Where Dreams Begin (2023)

Great script

I typically do not like this type of genre, but I’m a fan of XZ. But, I’m also not going to be partial either. He is a great and always improving himself actor. He embodies his characters and always challenge himself. Most of the dramas he played in are difficult and not alike.

This drama is good because it is not about the military based story as expected, but instead is about youth, life, friendships, love and struggles in life to becoming someone successful, make an impact and to fulfill a dream that was not possible during that era in the country.

It is also not the typically ML and FL romantic or soapy storyline, weather, is the twists and turns that brought them together and how they overcome obstacles together as a life long partner.

Most of the main supporting characters are complicated and interesting. They may be seen as selfish, and in reality most people are selfish and not selfishness. So, you can’t hate any of the characters but at time feel sorry for them even.

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Gripping story of Menghai gang

Characters grabbed me from the start and I wanted to see how their dreams played out. Xiao Chunsheng portrayed by Xiao Zhan is a social cow who everyone is attracted to. He and his circle of friends from the military compound and nearby hutongs grow up together and pursue their dreams during a time of big change in China. Chungsheng and his Menghai gang - Tong Xiao Mei (Li Qin), Ye Guo Hua ( Liu Rui Lin), He Hong Ling (Cao Fei Ran), Chen Hong Jun (Cui Hang) and Ye Fang (Zhao Xin) - are faced with many challenges and have to make difficult choices along the way. The excellent scriptwriters, production team and talented actors made their youth story tender and compelling. There's teenage puppy love, brotherhood and bravado, inspiring courage, wartime tragedies, sincerity and betrayal, enduring friendship, real love that develops over time and persistence to overcome obstacles and follow one's dream.

Authentic scenery and costumes immerse viewers in old Beijing during the 1970’s during China’s opening up period. I never realized how powerful military was politically (getting into army, school, jobs, rations, movie tickets, privileges) and socially (prestige, influence, popularity).

Some of my favorites scenes include Shichahai rink, top of Great Wall, moonlight military training, land mine field, hospital good-bye, train ride home, meeting sister at train station, first steps, bookmark realization, and library reunion. I enjoyed everything about this drama and pulled for each character to achieve his dream.

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A quality drama

Don't let the cover picture fool you into thinking that this would be a boring and propaganda drama. Instead, this is a quality production with serious plotline. I especially like the depiction of the friendship between the male characters. You might curse some characters for the choices they made but consider the time and economic hardship they were in, their actions were realistically chosen.
Only Xiao Zhan and Qin Li were known to me prior, and they did a perfect job here. But I'm equally impressed with all the other actors and actresses in this drama. The acting is phenomenal.

This is good choice for those looking for a balance of friendship, growing up, betrayal and romane in a drama.

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Great drama to watch

I usually don’t watch period drama especially in the 70s, but surprisingly this drama very captivated, the storyline was smooth, every characters has their own unique straits. This drama more focus on how young adults struggles throughout their life, growing up facing real world, there are not much of romance but there are main couple shows their strong relationships, give it a chance, you will like it.
Xiao Zhan and Li Qin never disappointed, they’re acting very natural and complex.

All casting are great in their roles, I never skipped any moment

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Drama of the Year

So far I have watched 12 episodes of Where Dreams Begin. I’m enjoying the drama immensely. I have been hooked since day 1 and highly recommend the drama to anyone who is looking for a greatly written drama with great acting and great storyline. All the characters play important roles in the drama. I have favorites of course but even those I don’t particularly care for have their place. This is rare for a drama in my opinion. The script writer really knocked it out of the park. I of course have to say that Xiao Zhan again gives a masterful performance. I can always count on him to choose a good drama with a good script. I’m looking forward to seeing the story unfold even more. I highly recommend the drama to everyone.

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Story:
A slice of life that did a remarkable job portraying how specific life choices molded people into who they become. They all didn’t start off as great or evil characters but because of the people they chose or the choices they made. I think the best part about this story was that it felt true to real world circumstances. The writers truly made you analyze every individual character and the choices they made. It wasn’t easy to just stamp good or bad on them because they didn’t make the choices because of ill intentions but because of human characteristics such as jealousy, sadness, etc. The storyline was cohesive and fluid and allowed us to understand where it went wrong or right for every character. Really a well written script!

Acting:
The actors in this drama did an exceptional job including the supporting cast members. There are 3 actors that were great and really showed their acting prowess - Xiao Zhan, Li Qin & Liu Ruilin. Xiao Zhan really impressed me with how much he improved and how well he was able to portray his character. The scenes where he was supposed to portray grief really hit hard. It wasn’t over the top but felt that he understood how his character would portray that specific emotion.

Would I Recommend:
Yes! I understand the time span of this drama might not be the most appealing and it even swayed me a little. I thought it would be a drama that I would come in for the male lead but not enjoy the story as much except for maybe certain parts. However, I was truly impressed by how much I enjoyed it and even rewatched episodes while waiting for new ones. So, if you could get past the 70s era than I think people can truly enjoy it because it really is a great slice of life drama with an incredibly written script.
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CompletedJuliet Godwin
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Awesome

Im placing this drama with the level i placed some Cdrama classic faves like Nothing But Thirty (2020) and Go Ahead (2020).

Very relatable and educating. very good drama and it shows how time can change people.
Came for the Male Lead and stayed for the story.
too bad is coming to an end but i really enjoyed it. i rarely a movie person, this drama kept me captivated and comiong back for more. kudos to the actors and team that made this. My emotions are still raw because this drama was so relatable from high point to low point of each character.
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CompletedSnail that arrived
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A fascinating tapestry of life

A masterful period drama that is well worth seeing even if that isn't your usual cup of tea (like in my case).

An excellent script about the life of one Xiao Chunsheng and people around him, starting from the turbulent times at the end of Cultural Revolution onwards, brought to life by incredible acting is the shortest way to sum up this drama. Something that is probably the biggest problem currently in Chinese entertainment - good writing - was annulled by the expert pen of Xu Bing, the scriptwriter of this drama and then flashed out by an excellent group of young actors, led by a masterful performance by Xiao Zhan.

Can the strongest friendships of our youthful days survive the trials and tribulations of adult life? At the most difficult times that no person should face, what are the choices one will make and why? Why do some stray off the moral path and why do some stuck to it? Are idealism and realism two incompatible ways of looking at life? Are our first loves, no matter how memorable, the ones that will last through the trials of adulthood?

Can a person stick to their original righteous intention and live their life through according to their core principles no matter what life keeps throwing at them?

All this and much more is answered and presented to us while the characters grow in front of our eyes, wondering the very authentic streets of Beijing in the 70s, suffer in war fields and finally live their adult lives, changed by the harsh realities of life itself from the youth they once were. They are all distinct characters, fully realised and their actions are always understandable. The viewer may hate some of them but will always know the why. There is no excessive or unreasonable emotion. All scenes are there for a reason and help tightly weave this fascinating story that will keep you glued to the screen.

Is it a perfect drama? No, there is no such thing as perfection and there are always things one can nitpcik but this one, like Xiao Chunsheng himself, strives to get there, sticks throughout to what it set out to do from the start and ultimately succeeds in delivering. It does not get any closer to perfect than that. You will not be sorry if you give it a chance.Read More

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You make your own choices in this world

When I started this drama, I didn't expect to get so invested in it but I did. First of all the writing of the drama is so good, each character is used to their maximum effect, even the side characters are so engrossing. The drama is all about choice and it was very vivid of it's protrayal of old Beijing and the impact of the culutral revolution especially on a group of youngsters. I also like unlike many male centric dramas, the male lead is not a Gary Stu, he doesn't get everything handed to him, rather the drama shows the choices made by him effect him and everything else. This is evident in how the drama used a number of episodes to show the male lead recovering from his wartime injuries.

The acting and the cast are top notch. I started this drama for Xiao Zhan. But I ended being so invested in the other characters. Especially Ye Fang, the prophet. I felt sorry for her and annoyed but at the same time loved how level headed her character was. Li Qin as Tong Xiaomeo, I liked the script writer not giving her much scences in the inital episodes but as the episodes went by, her role grew larger until she became Xiao Chunsheng's rock. Xiao Zhan as Xiao Chunsheng in what is his best acting to date, I cried and laughed with Chunsheng and I truly believed that I was watching his life story.

My only gripe about the story was that because it spanned 40 years, the pacing was too fast in the last few episodes but it not deter me from enjoying the drama. For me this drama is 10. While I may not rewatch the entire drama again, I certainly will be watching parts of the drama.

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The Little Soap That Could!

This No-Budget Soap Opera starts in the 70s with a bunch of childhood friends who we follow thru the decades and their trials and tribulations. What grabbed my interest was how 'communist' it was compared to other C-Dramas I've watched. I really knew nothing about this time in China's history. The other interest here was, well, I was the age of these characters in the 70's in America. And so while I was listening to the Bee Gees, they were doing all sorts of different things.

If you want to know if you should watch this show with as little spoilers as possible, I'll tell you this: I've watched better shows. So if you're new to C-Dramas, this won't disappoint because you have not seen better yet. What I will tell the experienced viewer is that this is a very calm show that doesn't put you to sleep. (I enjoyed THREE BODY but man was that sleepy!) So if you're even curious like I was -- skip the rest of this review and give 3 episodes a try to see if you want to see Ep 4, okay?

Here's some thoughts in no order of importance --

1. Damn this thing was shot on a piggy bank. Pocket change. That's what I mean by a 'little' soap, like a small bar of soap in a hotel room. Despite this the show was pretty good looking. The photography wasn't inspired as much as... urm... just nice to look. The sets were crazy cheap but not as distracting as one reviewer had said. Lots of scenes were reported in on the phone as to avoid having to stage them. You don't watch this series for amazing production values. You watch it for --

2. -- this TERRIFIC cast. I came here for the male and female lead. I frankly feel they're much better here than they were in JOY OF LIFE Season One.

Li Qin ran around JOY with a leg of chicken being cute until the writers gave up on her. Here her character starts a little interesting but simply gets more and more interesting as the show progresses, especially in the 2nd half. (Be patient!) And she's particularly deep inside her character in the remarkably intense final episode.

Xiao Zhan is tackling a very difficult role of being a great guy, a dreamboat, and yet humble, and yet magnanimous, everybody's friend but sometimes someone's enemy too. Several someones. To be honest there were times where the demands of this role exceeded his abilities. The thing is he's just a little too handsome and that can be rather distracting from his character's struggles. You're like, "How can this gorgeous youthfun hunk of man be suffering?!?" Yet he did a pretty good job and I'd bet this role has made him a better actor. Give him time and he'll be the new Wallace Huo.

Liu Rui Lin and Cao Fei Ran play the most important supporting roles. As our ML's main 'brother', this Chinese Richard Gere clone has a thankless job playing Guohua... but kinda nails it. His love interest Hongling plays an even trickier role where you want to slap her sometimes but she can't help every last decision destiny has dropped on her. This actress carries a lot of the show's weight in the first half.

So you think that's it for couples in this show? HARDLY.

Zhao Xin and Cui Hang also make the experience worthwhile. Xin's 'Ye Fang' gets more and more interesting as the show progresses, and this poor actress must restrain herself the entire time. Hang's Hongjun is all over the place in a role that shouldn't work but utterly makes sense.

And get this. There's one more pair to tune in for: Zhang Ling Xin' and Lenox Lu are terrific too in an unexpected way. When Qi Tian first shows up in his truly stupid hat -- I didn't expect much from him. But his low weird gutteral way of speaking made him very different than the rest -- and like I keep saying -- his character grows on you.

There's even one more pair of actors that were eeriely like the Chinese Ralph and Alice Kramden (You Xian Chao and Gao Yuan). No, seriously. Check The Honeymooners on YouTube if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

3. The songs and incidental music in this show are lovely. A good soap opera has themes the play over and over and over and over (Twin Peaks) and this soap has them too. Mostly gentle piano pieces, and the lyrics of the songs they play translate well.

4. This show has two sets of parents that are nearly identical to Western eyes. Prying pushy Momma and Pushover Papa. This was the only casting mistake I caught in the series. Or really a writing error where on couple should have been Pushy Papa and Caring Momma.

5. I don't know what the deal is with C-Dramas but several I've seen end early. There's an episode around 27 that gave me the impression the story was minutes from being over. It feels like the producers were only allowed to produce that many episodes but when the studio saw it they said 'add 10 more'. The good news is that the additional episodes work fine, except perhaps the final one.

6. So if the production values are good, the cast great -- the only way to make this thing watchable is STORY. This is a story that relies heavily upon soap opera melodramatic tropes, which can make it feel so generic as to be generated by AI. This sounds like a knock but, hey, it's fun to watch a soapy melodrama as long as it's not stupid. And the inclusion of the military episodes in the first half is more inventive than hospital scenes, although those eventually merge.

As a Westerner and America, I was fearful this story might be propaganda. For the story starts in heavy communism but ends in vibrant capitalism. So which 'team' is this show on. What makes THE YOUTHFUL MEMORIES interesting is that it's on both teams.

(From here on I might get mildly spoilish -- so stop reading now if you want to be surprised. I won't be offended.)

The show starts with the idea that although communism isn't the most lavish of lifestyles, and that in the 70s if felt like everyone was in the military one way or another, it presented these days with the idea that everyone could have a place. All for one, one for all. Yes, there were misfits who resorted to criminal behaviors, but overall the show suggests that there was a sense of law, order, family, community, propriety, brotherhood, sisterhood, and love. Perhaps thru rose tinted glasses, but you follow me.

By the time commerce smashed into China, and times had changed, a weird thing happens. Brothers turn against brothers. Love and family may not be as compelling as getting rich quick. The unfortunate reality that capitalism generates WINNERS and LOSERS, introducing the idea of MUSICAL CHAIRS to communism. The same misfits and criminals are around societies edges, but this time capitalism is their friend instead of communism their enemy.

The show isn't as political as I'm making it sound. It's really who loves who and when and who doesn't and why, like any good soap. But I will spoil that the show ends with a happy medium politically -- if we meld the brotherhood of communism with the profits of capitalism, maybe life can improve for all in China.

Like almost every C-Drama I've watched, the show's ending was slightly fumbled. Towards the end of the penultimate episode, a new plot is introduced. And it's a biggy. It' s SUPER melodramatic. The problem is it's not what the story was leading up to, it's not named as a specific historical event that happened, and I think was thrown in for sensationalism and nothing more.

Often in American TV shows after 9/11 they threw in a 9/11 like event to rip open the wound and horror, and I believe this show did the same on a different type of tragedy. That said, the show handles this 'big' weird finish well so it's not a failure as much as a fumble.

Hope this helps someone!

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Love is Patient

Such an UNDERRATED piece. Usually this time period is not something that appeals to me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Due to the historical background, there are images of propaganda and military but in my opinion made sense and was realistic/normal to this time.
As I get older, I appreciate slice of life dramas a lot more. The Youth Memories can appeal to a more mature audience. There are complaints of this drama being mislabeled as "romance," but I think this type of portrayal is my cup of tea. If you like angst, slow-burn, or a deep love storyline, you will understand this. You have to be patient while watching this drama and it ends up being so worth it. After all, love is patient.

The Youth Memories has themes of friendship, sacrifice, love, and ego. The story has its way with tugging at your heartstrings because of its intricate depictions of human nature. Power, desire, greed, and ambition can change someone -- and most importantly, hurt the people around them.

The second FL HHL dominates the first half of the show, but in my opinion is necessary for the plot and character development. Trust me, I got tired of her too. But we are witnessing XCS's life/love trajectory. When the TXM (FL) finally comes into the story, you come to understand why she is THE one. HHL and XCS were never going to work out; he was initially attracted to her because of his desire to take care of her. XCS prides himself in being a hero, which comes at the expense of putting others before himself. XCS saw that HHL needed saving, and HHL was attracted to his charismatic ideals. However, HHL loved herself more than anyone else and this is where they clashed. It was clear once HHL got to the military, she never looked back. In the end, she knew she couldn't handle the lack of stability and doing things the hard way. You can't blame HHL too much as she's coming from a situation of desperation, and her scarcity mindset fuels her ambitions.

TXM on the other hand shared XCS ideals; they both value giving back and have a strong sense of self-worth. TXM's character was almost written too perfectly; even when presented with the opportunities to be petty or greedy, she always chooses to walk on the right path and believes in herself. She is wise beyond her years and truly grounds XCS. It is truly a representation of first love vs. true and unconditional love. My favorite scene was when TXM sends XCS back to Beijing after the war, and the look of pain and gratitude XCS gave was heartbreaking. I love how she said she was going to get food on the train so that he could cry privately. In the show, you can tell she observes and acts graciously to those around her. TXM still chose him even at his lowest and she was the only one who ever believed in him wholeheartedly. She is the definition of a CLASS ACT. Their love was built on a foundation of sincerity and trust, which is why they won. XCS goes through so much suffering, but his luck was having TXM's love. I found that Li Qin lacked a lot of emotion in her character, perhaps it's because TXM is just someone who shows more through actions.

Pros: Emotional scenes were amazing, the micro expressions and details of the characters, the writing and life lessons. The writing wrapped up each character's ending well, and I was very satisfied with the ending. I was so impressed with Xiao Zhan's acting.

Side note: Hei Zi was so annoying and he was given so many chances to redeem himself. I guess it goes to show, some people can't and won't ever change. I got tired of his screen time though, and could never support his abuse. There were some scenes that I felt were draggy but not enough for me to drop.

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Super Slow Pace, but a nice Vintage look and feel.

There really isn't anything that is going to take hold of your attention. You kind of go into the drama with just watching characters play out stories with a super slow pace.

I thought Xiao Zhan really shined through in this drama. The story was truly about him. It portrays his life from his twenties up into his mid-forties. The first half of the drama circles around the struggles of twenty-something youths in China. It's tough and cold, but there's a community.

I am not a huge fan of Li Qin, only because I find her acting style a bit lacking. Like true to form, she under acts and her meek and good-girl vibe is hard to get into. However, you do like her character and you want to root for her.

This is not a romance or love story (it's there, just simmering in the back), but a story about a bunch of kids in their twenties doing their best to survive. It's a very slow and easy going drama. I think if the drama was edited down to 20 episodes instead of 38, then this could have been a hit for me.

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Decent drama about life, brotherhood, love, family, and principles

First half is my first impression of the drama.
8 episodes in and this is my first impression. The Youth Memories is about a group of friends in 1970s Beijing navigating life. The main themes are: family. love, friendship, brotherhood, duty, familial obligation, and pursing one's dreams.

The good:
1. It feels like an ensemble cast, and not just the two main leads and a bunch of supporting throwaway characters
2. The main supporting casts have interesting storylines of their own
3. XZ's really suited for optimistic, cheerful, sometimes cocky role who puts other people's happiness over his own

The bad:
1. The music seems out of place sometimes. The character would be saying something sad, and there's cheery background music
2. Some overacting from supporting cast members even with XZ. I don't know if it's cultural or a sign of the times (setting is in 1970s)
3. Bad styling for Li Qin. The pigtail braids make her look older and less attractive
4. Few meaningful scenes between XZ and LQ. There's more interactions between the ML and FL2. I'm assuming that their relationship will develop later on

Neutral:
1. So many men want to be with He Hongling. And so many women are jealous of her.

I'm assuming that the slow burn relationship between ML and FL will develop later on so I may keep watching to see how that love story unfolds.

Edit: final review
Just finished The Youth Memories. Things that stood out to me.

1. The character of He Honglin, the writers managed to portray her as sympathetic despite her inherent selfishness. From time to time, she has moments of self awareness and humility.
2. The character of Xiao Chunsheng. He's too perfect, too idealistic, and too forgiving in this drama. His childhood friends betray him multiple times, but he continues to turn the other cheek. It became frustrating to watch him get used over and over again.
3. There's no satisfactory conclusion for the bad guys in this drama. Their final scenes consisted of them being taken in by investigators, but there's nothing about their punishment or outcome.
4. This is one of XZ's best character to date, only second to Wei Wuxian. And like Wei Wuxian, Xiao Chun Sheng stayed true to his values, his ideals, but grew as a person.

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