Frost_edelweiss

It is a coming of age, period piece, around the Grand Canal of China, and Beijing in the period 2008-2016, about family matters, close community friendship and the choices faced with changing times, changing ways of transport, of work, of cities, of health, from the 2000s to the late 2010s, recovering and valuing humble proof of ancient roots to strengthen the ties together, and realism of the sentiments. There are sweet moments, but since it is between childhood sweethearts, there is also a lot of pulling back and forth, no misunderstandings but uncertainty since the ML, and the group of 3-4 boys and 2 girls that he leads informally, need to choose their path and the way to stay together and support each other. Work comes first, and there is stiff competition in studies and on the job market, so the ML, even if he has bright ideas, cannot hope to become an industry leader in his twenties without strong backing that he lacks. So he and his friends struggle, until they find what and who they are made for.

Culturally, even if it is not at all "a musical", the specificity is the music which deploys an anthology of the Chinese pop songs that were known to all, in those 15-20 years of the 21st century (Pengyou, Ting Mama de Hua, Mama Hao, Beijing Huanying Ni, Beijing Beijing, Two Bufferflies aka "亲爱的你慢慢飞 Qīn'àide nǐ mànman fēi" ...), with 6 additional new OST songs by emerging composer Zhang Yilin (who has also been music director for c-drama Six Sisters). Zhang Yilin composed music for six songs in Go North, sung by others, including the nostalgic "Yuǎnfāng" sung by relative newcomer Li Wanda/Vanda Margraf (she has an unusual background, so I added a "Profile" for her in Discussions section. The FL Xia Fenghua is in love with the songs of Chris Lee, who is still very much favored as an idol singer of original Chinese pop music, so a few of her songs are used repeatedly.

The cast is outstanding, both the 6 of the "young generation" and the parents.
Bai Lu (as Xia Fenghua "Da Huazi") did a fantastic job to portray the character evolution from "ugly duckling" tomboy to woman of decisions.
Vanda Margraf (as Ma Siyi) is a relative newcomer and this is her first drama, but she certainly has potential
Ou Hao, the ML, showed with nuances the optimistic young leader who learns from disappointments
Zhai Zilu (as Shao Xingchi) stood out, playing a young man who chooses the most difficult path of struggle
Gao Zhiting (as Zhao Haikuo) was memorable for his playing the nerd who prefers hometown to anonymous position in IT business
Liu Hengfu (as Chen Rui) played a crucial role in staying true to his values

The supporting cast of the elders also had memorable characters and actors :
Hu Jun (as "Boss" Xie Tiancheng) played skillfully his role as defeated mariner, overcoming finally his difficulty to accept changing times and role in his small family
Qi Huan (as Liang Haihong) portrayed well the change in women's lives and the challenges faced with new risks and heartache
Wang Xueqi (as "grandpa" Zhou Yipu) was memorable for his position as anchor, slowly weakened by time
Sa Ri Na (as "grandma" Ma) was the link and spark to recover the hidden truths and ties that bound everyone together
Yue Yang (as Shao Bingyi) was the star-crossed writer with spiky character hiding a hidden benevolence
Li Naiwen (as Zhou Yanlin) was convincing as a chef loyal to his cooking art and his roots
Tong Lei (as Luo Zhimei) was true in her portrayal of a woman suffering from incompatible choice between family and vocation
Tu Ling (as Li Yan) was the woman who refused family feudalism, but whose moral commitment not to burden others could have wrecked her daughter Fenghua's happiness.
Sun Dachuan (as teacher Xu) emerged as an inspiring educator figure
There were villains and heroes, cowards and timid types, decisive and ruthless people, selfish and generous characters, a cross-section of ordinary people in realistic environments and changing patterns of life and society.

There is humor and sadness, hopes and disappointments, but a clear moral emerges from the sticky mud : go for it, North or to foreign land, to find your own path and still remain true to your roots and allegiances. An excellent story, beautifully filmed, and the drama is a good interpretation of the award winning serious novel.

For more information, links to songs and more, you can turn to my illustrated Companion Piece, housed in Discussions section : https://kisskh.at/discussions/740015-bei-shang/139272-companion-piece-for-northward-beishang