For many people, food is more than fuel for the body; it can be linked to both emotion and smell. In his work Remembrance of Things Past, French novelist Marcel Proust famously wrote of a man who took one small bite of a madeleine cake dipped in tea and was immediately transported on a journey through memory lane.

Mandy Gao, a 26-year-old student in Sydney, Australia, recently recollected her "taste of childhood," courtesy of a TV series prominently featuring cultural elements from her hometown of Shanghai—Blossoms Shanghai.

"It showcases many classic dishes from Shanghai—stir-fried rice cakes with pork, rice with salted pork and green onion oil noodles…," Gao told Beijing Review, adding that she left Shanghai at the age of 16 and Blossoms Shanghai triggered a sense of nostalgia.

Adapted from Shanghai-based writer Jin Yucheng's 2012 novel Blossoms, one of the few novels written in the Shanghai dialect and winner of the 2015 Mao Dun Literary Prize, one of the most prestigious literature prizes in China, Blossoms Shanghai was receiving a lot of buzz even before its release in late December 2023.

The novel follows the lives of a group of young people in Shanghai from the 1960s to the early 2000s. But the drama series, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, winner of the Best Director Award at France's prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 1997, focuses only on how A Bao, a former factory worker, strives to become a successful businessman from the ground up in the early 1990s.

Since its release on December 27, 2023, hashtags related to Blossoms Shanghai have garnered more than 3.6 billion views on Weibo, China's popular

microblogging platform. On Douban, a popular Chinese review app, Blossoms Shanghai was rated 8.4 out of 10 by more than 190,000 viewers, making it the country's first hit TV series of 2024.

The wistfulness 

According to Gao, Blossoms Shanghai not only accurately recreates Shanghai cuisine, but also does a great job of portraying the places and people of the time. 

"The director has captured the essence of Shanghai. My grandfather used to run a hair salon in the city's Hongkou District, and he was quite adept at creating the curly hairstyle as sported by the protagonist Miss Wang—this style was a fad in the 1990s," Gao said. "And her clothes and character reminded me of a number of acquaintances. With her elegant suit, strong emotions and overall meticulous manners, she is the epitome of a Shanghai office worker [at that time]."

The show captures scenes that are lost in today's Shanghai. The production team spent years building the live-action studio of Huanghe Road, where the story unfolds. To emphasize the special characteristics of the time, the road is decorated with numerous neon lights and giant promotional signs, which in reality were taken down in the early 2000s for safety and environmental reasons.

"Many people commented online that the density of neon lights and throngs of people on Huanghe Road in the show are an exaggeration of reality, but, in my memory, the major roads in Shanghai, especially Huanghe and Zhapu roads, were as lustrous and bustling during my childhood as the scenes in the TV series," Gao said.

Sun Chengjian, Deputy Director of the Filming Institute under the China National Academy of Arts, believes that Wong's distinctive visual style captivates audiences.

"Wong sets the scene at Huanghe Road, one of 1990s Shanghai's signatures, and juxtaposes its noise and narrow space, adding to the dramatic effect of the show's fierce business competition plots," Sun told Beijing Review. "He also engages the audience through his unique cinematography—classic, exquisite and brimming with nostalgia, qualities that are also found in his films Chungking Express (1994) and In the Mood for Love (2000)."

Wong's works have over the decades created nothing short of a global art-house phenomenon, attracting a huge fan base.

Regional features 

Blossoms Shanghai is available in two versions: the Shanghai dialect, as used in the original novel, and standard Chinese.

As the TV drama gained traction, short videos of influencers and vloggers teaching Shanghai dialect began to appear on Chinese social media platforms. Many vloggers started their lesson with "Nong xiao de fa?" for "You know?"—a phrase frequently uttered by the show's characters.

The Shanghai dialect has a history of over 700 years. It originated from the Wu dialect, a language popular in south Jiangsu Province. After Shanghai opened its port in 1843, an influx of immigrants saw the Shanghai dialect absorb tones and pronunciations from other southern provinces of China and other countries' vocabulary—mostly English, greatly enhancing the dialect's inclusiveness. In recent years, the local government has adopted measures to protect this unique dialect, including arranging for teachers who can speak it to teach in public schools.

From Gao's perspective, the Shanghai dialect is an "endangered gem." "I grew up speaking the dialect, but I've been told that younger Shanghai locals no longer speak it as much as I used to. I hope Blossoms Shanghai can raise people's awareness of protecting our linguistic heritage," she said.

Qian Cheng, an heir of intelligible cultural heritage Huaji Opera, typically performed in the Shanghai dialect, said it is important that TV series rooted in Shanghai use this local tongue. "The vitality of a city is closely connected to the vitality of its local heritage, including its dialect. Preserving a local dialect via media can enhance people's identity and connection to a city," Qian told ChinaNews.com.

Zhou Yaxiao, a fan of the show from Shandong Province, said watching Blossoms Shanghai has inspired her to learn more about the history and culture of Shanghai. "My mother spent her teenage years in Shanghai. Watching this series gave me a peek into her life there," Zhou told Beijing Review. "So I'm very excited and trying to learn more about Haipai culture."

As an international metropolis, Shanghai has been hugely influenced by other countries, culminating in a unique Haipai culture that integrates the traditions of Shanghai and its surrounding areas with European and U.S. cultural element ranging from architecture, art and music, to dietary habits, lifestyle and literature.

According to Sun, the show's Haipai culture elements echo with different audience groups. 

"In business, Haipai culture emphasizes a spirit of respecting diversity, individuality and honoring contracts, all trademarks of the series' protagonists," Sun explained. "Contemporary audiences, who tend to accentuate individuality and pursue diversity, are likely to resonate with these characters."

Sun added that Blossoms Shanghai also unveils the traditional side of Haipai culture, which in turn echoes with Chinese audiences. "Chinese people have faith in the power of harmony in diversity—an understanding passed on to them by their ancestors, and Blossoms Shanghai often highlights how people managed to strike a balance between individual and collective interests." 

Zhou elaborated that Blossoms Shanghai invites more people to explore the city's beauty. "I have been working in Shanghai for three years," Zhou said. "By learning about the culture, history and dialect, I, like many newcomers to Shanghai, feel we are gradually bonding with the city."

In the prologue of the novel Blossoms, Jin wrote the word "blossoms" refers to "small flowers with strong vitality and, just like the twinkling lights on a decorative tree, these flowers light up the darkness below." 

"Blossoms Shanghai encapsulates a generation's memories about Shanghai, such as food, language, music and architecture; besides, it is lending strong emotional vitality to the new notions of Shanghai," Sun said. "The way it sparks a sense of nostalgia among Shanghai locals and captivates other audiences' hearts is enlightening. It sets a good example for cultural products for the coming years."

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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