Stills from the TV series "Go North". Photo provided by the production team
In the spring of 2023, a huge ship slowly passed by the bank of the canal, and its hull enveloped us on the bank like a high wall. At that moment, I was shocked. Looking back at the small streets and alleys paved with bluestone slabs behind me, I suddenly realized that I had finally found the "Flower Street" in my mind - this place not only carries the soul of the canal, but also breeds people who have lived on this land for generations. We built docks, row houses, restaurants and courtyards on this waterfront. A flower street, a small courtyard, and an endless Grand Canal are thus presented in the camera.
For me, the creation of "Northward" is an in-depth exploration of the spirit of the canal and an affectionate look back at my hometown Jiangsu. This drama is adapted from Xu Zechen's Mao Dun Literature Award-winning novel. It took nearly 7 years from initial incubation to filming and now presented to the audience. The novel is rich in content and unique in form, and the adaptation of the drama is full of challenges. In order to convey the spirit of the original work more accurately, we went on field trips along the canal with Xu Zechen and screenwriter Zhao Dongling, repeatedly read the text, and discussed in depth. Finally, the direction of the adaptation was established-looking back at history with youthful eyes and embracing the tide of the times with the high-spirited attitude of the younger generation. In terms of image expression, we strive to be faithful to the original work and present the story of the Grand Canal in a refreshing way.
In the prologue of the TV series "Go North", the young Xia Fenghua took the newly arrived Ma Siyi by the hand, and walked through the Zhou family, the Xia family, the Xie family, and finally entered the Shao family. This bluestone road is not only a witness to their growth, but also leads the audience into this warm and simple Huajie courtyard. The two key events of childhood - how Ma Siyi integrated into the big family, and the over-optimism of the boss Xie raised funds to change the boat - became the basis of the narrative, and at the same time became the source of the children's firm belief in protecting this spiritual home. They grew up together in Huajie, pursued their dreams by the canal, and finally rushed to a wider world along this thousand-year-old river.
"Going North" is not only about looking back, but also about recording, inheritance and singing. The Grand Canal is a waterway that runs from north to south, carrying the cultural genes of the Chinese nation that have lasted for thousands of years. In the play, we try to give this river a fresh vitality through visual language. The Grand Canal has nurtured generations of people along the coast, and its rise and fall has profoundly affected their destiny. Therefore, we chose to start from a small courtyard along the canal, and from the perspective of a group of ordinary post-90s youth, show how the canal integrates into their growth. In childhood, they played and had fun in the canal; in adolescence, they explored the direction of life by the canal; after adulthood, they traveled far away with the spirit of the canal, and finally returned to their hometown, witnessing the joys and sorrows of the changing times.
The growth and struggle of the post-90s generation constitutes the main plot of the series. From a carefree childhood, to a struggling youth in the north, to the precipitation of returning to their hometown, they inherited the tenacity of their fathers and made their own world in the tide of the Internet era. In 2014, the Millennium Canal ushered in a new opportunity. Xia Fenghua and others who were far away from home were overjoyed to learn that the Grand Canal was successfully listed as a World Heritage Site. In the end, they chose to return to their hometown and devote themselves to the construction of their hometown with their youth. This is not only their personal growth process, but also our expectations for the youth of the new era.
Another important storyline in the play is "searching for roots". The emergence of a sunken ship leads to long-buried secrets of generations. As the investigation progresses, the fog of history gradually dissipates, and the fate of individuals intersects and merges with the flow of the canal. Ma Siyi in the play travels to Italy to explore his life experience, while Chen Rui traces his family's past in Huajie. The two narrative lines separate and then converge, eventually forming a complete story. This not only echoes the touching brotherhood in the original work "Northward", but also allows the characters to find their emotional bond of coexistence with the canal and the neighbors in the courtyard in the fusion of modernity and tradition.
We strive to restore the vastness and heaviness of the canal and the fireworks of the Flower Street. In the "Flower Street Courtyard", the atmosphere of life is strong, and the diet, daily life and craftsmanship of each family have been carefully designed. Grandma Ma's fried dumplings, Shao Xingchi's long fish noodles, Liu Yuling's mung bean cakes... These details are not only a true presentation of life, but also a symbol of the canal spirit-tolerance, mutual assistance, and endless life. With the changes of the times, shipping has gradually declined, and the canal people are in trouble. However, they did not give up easily, but supported each other and faced the ups and downs of life together. It can be said that the canal is the bones and muscles of "Northward", the neighborly love is its flesh and blood, and the optimistic spirit is the beating heart of this drama.
The canal flows continuously, witnessing the changes of time. Today, on this land, there are countless "Xia Fenghua" and "Xie Wanghe" who are full of hope and writing their own new era. And the quietly flowing canal water will continue to tell the moving stories of struggle, mutual assistance and inheritance, illuminating the life journey of generations.
(This article was published in the People's Daily on March 13, 2025, page 20. The author is the director of the TV series "Go North". The original title is: "Go North", a tribute to the ever-flowing Grand Canal.)
