Offering a degree of nostalgia

"It was stressful and tiring during filming. Most nights I never managed more than about six hours of sleep, but the effort has paid off," says Li.

Hashtags on discussions about how the TV series reflects the reality of life for many young people have registered more than 310 million views on the microblogging platform, Sina Weibo.

"I hope the TV series acts like a mirror, reflecting the universal worries and confusions of the young people, and helps the audience to examine their true selves," Li says.