《去有风的地方》 Meet Yourself – A brilliant healing drama that is excellent for Chinese learners

《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” is a highly praised drama, often described as “healing” and “relaxing” by those who have seen the drama. However, I also encountered the phrase “there is no plot” associated with this drama, which initially discouraged me from trying it.

I eventually decided to give this drama a chance as I was looking for something relaxing to watch.

《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” quickly became my favourite slice-of-life modern drama of all times!

Let me share my review with you and tell you how a “no-plot” drama became my favourite drama!

Synopsis

Xu Hong Dou, a big-city woman, has her life turned upside down after the death of her best friend. Finding herself unable to face this loss, she left her job and packed her bags in search of a quiet and tranquil break in a remote village in the Yunnan Province.

She quickly discovers that life in an agricultural village isn’t as peaceful as she had imagined and is soon entangled in the lives of the local villagers and other city workers who, like her, had escaped to the village in search of peace and quiet.

Content Warning: Death of close friend and family members. This subject is brought up a few times throughout the drama.

The Watching Experience

Most of the scenes in《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” take place in the picturesque village of Yun Miao, contributing significantly to the drama’s tranquil and soothing atmosphere.

The production, from the narrations, setting, music and even the delivery of the lines by the cast, evoked a sense of relaxation and calmness. At times, watching this show almost felt therapeutic. Words can not describe just how beautiful the scenes are in this show.

Everything was well planned out and consistent throughout all the episodes. Nothing felt out of place.

In addition to the tranquil atmosphere of the show, the storytelling is absolutely brilliant. Yes, there is an overarching plot and many intricate subplots. It may not be the big “saving the world” or an action-packed plot, but it is captivating in a relatable way that evokes a sense of self-reflection.

《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” not only tells the story of the main character’s journey of self-healing but also delves into the struggles faced by numerous other characters, including locals of the village and city workers who have escaped to the village for a reset. These problems are diverse and unique, with themes such as family issues, business challenges, rural village development and relationship conflicts.

I quickly became very invested in the diverse and touching stories of each of the characters. My eyes were quite teary during a few of the scenes, particularly the ones that involved the main character reflecting on the loss of her best friend.

Each sub-story is paced very well and often told over 2-3 episodes. It’s never too much and never not enough. It’s just the right amount of time for each story. Some of these stories and struggles faced by the characters even had me reflecting on my own life experiences.

The relationship and romantic development of the main character in 《去有风的地方》 Meet Yourself unfolds very slowly as their romance is not the primary focus of the show. As someone who isn’t a huge fan of romantic-heavy stories, I really appreciated the focus on other unique, interesting, and relatable plotlines.

Difficulty for a Chinese learner

《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” is a brilliant drama for Chinese second-language learners.

The language used is straightforward and modern. The drama covers many modern everyday subject matters, and its narration is very expansive, providing a broad range of vocabulary for learners.

To fit in with the peaceful and tranquil vibe of the show, the delivery of the dialogues is slower than in other modern dramas, which is perfect as listening practice for a second language learner.

A challenging aspect of this drama is that the plot often unfolds through the dialogue rather than the actions happening on the screen. Characters will often have long, deep and personal conversations while not doing much else. In order to not be lost in the plots, high comprehension of the majority of the dialogues in this drama is required.

Final Thoughts

I really love《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself”, and I wish I could wipe my memory of it and re-watch it all from the beginning. I’ll definitely rewatch this again in the future!

It is not a drama that you will want binge over a few days, it’s not very binge worthy. You will want to take your time with this drama and absorb every moment of it. It’s perfect for watching one or two episodes each day, particularly great if you want to de-stress.

Although I really love this drama, I don’t feel it’s a drama for everyone. I feel that this drama is more suitable for an older audience (those with some experience of a working adult life). Many of the issues faced by the characters are related to adult life, so a very young audience (e.g. teenagers) may find the stories told in this drama very boring.

Having said that, 《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” is free to watch on YouTube, so there’s no harm in giving it a go, but be warned, the first few episodes are very sad.