I don't often review dramas on here but I think this one deserves one as I don't think many people watched it. I thought this drama was a real delight. I was interested in it through all of its 30 episodes - even though it starts slowly.

It's quite different from other kdramas in that it is episodic with small stories that start and end in a single episode and only a few storylines that carry over through the entire series. This means that grudges and misunderstandings never last for long (thankfully!).

It's focuses on four three-generation families in a mountain village and the main character is a woman who separated from her husband and now has to raise her daughter and his daughter-from-a-previous marriage single-handedly. Being all alone and without any money (her husband's company has gone bankrupt and left them with huge debts) she's got no choice but to go home to live with her father, who'd been opposed to her marriage from the start.

It's a drama about building bridges and redemption, how everybody can change and become a better person, if only you give them the chance and the opportunity to do so. And talk about your issues and work them out! Even when some of the problems have simplistic solutions, I still really enjoyed it as it's got its heart in the right place.

I loved the ending which was low-key but realistic and in line with the rest of the series (that's all I'll say about it as I don't want to spoiler it for anybody).

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Eye-opening drama about the running of a State-Owned company. With a cracking story & cast

This drama was extremely interesting for me with its insights about how a Chinese State-Owned companies is run. Then, add a great story, brilliant characters and an amazing cast, and I found myself binge-watching a 36 episode drama about a manufacturing firm and the development of engines.

The cast is fantastic. Yang Shou does a great job of portraying the social-awkward brilliant researcher Wei Cheng (who is actually socially awkward, it's not just an excuse for some idol-CEO to be nasty to everybody) and Jiao Jun Yan has become one of my new favourite actresses as (girl-crush material) welder Jin Yanzi, a blue-collar worker who wants nothing more than swapping her blue helmet for a white one (a sign of being a team leader). They start off on the wrong foot when Wei Cheng is a judge for a welding competition and points out that some of her skills are obsolete which makes her come second instead of first. She thinks he's all just theory and knows nothing about work in practice. But they end up appreciating the other's skills and knowledge.

The drama begins when the chairman of Litsun decides that they don't make any money as a manufacturing company to keep going and have to re-invent themselves as a finance firm instead. Now he has to get everybody on board for his plan, from the workers to the provincial party leadership. The drama shows the impact this initiative has from the workers straight through to the top. But also, it shows the importance that is being placed on developing technology domestically rather than always importing parts (and engines) from abroad. The tension between continuing research and making money is one that drives this drama but because it's made personal and has great characters, it's really gripping.

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