towards Guihua and her other relatives despite their mistreatment of her and her family. Ah Tao states at the present time that she has been diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine but did not want an operation; however, she goes for one when the disease nears its final stages. It is at this point that she tells Angela that she isn't her biological grandmother.

Third generation

• Zuye (祖业, child portrayed by Lim Yongxun (林泳勳), elder portrayed by Zzen Zhang (章缜翔))- Son of Yuzhu. Due to Yuzhu's mental condition, he was adopted and raised by Yueniang. He became a lawyer and had two sons and a daughter, the latter being none other than Angela.

Fourth generation

• Angela (安淇, portrayed by Felicia Chin (陈靓萱)) - A university student in Canada. Originally considered to be the biological granddaughter of Yueniang, it was revealed at the end that she is the biological granddaughter of Robert Zhang and Yuzhu, as her father (Zuye) was adopted by Yueniang due to Yuzhu's mental illness. Before the series, in the present-day storyline, she had an unlucky run in romance, and decided to briefly return to Malacca, where she learnt about her adoptive grandmother's bitter past.

Chen family

Elders

• Madame Chen (陈老太, portrayed by Li Yinzhu (李茵珠)) - Chen Xi's great-grandmother (Chor Chor), Chen Sheng's grandmother (Ma Ma). Likes to eat rempah udang very much. She places great emphasis on women's ability to cook Peranakan dishes and sew beaded shoes. She was one of the few people who trusted Yueniang.

First generation

• Chen Gong (陈功, portrayed by Chen Xiang (陈翔)) - The eldest grandson of Madame Chen, frequently comes into conflict with the Zhang family.

• Chen Sheng (陈盛, portrayed by Pierre Png (方展发)) - Married to Meiyu, but harbours love for Juxiang. After losing Juxiang, he drowns his sorrows by spending his free time drinking as well as singing and dancing pantun with young women. Sheng was murdered on the orders of Huang Tianbao, who believed that it was what Robert Zhang wanted.

Second generation

• Chen Xi (陈锡, portrayed by Qi Yuwu (戚玉武))- So named because on the day of his birth, his family signed a lucrative Tin contract, he is the only child in his family. Having been educated in the UK, he has always been more liberal than his conservative family. Although he wanted to marry Yueniang, his family forced him to marry Huang Zhenzhu instead. After he thought Yueniang had died in the fire where Robert Zhang had set up, he later married to Libby and had six children. His career was very successful and contributed a lot to charity.

Zhang family

• Charlie Zhang (查里张, portrayed by Desmond Sim (沈金兴))- A baba who returned from the United Kingdom, he is generally disapproving of the Peranakan culture, earning him scorn from the older generation of high Peranakan society. He has affairs with many women, and makes use of his wealth and status to collaborate with the Japanese. It is heavily implied that he had something to do with the deaths of Yousuke and Juxiang. He was killed during a scuffle between Robert Zhang and Huang Tianbao, when a pistol was accidentally fired, hitting Charlie in the head.

• Robert Zhang (罗伯张, portrayed by Zzen Zhang (章缜翔)) - Son of Charlie Zhang. A cunning one like his father, he raped Yuzhu and tortured her endlessly after marrying her, even to the extent of drugging her and giving her to other men in exchange of business benefits. He was killed by Huang Tianbao, despite Robert's promise to return the money and distributorship to the Huangs.

Other Character

• Ah Tao (阿桃, portrayed by Ng Hui (黄慧), elder version portrayed by Zhu Xiufeng (朱秀凤))- An amah for the Huang family. Originally a personal servant of Huang Yuan's elder sister, Tua Koh (who abused her heavily), she was bought by Tian Lan, and became her kitchen helper. She is loyal to Juxiang and Yueniang, and served Yueniang all the way to the present day. Her right leg was broken by Guihua sometime at the beginning of the show.

• Yamamoto Yousuke^[2] (山本洋介, portrayed by Dai Yangtian (戴阳天)- An ethnic Japanese, he was very interested in Peranakan culture. In order to protect Juxiang from the philandering Charlie Zhang, he married her. Yousuke was murdered by invading Japanese when Singapore fell to Japanese forces. It is implied that Charlie Zhang had a role in his murder.

• Liu Yidao (刘一刀, portrayed by San Yow (姚玟隆) - A butcher who had an arranged marriage with Yueniang, but later accepted her as his sworn sister. He and his brotherhood later assisted Yueniang with her business. At the advice of Yueniang, Yidao gave up his bullying and gangster-like ways, in favour of a more civilized lifestyle.

• Libby (丽贝儿, portrayed by Pamelyn Chee (齐騛) - A woman who is more liberal than social norms at the time, she eventually married Chen Xi, and had six children with him.

• Jonathan Li Xiuwen (李修文, portrayed by Nat Ho (鹤天赐) - A native of Hong Kong who grew up in Canada. He fell in love with his university schoolmate Angela, and followed her from Canada to Malacca. Because of Yueniang's dramatic past, he decides to write a story about her life and will not leave Malacca until it is finished.

• Da Sha (大傻, lit. "The Big Silly [person]", portrayed by Li Yuejie (李岳杰)) - A simple-minded lunatic who saved Yueniang's life when she was in a coma after being rescued from a well. Pioneer of bird's nest dish and helped her with her business.

• Paul (portrayed by Bobby Tonelli)- A British lawyer who was originally hired by Robert Zhang, but eventually helped the Chens in a lawsuit. He later married Yueniang. The couple have no children of their own, as Yueniang had 2 miscarriages.