Blossoms Shanghai (2023)

Season 1

The story is set in 1990s Shanghai and follows the journey of the protagonist Ah Bao as he rises from an ordinary young man to a prominent figure in the business world during the wave of economic reform. Ah Bao's success is supported by several key figures, including Ye Shu, Ling Zi, the owner of Night Tokyo, and Miss Wang from the foreign trade building. However, the arrival of the mysterious woman Li Li and the powerful Mr. Qiang from the Shenzhen stock market brings serious threats to his career, placing both his personal life and business in jeopardy.

Released Dec. 27, 2023 Episode 47 min None+

Genres: Drama

Keywords: tmdb.based-on-novel-or-book, tmdb.shanghai, tmdb.stock-market, imdb.1980s, tmdb.1990s, tmdb.trade-war, mdblist.has-trailer + 2 more, tmdb.lyrical, tmdb.shanghainese

Watch Providers: Criterion Channel

Production Companies: Tencent Penguin Pictures, Shanghai Film Group, Blossoms Island, Jet Tone Production

Network: CCTV-8

Country: China
Languages: Mandarin

IMDb 3117

7.9

/1124/

Trakt

/93/

TMDb

/60/

Letterboxd

3.6

/915/

Tomatoes

100

/10/

Metacritic

/6/

Wong Kar-Wai
Director

Hu Ge
Ah Bao

Ma Yili
Ling Zi

Tang Yan
Miss Wang (Wang Mingzhu)

Xin Zhilei
Li Li

Ryan Zheng
Mr. Wei

Isabelle Huang
Owner of Golden Phoenix Restaurant

Jiang Yilei
Ling Hong

Chen Long
Tao Tao

7.0

S1E1 - Episode 1

Mentored by the aging financial maestro Uncle Ye, the ambitious Ah Bao transforms himself into Mr. Bao, a rich, influential stock trader. Even after he’s the victim of a hit-and-run attack that nearly kills him, life goes on: on the glamorous Huanghe Road, a new luxury restaurant called the Grand Lisbon opens, run by a beautiful and mysterious owner named Li Li.

Dec. 27, 2023, midnight

6.0

S1E2 - Episode 2

Mr. Bao finds himself entangled in a stock-market fiasco that cripples many small-time traders and damages his reputation. His friends rally round him at Tokyo Nights, a small, unglamorous restaurant that Mr. Bao co-owns with the feisty Ling Zi, with whom he has an intimate history.

Dec. 27, 2023, midnight

S1E3 - Episode 3

A provincial factory manager, Mr. Fan, wants to do business with Mr. Bao, but—dazzled by Li Li and the riches he sees at the Grand Lisbon—he tries to sweeten the deal. Mr. Bao plays hardball.

Dec. 27, 2023, midnight

S1E4 - Episode 4

A goofy, mink-clad interloper named Mr. Wei tries to steal Mr. Fan’s business, but Mr. Bao is helped by Miss Wang, his adoring contact at the Foreign Trade Office whom many people think is his girlfriend.

Dec. 27, 2023, midnight

S1E5 - Episode 5

Mr. Bao and Mr. Fan sign a contract to distribute made-in-China San Yang shirts. This groundbreaking deal leads to Mr. Bao giving Miss Wang a thank-you gift that will come back to haunt them both.

Dec. 28, 2023, midnight

S1E6 - Episode 6

Li Li gives an enigmatic gift to Mr. Bao, who warns her that the Grand Lisbon won’t last more than three months. Thanks to a brilliant marketing move by Mr. Bao, San Yang shirts become a smash hit at the hottest department store on Shanghai’s biggest shopping street. Over at Tokyo Nights, the opportunistic Ling Zi tries to find a way to profit from those shirts, causing problems for Mr. Bao.

Dec. 28, 2023, midnight