All good things must come to an end. So it was for Jewel in the Palace fans last night as they thronged giant screens at malls to bid farewell to the Korean costume drama.
More than 100 televisions at the APM mall in Kwun Tong showed the series' conclusion, with hundreds of fans grabbing seats before it started at 8.30pm. APM also staged a Korean dance performance and gave out flower tea.
Tai Po Mega Mall set up eight plasma screens and a 2-metre screen to show the finale. Olympian City also had 14 televisions, including the outdoor giant screen.
Jewel in the Palace has achieved the highest rating, with 44 points, pulling in more than 2.8 million viewers. The show was first aired on TVB Jade in January.
Building worker Ray To, 28, watched at APM with his girlfriend. 'It's fun to watch TV with such a big crowd,' he said.
Maureen Fung Sau-yim, a deputy general manager at Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said APM shops supported the broadcast because it helped keep shoppers in the mall. 'Last night they noticed 5 per cent of the shoppers were gone when Jewel In The Palace was on air,' she said.
The series ended on a happy note, with the lead character, based on Korea's first female imperial doctor, Jang-geum (played by Lee Young-ae) leaving the palace to make a life with her family.