Gen Z

Professor Ren Xinzheng gives up a steady academic post to run a hands-on mentoring class devoted to traditional Chinese medicine, aiming to groom genuine successors rather than certificate holders. He gathers an unlikely cohort: the freewheeling Sun Toutou, his own son Ren Tianzhen, lawyer-turned-student Yang Xiaohong, pediatrician Peng Shiyan, and aspiring doctor Zhao Liquan. They bring different skills, ambitions, and frustrations to a single training room, and arguments over method, ethics, and respect flare up as often as diagnoses. The series traces how these clashes force each character to rethink what it means to practice and pass on an old craft in a fast-changing world, without spoiling how their relationships resolve.

Released in 2023 and created by Xiaojun Han, Gen Z stars Wu Gang, Zhao Lusi, Luo Yizhou, Zhang Meng, and Jiang Shan. The production frames TCM teaching in contemporary settings, aiming for realism in clinical scenes and teacher-student dynamics.

There are no records of major international awards or prominent festival wins for Gen Z. Available information doesn’t list big nominations, though the cast earned attention on social media and in domestic viewer conversations for their performances.

Gen Z stirred online debate about how traditional knowledge fits into modern careers, especially among younger viewers who related to the students juggling ambition and heritage. Zhao Lusi’s presence broadened interest beyond typical drama fans, and several clinical classroom scenes prompted discussions about apprenticeship and authenticity in TCM training.

Early viewer scores average 7.8 out of 10, based on a small sample, and audience feedback highlights themes of mentorship, legacy preservation, professional identity, and ethical practice. Reviewers and viewers tend to praise the ensemble interaction and the focus on practical teaching, while noting that some episodes slow down for character development. Overall, the show balances personal drama with questions about how to keep a traditional discipline relevant without losing its core principles.