The Way We Were () is a 2018 Chinese romance drama directed by Liu Jiang and starring Tiffany Tang and Luo Jin. The series airs on both Dragon Television and Beijing Television from 14 May 2018 to 10 June 2018. The series centers on the lives of Chinese overseas students in the United States.
The story follows six Chinese students studying abroad in the U.S., chasing their dreams and becoming the elites of their respective majors. Shu Che and Miao Ying were originally a couple since middle school. Che left to study in America before Miao Ying since he was two years her senior. Both their parents forbade them from marrying when they were pursuing their post-grad degrees in America due to a major subway project that CheâÂÂs father, a mayor of Yan-zhou, had agreed to award the bid to YingâÂÂs father through a corrupt underhanded agreement. From the opposition to their marriage, Che found out about his fatherâÂÂs corruption and Miao YingâÂÂs fatherâÂÂs briberies. When Che turned his love interest to Xiao Qing after his failed relationship with Miao Ying, he never expected Xiao QingâÂÂs father, an officer in the anti-corruption unit, will be the chief in charge of persecuting his father and Miao YingâÂÂs father for bribery and corruption. Shu Che becomes involved in exposing his dad's criminal activity and shares his thoughts with Xiao Qing. When Xiao QingâÂÂs father asks her to be the witness at trial, she is caught between being a witness and revealing the secret that Che shared with her. Ultimately, the culprit is revealed through investigations and evidence. There's a heavy price to pay for the culprits. Everyone matured in the process, understanding humanity and the value of life, and returning to the path of justice.
The series is directed by Liu Jiang (The Battle of Dawn) and written by Gao Xuan and Ren Baojia (My Youthfulness, Farewell Vancouver).
Principal photography began on 20 June 2017 and took place in various locations in the United States including Stanford University, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Filming also took place in Beijing, Cambodia and Canada. The series wrapped up on December 6 of that same year.