Actor Huang Lei and actress Hai Qing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

TFBOYS, a hit Chinese music band consisting of three teen idols, will star in the series, the first time for all three to appear in one production.

Wang Jun, the director and actor, tells China Daily that the tale, adapted from the namesake best-selling novel, tries to record a changing era.

"China was seeing an enthusiastic boom of going abroad to study in 1980s and ’90s, but the students were mostly immigrant adults looking for a better life," he says.

The phenomenon is different today, as most of the students going to foreign schools are middle-school teenagers, Wang adds.

"China's education system has given the youngsters so much stress. Parents that want the children to live in a more easygoing environment will encourage them to apply for foreign colleges," he explains.

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