*This article contains spoilers for Blossoms Shanghai.
China in the 1990s experienced an era of unprecedented change, turbulent waters rippling beneath the surface of reform and opening up. Wong Kar-Wai’s Blossoms Shanghai captures this moment through the eyes of Ah Bao, an everyman caught between past and present, ambition and memory. Like a spiritual continuation of Wong’s acclaimed (loose ) love trilogy, especially In the Mood for Love and 2046, the series weaves colour, musical cues, and themes that echo its predecessors, creating a rich sensory experience anchored in the shifting identity of its protagonist.
Three is the Magic Number
Ah Bao (Hu Ge), much like Chow in 2046, is shaped by three pivotal women who each reveal a different facet of his character. Li Li (Xin Zhilei) embodies the ruthless businessman Ah Bao believes he must become: cunning, pragmatic, and willing to play capitalism’s harsh game to survive in post-reform China. Although the state maintains a non-capitalist ideology, the reality is a fierce scramble for capital, and Li Li’s cold calculation reflects that truth.
Ling Zi (Ma Yili), the sassy and idealistic business associate, represents the hopeful Ah Bao of an earlier era — the man who dared to dream during the initial wave of China’s reopening. Through her, Ah Bao remains tethered to his youthful ambitions and softer self, even as circumstances force him to harden.
Ms. Wang (Tiffany Tang), working at the state foreign trade company No. 27, is a professional equal to Ah Bao, navigating the formalities of a transforming economy with intelligence and quiet resolve. She may be the only person who truly sees the man behind the facade. Their complex relationship, part rivalry, part unspoken affection, suggests that there’s more to her role in his life than meets the eye. In this dynamic, glimpses of Ah Bao’s authentic self emerge — parts of him he usually keeps hidden from the world.
Of Different Worlds – China, Hong Kong, and Macau
Beyond their roles in Ah Bao’s life, these three women can also be seen as symbolic reflections of the evolving relationships between mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau in the 1990s. Ah Bao and Li Li mirror the mainland — ambitious, striving, and deeply entangled with the legacies of the past. Ling Zi’s idealism and eventual move to Hong Kong capture that city’s distinct identity and relative autonomy, representing both promise and separation from the mainland’s unfolding story. Meanwhile, Ms. Wang, operating within the structures of the state and maintaining a delicate balance between duty and emotion, resonates with Macau’s position as a historical bridge between colonial influence and reintegration. These intertwined narratives extend beyond personal relationships, evoking broader cultural and political dynamics at a pivotal moment in the region’s history.
Ghosts of Future Past
Ah Bao is also haunted by the ghost of Xue Zhi, his first love who remains tethered to a painful past. Once humiliated and forsaken over his lack of wealth, Ah Bao later encounters Xue Zhi working as a server — having lied about her own wealth during their breakup. The encounter is steeped in irony. Despite all his success, Xue Zhi remains unmoved, unchanged in her indifference even until her death.
Ah Bao’s relationship with Xue Zhi mirrors China’s century-long history of humiliation, shaped by foreign domination, internal fractures, and the struggle to reclaim a sense of national identity. Much like China, Ah Bao grapples with the weight of unrealistic expectations, striving to redeem himself in the eyes of someone who no longer holds power over him. His journey is not one of clean resolution but of confronting illusion and relinquishing shame. In moving beyond Xue Zhi, Ah Bao achieves a form of personal liberation, one that reflects the painful but necessary process of reckoning with the past before embracing what lies ahead.
While Xue Zhi embodies the emotional scars of Ah Bao’s past, the three women who surround him in the present — Li Li, Ling Zi, and Ms. Wang — form the emotional core of Blossoms Shanghai. Each woman not only reveals a different facet of Ah Bao himself, but also reflects the competing forces shaping the identity of a rapidly changing China.
Unravelling Love and Sacrifice
Blossoms Shanghai never explicitly identifies who Ah Bao’s ultimate love interest is, but it invites us to infer from the emotional weight of each relationship. Among them, Li Li’s arc is particularly striking. Though she begins with a mission to avenge Mr. A, her feelings for Ah Bao gradually blur the line between retribution and love. Her decision to become a nun after fulfilling her promise signifies a spiritual reckoning and a rejection of the ruthless world they both inhabit.
Ling Zi, on the other hand, represents the quiet ache of unrequited love. While Ah Bao clearly cares for her, their bond never becomes romantic. It remains a deeply trusted companionship, one that cannot withstand the emotional costs of waiting. Ling Zi ultimately leaves to forge her own future in Hong Kong. Together, these arcs reflect the sacrifices, compromises, and emotional casualties of Ah Bao’s pursuit of excellence.
A Distance of 500 Metres
In the final episodes, Ah Bao and Ms. Wang no longer share scenes, leading some to believe they were not meant to be. Yet the series clarifies where everyone ends up: Li Li retreats to monastic life, Ling Zi departs for a fresh start, and Xue Zhi passes away. In a quiet moment, Ah Bao reflects on the promise he and Ms. Wang made to witness the opening of the Oriental Pearl Tower in 1994. They were separated by the Huangpu River, and he believed she had forfeited their promise. Only later does he discover where she was, after No. 27 had closed and their mutual friends had dispersed. This detail hints at the possibility of a quiet reunion beyond the screen.
Wong Kar-Wai’s Blossoms Shanghai leaves us suspended between hope and loss, where love is not always declared through grand gestures but remembered in silence, distance, and shared history. Through Ah Bao and the women who shape his journey, the series paints a portrait of a man (and a nation) caught in transition, striving to reconcile past and future, ambition and identity, illusion and truth.
