Meet Yourself

A real masterpiece !!

A Very nice slice of life drama about the inhabitants of a small village near Dali (Yunnan).
Plot more and less "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" in Chinese version.

The relationship between Liu Yi Fei & Li Xian, (both GREAT in this series), is cute, comforting, solid. It's even a little hopeless to see a couple visibly in love, so cautious, hesitant!!
- The story is very well written, intelligent, full of wisdom.
- The production, slow, reflects the rhythm of life of the inhabitants. The landscapes, the images are magnificent... and we all want to go to Dali (Yunnan) to recharge our batteries, and meet the inhabitants (who have almost become family:)
- The actors are extraordinary: the grandmother, the aunts, the children, the roommates,... Their story is well developed, coherent, which means that we quickly get attached to the characters.
- Even the OSTs are just right!! Nothing flashy, the melodies are soft, beautiful... Perfect.

Don't miss this masterpiece (which you will watch again and again as you will find it hard to leave the characters)!!
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Très beau drama sur une tranche de vie des habitants d'un petit village près de Dali (Yunnan).
Plot +/- "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" en version chinoise.

La relation entre Liu Yi Fei & Li Xian, (tous les 2 géniaux dans cette série), est mignonne, réconfortante, solide. C'est même un peu désespérant de voir un couple visiblement amoureux, aussi précautionneux, frileux, hésitant !!
- L'histoire est très bien écrite, intelligente, pleine de sagesse.
- La réalisation, lente, reflète le rythme de vie des habitants. Les paysages , les images sont magnifiques... et on a tous envie d'aller à Dali (Yunnan) se ressourcer, et rencontrer les habitants (qui sont devenus presque de la famille :)
- Les acteurs sont extraordinaires : la grand-mère, les tantes, les enfants, les colocs,... Leur histoire est bien développée, cohérente, ce qui fait qu'on s'attache très vite aux personnages.
- Même les OST sont justes !! Rien de tapageur, les mélodies sont douces, belles... Parfaites.

Ne passez pas à côté de ce chef d’œuvre (que vous regarderez encore et encore tant vous aurez du mal à quitter les personnages) !!

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Long but enjoyable

It was too long thanks to all the characters and their issues that needed to be resolved, but it did manage to tell a story without the usual Chinese template. There’s no tropey romantic moments (accidental kisses, blisters on heels, fireworks, etc.) and no love triangles, obsessed chicks or tyrannical parents. There was an internet scandal, but it was a past event in one of the side character’s lives (thank you, screenwriter, for not putting us through one of those!) This drama is mostly about relationships and the problems/benefits of living in a small village. There’s a slow burn romance between ML/FL, and that’s about it. We do have a side character (Mr. He, the musician) hooking up with an old lady (old compared to him but not old as compared to the various aunties or ML’s granny), but thankfully, their romance does not take a lot of time. I think he would have been better with the web novelist or even café worker, but for some reason, Asian dramas are obsessed with older women-younger men romances these days. I still don’t like an age gap of over 5 years, and this one looked about 10+!

My favorite character is probably Mr. Ma (or Haochao – I’ll always remember this actor by his Go Ahead role).

As for the leads, I definitely liked ML. I liked this actor an A’Yao better than his Go Go Squid role because he was friendlier, warmer, smiled a lot and was just an all-around nice guy. I also liked that he was just a normal guy – he wasn’t a born-rich CEO – trying to make a happy life for himself and his community. He was realistic as was his romance with FL. As for FL, I liked her quiet mature demeanor, but I wasn’t wild about her, probably because she was too reticent. Half the time, I didn’t know what she was thinking or feeling, and it took her until nearly the final episode to admit to loving ML…and she didn’t say it, ML said it for her. I like still waters that run deep, but I never really saw any ‘deep’ emotion from her. And at times, she could act childish – like when she got mad at ML for suggesting the café worker meet her problem head-on. But, overall, they were a realistic couple who didn’t rely on the normal tropes to express their devotion to each other.

Although I found the drama enjoyable, I did have some questions at the end such as:

1) FL apparently goes to Yunnan to heal from her best friend’s untimely death. Her friend had encouraged her to live life to its fullest, to find what she enjoyed. However, how is FL’s life any different at the end than what is was in Beijing? Yeah, she has a boyfriend now and strong relationships with the people she met while staying in the village, but she’s still focused on a career above all else. Rather than being happy with a single homestay in Yunnan, she wants several homestays throughout China. How is that relaxing? How can you stop and smell the roses with those big plans? How can she spend quality time with A’Yao if she (and he) is busy with work? For once, I’d like to see a drama where the leads are happy being together and enjoying a simple life rather than toiling away at a career. Success is not measured by wealth or prestige; it’s measured by how content you are with your life.

2) It’s been a year, and they still aren’t married. At least, the in-laws are finally meeting. Talk about a slow burn romance. Sorry – I’m not a fan of open endings. I like things signed, sealed and delivered. There's plenty of hints that they will eventually marry, but without seeing it, the story isn't complete in my mind.

3) I understand ML’s desire to develop the community so that there’s more jobs for the residents, but do they realize that development will change what everyone currently loves about the community? You’re no longer going to have the peace and quiet, the strong connection with your neighbors that you previously had when there's a bunch of noisy tourists everywhere not to mention all the new people moving in, forcing their values and ideas on you. There is a reason why some people chose to live in a small community, and they aren’t happy when the city comes to them, ok? Honestly, I could see those men who attacked FL’s construction site being more upset about that than not getting their fair share of the ‘wealth’. Living in a community that’s currently experiencing high development, I can well understand current residents not being pleased that their paradise is being changed. I think more time could have been spent showing the downside of development.

4) Also, the big development push is getting a bookstore to move into the community. Well, I like bookstores, but they’re starting to be a thing of the past thanks to e-books so how it that a benefit?

5) Finally, I preferred the homestay FL stayed in to the one she built. The one she stayed at was homey and quaint, idyllic even, while hers was nothing more than a hotel. There was no ‘home’ in the homestay, no character or warmth. It looked institutional to me.

I gave an overall rating of 9.5 because I wasn't wild about FL's character. I couldn't 'connect' with her even though I prefer mature characters. I had a hard time believing that she actually loved A-Yao because she didn't express the warmth of love very well. Also, I marked down the music because, although I liked the songs, I got tired of hearing them over and over again for 40 episodes.

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Friends

This has to be one of my favorite dramas. Everything about it touched my heart.

Every villager, from the innocent little children to the beautiful wise grannies became friends that made me laugh, frustrated me, made me want to defend and protect them - and brought me to tears.

Every cast member was perfectly chosen and the story was brilliantly developed. Each character was given time so that you learned about them empathized with them, cheered them on, and wept with and for them. I can’t say there wasn’t a character that annoyed or bothered me due to tropey storylines. You’re able to watch them struggle and overcome things while being supported by each other. There was no backstabbing or crazy childhood friend being goaded by an overly controlling mother trying to force an arranged marriage.

The Ml and FL had sparks flying off the screen the whole drama. It was a joy to watch them draw closer and build up a solid, mature friendship before they committed to each other.

I just have to say that the ML’s granny had to be my favorite. She loves hard, fights back, teaches and protects her family and friends without reserve. The actress that portrayed her made me want to get to know her. This was a beautiful way to portray healthy familial love.

Some people might give this drama a low score because it takes so long for the leads to become a couple, but I think that’s one of the great things about this drama.

If anyone notices the FL’s obsession with time represented by the clock in the intro, at the hotel, her need to always know what time it was - even to rent one of the children’s wrist watch, and the comment made by the clock repairman at the beginning which basically said if one gear breaks the whole clock shuts down. After a few days the FL stopped obsessing with time As her heart and mind began to unwind from all the pressure she put on herself because of work, that is when her healing began. Then eventually she was able to remove her self from the clocks mechanism and realize that life is what we make of it, while strict adherence to her former jobs regulations, the importance of recognizing that rules and time can be their own prison. And, it is much better to let life roll on and do what you can to the best of your ability.

The friends she made in this little village were more understanding and loving group. Every quirky character was portrayed beautifully.

Needless to say, this one deserves rewatching. I feel like I missed a lot and want to go back to see them all again.

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Sloooowwwww, but so pretty!

OVERALL
This drama is truly unique. As of now, I don't think there's another one quite like it. Watch it if you 1) are looking for a nice slow burn, 2) want a drama with mature vibes, 3) like slice-of-life series. Skip if 1) lowkey propaganda bothers you, 2) ensemble dramas (which focus on many different characters) bother you, 3) dramas without a plot bother you.

THE STORY
Let's be honest: there is no story here haha This drama is just about life. It does start out as a story (something happens, FL needs a break and goes to the countryside), but then it's just 40 eps of FL living in the countryside, travelling back to the city, and living some more in the countryside. As someone who is not really into slice-of-life dramas, I dropped the drama at least 10 times. But I kept going back to it every couple of months because it's SO different, and I can now say I'm really glad I pulled through.

What's good about the drama:

- Mature vibes, from ALL the characters. No childish, annoying women, no high-pitched baby voices. Real people. I LOVE it.
- FL and ML have a very refreshing relationship, the friends-to-lovers type but in which both are really self-aware. Once they get together, they're also quite playful, and they have pretty decent chemistry. I liked them a lot!
- The script is at times quite deep. Lots of topics are addressed in this drama, from burnout and work stress to mourning and loss, and many inspiring quotes are told. You can tell when a drama takes itself seriously because the writing is 10x better than average.
- The cinematography is AMAZING. Awesome scenery, great filters, nice sets. Everything is flawless in that department! It makes you yearn for country life haha
- Story-wise, the second half of the drama is MUCH better than the first. It feels faster paced, and we get more of the main leads (rather than the many side characters)
- The relationship between family members is super endearing, especially in FL's family

That being said, Meet Yourself is not going to be in my list of favorite dramas of all times for a couple of reasons:

- I prefer dramas with a plot. The first half of this drama felt SO slow. I kept falling asleep while watching, even when skipping parts. Artistically, the slow pace is meaningful (it reflects how life also feels slower in the country), but I personally do not watch a drama to see life unfold in real time. I have enough of that in real life, thank you! Give me a plot and a decent pace! Luckily, the pace picks up in the second half.
- There are too many characters with a "story" of their own, and they're not all interesting. At least, I couldn't care for most of them. It would have been better if only 2-3 of them were 3D (developed) and the rest were just 2D friends or neighbors.
- In the first half (mostly), this drama feels too much like government propaganda to lure people into the countryside (go there, there's less stress, people are nicer, and they need you). Almost every ep had the characters gathering somewhere to talk shit about the city and how their lives were miserable there, and every other ep, some characters pointing out how life is hard for the people in the country because of lack of funds/labour/etc. It kind of got old and pulled me out of the story.

I still definitely think everyone should give this drama a try. If Chinese contemporary dramas could all go in this direction (and improve it), that would be so great!

THE ACTING
Fab, fab, fab. Liu Yifei was awesome! But the rest of the cast didn't fall too much behind. Their interactions were so organic, you don't often see that in dramas!

THE MUSIC
Catchy and fitting, but only the Chinese songs. The English songs were a monstrosity! haha

REWATCH VALUE
Low. It's just too slow for me. But I'd love to rewatch some clips, especially of main couple!

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A well-written mix of happiness, angst, sorrow, joy and excitement portrayed magically!

I once dropped this show after watching 3 episodes. They were too deep and sad for my mental state back then and I decided to stop. But I'm just so glad, months later, I gave this show another go. Best decision ever! This has to be one of my favourite shows. This show has made me wanting a WFH set-up in a beautiful airbnb in a peaceful environment so much!

What I like the most about this show is that ALL the leads have a brilliant background and story. Yes, you heard it right. You do not feel any imbalance in how they handle the multiple characters. Enough and more time is spent on the struggles, achievements and daily life of all the characters instead of being focused on only Hong Dou and Zhi Yao.

I also like how they've shown a broken yet extremely independent and sensible woman in the form of Hong Dou. She prioritises her mental health, is willing to work on herself when things are not right but overcomes it all (with the help of our wonderful characters) to get back on her feet. She does not let others guide her future and is a force to reckon with. Whether it be her family, or love, nothing gets in the way of her dreams, and that is just aspirational. What is even more amazing about this is that she does all of this without stepping on others, she considers everyone's feelings, acknowledges them and talks it out peacefully, commendable!

I also like the character of Chairman Xie. He is a self-aware and brilliant guy who knows exactly what he wants and gives his all to achieve the same. Although his character is too good to be true and very philanthropist-y for my liking, kudos to him for being like that and staying at it throughout the show. His commitment to his goal and community is commendable and it makes me look out for my own Chairman Xie.

My favourite characters though have to be of Na Na and Da Mai. They have developed beautifully over the show, given their best performances and worked magic on the screen. The bond between the two is also magical and something I aspire for. But having said that, all the actors including the village aunties and uncles, have brilliantly depicted their roles and the acting in this show is very top-notch by everyone.

What amazes me to this date is just how calm, composed and peaceful Xu Hong Dou sounds. The tranquility that sets whenever she's talking is no joke. So gentle and so sweet. It's like she could say 1000 mean things to me, and I would still be focused only on just how tranquil and gentle she sounds. I've never heard any actor portray a character like that and usually I find it very annoying but Hong Dou's tone matched the entire show and it's concept so well that it was a brilliant touch!

What I didn't like about the show is the little Chinese propaganda flowing throughout, but personally, I've learnt to overcome the same after having watched countless Chinese shows. At some point it also feels like a tourism documentary but I don't find any problem with that because the show has otherwise delivered on every single front so what's the problem with a little advertisement. I've been to Yunnan, Kunming and Dali and hands down the beauty of these places needs to be shared with everyone.

If you're looking for a feel-good, deep, and absolutely BRILLIANT show, then don't think twice. THIS IS IT. I can't recommend this show enough to everyone. What an amazing 35 hours of my life. Cheers! 🌸

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There’s virtually nothing happening for the first 4 episodes…

I dropped the drama as it is too slow. The cinematography is good, but the drama is shot like a movie, with no plot happening for the first 4 episodes. There’s a man staying in the lodge who is a comic relief as usual who is quite irritating and pointless as a cast, who does not contribute to the storyline. I dropped it without watching further. I do not understand why the drama has such a high rating, besides the fact that the two leads are good looking and Yunan itself is picturesque. The precipitating factor for the FL to move to Yunan is due to the passing of her good friend, but that is merely a device used by the scriptwriter. Overall too slow for me to continue watching.

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Pretty, but that's about it.

City life is stressful, folks, so let's move to a beautiful village in China! It's by a glorious lake backed by glorious mountains. Sample its delights in a gorgeously photogenic homestay full of vintage and artisanal charm, where you can sit peacefully sipping tea in a flower-filled courtyard with tinkling windchimes, friendly cats, no litter and not one single bug even though there aren't any screens. While you are here, you will be gently encouraged into wholesome activities by adorable grandmas in cute cultural costumes, while random people impart wisdom to you in not-at-all-clichéd epigrams and show you the True Meaning of Life! (tm)

Unfortunately, the promotional postcard was just that; much surface, little actual dramatic content. It was vaguely soothing to watch for a while just because it is so pretty and nicely shot, and all the points I am giving it are for that. But it didn't deliver anything else, for me: some cute photogenic moments but no real depth to anyone, and definitely not enough story to fill 40 episodes. The romance left me not only cold but actually feelIng lIke kIcking the ML's cheesy white grin - he was annoying and kinda preachy, and after far too long waiting for something interesting to happen I came to my senses and dropped it. I love a thoughtful slice of life, but it has to not bore me, and sadly, this did.

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A Slow Drama That Makes Time Move Fast Also LIU YIFEI !!!!

The drama is slow and very heartwarming but i have bever had 2 days go by so fast in my life. I Was outting this drama off until I realized Crystal Liu is Liu Yifei. Yes THAT LIU YIFEI (If you don't know who she is, she was at one point the most sought after actress in the ENTIRE WORLD and I mean it, like the only thing that limited her growth was her Chinese roots despite her US citizenship). It's also the only chinese drama thats actaully worth the 40 episodes. Not discounting Li Xian and the other actors especially Ma Meng Wei who played the writer. Her character development was very heart warming. There really isnt that much thats bad, but its also one of those dramas that only a few really enjoy.

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A rewatch after sometime

Wow, this drama truly deserves it's rating. I wish I could forget this series and watch it over and over again. It is that good in my opinion. This rewatch was a little bit different from my first watch, this time I watched it as a business student. I was much more engrossed in the, venture and career aspect of the drama. They actually talk about things I learn in university, it just adds to the charm of the drama. What I think is the best about this drama is it's set of characters, they have thought in them, they have distinct personalities, they felt like real people. Unlike lead centric stories where supporting characters are just there to further the romantic progress of the leads. In this drama a lot of the characters are actually fleshed out, in fact the romance between the leads progressed so naturally without the help of the supporting characters, that's what I also really like with the slow burn romance here, no unbelievable scenes, like accidentally kissing, accidentally hugging, stuff like that, yet it never felt boring, because they showed how love is nurtured, they started as strangers, they became friends, they began to have feelings for each other, they couldn't realize those feelings at first but gave in after realising that they can't move on, they sacrificed and helped each other to be together. It's so much better than clichés like contract marriage ( i still watch them if the chemistry between leads is amazing lol). Not just romance, everything was depicted really well, from friendships, to the community, hardships, family dynamics, so on so forth. It's a really well made drama. Very recommended.

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