A happy ending for Shang Zhitao (Sun Qian) and Luan Nian (Jing Boran) on Netflix’s Chinese workplace romance The Early Spring was incredibly hard-won.
asserted
ending → win → romance
At the start of the 24-episode series based on a web novel by Gu Niang Bie Ku, recent college graduate Zhitao is hired by Beijing advertising agency Lime—against bigwig Nian’s wishes.
asserted
Zhitao → base → wishes
The initial power imbalance between ordinary office worker Zhitao and her boss Nian is significant, and there is a company policy against romantic entanglements between co-workers.
asserted
imbalance → be → workers
Still, they quickly fall into bed together.
asserted
they → fall → bed
Over the next six years, the two are on-again, off-again as a prideful, emotionally repressed Nian struggles to say nice things to Zhitao and Zhitao struggles to balance her love for Nian with her commitment to her career.
asserted
Zhitao → struggle → career
Why does Shang Zhitao leave Beijing?
asserted
Zhitao → leave → Beijing
For Zhitao, Beijing isn’t just a place—it is a symbol of her career ambitions, and the kind of life she aspires to.
asserted
she → aspire → life
While The Early Spring’s central focus is romance, the C-drama also delves into other aspects of Zhitao’s character and journey.
asserted
drama → delve → character
A major throughline of the show is Zhitao’s efforts to make Beijing a home, and to succeed not just at a company or in a bustling metropolis, but in one of the most prestigious companies in one of China’s most global cities.
asserted
Beijing → make → cities
So, when Zhitao chooses to leave Beijing in Episode 21, “A Grand Retreat,” she isn’t just retreating from Nian, she is retreating from the lifestyle that Beijing demands for success.
asserted
Beijing → choose → success
It’s not just one event that informs Zhitao’s decision to leave Beijing.
asserted
that → ’ → Beijing
When she tells Nian that she wants to get married and he tells her he doesn’t really think about it, Zhitao begins to reconsider their relationship.
asserted
Zhitao → tell → relationship
Then, one of Zhitao’s best friends dies by suicide.
asserted
one → die → suicide
Finally, she gets passed over for a promotion in favor of a less experienced, nepo-baby co-worker.
asserted
she → pass → worker
When she seeks comfort from Nian, he offers none.
asserted
he → seek → none
It’s the final straw for Zhitao, who begins to feel like all the time and energy she has committed to their relationship might not have been worth it.
uncertain
she → ’ → relationship
Heading into the final installments of the drama, Zhitao has finally called it quits on her toxic dynamic with Nian, moving home to Harbin and starting her own advertising agency in the snowy, northeastern city where she grew up.
asserted
she → head → city
A few years pass before a bereft Nian attempts to reconcile.
asserted
Nian → pass → ?
Zhitao’s company has partnered with Lime for a local project, and Nian uses it as an excuse to see Zhitao again.
asserted
Nian → partner → Zhitao
Zhitao is understandably reluctant to let Nian back into her life, but Nian uses the excuse of their dog, a Samoyed named Luke, to spend time with his ex-girlfriend.
asserted
Nian → let → girlfriend
Over the following months, Nian elbows his way into Zhitao’s life and attempts to show her that he has changed.
asserted
he → follow → her
He apologizes for his past behavior, and mostly listens to her when she asks for space.
asserted
she → apologize → space
Eventually, Zhitao’s love for Nian wins out and she lets him back into her heart and her life.
asserted
she → win → heart
Nian makes it clear to Zhitao’s parents that he intends to marry their daughter, and then proposes to Zhitao by decorating an art gallery with photos from their time together.
asserted
he → make → time
He calls it Flora’s Museum of Time and Eternity, using the English name Zhitao used when she worked at Lime.
asserted
she → call → Lime
Lian gifts Zhitao a necklace with the “L” key from the typewriter Zhitao knocked over in his office during their first in-person meeting.
asserted
Zhitao → gift → meeting
He invites Zhitao’s closest friends and family, and asks the woman he has loved for almost a decade to marry him.
asserted
he → invite → him
She says yes, finally believing that the two can have a relationship as equals.
asserted
two → say → equals
In the final scenes of the show, we see Zhitao and Nian splitting their time between Harbin and Beijing, happy together.
asserted
Zhitao → see → Harbin
The Early Spring has done incredibly well on Youku and Netflix, where the C-drama has steadily been in the Global Top Ten list.
asserted
drama → do → list
East Asian dramas don’t tend to have second seasons, but The Early Spring could easily be extended with the adaptation of the second book in the web novel series.
uncertain
Spring → tend → series
Titled Miss Talkative, the sequel novel follows the unlikely romance between Zhitao’s work bestie Lumi and her stoic, more traditional co-worker Will.
asserted
novel → title → bestie
A developing relationship between the two is hinted at in The Early Spring TV series, but the plot line is left unresolved.
asserted
line → develop → series
Netflix’s increasing commitment to Chinese dramas
Though Netflix has become known as a home for Korean dramas, with the U.S. streamer investing billions of dollars into the East Asian country’s TV and film industries, the same has not been true for Chinese dramas.
asserted
same → increase → dramas
China is not interested in giving any U.S. company too much power in its economy, which has kept the streamer from setting up shop in the country.
asserted
which → give → country
In 2016, Netflix released a letter to shareholders alongside a quarterly earnings report stating: “The regulatory environment for foreign digital content services in China has become challenging.
asserted
environment → release → China
We now plan to license content to existing online service providers in China rather than operate our own service in China in the near term.”
asserted
We → plan → term
That same year, the Chinese government implemented a de facto ban on South Korean entertainment in China following the announcement that the U.S. would be installing an anti-missile system in South Korea.
asserted
U.S. → implement → Korea
In the decade since, Netflix’s catalogue and business model have become increasingly international.
asserted
catalogue → become → decade
As Netflix focuses on expansion into international markets, C-dramas have become an increasingly valuable asset.
asserted
dramas → focus → markets
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
