Overseasidol.com — On October 27, it was officially announced that actress Yang Zi will play the lead role in the upcoming period drama “he Way You Come Back”, portraying the legendary Shanghai entrepreneur Dong Zhujun.
After the announcement, Yang Zi shared her thoughts on social media, writing, “A life of ups and downs, storms and tides. Amidst the waves, the magnolia still blooms quietly. It’s an honor to step into Dong Zhujun’s extraordinary life,”,
The drama, based on the real-life story of Dong Zhujun—the founder of Shanghai’s renowned Jinjiang Hotel will depict her journey from hardship to independence.
It is described as both a glamorous adventure set in old Shanghai and an inspiring saga of a woman’s growth and resilience.
Produced by Tencent Video and Shengxi Huashi, with Jinse Media as co-producer, the series will be directed by Yang Yang.
Filming is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with a production period of about 150 days, and is expected to premiere in 2027.
The story follows A Yuan, a young girl sold to a Shanghai entertainment house due to poverty.
There, she meets and falls in love with Xia Zhishi, whom she later helps escape from pursuit.
After their marriage, the couple studies abroad in Japan, where A Yuan takes a new name Dong Zhujun.
Four years later, she returns to Sichuan as the wife of a provincial governor.
However, as her husband grows distant and suspicious, Dong Zhujun decides to leave with her four daughters and return to Shanghai to start anew.
Back in Shanghai, she establishes Qunyi Bobbin Factory, the first factory founded by a woman in the city.
Unfortunately, it is destroyed during the Battle of Shanghai in 1932.
Undeterred, Dong Zhujun later opens the Jinjiang Sichuan Restaurant and Jinjiang Teahouse, which secretly served as safe havens for underground revolutionaries and progressive figures.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Dong Zhujun donated her two establishments to the nation, which were expanded into the historic Jinjiang Hotel, a lasting symbol of her legacy and spirit of perseverance.
