Bai Lu-led 'Northward' premieres tomorrow

Northward, starring Bai Lu,  Ou Hao, Zhai Zi Lu, Gao Zhi Ting, Vanda Margraf, and Liu Heng Fu, is premiering on March 3. 

The drama is adapted from Xu Ze Chen's novel of the same Chinese name and tells the story of a group of teenagers living along the canal who go from acquaintance to companionship, then separation, and reunion, showcasing their identification with national culture and inheritance of national spirit. The story depicts how they give back to their hometown and society.

The story follows a group of young people who grew up by the canal as they journey from Huajie Street to Beijing. After experiencing a youthful time filled with innocence, they navigate the challenges and hardships of starting a business in Beijing. When both glory and failure have become part of the past, they return to Huajie Street by the canal, seeking their true selves and the meaning of life.

In the early 2000s, in a small courtyard on Huajie Street by the canal in Honghuai City, six families lived closely. Four childhood friends — Xia Feng Hua (Bai Lu), Xie Wang He (Ou Hao), Shao Xing Chi (Zhai Zi Lu), and Zhou Hai Kuo (Gao Zhi Ting) — form a deep bond with newly arrived Ma Si Yi (Vanda Margraf) and their classmate Chen Rui (Liu Heng Fu), growing up together. 

At the same time, as the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway nears full completion, the decline of the shipping trade brings different challenges to the six families. Amidst the changes and development of the canal, the young friends navigate their youth. In 2014, amid the bustling streets of Beijing, the wave of entrepreneurship in the internet era was surging. Xia Feng Hua, Xie Wang He, Shao Xing Chi, and Zhou Hai Kuo embarked on their journey northward.

Years later, Xia Feng Hua enters the logistics industry and becomes the head of a delivery station. Wang He invites Xing Chi and Hai Kuo to join him in expanding the business, which quickly thrives. However, alongside their success come workplace conflicts, disagreements, and even crises. The once-young boys and girls of Huajie Street now find themselves at a new crossroads in life.

In the end, with the successful inscription of the Grand Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the youths reunite on Huajie Street. After their entrepreneurial journey, they resolve their inner dilemmas and find the meaning of life. Like the reformed canal, they embark on a new chapter of their lives.

Northward premiers on  March 3 and will be streaming on iQIYI.

Source: Baidu