Meet Yourself

Synopsis

Xu Hongdou, feeling low after the loss of her best friend, travels alone to the Windy Courtyard in Yunmiao Village, Dali, to rest and recuperate. There, she meets Xie Zhiyao, who has returned to his hometown to start a business, and embarks on a journey of healing.

Overview

Meet Yourself (Chinese: 去有风的地方) is a 2023 Chinese mainland pastoral healing drama directed by Ding Ziguang, with screenplays by Shui Qianmo and Wang Xiongcheng. The series stars Liu Yifei and Li Xian in leading roles. It premiered on Hunan TV on January 3, 2023, and was simultaneously streamed online on Mango TV and Migu Video. It consists of 40 episodes.

The drama tells the story of Xu Hongdou, a white-collar worker in the city who falls into a low point in her life after the death of her best friend. She travels alone to Yunmiao Village in Dali, Yunnan, to rest and recuperate at a guesthouse called "Windy Yard." There, she meets Xie Zhiyao, a local who quit his high-paying job to return home and start a business, as well as a group of tenants who have come to the yard with their own stories. In the pastoral setting, they gradually heal their emotional wounds.

Plot

Xu Hongdou (played by Liu Yifei) is a hotel manager working hard in Beijing, living a fast-paced and stressful life. The sudden death of her best friend leads her to deeply reflect on the meaning of life. She decides to resign and travels alone to Yunmiao Village in Dali, Yunnan, staying temporarily at a guesthouse named "Windy Yard."

In Yunmiao Village, Xu Hongdou encounters Xie Zhiyao (played by Li Xian), who gave up a high-paying job to return to his hometown and start a business. Xie Zhiyao is dedicated to developing tourism in his hometown to help villagers increase their income. The two progress from initial misunderstandings to gradually developing feelings for each other, finding mutual healing in the tranquility of rural life.

Meanwhile, the other tenants at Windy Yard each carry their own burdens: a city woman escaping a failed marriage, a musician seeking creative inspiration, a retired elderly person wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Each person finds their own answers in Yunmiao Village.

Cast

Production & Reception

The series was produced by Huace Media. Director Ding Ziguang previously directed popular dramas such as Go Ahead. Filming took place in Dali, Yunnan. The entire series uses Dali's natural scenery and pastoral life as its main backdrop, featuring fresh, healing visuals and a relaxed pace, distinguishing it from the common fast-paced urban dramas of today.

Meet Yourself received a rating of 8.7/10 on Douban (with over 500,000 ratings) and was recommended by The New York Times as an outstanding international program for 2023, being the only Chinese domestic drama selected. The series achieved an average rating of 0.76% on CSM National Network, and related topics on Douyin (TikTok) accumulated over 80 billion views.

Cultural Impact

After its broadcast, Meet Yourself sparked a "Dali tourism boom," attracting a large number of viewers enchanted by the pastoral life depicted in the drama to visit and check-in at places like Yunmiao Village in Dali. The "slow living" philosophy advocated by the series resonated widely in contemporary society where anxiety is prevalent. In 2023, the drama won the Outstanding Television Series Award at the 14th Macau International Television Festival. The series was also acquired by Netflix for overseas distribution and is available for streaming in multiple countries and regions worldwide.

References

1. Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/35662223/
2. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/去有风的地方/59218173
3. Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/去有风的地方
4. Huace Media: https://www.huacemedia.com/mobile/index.php/television/info/152.html