Battling expectations

The production features two other protagonists, a strong-minded housewife, played by actress Tong Yao, and an irresolute Shanghai native struggling with her insipid marriage, portrayed by Mao Xiaotong.

"The characters are sort of like mirrors that reflect modern women's issues, ranging from marriage to parenting and gender equality," Zhang says.

"I made it clear at the start that I would write three roles to represent women who are unmarried, married with children and married but yet to be mothers."

Under the stress of city life, many well-educated Chinese women are now choosing to quit their jobs for a period of time, staying at home as full-time mothers to take care of children until they reach school age, which became another inspiration for Zhang.

Tong's character, Gu Jia, embodies such a trend. Graduating from Shanghai International Studies University, Gu is the decision-maker behind the success of her husband, who rises from a nerdy programmer to head a fireworks company.