With the Beijing Winter Olympics drawing to a close, a popular TV series reflecting Chinese athletes' fighting spirit has recently earned applause online, striking a chord with broad swathes of society.
The drama, Beyond, has obtained 8.2 points out of ten on Douban - one of the country's most popular review aggregators - the highest score for all domestic series this year.
Unfolding across two parallel timelines — one in 1989, when Northeast China's Heilongjiang province founded its first team for short track speed skating, and 2014, one year before Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games — the drama recounts the experience of Chen Mian, a young athlete who endeavors to pursue her Olympic dream in short track speed skating.
By depicting three generations of domestic athletes, the drama also recreates the magnificent history of China's short track speed skating races over the past three decades.
Under the helm of Zhao Xiaobo, a veteran known for popular dramas such as Nothing but Thirty, the 29-episode TV series casts young actress Li Gengxi and veteran actor Hu Jun as the protagonist and her father.
During a symposium recently held in Beijing, Zhang said he delved into interview materials from over 100 people, mostly former athletes, to help him understand their courage and passion to overcome injuries and challenges and get the behind-the-scenes stories of their achievements.
"I was impressed to discover all the retired athletes are still engaged in work related to short track speed skating, which has inspired me to tailor a particular short video (interviewing former athletes and coaches in the end of each episode) as a tribute to their unyielding spirit," Zhang said.
Wang Yichuan, deputy chairman of the China Literature and Art Critics Association, said the series has innovated by adding a distinctive philosophical perspective, re-examining the meaning of success.
"It's not merely about surpassing others to become a winner, but moving audiences to see how Chinese athletes are brought together to find their own brilliance," he explained.
