A Step Into The Past

A Step Into The Past follows a modern Hong Kong VIPPU officer who wakes up in the Warring States era, far from his own time. As he adapts to ancient customs and court intrigue, his knowledge and skills make him useful to powerful figures, pulling him into key events that shape the path toward China’s first imperial unification. The show balances action with political maneuvering, and keeps the focus on character choices rather than unraveling every historical outcome. Relationships and loyalties change as he learns the costs of influence in a violent, fractious age, while the tension between his modern ethics and ancient survival instincts drives most of the drama.

The series was produced by TVB and adapted from Huang Yi’s novel. It originally aired on TVB Jade from 15 October to 7 December 2001, directed by Jazz Boon, Simon Sek, 石銘泉, Liu Shunan, and 林子欣, with creators Wai-kin Chong, Kwok Fai Huang, and Wong Yik.

It didn’t become a major international award-winner, but it earned solid viewer interest during its broadcast run and has stayed part of conversations about prominent TVB historical dramas from that era.

The show had noticeable cultural ripple effects in Hong Kong TV. Its mix of time-travel science fiction and period drama encouraged more adaptations of popular martial and speculative novels, and its production values, costumes, and some scenes have been recalled in later genre productions and fan discussions.

Critical reception skews positive, reflected in a moderate audience score of 7.5 out of 10 from viewer votes. Reviewers and fans point to themes of identity, duty, and the moral friction between modern ideas and ancient power structures. Performances by Louis Koo, Kwong Wa, Jessica Hsuan, Sonija Kwok Sin-Nae, and Raymond Lam draw particular attention, anchoring the series as a character-driven blend of action and speculative history.