rating after the first 4 episodes
The family lives in deep poverty in rural 70s/80s China, where every extra mouth to feed feels like a burden. The mother is heavily pregnant, the father struggles to provide, and the two daughters are forced to grow up too quickly under harsh social expectations.The older sister is already engaged as a child, while the younger sister fears being sent away if the new baby is another girl. Their drummer uncle tries to help by offering the elder sister a chance to join a troupe, one of the few paths out of poverty, but even that hope is taken away.
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Phenomenal story telling in a high quality drama.
Just to promote this wonderful drama I write this review now after 5 episodes.This drama resembles a truly good book. It takes the time to tell a story—a narrative centered on fascinating protagonists, interwoven with a portrayal of the historical context. Yet much remains unspoken; instead, it is conveyed to the viewer through the everyday occurrences that befall the characters. And although the plot is set in a historical era, certain cunning tactics—such as the uncle’s maneuvering to secure his niece a spot in a coveted training course that is offered only once every ten years—bring the narrative remarkably close to our own time. These are people fighting, in their own unique ways, for their survival and for their place in society—a struggle we can all understand: everywhere, and even today.
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