Hearts of Fencing

AU-YEUNG YAT and his younger brother AU-YEUNG LOK have joined a new school. On their way to school, YAT drops a banana skin on the ground. His classmate NAM slips on the banana skin and falls over, leaving a few specks of dirt on her clothes. On the orientation day, different extra-curricular clubs and societies make a great effort to recruit new members. Lazy YAT is fairly interested in the Fencing Club, thinking that it won’t take much time at all. He then forces LOK to join the team with him. YAT and LOK happen to discover a picture of KIM, the coach, which was taken in a fencing competition years ago. They are stunned by KIM’s brilliant achievements and try to dig up more facts about his background. KIM, however, refuses to say a word about that. The Fencing Club members are having their regular practice, during which NAM and her classmate CHING peek at them through the window.… ...

NAM is planning to put on a charity show to raise money for the new school magazine project. She has invited heart-throb singer EASON as the performer, while YAT and LOK are busy selling concert tickets on the campus. DON, who is with his childhood friend LUNG, has a severe quarrel with YAT and LOK over the soft drinks. DON is deeply attracted by NAM’s feisty personality. YAT and LOK meet DON and LUNG when they are practicing fencing. DON, who has always wanted to captain the Fencing Club, challenges LOK to a contest so as to show his power. LOK and DON are dueling for the title of ‘Captain’ and for a split second, KIM has arrived to stop them. Nobody realizes KIM’s power until that very moment. The school hall is full of students who are waiting to see EASON. But out of the blue, EASON cannot make it to the concert due to some reason. This is a real shock to NAM and her classmates.… ...

The Student Union has been organizing a series of orientation programs for new students, among which there is one very special event. It is a matchmaking festival, during which a boy and a girl will be chosen, and the pair will be going out for one whole day. It has long been a tradition of Shung Ngai High School, but by experience, those chosen are unlikely to make a go of their relationship. LUNG and MAN have been chosen this year. MAN gets dressed up deliberately for the date and she looks absolutely gorgeous in her new trendy outfit. MAN and LUNG go to fly a kite, and have a heart-to-heart talk, as prescribed by the traditions and customs. The two of them have a great time and this does help to strengthen their relationship too. Teenage girls MUI, MIU, MAN, CHING and NAM all snuggle down in bed talking about their dreams. So whose dream is the most special?

To celebrate its silver jubilee, Shung Ngai High School has arranged a campfire party for both teachers and students. During the party, a beauty pageant is also held. Each boy is given a yellow ribbon, and is asked to pass it on to the girl whom he finds attractive. MIU loses control of herself as she sees all the delicious food prepared for the party. She eats like a horse and this makes her look a bit embarrassed. Classmate CHEONG, however, does not see MIU as being gluttonous. Instead, he much appreciates her genuineness. MAN is all dressed up for the party, hoping that LUNG will be attracted by her beautiful looks. She doesn’t know that there has been some misunderstanding between LUNG and herself. DON wants NAM to win the pageant, so he tries to buy as many yellow ribbons as he can. This, nonetheless, makes NAM very unhappy. NAM has got two yellow ribbons from YAT and LOK respectively.… ...

The Fencing Championship is approaching and everyone is looking forward to it. These teenage boys and girls have been going out on and off and their relationships are going fairly well. LOK knows NAM is dying for a necklace that is delicately inlaid with a four-leaved clover. He then offers to eat ten buckets of ice-cream in the hope of getting that necklace in return. Poor LOK falls ill before he can finish the ice-cream. He has diarrhea and is very sick. YAT knows about it and decides to help him out. He manages to finish ten buckets of ice-cream himself and can finally get that necklace. He passes the necklace to LOK so that LOK can give it to NAM as a present. LOK and DON have made a bet on who will do better in the upcoming competition. CHING is aware of it. She wants DON to win and has therefore anonymously given him an amulet, just to wish him luck.… ...

LOK gives the necklace to NAM but she refuses the gift right away. LOK is surprised and a little disappointed but he is not going to give up too soon. He believes NAM will be moved by his sincerity some day. The Shung Ngai Fencing Team is going to take part in the Inter-school Fencing Championship (Kowloon District). They have to defeat their opponents who are from another secondary school in order to reach the final. The principal promises to offer all team members a free trip to Saipan for intensive training if they win the semi-final, so that they will be well equipped for the H.K. Inter-school Fencing Championship Final which is to be held three weeks later. LOK, DON and LUNG are to take part in the competition as the fencers while YAT is chosen as a reserve. Both LOK and DON have tried their very best, not only for their school, but also for NAM.… ...

The Shung Ngai Fencing Team has successfully secured entry to the final. As promised, the principal has sent the Fencing Team and the School Magazine Editorial Team to Saipan for a special training program. DON, LUNG, LOK and YAT have a great time on Saipan, enjoying the sunshine and the sea views. They are so relaxed that they have almost got the training program out of their heads. To bring the boys back to the real purpose of this trip, KIM makes them participate in a cross-country race. DON again challenges LOK to a contest, the result of which will determine who is better qualified to be NAM’s boyfriend. All through the cross-country race, YAT and LOK, who stay in step with each other, are doing really well, while DON and LUNG spend all their time quibbling over trivial matters. DON and LUNG later fall down the hill and get badly injured…. Like a miracle, a coconut tree has helped to patch up the relationship between MAN and LUNG.

LOK has carelessly dropped the necklace. A truck knocks him down when he is picking up the necklace. NAM and her friends hurry to the hospital to see LOK but LOK has already passed away. DON misses LOK so much. One day, he gets back to school for a regular practice session with LUNG. During the practice, DON initiates a fierce attack towards LUNG, not because he wants to hurt him, but because he takes it as a way to vent his frustration and to ease the pain of losing a dear old friend. The School Magazine Editorial Office is filled with anguish. The five girls cannot hold their tears as they recall the happy moments they spent with LOK. YAT has disappeared for a few days, which worries KIM and MISS CHENG a lot. YAT has been hiding himself inside the practice room night and day trying to improve his fencing skills because he wants to fulfill LOK’s dream of becoming a prominent fencer.… ...

Everyone has been very depressed since LOK’s death. To ensure that every team member is fit and ready to take part in the final, KIM, as the coach, tries hard to boost the morale of the Fencing Team. He has uncovered HAK’s fatal weaknesses while watching the footage of a fencing competition. He has got some ideas as to how to beat HAK. DON, LUNG and YAT keep on practicing but don’t seem to show great improvement even under KIM’s new guidelines. DON has decided to consult the four fencing masters, the four top-ranking titans of fencing who have vanished mysteriously for years. DON, LUNG and YAT can finally meet the four fencing masters and have learnt the truth about their disappearance.

The H.K. Inter-school Fencing Championship Final is approaching. YAT, LUNG and DON are all in first-rate training for the final, and are ready to meet their number-one rival HAK. The night before the final, every team member is accompanied by his lover. NAM has given YAT a kiss to show her love and support. LUNG reminds MAN not to dress up on the day of the competition so that he won’t get distracted. DON has grown up from being an arrogant profligate spendthrift to being a down-to-earth helpful nice bloke. He looks out for his team-mates and shows his care and affection for CHING. CHEONG and MIU have baked a cake for the whole team to show their unfailing support. KIM is glad to see that YAT, LUNG and DON have finally come to understand what is most required for fencing and how important team spirit is. Before the competition starts, KIM admits to the principal that they have only a slim chance of winning.… ...

(The end) Try as they may, neither DON or LUNG can beat HAK in the last few rounds. Now it is YAT’s turn. At first YAT still lags several points behind HAK but as time goes by, he becomes more and more confident because he feels as if LOK was with him. Also NAM’s support makes him strong in his determination to overcome any obstacles. YAT decides to use his left hand instead of his right and it works – he performs so well that he finally draws with HAK. There is only one minute of extra time to take the championship. Both HAK and YAT try their best to score one more point…. One year later, YAT, NAM, LUNG, MAN, MIU, CHEONG, DON and CHING return to Shung Ngai for a gathering. Each couple can keep their relationship on track and all of them are enjoying their love lives. MISS CHENG is touched by KIM’s generosity and finally accepts his proposal. The two of them are tying the knot.… ...