8 Reasons Why We Love China’s ‘A Love So Beautiful’
If you’re still wondering if watching C-Dramas is worth a try, you may consider starting with “A Love So Beautiful.” The show was so successful that ABS-CBN aired a Tagalized version in 2018 and even scored a Korean drama remake this year.
First Love. First Kiss. First Date. First Heartbreak.
You will be taken back to all of these and more when you watch A Love So Beautiful—the original Chinese version. This youth drama will make you feel like you’re falling in love again for the first time—and take you back at some point to that crushing feeling of your first heartbreak too! Overall, the show gives off the beautiful and delicate vibe of a warm and sunny spring day that came after a long, cold winter. It’s quite refreshing!
Based on the novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Qianqian, A Love So Beautiful tells the story of Chen Xiaoxi, a persistent budding artist who falls head over heels for her handsome and smart neighbor and classmate Jiang Chen. He was indifferent and cold to her confession though. How Jiang Chen finally came to his senses and realizes his feelings for Chen Xiaoxi is a journey you would definitely love to embark on with him in this series.
Now well-known celebrities in their country, Meteor Garden’s Shen Yue (Chen Xiaoxi) and Go Go Squid’s Hu Yi Tian (Jiang Chen) lead the cast in this heartwarming coming-of-age drama. They are joined by endearing actors who also made a mark in their roles which include Gao Zhiting (Wu Bosong), Wang Ziwei (Lin Jingxiao) and Sun Ning (Lu Yang). The onscreen friendship of the cast also translated to offscreen. They recently had a Lunar New Year reunion all together (except for Hu Yi Tian who went home to his family over the holidays) and generously shared a snap of their time together to their fans via Wang Ziwei’s Instagram account.
The 2017 drama aired on Tencent Video as a streaming television series and was popular during its broadcast run. It received over 5.5 billion views on its online streams. ABS-CBN aired the show in 2018 and gained loyal fans while Kakao TV in Korea adapted the show with Kim Yohan and So Ju Yeon as its lead stars.
There are just so many things to love about this charming drama and Metro.Style is here to share what we love best about it.
A Love So Beautiful
A Love So Beautiful
Shen Yue-Hu Yi Tian chemistry.
A reserved boy who has mastered keeping his feelings hidden meets his match in a girl so cheerful and expressive. Shen Yue and Hu Yi Tian played their roles so well, it’s easy to believe the initially hesitant but beautifully romantic spark that exist between Jiang Chen and Chen Xiaoxi. The height difference between the two may have contributed to the cuteness of it all too!
The wave of nostalgia.
The drama was set in 2005—a good 15 years ago! Those Nokia phones, ringtones and typing in 3x5 keypad as well as the boys playing Counter-Strike as a team will inspire a trip down memory lane. Ah, has it been that long?
The supportive girl BFFs.
Don’t you just love the friendship of girl besties Chen Xiaoxi and Lin Jingxiao? United by fangirling and school stuff, they excitedly swap stories about their crushes, heartbreaks and dreams. They even team up against their life’s “campus villains”—girl power!
The “Astronomy” couple.
No one can resist the cool and cute chemistry of second lead couple Lin Jingxiao and Sun Ning. From Sun Ning turning his attention to his beautiful, athletic and smart classmate Lin Jingxiao who fight the bullies, to being close friends with her and initially experiencing a one-sided love down to their conversation about astronomy—sigh! To be young and in love would be all you’d wish for. For science nerds, you’ll never look at Rosetta (a space probe) and Philae (a comet lander) the same way again—you’ll think of our second lead couple instead!
Wu Bosong.
Sadly, even in Chinese dramas, we have our great male second lead that we would always root for. The “second male lead syndrome” is strong on this one as Wu Bosong shows his love for Chen Xiaoxi and constantly protects her from harm and cheers her up whenever she feels down. To be honest, there was a point in the drama where you actually wish our lead girl would fall for him instead because she deserves the kind of love and attention he selflessly gives her. Even in letting go, he’s just the best!
The “barkada” moments.
Romance aside, this show will make you nostalgic as well about your high school “barkada.” In this show, you will see the characters—all five of them—deal with each of their challenges in life and support one another: when Xiaoxi suspected her dad of cheating, during Wu Bo Song’s swimming competition, when Lin Jiangxiao hurt her foot, when Sun Ning had a health issue and when they just urge Jiang Chen to be a normal person and pursue seemingly meaningless but happy things.
The time jump and POV twist.
Will stop at sharing major spoilers but we will see the grown-up versions of our protagonists and the changes they went through in life. A POV (point-of-view) twist awaits and is such a great treat for the fans of the drama. Pay close attention to episodes heading to the finale!
The heartwarming OST.
When the finale finally hits you, it’s hard to completely let go of this series. So where do we turn to? The OST of course! Thankfully, the songs and the ambient music from the show are available on Spotify for when you want to relive your favorite moments and scenes from A Love So Beautiful.
Ah, how to even end this? While A Love So Beautiful is memorable because of the romance at the center of the story, the friendship built within the show is magic! And there are many lessons to gain from this show like not being afraid of expressing your feelings, treasuring friendships, communicating well for the sake of a healthy relationship, fighting for love and sometimes, letting go for the sake of your loved one’s happiness.
What are you waiting for? Stream China’s A Love So Beautiful on Netflix right now.
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