A new series will be shown on Beijing television from Monday. The Scent of Sophora Flowers is based on Liu-li-chang in Beijing, long the site of an antiques market. The show covers a period from the late 1920s up to the 50s, telling the stories of the antiques dealers on the street.

Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin and Wang Gang have been called the Screen Trio for their cooperation in several TV shows. And they're at it again in the Scent of Sophora Flowers.

Zhang Guoli said, "The meal is right only when we three ingredients are put together. We each have something special to add. Tielin gives it the right taste, Wang Gang adds color, and I'm the plate. I'm not the most important ingredient, but without me, it's incomplete."

In this 32-part series, the three actors play very different roles from before. They previously appeared as leading figures of the Qing Dynasty, but this time they're playing ordinary citizens struggling at the bottom level of society. Zhang Tielin plays the son of an old aristocratic family which has fallen into poverty... he often doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. The challenges presented by these new roles were welcomed by the trio.

Zhang Guoli, lead actor and director, says the series focuses on character and human emotions. He said it leaves a fine after-taste, like a good meal.

(CCTV.com May 31, 2004)