Jeanette Aw reprises The Little Nyonya role in upcoming spinoff also starring Zoe Tay, Chen Liping, Jesseca Liu

It's been 16 years since The Little Nyonya aired, and yesterday (Jan 30), Mediacorp announced a spinoff for the ever-popular drama.

Titled Emerald Hill, the new series is set to air in the first half of 2025 and features a new star-studded cast as well as the return of a familiar face.

Tasha Low plays Zhang Xinniang, our new 'little nyonya'. A homeless child, Xinniang roams the streets with her adoptive mother Zhu (Chen Liping) until she is one day reunited with her apparent birth mother Li Shuqin (Jesseca Liu) as her long-lost daughter Anya.

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Shuqin's husband is the second son of the large and wealthy Zhang family led by matriarch Liu Xiuniang (Zoe Tay), who has two other sons (played by Shaun Chen and Romeo Tan) and daughter (Sheila Sim).

The sons' wives (Jojo Goh and Dawn Yeoh respectively) and children (Nick Teo, Chantalle Ng, Herman Keh and Zhu Zeliang) make up the rest of the household. Zhang Yaodong plays the partner to Sheila's character.

One of Xinniang's potential love interests is Huang Zuye (Zhang Zetong), and his mother is none other than Yamamoto Yueniang, played in The Little Nyonya by Jeanette Aw. She'll be back in Emerald Hill.

"Never have I ever thought that, 16 years on, I'd be invited to reprise this role of Yamamoto Yuening," Jeanette, 44, wrote on Instagram. "See you on screen soon."

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Meanwhile, Tasha, 30, posted an Instagram Story with 28-year-old Chantalle, who plays her cousin and nemesis Anna in Emerald Hill. Fans of The Little Nyonya may remember that it was Chantalle's real-life mum Lin Meijiao who played the villain in the original series as well.

What's more, we find out that Xinniang is not actually Anya, and the real Anya (Ferlyn Wong) was sold off after being kidnapped as a young girl.

What will happen when Anya makes her return? We will only find out when Emerald Hill airs.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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