Jiangcheng’s Twelve School Districts

An announcement about the proposed boundaries of the “Twelfth School District” crashes into the lives of three Jiangcheng families like a boulder into a pond. Middle-aged programmer Chen Mingtao stakes everything on buying a home in the right school district, only to face an industry downturn and fluctuating property prices as his family edges toward breaking apart. Bubble tea shop owner Zhang Li pulls strings wherever she can to get her son into a good school, but struggles to find her way between conscience and the rules. Rich heir Wu Jun seems to have everything within easy reach, yet is mired in family interests and the search for his own worth. The obsession with school-district housing reflects the predicament of city dwellers. They struggle for love and battle over social class. Amid the endless bustle of Jiangcheng, what do they truly want: an ideal place at a good school, or a child and a future that are free from labels? This is an urban portrait of the world, about education, family, and redemption.