Insuring a second chance

Hit TV series set in Shanghai is a mature story about resilience and starting over at any age, Xu Fan reports.

"If she and I fall into the river at the same time, who will you save first?"

What began as a viral internet dilemma — putting a husband's loyalty to the test by forcing him to choose between saving his wife or his mother — becomes a devastating reality in a pivotal scene from the hit TV series A Better Life.

The scene centers on Hu Manli, a top-performing insurance agent whose 20-year career boasts over 390 policies, including a stunning deal worth 8 million yuan ($1.1 million). Just as Hu believes she has reached the peak of success, her life takes a dark turn.

Betrayed by her husband and framed by a rival colleague, she loses her job. In a desperate act, she calls her husband and his mistress to the very stone bridge where he once proposed. There, she grabs the other woman's hand, threatening to jump into the river to force her husband to choose who to save. But the mistress breaks free, and the husband shouts for a park security guard to rescue Hu instead.

Starring A-list actress Sun Li, A Better Life, which was filmed using advanced 4K ultra-high-definition technology, maintained an average viewership rating of 2.7 percent per episode, the second-highest rating in the history of CCTV-8, the country's largest TV drama broadcaster, according to entertainment data analyzer Kuyun.

As one of the most popular TV dramas in recent weeks, the show has generated over 2,000 trending topics on major social platforms like Sina Weibo and Douyin. It has also boosted tourism in Shanghai, the metropolis where the story is set and which features 86 iconic locations, ranging from the skyscraper-studded Bund to crowded Shikumen neighborhoods.