Ge Qiang is the patriarch of the Ge family, a short man with a hunched back who passed his short stature to some of his children including Ge Changjun and Ge Changyuan. He is the husband of Huang Guihua, his second wife, after his first wife passed away. He is the father of Ge Changjun, Ge Changyuan, Ge Yaqin, and Ge Cong through another wife, and also the father of Ge Changming with his previous partner. Ge Qiang is portrayed as lazy and irresponsible, living off his parents before marriage and off his wives after. He never managed anything at home or outside, preferring to drink, play cards, watch TV, and raise fish. He is abusive, physically beating both Huang Guihua and his children, including Jian Feng who lived with them. He has no shame and is indifferent to criticism. Despite his failings, he has had remarkable luck, benefiting from a distant relative from abroad who counted descendants and found him as the only one left, and he used inherited money to send his children to school and help Ge Changjun start a construction company.
