Nothing But Thirty

Nothing But Thirty (Chinese: 三十而已; pinyin: Sān Shí Ér Yǐ) is a 2020 Chinese drama television series directed by Zhang Xiaobo and starring Jiang Shuying, Tong Yao and Mao Xiaotong.[1] The series follows the story of three vastly different urban women who have reached their thirties while facing challenges at a crucial stage in their lives, as they leave behind their youthful, carefree 20s to embrace the "adult" life of a 30-year-old, and ultimately decide to take matters into their own hands.[1] The series airs on Dragon Television and Tencent Video starting July 17, 2020.[1]

Nothing But Thirty
Chinese	三十而已
Mandarin	Sān Shí Ér Yǐ
Genre	Drama
Written by	Zhang Yiji
Directed by	Zhang Xiaobo
Starring	Jiang Shuying Tong Yao Mao Xiaotong
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	43
Production
Executive producer(s)	Xu Xiao'ou
Production location(s)	Shanghai
Production company(s)	Shanghai Ningmeng Film & TV Media Co., Ltd.
Release
Original network	Dragon Television Tencent Video
First shown in	China
Original release	July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)

Plot

The story chronicles the life of three women with different backgrounds and different personalities.

Gu Jia is strong willed, and is both a housewife and a businesswoman. She helped her husband become the CEO of a fireworks company, and fought rich housewifes who bullied her son. Wang Manni is rebellious, and is confident at both her workplace and at home. Zhong Xiaoqin is content with her average life, with a normal job and a husband who likes fish.

However, their lives are suddenly disrupted by external factors. Gu Jia finds out her husband Xu Huanshan actually has a young mistress, Wang Manni faces difficulties with sales and relationships, and Zhong Xiaoqin's idea of a perfect marriage is destroyed. How will the three women deal with the challenges of turning thirty?

Cast

Main

• Jiang Shuying as Wang Manni (王漫妮), a senior saleswoman.
• Tong Yao as Gu Jia (顾佳), a homemaker and housewife. The wife of Xu Huanshan.
• Mao Xiaotong as Zhong Xiaoqin (钟晓芹), an employee of a property company. The wife of Chen Yu.

Supporting

• Yang Le as Chen Yu (陈屿), executive editor of the News Department of a TV station. The husband of Zhong Xiaoqin.
• Li Zefeng as Xu Huanshan (许幻山), a nerdy designer and then to the CEO of a fireworks company.
• Yang Lixin as Gu Jinghong (顾景鸿), Gu Jia's father.
• Yan Zidong as Zhong Xiaoyang (钟晓阳)
• Edward Ma as Liang Zhengxian (梁正贤), an American businessman and playboy, boyfriend of Wang Manni.
• Mao Yi as Jiang Chen (姜辰)
• Wang Zijian as Zhang Zhi (张志)
• Samantha Ko as Zhao Jingyu (赵静语), Liang Zhengxian's fiancée.
• Dai Jiaoqian as Miss Lu (陆姐), Chen Yu's superior.
• Yang Xinming as Uncle Yu (于伯)
• Yang Yuting as Mrs. Wang (王太太)
• Cai Die as Xiao Bai (小白)
• Fu Miao as Boss
• Walley Wei as Zoe
• Wiyona Yeung Lau Ching as Amanda
• Tian Yitong as Daisy
• Wang Renjun as Shen Jie (沈杰)
• Guan Xiaotong as Liang Shuang (梁爽)
• Bu Guanjin as Jiang Xiaoguo (姜小果)
• Li Gengxi as Luo Yan (罗艳)
• Liang Siyi as Duan Jiabao (段家宝)

Production

Nothing But Thirty is the first mainland Chinese drama of Hong Kong model-turned-actor Edward Ma.[2]

The name "Sān Shí Ér Yǐ" (三十而已) based on a sentence "As thirty, I stood firm" (三十而立) comes from Analects.[3]

Reception

Nothing But Thirty received mainly positive reviews.[4] Douban gave the drama 7.4 out of 10.[5]

References

1. Xu Wei (17 July 2020). "Drama tackles changes in urban women's lives". shine.cn. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
2. Addy (24 July 2020). "Edward Ma On Filming His First Chinese Drama "Nothing But Thirty"". jaynestars.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
3. Allison Jiang (28 July 2020). "Does China's New Hit Drama "Nothing But Thirty" Accurately Portray Women's Struggles?". radiichina.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
4. 《三十而已》收获好评，央视点名表扬，不是因为童瑶，只因为有她. qq.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
5. 三十而已. Douban.com (in Chinese). 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

External links

• Nothing But Thirty at Douban (in Chinese)
• Nothing But Thirty on IMDb