Real-life parenthood inspires hit TV series

In 2021, scriptwriter Ma Guangyuan experienced a profound shift in his life when his child commenced first-grade studies at a primary school. Reflecting on this transformation during a recent symposium for the TV series Growing Together, Ma recounted how the establishment of a WeChat group exclusively for the parents and teachers of his child's class elevated the urgency of responding promptly to teachers' messages.

As Ma delved deeper into this new world, discovering that parents had formed a separate WeChat group devoid of teachers, allowing for more candid conversations, he began to grasp the intricate subtleties of parenthood. This experience served as the inspiration for a 40-episode drama, with 80 percent of the plotlines drawn from his personal encounters.

Featuring acclaimed actor Zhang Jiayi and actress Chen Hao as a seasoned scriptwriter and his wife, respectively, the narrative follows the protagonists, their two children, and two other families as they navigate the adjustments brought about by school life following the initiation of the "double reduction" policy in 2021. This policy aims to curtail homework and extracurricular tutoring during Chinese students' nine years of compulsory education.