Overseasidol.com — The highly anticipated Chinese drama Our Dazzling Days officially premiered on February 20, 2026, on CCTV-8 and streaming platform iQIYI.
Produced by China Media Group in collaboration with iQIYI, the coming-of-age series is adapted from Pan Yizhi’s novel Zi Di and explores youth, friendship, and resilience against the backdrop of China’s industrial transformation in the 1990s.
Directed by Huang Wei and written by Bian Zhihong and Zhang Dahai, the series stars Johnny Huang as Zhang Xiaoman, Guan Xiaotong as Yan Xiaodan, and Wang Tianchen as Xia Lei, with Xu Ruohan appearing in a special starring role.
The ensemble cast brings depth and authenticity to a story rooted in a pivotal era of economic change.
Set in 1990 in the industrial city of Tiexicheng in Northeast China, the drama follows three children of factory workers growing up in a military-industrial compound.
At the time, the factory was the heart of the community, surrounded by shops, hospitals, schools, and family housing.
Xiaoman is portrayed as a spirited and carefree boy who forms a strong bond with Xia Lei, a disciplined student raised under strict family rules.
Together with Xiaodan, a girl who dreams of sailing the world, they experience a vibrant and hopeful youth.
As China’s economy shifts and industrial restructuring begins, the once-thriving factory declines.
Xiaoman is forced to move to Japan to make a living, facing life-threatening challenges after falling victim to a scam.
Meanwhile, Xia Lei becomes part of the so-called “Shanghai drifters,” carefully building his career in the competitive metropolis.
In the early 2000s, when the factory in Tiexicheng ultimately shuts down and thousands lose their jobs, fate reunites the three friends.
Armed with new skills, technology, and broader perspectives, Xia Lei and Xiaodan return home determined to revive a branch factory.
Together with Xiaoman, they confront local power struggles and obstacles to rebuild their hometown’s industrial legacy.
Over time, their bond evolves from friendship into a family-like connection, embodying the enduring “factory children” spirit of responsibility and resilience.
The series also released its theme song, The Place My Heart Longs For Is Home, performed by Mao Buyi, enhancing the drama’s nostalgic tone.
Promotional posters themed “I Come from the Factory” further emphasize the authentic 1990s industrial aesthetic.
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