Our Generation (樱桃琥珀)

Set in the early 1990s, the story follows Lin Qile (played by Zhao Jinmai), a lively and warm-hearted girl nicknamed "Cherry" (Ying Tao), who grows up happily among a group of childhood friends — Yu Qiao, Qin Yeyun, Du Shang, Cai Fangyuan — in a power plant construction site village called Qunshan. This insular, close-knit community is defined by the camaraderie of working-class families and the boundless freedom of childhood.

Her world expands with the arrival of a transfer student, Jiang Qiaoxi (played by Li Yunrui), a gifted mathematical prodigy whose family has recently moved to Qunshan. But beneath his quiet and aloof exterior lies a heavy burden — Jiang Qiaoxi's parents have never truly seen him as their own son. They treat him as a replacement for his older brother, a brilliant child who died young, leaving behind a ghost that Jiang Qiaoxi can never escape. Cherry's family offers him the warmth and unconditional love that his own family denies him, making Cherry the first person outside his brilliant-yet-distant older cousin to truly matter to him.

But childhood is fleeting. As the years pass, the friends scatter — some move to the provincial capital for better schooling, others leave for family reasons — leaving Cherry behind in Qunshan. Heartbroken and nostalgic, she writes letters to her lost friends, but receives no replies. When a chance phone call reveals that Jiang Qiaoxi has been living in the provincial capital all along, Cherry resolves to leave Qunshan and reunite with her childhood playmates at Provincial Experimental High School. There, she and Jiang Qiaoxi will discover that growing up means not only joy and first love, but also loss, longing, and the bittersweet distance between who they were and who they are becoming.

Spanning over fifteen years, "Our Generation" is a tender and nostalgic coming-of-age drama that captures the warmth of 90s childhood, the ache of first love, and the power of healing — as a girl who shines like a sun helps a boy trapped in the shadow of a ghost finally learn to live for himself.

The 24-episode series is structured around the childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood of Cherry and her friends, tracing their growth from carefree kids to adults navigating love, loss, and self-discovery.

Arc 1: Qunshan — Childhood and First Encounters (Episodes 1–8)

Synopsis In the early 1990s, a group of children grows up in Qunshan, a tight-knit power plant construction site village. Cherry (Lin Qile), a lively and mischievous "big sister" of the group, leads her friends on adventures through the worker's compound — exploring the small shop run by Qin Yeyun's father, visiting Du Shang's single-parent home, and navigating the cramped quarters of labor model Yu Qiao's family. Her world is upended by the arrival of Jiang Qiaoxi, a quiet transfer student whose family is new to the area. Cherry, fearing he might report her for a misadventure in the library, awkwardly befriends him. As she introduces him to the rhythms and people of Qunshan, she discovers the weight he carries: his parents treat him as a replacement for his brilliant, deceased older brother. Cherry's family, especially her warm and understanding parents, offer him the unconditional love he has never known. But as quickly as he came, Jiang Qiaoxi's family moves away — and Cherry is left behind when her friends all leave Qunshan for better schooling. She holds onto a promise, but as years pass without word, her hope fades. Key Story Beats

• Cherry organizes an "incident" in the library that Jiang Qiaoxi witnesses on his first day.
• Cherry introduces Jiang Qiaoxi to the Qunshan community, including his new friends.
• In class, Jiang Qiaoxi reveals his name comes from a line in a newspaper poem.
• Nighttime conversation between adults reveals the tragic backstory of Jiang Qiaoxi's deceased older brother.
• The children spend a memorable birthday celebration together before Jiang Qiaoxi and his family abruptly leave Qunshan.
• One by one, Cherry's friends move away to attend better schools in the provincial capital.
• Cherry writes letters to her departed friends, but receives no replies.
• A phone call from a friend reveals Jiang Qiaoxi is living in the provincial capital, prompting Cherry to leave Qunshan.

Arc 2: Provincial Capital — High School and Reunion (Episodes 9–18)

Synopsis Cherry arrives in the provincial capital and enrolls at Provincial Experimental High School, where she is unexpectedly reunited with her childhood friends, including Jiang Qiaoxi. But the reunion is not the warm embrace she imagined. Jiang Qiaoxi is now a national math olympiad team member — silent, distant, and seemingly indifferent to her presence. A letter Cherry wrote to him years ago has caused a misunderstanding, and their interactions are now marked by awkwardness and unspoken words. Worse, a female classmate named Cen Xiaoman claims a close relationship with Jiang Qiaoxi, hinting at a possible future together. The "Qunshan Squad" must navigate the pressures of high-stakes college entrance exams, romantic tensions, and Jiang Qiaoxi's growing sense of entrapment in a life defined by others' expectations. Meanwhile, Qin Yeyun's father suffers a serious accident requiring a large sum of money for medical treatment — the community rallies together, revealing the enduring bonds of their shared childhood. Just as Cherry and Jiang Qiaoxi begin to rebuild their connection, Jiang Qiaoxi disappears without explanation, cutting off all contact with everyone he once knew — a radical act that, unbeknownst to his friends, is his desperate attempt to reclaim the power to define his own life. Key Story Beats

• Cherry confronts Jiang Qiaoxi at his home in anger after the misunderstanding is revealed.
• The "Qunshan Squad" reunites at Provincial Experimental High School and begins navigating high school life together.
• A field trip to an aquarium stirs old memories and fresh emotions.
• A neighborhood dispute over a stray cat leads to discipline from the principal.
• Jiang Qiaoxi rides a borrowed bicycle to chase Cherry's bus, hoping to explain his years of silence.
• Qin Yeyun's father suffers a devastating accident — the community comes together to help the family.
• The squad stages a clever plan to give Cherry and Jiang Qiaoxi a chance to be alone together.
• Jiang Qiaoxi is pulled away by his mother to join an elite olympiad training program.
• Jiang Qiaoxi vanishes without explanation, leaving all his friends behind.

Arc 3: Beyond — Young Adulthood and Reclaiming the Self (Episodes 19–24)

Synopsis Jiang Qiaoxi's disappearance is not an escape from his friends — it is a desperate act of survival. For years, he has lived as a replacement for his deceased brother — brilliant, compliant, but never truly seen or loved for who he is. His parents' grief has transformed into an iron cage, and even the warmth of Cherry's family, precious as it is, has placed him in the passive position of a "recipient of love" rather than an agent of his own life. His departure is a radical refusal to have his existence defined by others — a lonely, painful, but ultimately courageous act of reclaiming his own soul. Years later, Cherry, now an adult, graduates from university and decides to pursue the man she has never stopped loving. She travels to Hong Kong — crossing mountains and seas — to find Jiang Qiaoxi. In a rainy Hong Kong street, Jiang Qiaoxi finally embraces Cherry, and the letter he wrote to her nine years ago is delivered at last: "The sunset never disappeared — it was just on its way back." The series concludes with the two finally completing a letter that was nine years in the making, as a "consciousness-style" wedding ceremony — where Cherry and Jiang Qiaoxi have a conversation with their younger selves — symbolizes not only the fulfillment of their love but also their journey toward genuine self-acceptance. Key Story Beats

• Cherry and Jiang Qiaoxi navigate the trials of young adulthood and long-distance connection.
• Family pressures and the weight of Jiang Qiaoxi's past come to a head.
• Jiang Qiaoxi, having long lived under the shadow of his deceased brother, makes the painful decision to disappear from everyone's lives.
• Cherry travels across the country to find him.
• In a Hong Kong rainstorm, Jiang Qiaoxi embraces Cherry, finally surrendering to the love he has always feared.
• A delayed letter — nine years in the making — is delivered.
• The series concludes with Cherry and Jiang Qiaoxi's wedding, where each has a conversation with their younger self, symbolizing a journey of healing and self-acceptance. "The sunset never disappeared — it was just on its way back."