The Early Spring

Presentation

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Overview

Synopsis

Shang Zhi Tao is a young and naive graduate who lands a job a Lime, a big advertisement company. There, she works under Luan Nian, an arrogant, bad-tempered and sharp-tongued man. Little by little, they develop romantic feelings, but their relationship is full of ups and downs.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

What a roller coaster of emotions! Honestly, I was emotionally invested in this drama and they really drained me of my energy. There’s so much passion and chemistry between these two, but they also lack communication and are not really good at compromising. This makes their relationship exhausting and complicated to say the least. However, there is a real character evolution. Both Luan Nian and Shang Zhi Tao grow more mature and learn from their mistakes. The male lead is a huge red flag for most of the drama and I really felt that their relationship was toxic, but they also prove that efforts matter. I also loved how the drama is a perfect postcard to discover China. We see Northwestern China (Inner Mongolia), Beijing, Harbin in the North-east and even Tibet. It really made me want to travel right away. If Jing Bo Ran and amazing chemistry are not enough to convince you to watch the show, then do it for Shang Zhi Tao who rises into a true girl boss with ambition and great career aspirations.

Analysis

• Characters
• Shang Zhi Tao, the rise of a girl boss
• Luan Nian, how to express love
• The romance
• China as the background of their relationship
• Beijing, efforts and passion
• Inner Mongolia
• Tibet, the peak of their love
• Harbin, the cold break-up
• The ending

Characters: The drama portrays two characters with immediate attraction but who are clearly not on the same level in terms of career, personalities, experiences, and maturity.

Shang Zhi Tao, the rise of a girl boss: Shang Zhi Tao (Sun Qian) has just graduated and arrived in Beijing at the beginning of the drama. She feels like she has to fight to survive in this heartless city. Indeed, she doesn’t have a stellar resume or an impressive background, so hard work is her only way out. At first, she’s naive, innocent, and clueless. Yet, she wants to succeed and is ambitious. She has a bucket list and is determined to tick all the boxes before she turns 30. Her perseverance and determination are probably her greatest qualities. Relationship-wise, her move to Beijing led to her break-up with her ex-boyfriend. And she’s decided to focus on her career rather than her love life. Her plans are turned upside down when she falls in love with her boss Luan Nian (Jing Bo Ran). This relationship is emotionally and professionally tough for the female lead. On the one hand, she wants to climb the professional ladder and her boss teaches her a lot. But she fears people may attribute her success to her relationship rather than her talent. So, she wants to keep it a secret and feels insecure. On the other hand, she loves Luan Nian, but he’s not the most comforting, reassuring and affectionate person. On the contrary, he is proud, sharp-tongued and petty which results in Shang Zhi Tao being hurt numerous times. As years pass by, Zhi Tao becomes more assertive. She shapes her career, but also becomes more self-confident and decisive. After 6 years with Luan Nian and a lost promotion, she’s had enough and is emotionally drained. So, she ends her relationship, quits and leaves Beijing. She starts over, relying on herself and her acquired skills to start a business and becomes truly successful. She wants to make it on her own without anyone’s help and she does it. At the end she comes back to Lime as an important partner rather than an employee. She’s also matured and grown into a more self-assured woman who can bump heads with Luan Nian and talk back to him. She’s more able to fight him back instead of letting him crush her.

Luan Nian, how to express love: Luan Nian, also known as Luke, is a red flag at the beginning of the drama. He’s arrogant, proud, spiteful at times, sharp-tongued, mean and reacts like a kid. When he’s hurt or jealous, his immediate reaction is to hurt the person in front of him. He also doesn’t know how to communicate or how to express his love which creates a lot of misunderstandings with Shang Zhi Tao. Unfortunately for him, even his good intentions – like supporting her in her career growth – are misread due to his poor communication skills. However, he’s got an epiphany the moment Zhi Tao leaves him. He then realizes that his bad temper, harsh words and bruised ego got the best of their relationship. If he truly loves his woman and wants to keep her by his side, he needs to make amends and tame himself. That’s what he does at the end. He manages to reconquer her by being patient, gentle and sweet. He learns how to be soft-spoken and turns into a better person thanks to her. That’s a radical shift in his personality and the product of years and years of personal growth.

The romance: The romance between the leads is a roller coaster of emotions, oscillating between moments of passion and others of destruction. Characters are like magnets attracted to each other but also forced into this never-ending push-and-pull. However, there’s a clear evolution throughout the drama. Each learns from the other to make it work, and change for the better. Shang Zhi Tao for instance becomes more assertive and strong-minded, learns how to not back down and to confront Luke or events at work which she was not capable of at first. Meanwhile, Luan Nian appeases his bad temper. To be with her – and because he’s experienced life without her – he needs to tone it down. He thus acquires soft skills with this relationship. On top of the obvious chemistry and the steamy scenes, characters embark on a journey together that transforms them and makes them grow. This is what makes the story so beautiful.

China as a background of their relationship: Characters go to many places in the drama and interestingly these beautiful locations match their relationship status. About 10 years later, not only do they reach their final destination, but they’ve also enabled us to explore this vast country and experience the ups and downs with them.

Beijing, efforts and passion: Most of the story takes place in Beijing which is shown as a cut-throat city where survival matters. It’s a difficult location to be in for Shang Zhi Tao where she leads a fight at work but also in her relationship. It’s a fierce place where her fights are synonymous with bruises. Every moment she spends there hurts her even more whether it is with Luke, work or with the death of her flatmate. It’s too exhausting, that’s why she leaves.

Inner Mongolia: Northwestern China is the perfect opportunity for Shang Zhi Tao to display her project management skills. No one wants to go there, but she jumps on the occasion. This experience is a milestone in her career that allows her to get as much knowledge as possible – that will be handy later on – but also to get away from Luke and reconnect with herself. That’s how they start missing each other and enjoying the short amount of time they have together. It’s a revelation that they can be in a sane relationship and that they truly have feelings for each other. On Luke’s side, it’s an important moment because he starts realizing how much he cares about Flora.

Tibet, the peak of their love: They shot the most beautiful wedding pictures I’ve seen in a drama with these scenes! Tibet is the peak of the relationship for the couple. It shows that they can be more than just a hidden couple and that marriage is an option. This time in Tibet is synonymous with love at its best.

Harbin, the cold break-up: Harbin is Shang Zhi Tao’s hometown where cold is constant. After her life in Beijing falls apart, she goes home to start anew. She’s heartbroken and deeply wounded, so she takes some time to get over her time in the capital. She also starts a new business, but her heart is still closed. Luke – now certain he doesn’t want to lose her – confronts the harsh cold of the city and the terrible temperature to win her back. Harbin is a cold place, but it’s also a place that suggests rebirth and renewal because after the harsh winter comes the early spring.

The ending: After everything the couple goes through, I could not wish for a better ending than the one we got. It was romantic, heart-fluttering and full of nostalgia because you get to see all the steps of their relationship. I was honestly in tears but it was perfectly done. You truly understand that they worked hard to protect their love. They have had many hurdles along the way but they fought for their happiness and that’s why they finally get married at the end.