Chinese Family 421

This film (drama)Also known as中国家庭421，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2005Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin，Current Douban rating6.2(For reference only)。

The protagonists of the story, like almost all of China's first generation of only children, are beginning to write a family life that is completely different from that of the previous generation. In this brand-new family model, they are practicing their own life ideals while also revealing the confusions of a new generation of Chinese families. In the 421 family, the 4 bears the pressure of the household, everything is for the child. The 1 remains the focus of the family. While the parents are still in good health, they want to have children to be cared for by them. If they wait three to five years, having to care for both parents and children becomes troublesome. This is the common thought among the 2 in the current 421 family, but the elderly are both a dependency and the biggest unstable factor in this family structure. In another ten years, the problem of who will take care of the elderly becomes a pressing issue: send them to a nursing home? Not reassuring. Bring them home? With already two elderly people, how can one manage? This is a typical family supported by two only children. Their newly formed families will take over the future and society. No matter what, the family planning policy from 27 years ago has determined that the 421 family will replace the existing family model; where there is a cause, there will be an effect. Whether the 2s can act as accelerators for social production and shoulder the burdens of family life still needs further honing. With the emergence of this new family structure, they are undergoing a complete reshuffle in family finance and investment, life goals and planning, as well as social interpersonal relationships, because the entire set of social rules has changed. This drama is the first long-form television series in China focused on the 421 family structure that exists in real life. As China's first generation of only children reaches marriage and childbearing age, their family structure consists of 4 elders, 1 child, and the 2 of them—an inverted pyramid structure of family, namely the 421 family. The 421 family model will become the new mainstream family in Chinese society. The drama features newlywed first-generation only children as protagonists, depicting the process of the couple needing to be filial to their four parents above and raise one child below, while pursuing their career and life goals amidst intense social competition, profoundly showcasing the new life of the new family model, and the touching stories of 421 family members who support each other with love through new life challenges and hardships. A powerful cast "Chinese Family 421" boasts a strong cast, with powerful actors such as Gao Shuguang, Guo Xiaodong, Zhu Lin, Wang Shihuai, Gai Ke, and Song Xiaoying delivering excellent performances. Notably, Gao Shuguang will take on a drastically different role this time, changing from his past portrayals of positive characters like police officers and heroes. In this drama, he plays a seemingly righteous man with a dark and twisted inner self. This highly respected person outside experiences significant domestic issues due to his constant suspicion of infidelity, leading him to become abusive towards his wife. Gao Shuguang’s ability to portray such a distorted character so vividly truly showcases his impressive acting skills. Since winning the Best Actor award at the Tokyo Film Festival for his lead role in the film "Warm," Guo Xiaodong has focused his acting career on film, delivering solid performances in movies like "Blooming Peach Blossom" and "Summer Palace." The television series "Chinese Family 421" is one of the few television dramas starring Guo Xiaodong. In the drama, Guo Xiaodong plays the main character Liu Yiran, a young cadre working in the environmental protection bureau, who has both elderly and young to care for. Zhang Fan remarks that Guo Xiaodong is particularly down-to-earth, both on and off the set; he plays a child from a working-class family in the drama, while in real life, he is a child from the countryside who faced hardships in his youth, almost dropping out of school due to lacking 30 yuan. Back then, he moved to Beijing with only 120 yuan in his pocket to attend school. Having endured such difficulties makes him diligent and serious about his acting. The crew was particularly impressed by Guo Xiaodong during winter filming, where he was underdressed, causing his lips to freeze and making it hard for him to speak. He had to use a hot water bottle to warm his mouth before shooting, yet he still performed with great seriousness without any signs of insincerity. "Chinese Family 421" features an ensemble cast, including the talented actors Zhu Lin, Wang Shihuai, Gai Ke, Song Xiaoying, and Li Xinmin, who all deliver remarkable performances in the drama. Zhang Fan notes that these actors do a fantastic job because they possess a solid foundation of life experiences; their relaxed states during filming help them effectively capture the details of life, making their performances very moving. During the filming of a scene where Song Xiaoying is hospitalized, she spent the entire day on the hospital bed to meet the shooting schedule.