The Triple Echo of Time (2025)

The Value of an Individual's Life

Before going into this, I hadn't known that the screenwriter was the same one for An Ancient Love Song , the 10/10 14-episode stunner I watched sometime back. No wonder the plot is just as tightly woven, the layers just as complex.

The story begins with a man in his 40s, 赵左右 (Zhao Zuoyou), who is in a rut. He is struggling to make his mortgage payments and his marriage is in shambles. He blames it all on the moment in high school when he chose to go into science/tech rather than the arts, because in 2033, no one cares about tech anymore. There is instead a nostalgic return to a non digital time.

Zhao decides to travel back in time (utilising a for-profit service) to his younger self to dissuade him from making what he perceives to have been the wrong choice. He takes on the persona of a student, 旬未来 (lit. looking for the future) to meet his younger self in school.

Shortly after his entry into 2008, however, he meets a mysterious 60+ year old man, 赵了 (a hilarious name, as 了 means finished or completed)... who turns out be himself from 2058. 赵爷爷's objective is to stymie his efforts.

The acting in this show was stellar and the story riveting. Besides the central question of whether the two older 赵s would succeed in thwarting fate, there were secondary characters who were as vibrantly portrayed, including the two good male friends, the future wife, and a quasi romantic interest who is a tightly wound type A overachiever. The parents were also lovely, especially the mom, who carried her own hopes and dreams from her youth. There were light-hearted moments that made me cringe and laugh, and moving moments that made me feel all choked up.

Watching this show made me feel compassionate towards my younger self, and made me wonder how much of my life I would want to change at the age of 65 or 70. The show portrayed the prickly and tender dynamics between the 3 men at different stages of their life so well.

Many thanks to the YouTube reviewers 麦驼 and AvenueX who led me to this underrated gem. One of my favourites of 2026 alongside 12 Letters.

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