The City of Sunlight (2024)

A calm and warm watch about the modern life in Lhasa, Tibet

These past few years, we've been seeing more dramas about minority ethnic groups in C-drama land. The first and most popular among international audiences are, without a doubt, Meet Yourself and To the Wonder, but they're not the only ones. For a story about Tibetan people, there's City of Sunlight.

Don't be misled by the fact that you haven't heard of it. The teams behind and in front of the camera are very good, and like its more famous counterparts that benefit from the hype, they also provide a nice vibe and heartwarming family/community relationships, as well as stunning landscapes.

Perhaps one reason this show has gonne unnoticed is that the English translation of its name doesn't help, as you can find it listed as The City of Sunlight, City of Sunlight, and City of Daylight.

The Story

This production from 2024 is set in contemporary Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It's a slice of life drama that, through the relationships and conflicts between two generations of a Tibetan family, portrays the clash of old and modern mindsets, the daily life in Tibet - mainly in Lhasa - and the strong cultural heritage of this region.

In Tudeng's family, the eldest son wants to give up the security of a public office position to be an entrepreneur, the younger wants to quit his medical career to pursue a life as a Tibetan opera singer, and the daughter faces difficulties in her love life while being the heart and soul of the family after their mother passed away. Around them, other characters from the community and rural villages build quite a complete picture of intertwined stories that make you laugh, feel emotional and, perhaps, sometimes cry.

Highlights

The difference from To the Wonder or Meet Yourself is that City of Sunlight's point of view is totally local. There's no "foreigner" that arrives to the place to discover a different way of life and see things. Just as the drama Tales of Wumeng does with the Miao people, this is a local story told by locals.

Buddhism is omnipresent in the drama in a silent way, as a part of the daily lives of Tibetan people rather than shown as a touristic attraction on display. More often than not, these beliefs and symbols are shown but not explained, ranging from a picture on a wall to the magnificent Potala Palace reigning over the whole city.

In this regard, you can watch the drama as a casual viewer, but if you're interested in knowing a bit more of these hidden not-so-hidden hints, I made a post identifying and explaining them – without spoiling anything, of course. You can see them in Spotting Buddhist symbols and beliefs in Cdramas: Born to Be Alive & City of Sunlight

The cast is for the most part fantastic – half Han and half Tibetan –, the cinematography for both indoor and outdoor spaces is beautiful, and the storytelling is overall good. I have some caveats about how the last episodes chose to tell the closing part of the stories but that doesn't affect the overall experience.

I especially love the optimistic and energetic opening and closing credits, singing in Mandarin and Tibetan and talking about the characters. That´s why I used it in this post, although the quality isn’t the best.

FINAL THOUGHTS

City of Sunlight is a calm and warm watch, wrapped in 21 episodes, ideal for those interested in learning about Tibet, its culture and its people in an engaging and light way. It's also a good pick to have at hand as a palate cleanser or a rest between heavy and more dense dramas.

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