My Date with a Vampire III

Lore & Background

In ancient times, the immortal Fuxi desired to create a paradise called the Eternal Country in the human world, putting him at odds with his lover, the goddess Yaochi Shengmu, whose mission is to bring death and disease. Fuxi eventually broke up with Yaochi Shengmu and started a new relationship with Chang'e after adopting the identity of the archer Houyi. He lost Chang'e when she flew to the moon after consuming a magic pill from Yaochi Shengmu. The immortals of the Pangu clan intervened by imprisoning Yaochi Shengmu in Heaven, while Fuxi remained in the human world.

Kuang Tianyou and Ma Xiaoling have been living in Heaven after successfully preventing Nüwa from ending the world in 2001. Three years later, Yaochi Shengmu breaks free and introduces a deadly virus to wipe out the Pangu clan. Kuang, infected and on the verge of dying, sends Ma back to the human world. Ma travels back in time to the Song dynasty to find Kuang's previous avatar, Arrowhead, and takes him to present-day Hong Kong. She meets her family members and a strange girl called Kuang Tianya, who turns out to be her daughter from the future.

Just as relations between Fuxi and Yaochi Shengmu start to improve, Kuang, Ma, and their allies are confronted by Destiny, the entity that controls the fates of all beings. They must overcome Destiny to change the fate of the world.

Reader's Guide

My Date with a Vampire III continues the franchise's unique fusion of Chinese jiangshi folklore and European vampire mythology, adding layers of Chinese mythology, eschatology, and time travel. The series expands the narrative by introducing the immortal Fuxi and the goddess Yaochi Shengmu, whose conflict threatens the world. It also explores the consequences of the previous season's events, with Kuang Tianyou and Ma Xiaoling returning from Heaven. The inclusion of time travel to the Song dynasty and the appearance of future daughter Kuang Tianya deepen the storyline. The series culminates in a confrontation with Destiny, an entity controlling fate, raising the stakes beyond the personal conflicts of the earlier seasons. As a sequel, it retains many cast members from the first two seasons, maintaining continuity while introducing new characters and mythological elements. The series is notable for its ambitious blend of genres and its place within the broader Hong Kong television landscape of the early 2000s.

Did You Know?

• The series blends aspects of Chinese jiangshi fiction with European vampires.
• It incorporates elements of Chinese mythology, eschatology, and time travel.
• The character Kuang Tianya is revealed to be Ma Xiaoling's daughter from the future.
• The entity Destiny controls and dictates the fates of all beings in the universe.

Creative Genesis & Production Turmoil

The 1998 Hong Kong television series My Date with a Vampire emerged from a chain of rejections and personal tragedy that nearly buried it before it ever reached screens. Writer Leung Lap-yan completed the script in 1997 and first pitched it to Television Broadcasts Limited, only to be turned away. He then brought it to Asia Television, where it initially found a home. The production team had originally envisioned Lam Ching-ying, the beloved face of the Mr. Vampire film franchise, in the lead role. However, Lam was critically ill and ultimately passed away from liver cancer in 1997, leaving the project in limbo. ATV's senior management, already uneasy because the script departed from conventional vampire imagery, moved to kill the project entirely. Showrunner Chan Sap-sam responded by overhauling the material, inventing an entirely new protagonist—Ma Siu-ling, a money-driven female exorcist who fights in high heels and a miniskirt. Producer Sin Chi-wai then suggested Joey Meng for the part, and a weary Eric Wan, who had nearly declined the offer, ultimately committed to the story.

A Fusion of Folk Horror and Modern Myth

My Date with a Vampire distinguishes itself by weaving together several distinct supernatural traditions into a single narrative fabric. The series draws on the hopping-corpse (jiangshi) legends rooted in Chinese folklore, merges them with the blood-drinking, gene-spreading imagery of European vampire fiction, and layers in broader elements of Chinese mythology alongside contemporary horror tropes. The story spans two eras: in 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, guerrilla fighter Fong Tin-yau and Imperial Japanese Army officer Yamamoto Kazuo are interrupted mid-duel by Tseung-san, an ancient vampire who bites both men and a young boy named Fook Sang, transforming all three. Fast-forwarding to 1998 Hong Kong, Fong has reinvented himself as a police officer with Fook Sang posing as his son. His life is upended when he meets Ma Siu-ling, heir to a sorcerer clan devoted to hunting supernatural evil, sparking a romantic triangle with her close friend Wong Zan Zan. Meanwhile, Yamamoto has reinvented himself as a powerful businessman whose ultimate goal is to convert every human into a vampire, unleashing chaos across the city before Fong and his allies finally destroy him.

Cast & Character Architecture

The ensemble of My Date with a Vampire is anchored by Eric Wan as the dual-era vampire Fong Tin-yau and Joey Meng as the sharp-tongued, high-heel-wearing Ma Siu-ling (also credited as Ma Danna). Kristy Yang brings energy to the dual role of Wong Zan Zan and her vampire identity Yamamoto Yuki, while Kenneth Chan embodies the antagonist Yamamoto Kazuo. Supporting players include Chapman To as Kam Tseng-zung, Pinky Cheung as Yamamoto Mirai, Berg Ng as Ken/Domoto Shingo, and Cheung Kwok-kuen as Fuksang. The supernatural world is populated by figures such as Kam San as the ancient vampire Tseung-san, Sin Ho-ying as Master Peacock, and Wai Lit as the sorcerer Rahu, who resurrects Yamamoto and orchestrates a blood-moon ritual to dominate the world. The series also features a rich supporting cast including Wong Shee-tong, Ching Tung, Chan Lai-wun, Mak King-ting, Wong Mei-fan, Philip Keung, Chung Yeung, Lisa Lui, Lau Kwok-shing, Ng Wan-yee, Alice Chan, Raymond Tsang, Yeung Ka-nok, Leung Bik-tze, Lee Yung, and Lau Shek-yin, each contributing to the layered mythology and human drama that define the show's world.

Franchise Legacy & the Road Ahead

My Date with a Vampire occupies a unique position in Hong Kong television history as a spiritual successor to Vampire Expert, the two-season ATV series that aired in 1995 and 1996. The 1998 original was also conceived as a tribute to Lam Ching-ying, the iconic actor of the Mr. Vampire film franchise, whose death from liver cancer the previous year left a void in the genre. The franchise proved durable enough to spawn two sequels: My Date with a Vampire II in 2000 and My Date with a Vampire III in 2004, each expanding the supernatural world established in the first installment. The series' cultural footprint extends well beyond its original broadcast. According to reporting by Netease, Fox Networks Group has expressed interest in remaking the property. Cora Yim, head of Fox Networks Group Asia, confirmed that the company had acquired roughly one-third of ATV's entire content library, a deal encompassing twenty-eight television series, with My Date with a Vampire included among them. This potential remake signals that the show's blend of Chinese folk horror, romantic drama, and vampire mythology continues to attract international attention more than two decades after its initial production.