Series re-creates nostalgia for 1990s Beijing

This hotel, called Dong Qu Chun Lai — which is also the Chinese title of the drama — carries the metaphorical meaning that winter passes and spring ultimately comes, suggesting that life always holds hope ahead. Serving as a kind of silent "protagonist" of the story, the hotel witnesses the joys and pains of Xu and the friends he meets there, who also include two major roles for women: Zhuang Zhuang, a young woman dreaming of becoming a singer, and Shen Ranran, an unknown actress pursuing her dream of being a star. Xu develops a crush on Zhuang, who later becomes his wife.

As a key funded project of the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau, the drama was mostly shot in a 5,000-square-meter space in Beijing's Huairou district between July and October last year, re-creating the old hutong lifestyle and featuring iconic landmarks such as the White Pagoda in Beihai Park. "We also traveled to France to shoot some overseas sequences," recalls Zheng, who jointly directs the drama with Li Ang.

Speaking with nostalgia, Zheng explains why it was necessary to build the set. As he describes it, Beijing in the past — when most locals lived in what is now the downtown area — had hutong alleys as its primary landscape, unlike today, which is full of skyscrapers and sprawling residential neighborhoods with towering apartment blocks.

Actor Tian Yu, who plays Guo Zongbao — Xu's actor roommate — says he hopes the drama will help "foreign audiences remember the enthusiasm, kindness and inclusiveness of Beijing natives", noting that the city has a rich history and architectural aesthetic, having served as a home to royal palaces and gardens for centuries.

Tian also hailed Beijing as a multifaceted metropolis with diverse cultures, both modern and traditional — evidenced by the fact that visitors can experience hutong culture while also enjoying the most advanced entertainment, such as watching virtual reality movies.

When asked what drew him to the role, Tian, a graduate of the Department of Acting at the Central Academy of Drama, says he was inspired to become an actor after watching director Zheng's classic A Native of Beijing in New York. "For me, being cast in this drama feels like fulfilling a childhood dream," Tian recalls.

Although the drama is something of a love letter to a bygone golden era, a pressing question still faces television industry insiders today: with the rapid expansion of the internet and advances in digital technology — particularly artificial intelligence — will actors and actresses, especially those not famous enough to be widely recognized, be replaced by AI-generated roles in the future?

"In the film and television industry, AI can provide a lot of help, and it will also replace some jobs — and that's normal, because it's happening in many different industries," Tian says. "But an actor's interpretation of a role — whether it's drawing inspiration from real life, understanding the script itself, or creating an emotional connection with the audience — these are things AI is still unable to do."

Zheng shares a similar view. "I don't really believe AI can replace real actors. It might be able to generate some scenes, or even some characters, but I believe audiences still want to watch stories about people. If AI could replace humans, what would be the point of having humans at all?"

For Zheng, however, the challenge to traditional television production goes beyond AI. It also lies in shifting viewing habits, as younger audiences increasingly gravitate toward short-form videos on their smartphones. "Many people now spend their fragmented moments on short videos, which have come to dominate our entertainment lives, forcing us to focus more on producing truly high-quality works," he says.