A Better Life (TV series)


A Better Life is a 2025 Chinese workplace-drama television series directed by Wang Jun and starring Sun Li and Dong Zijian. Produced by China Central Television, Shangshi Film & TV and Youku, the 36-episode series premiered on 17 April 2025 in CCTV-8's prime-time slot with simultaneous online release on Youku.

Plot

Hu Manli is a 39-year-old star insurance broker in Shanghai whose life implodes when both her marriage and a career-making deal collapse on the same day.
The person behind the sabotage is Xue Xiaozhou, a disillusioned 28-year-old heir who has just entered the insurance business. After several confrontations, the pair recognise their complementary strengths and form a mentor–protégé partnership, rebuilding their reputations while confronting ethical dilemmas within China's modern insurance sector.

Cast

  • Sun Li as Hu Manli – 39-year-old elite broker
  • Dong Zijian as Xue Xiaozhou – 28-year-old industry newcomer
  • Myolie Wu as Qiu Lisu – insurance-firm executive and Ding Zhi Yuan's mistress turned lover.
  • Ye Qing as Tang Ling – Hu Manli's colleague
  • Sebrina Chen as Wu Ya – Xue Xiaozhou's girlfriend
  • Gao Xin as Ding Zhi Yuan – Hu Manli's estranged husband
  • Xu Weiluo as Ding Da Er - Hu Man Li and Ding Zhi Yuan only son
  • Tong Lei as Zhong Ning – Hu Man Li's close friend and Ding Zhi Yuan assistant
  • Connie Kang as Li Yu Ke
as Li Fen Dou's only daughter

Production

The drama was selected by the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Development Foundation as a key cultural project. Principal photography took place from March 2024 to July 2024 at more than 80 Shanghai locations—among them the Bund, Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Xuhui campus and Hongqiao World Centre.

Release

CCTV-8 broadcast two episodes nightly from 17 April to 4 May 2025; Youku offered a three-episode VIP launch followed by two episodes daily. The series later received secondary satellite runs on Beijing TV and Dragon TV.

Reception

Viewership

Xinhua reported that the premiere achieved a nationwide CSM rating of 1.34 percent, ranking first on Chinese television for 17 April 2025. By its first weekend, combined linear and streaming view counts exceeded 4.5 billion, while live ratings peaked above 3 percent for multiple evenings.

Critical response and controversy

Viewer opinion is divided. Many praised Sun Li's performance and the authentic Shanghai setting, yet some insurance professionals criticised the portrayal of unethical sales tactics, launching the Weibo hashtag #请别妖魔化保险人,. Media commentators from 上观 News argued that the drama intentionally uses “negative examples” to highlight the insurance industry's shift toward stricter regulation.

Themes

Scholars highlight its examination of mid-career reinvention, inter-generational workplace tensions and female agency within China's financial-services boom.