A Step into the Past is a 2001 Hong Kong television series produced by TVB and based on Huang Yi's novel of the same Chinese title. The series tells the story of a 21st-century Hong Kong VIPPU officer who travels back in time to the Warring States period of ancient China. He is involved in a number of important historical events that leads to the first unification of China under the Qin dynasty. The series' first original broadcast ran from 15 October to 7 December 2001 on the TVB Jade network in Hong Kong. A film sequel to the series, titled Back to the Past, is currently in post-production. Plot 21st century Hong Kong Hong Siu-lung is a 21st-century VIPPU special agent in Hong Kong. In the first episode, Hong and his colleagues stand guard at an exhibition of the First Emperor's Terracotta Army. One of Hong's colleagues notices that one of the terracotta warriors bears a striking resemblance to Hong. Moments later, wealthy businessman Lee Siu-chiu is attacked and held hostage at the museum by a madman who had suffered losses in the stock market. Hong rescues Lee and defuses the crisis. Hong is unhappy despite his success in his career. He has just broken up with his girlfriend, Chun Ching, after a seven-year-long relationship. She insisted that they wed but he preferred to continue their relationship without a proper marriage. Chun married another man and Hong becomes depressed. Time travelling Impressed with Hong's rescue attempt, Lee Siu-chiu and Doctor Wu Yau recruit him for a secret time-travelling experiment. Hong agrees to help them in exchange for an opportunity to travel back in time to salvage his failed relationship with Chun Ching. He is tasked to travel back more than two thousand years to the Qin dynasty, half an hour prior to the coronation of Ying Ching in 247 BC, and document the event with a digital camera before a swift departure. However, a critical error occurs during the traveling stage and Hong is sent further back in time three years earlier than originally planned. He is now trapped in the Zhao state of the Warring States period in 250 BC. In order to return to the future, Hong has to make an arduous journey across thousands of miles in ancient China to activate a device at a specific location and time. He was warned that making even a