Promotional material for Bright Future Photo: Courtesy of Douban

'Bright Future': TV series gives a glimpse into county-level administration

A TV series focusing on China's county-level administrators was released on December 7 and is set to be broadcast on different video platforms in over a dozen of countries.

The drama Bright Future, which just landed on the channel one of China Central Television (CCTV), will air across the country on Chinese streaming platforms such as Tencent Video.

The story of Bright Future follows main character Mei Xiaoge, a county head of the fictional Guangming county, who unites with the local people to pursue better lives by overcoming countless difficulties. 

His ideas of keeping up with green development, exploring new development models, while improving the business environment, have all led the small county to a brighter future.

In the process of construction and development across the country, Guangming county, however, has encountered obstacles in areas such as environmental protection and attracting investments.

Chinese counties, an administrative level which has existed in the country for more than 2,000 years, have been considered as one of the most important parts to understand China. 

By the end of 2021, about 250 million people live in county-level cities, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country's urban population, making the notion of county an unique window to observe China.

In May 2022, the Chinese government published new policies on promoting and deepening the urbanization of county-level areas, once again bringing the term "county" in front of the public.

Although Bright Future fictionalizes Guangming county, the drama adheres to a tone of realism, depicting real stories about small towns and the daily life of the en masse.

The TV series is produced by Daylight Entertainment, who has contributed to Chinese TV and film industry with many high-quality works such as Nirvana in Fire.

Global Times