How The Early Spring Ends—And Sets the Stage for More Chinese Dramas on Netflix

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. 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. 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. Still, they quickly fall into bed together. 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. Why does Shang Zhitao leave Beijing?Nian and Zhitao Courtesy of NetflixFor Zhitao, Beijing isn’t just a place—it is a symbol of her career ambitions, and the kind of life she aspires to. While The Early Spring’s central focus is romance, the C-drama also delves into other aspects of Zhitao’s character and journey. A major throughline of the show is Zhitao’s efforts to make Beijing a home, and to succeed not just a...