I eventually gave this drama a try because of Xiao Zhan and I also heard that the drama had great ratings in China. It was a bit slow in the first 3 episodes, but it gets a lot more exciting once you get past that part. I don't usually watch dramas that take place in this time period or the Republican time period but it was quite fun to watch unlike what I expected. You learn a lot about what China was like back in the 1970s.

The story was very interesting for the most part but I did start skipping a bit of the other supporting roles' scenes like 3/4 way into the drama. Chen Hong Jun and Ye Guo Hua's scenes near the end were just not as interesting. I won't explain in detail to not spoil the story. I really like how you see how Chun Sheng's relationship with all his buddies changes over time and how each of his buddies changes themselves. To be honest, I didn't like his childhood friends as much as his friends in the military. Duan Lei and Amao were very insightful characters and they were nice to watch. They made a lot of great points through the drama. The different conflict arcs were also interesting, though some were frustrating to watch. However, you can understand why Hong Jun and Guo Hua made the decisions they did. I can't forgive them but I can see what place they are coming from. Chun Sheng is too perfect of a character- too loyal, honest, friendly, and smart. Like the drama said, he really shines without much effort. I think I would find it hard to be his friend although he would be so loyal.

The acting is also great! All supporting roles and main roles did a wonderful job at pulling off their characters. Xiao Zhan really showed me again through Chun Sheng that he is a versatile actor. He really pulled on my heartstrings and I shed quite some tears when he was in his rough time out of the military and recovering. I hope to see Xiao Zhan in more roles like this one. This is the second time I watched Li Qin in a drama and I can also see why she is a top-rated actress. All the supporting roles did great too. I especially loved the actor who played Chun Sheng's dad. His acting was so natural and heartwarming. I loved his scenes with Chun Sheng and Hong Ling.

The love lines between Chun Sheng and Xiao Mei were pretty cute too. I liked how you see that Chun Sheng did not like her in the beginning but over time, they ended up together. It was pretty emotional how supportive Xiao Mei was during the times Chun Sheng needed someone by his side. They were also cute from the beginning. I also can't completely hate on Hong Ling since her dilemma is reasonable and I would have struggled too. There is also a reasonable amount of romantic scenes mixed throughout the drama. As it takes place in 1970s, it was nice that it was not too cheesy and had a moderate amount of smiley warm scenes.

Overall, a great story to teach you about friendship and growth. You just have to ignore all the propaganda scenes since those are quite obvious. The propaganda got stronger towards the end so I just skipped more over it.