An Ode to Youth.docVIP

An Ode to Youth 　　Ode to Joy， a light comedy depicting modern urban life， has proved to be a hit in China. The 42-episode drama follows five young women living on the same floor of a high-end residential compound in Shanghai. 　　It was director Kong Sheng’s first dabbling in the genre， having built his reputation on history and war themes. He won the Magnolia Award for Best Director with his costume drama， Nirvana in Fire， at the Shanghai TV Festival this June. 　　The characters of the five leading ladies are noticeably different， and they come from a wide spectrum of family backgrounds and professions. Fan Shengmei is a resourceful HR worker for a foreign company， whose financially strained parents and brother constantly extort money from her， while Guan Ju’er is a timid foreign company employee from a middle-class family. Qiu Yingying， a novice office worker， Andy， a well-educated and confident chief financial officer， and Qu Xiaoxiao， an arrogant personality from a wealthy background， who runs one of her father’s companies， make up the quintet. 　　While Andy and Qu live in their own apartments， the other three share a flat. 　　The show has injected a new lease of life into the domestic TV drama industry， which is dominated by mother- and daughter-in-law relationships and family crises caused by husbands finding mistresses. However， it has also spurred heated discussion online over the seemingly insurmountable wealth gaps represented on the show. 　　 Controversies 　　Some watchers consider the show to be an ode to money， since the wealthier Andy and Qu are able to find more successful and affluent partners than the other three. Fan aspires to marry a rich man but ends up with a college classmate who has no apartment or car. Many interpret the show’s message to center on the difficulty in transcending the wealth gap and finding a spouse with a different social status. 　　“The latter half of the show reveals the permanence of social status， emphasizing the conc