The two-hour finale of the Chinese drama broke ratings records with a viewership of 33.8 per cent, attracting about 1.67 million viewers.

Mr Paul Chan, 40, vice-president of branding and promotions at MediaCorp Channel 8, says this makes The Little Nyonya the most-watched home-grown drama in the last 15 years.

The 34-episode show about Yueniang (Jeanette Aw), a long-suffering Peranakan woman, debuted on Nov 25 and has a storyline which starts in the 1930s and spans 70 years.

Aw, 29, plays both the lead character Yueniang and her mute mother Juxiang in this multi-generational tale of domestic abuse.

The mother Juxiang was the daughter of a maid who was raped by her rich Peranakan employer. She and her daughter Yueniang were looked down upon by the family and were abused and mistreated.

The blockbuster production, which took about one year to research and four months to shoot, was filmed in Singapore and Malaysia.

The melodrama has consistently scored high ratings and won over a wide spectrum of viewers - the young and old, non-Chinese viewers and viewers who usually do not watch Channel 8 dramas.

Student Justina Koh, 20, who usually watches American dramas such as Gossip Girl, says she was drawn to the show because of the Peranakan setting.

'I thought the idea for the show is rather refreshing as compared to other Channel 8 dramas which focus on typical modern storylines,' she says.

The show has also earned praise from the Peranakan community.

Mr Alan Koh, 54, honorary treasurer of the Peranakan Association in Singapore, says: 'While they sacrificed the language issue, which is a big sacrifice, they made up for it in terms of the storyline, acting, costumes and subject matter which were fantastic and interesting.'

The hit TV show will be screened in Malaysia this month and has been sold to China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Despite the record ratings, many fans did not like the ending, saying that it was too sad and abrupt.

The story ended with Yueniang marrying a Caucasian lawyer who has helped her in the past, while the man she loves, Chen Xi (Qi Yuwu) marries a mutual friend after his wife Huang Zhenzhu (Eelyn Kok) leaves him for another man.

Viewers interviewed, who were expecting a happy ending to the Cinderella-like tale, say they were disappointed.

Avid fan Janet Koh, 55, who has missed only one episode of the 34-episode show, says: 'I don't like sad endings. I cried during the scene at the railway tracks when Yueniang told Chen Xi that they cannot be together.'

The housewife adds: 'It was very sad because Yueniang has been strong and self-sacrificial all her life and yet did not have a happy ending for herself.'

In the end, Yueniang suffered two miscarriages after her marriage and died without having any children of her own.

Real estate agent Laetitias Tan, 26, who has never missed an episode of The Little Nyonya and spent New Year's Eve at her friend's house watching an episode of the show, says: 'I rushed home especially to catch it but it was not as interesting as I had expected.'

She adds: 'It is a pity because at the end of the show, Yueniang had no descendants and instead, the descendant of the evil man Robert Zhang (Zzen Chong) lived on.'

Some also feel that the two-hour finale had too many plot loopholes which were not explained.

Auditor Huang Chunxin, 23, does not understand how Yueniang manages to escape from the big fire unscathed.

In one scene of the finale, Chen Xi, Huang Yuzhu (Joanne Peh) and Yueniang were trapped in a fire. Only Chen Xi and Yuzhu, Yueniang's cousin, are shown escaping. Later, it is revealed that Yueniang is alive.

Miss Huang says: 'There should at least be a scene showing Yueniang running out of the fire to make the story clearer.'

Student Laila Jalal, 19, says: 'I love the show but its ending was quite abrupt as it did not deal much about Yueniang's married life and her Caucasian husband. The viewers don't know if she had a happy marriage.'

But other viewers think the ending worked because it is 'more realistic''.

Bank officer Som Li Ya, 23, who rushes home after work every day to catch the drama serial, points out: 'It may not be a happy ending, but it is very realistic because in real life, people may not always end up with their true love.'

Scriptwriter Ang Eng Tee, 48, who wrote award-winning local dramas Holland V (2003) and Stepping Out (1999), says he struggled with the ending and came up with five versions.

In the end, he says he chose the ending which he thought suited Yueniang's righteous character.

He explains that she would not not have married Chen as she felt guilty towards Yuzhu, who also liked Chen and had saved her from being raped by the villain Robert Zhang, only to end up being raped by him.

Mr Ang adds: 'Although the ending did not satisfy everyone, I think that it was realistic.

'However, if I had known most viewers wanted Yueniang and Chen Xi to be together, I would have written it that way because ultimately, television dramas are made for viewers.''