San shi er yi

This is a good C Drama with three main story lines surrounding three women who became friends. It takes place in the city of Shanghai where wealth and money is seen as the definition of success. The women, each living and struggling with different modern day problems. The acting is on point and the stories between these three friends are realistic, thought provoking and entertaining. I really enjoyed it.

A very enjoyable and absorbing drama of current life in China. Not only was the struggle of each of the main characters drawn with detail but the numerous story lines were explored with depth. The relationship between the main protagonists held all minor themes together elegantly. I was most impressed with the visual production and particularly the numerous dinner scenes shot from countless camera angles without losing the narrative. The subtitles were cringe worthy linguistics at times yet the meaning was understood over 90% of the time. The family story at the end of each episode would make a decent movie in it's own right. I definitely recommend this series.

This was another brilliantly written and thought out Chinese drama with a much more grown up and for the most part realistic story. It follows the lives of three women about to turn thirty and how that period in their lives changes their outlook and lives quite dramatically. It is a story about the struggles and strength of women but without being too female focussed. The men are not portrayed merely as side characters nor the villains, rather all the characters are imperfect yet endearing at the the same time. Once again the story telling was so clever and thought provoking and I found myself often thinking about the predicaments and emotions of the characters. It's not a light hearted or funny drama but it is really good and something quite different. The highlight for me was the extra little story of another little family at the end of each episode which I imagine more realistically portrays the average life for many in China. Highly recommend.