‘Wild Bloom’: TV series shows female entrepreneur during reform and opening-up

Promotional materials for Wild Bloom Photo:Courtesy of Douban

Like its name, the new TV series Wild Bloom gives audiences a full picture of a young woman who breaks out from a siege and grows into a well-known entrepreneur of a steel company in the 1990s during China's reform and opening-up.

Released on November 27, the drama has become the highest-rated work among all the domestic dramas that have been aired on China's streaming platform iQiyi and various TV stations, in the second half of 2022. With its fascinating story, realistic depiction of the times and compact plot, it has gained a high score of 8.4/10 on Chinese media review platform Douban. 

Tough but humorous details are a major feature of Wild Bloom. The main character Xu Banxia, played by popular Chinese actress Zhao Liying, has a distant relationship with her father. 

In one scene, when Xu is rejected by her father, who doesn't want to lend her money, she decided to take back the apartment her mom left her and "throw the entire family out of her home." While the family makes a fuss, Xu's younger sister still practices her music on the edges of the scene, setting up a funny but realistic contrast. 

The story, which sees Xu become a pioneer in China's iron and steel industry, is a depiction of the overall fast development of Chinese private enterprises in the 1990s boosted by the country's reform and opening-up policy.

The series interweaves various elements such as career, values, life, friendship and love together, showing the complicated but increasingly rich society at the time.

In addition, the depiction of a powerful female figure in business in 1990s is another main feature. The main character's independence, righteousness and assertiveness are a full demonstration of a leading female figure in the new era.

The storylines, including the reform of state-owned enterprises, the layoff of workers and the drama that comes with running a business, have impressed audiences with their realism. What is presented to the audience is no longer a story, but reality in the form of a TV series. 

In addition, topics related to Wild Bloom have sparked a wave of discussions on Sina Weibo while viewership numbers has reached more than 350 million.

Global Times