Those Days of Youth

"Back in Those Youthful Days": Synopsis "Back in Those Youthful Days" follows the coming-of-age journey of an ordinary young man, Chen Yang, from his first year of high school in 2018 through the end of his first year of college in 2022. It tenderly portrays the companionship, first stirrings of love, and transformation of youth. In his first year of high school, reserved Chen Yang becomes best friends with the outgoing Li Xiang. They share morning study sessions, complain about the cafeteria food, and confide their youthful worries in the evening breeze on the sports field. Chen Yang gradually adjusts to high school life. In his second year, transfer student Xia Xiao arrives and awakens unfamiliar feelings in him. Xia Xiao helps him prepare for the campus singing competition and shares study notes with him. The three form a close-knit group, and Chen Yang works even harder, driven by his budding feelings. Under the pressure of the college entrance exams in their final year of high school, Chen Yang and his friends encourage one another. Li Xiang’s oranges and Xia Xiao’s notes on questions she got wrong become precious gifts of youth. But after the exams, the three head to different cities, and their tearful farewell at the train station leaves Chen Yang feeling reluctant and lost. At college, Chen Yang slowly adjusts to his unfamiliar surroundings and makes new friends through student clubs. Distance does nothing to dim his friendship with Li Xiang, while his feelings for Xia Xiao remain tucked away in his heart. When his hard work earns him a scholarship, he finally leaves his boyish awkwardness behind, gains a clear plan for the future, and comes to understand the ordinary yet radiant moments of youth.