The Ideal City Review

As far as I know, Mark Chao doesn’t really take on many drama projects unlike some other actors. His last drama that I watched was Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms and that is a 2017 production. So, it is out of curiosity that I picked up The Ideal City (理想之城) when I found out that he is the main lead in the drama. This one has a modern business setting that features the construction industry. Is it really worth the wait for a Mark Chao fan? Well, check out The Ideal City review below for the details.

My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Business
Aired: August 2021
Images Credit: iQIYI

The Cast Of The Ideal City

• Betty Sun Li as Su Xiao
• Mark Chao You Ting as Xia Ming
• Li Chuan Ying as Huang Li Lin
• Yu He Wei as Zhao Xian Kun
• Chen Ming Hao as Wang Yang
• Yang Chao Yue as Du Juan
• Gao Ye as Wu Hong Mei
• Zhang Shu as Maria
• Li Hong Tao as Wang Ming Yu
• Zhao Jun as Xu Zhi Ping
• Qian Yi as Chen Si Min
• Yin Zhu Sheng as Liu Tie Sheng
• He Zheng Jun as He Sheng Li
• Zhang Tian Yang as Xu Feng
• Zhang Tao as Zhou Jun
• Liu Yi Chang as He Cong Rong

Main Characters

Su Xiao

Su Xiao is a Cost Manager at ZJ Construction. She is a talented costing specialist for construction projects. Su Xiao is an idealistic woman with strong principles. She is also stubborn and determined to succeed on her terms. However, she can be naive in workplace power plays and office politics.

Xia Ming

Xia Ming is a talented costing engineer and Chief Financial Manager of TK Construction which is a subsidiary of Ying Hai Group. He is a very smart and sly man. Xia Ming can be very intuitive and can read other people’s intentions pretty well.

Supporting Characters

Huang Li Lin

Huang Li Lin is the General Manager of TK Construction and also Xia Ming’s uncle. He is one of the founding members of Ying Hai Group. Huang Li Lin can be crude and hotheaded. He relies on Xia Ming to crunch the numbers and provide strategic planning for the company.

Zhao Xian Kun

Zhao Xian Kun is the President of Ying Hai Group. He is a farsighted and smart man who is always suspicious of his business partners’ motives in the subsidiary companies as he tries to balance the competing interests within the group.

Wang Yang

Wang Yang is the General Manager of TC Construction which is another subsidiary company of Ying Hai Group. He is an old-timer and one of the founding members of the group. Wang Yang and Huang Li Lin are rivals as they are fighting over the same projects although they belong to one holding company.

Du Juan

Du Juan is a receptionist at TC Construction. She is the go-to person for gossips and the latest news on the happenings in the company. She is friends with Su Xiao and also has a crush on Xia Ming.

Wu Hong Mei

Hong Mei is Su Xiao’s best friend. She is a HR executive at Ying Hai Group but has a poor relationship with her boss, Maria, who often picks on her. Hong Mei is timid and feels unappreciated at work but has a dependable boyfriend in Zhang Xiao Bei.

Maria

Maria is the HR Director of Ying Hai Group. She dictates the group’s recruitment policies and decisions. Her subordinates include Hong Mei whom she dislikes. Maria has a boyfriend who is working overseas for Ying Hai Group as well.

Wang Ming Yu

Wang Ming Yu is the Chief Vice President of Ying Hai Group as well as the General Manager of the group’s main engineering, procurement and construction company (EPC). Being one of the founding members of the group, he is the one who has gained the most from Zhao Xian Kun who trusts him more than the rest. Wang Ming Yu’s protege is Zhao Peng.

Xu Zhi Ping

Xu Zhi Ping is the Chief Financial Manager of Ying Hai Group. He is also an old-timer and smart enough to know how to avoid troubles with the heads of the various subsidiaries to keep the peace and his job.

Chen Si Min

Chen Si Min is the Chief Financial Manager of TC Construction. He has Wang Yang’s trust and has been in control of the company’s affairs for a long time. He has his own agenda of preserving the status quo in the company to enjoy all the benefits that come with it. His protege is Lu Zheng Ming who is the company’s Construction Budget Manager.

Liu Tie Sheng

Liu Tie Sheng is the General Manager of a conglomerate called All Stars Group which is planning to embark on a large construction project. As a former military man, he is straightforward with little interest in small talk.

He Sheng Li

He Sheng Li is the Team Leader of the District Planning Projects. Being a high-ranking civil servant, he oversees the construction projects in the district to ensure they meet the required standards. As such, he is mindful of the company he keeps to avoid any conflict of interest. He has a daughter, He Yao, who has interest in Xia Ming.

Xu Feng

Xu Feng is Zhao Xian Kun’s Executive Assistant. He is an ambitious man who is eager to prove himself to his boss whom he greatly respects.

Zhou Jun

Zhou Jun is Su Xiao’s fiancee. He is a team member of the District Planning Projects. Zhou Jun is ambitious and believes success will come more easily if he has the backing of someone more powerful. Hence, he hooks up with Li Xue who is the Director of the District Planning Office.

He Cong Rong

Cong Rong is the new Executive Assistant of Zhao Xian Kun. His father is one of Ying Hai Group’s lenders and has asked Zhao Xian Kun to mentor Cong Rong as a favor.

Synopsis

ZJ Construction is the main contractor of a public housing project while TK Construction is its sub-contractor. A mishap during a visit by the district officials needed some scapegoats to resolve the matter between the 2 parties. Su Xiao is fired from her job as the Cost Manager although she is blameless. To make matters worse, she finds out that her fiancee is cheating on her with the argument that he could give her a better life later on as the woman is someone who could help him in his career.

Su Xiao dumps him and starts looking for a new job. After much hardship, she lands at job at TC Construction. But her talent is not valued by her direct supervisor who has his own selfish interest to protect in the company. He creates problems for her in the hope of driving her away.

At the same time, Xia Ming is trying to free TK Construction from being controlled by Ying Hai Group which is squeezing its profits. They are forced to buy construction materials from the group’s central procurement company at a higher price than the market rate. The President of the group is suspicious of Xia Ming’s motives and launches an internal audit to try to find some wrongdoings in TK Construction to be used as a leverage.

Su Xiao is caught up in the internal fight as she has inside knowledge of TK Construction from her days at ZJ Construction. To get Su Xiao on his side, Xia Ming tries to convince her to work for him as his assistant.

The Ideal City Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

The Ideal City has a happy ending. The last scene shows Su Xiao and Xia Ming being friendly to each other again. There is no firm conclusion that they are back together as a couple but the drama ends with them smiling while chatting on Su Xiao’s rooftop.

Prior to that, Wang Ming Yu has made a move to replace Zhao Xian Kun as President of Ying Hai Group. Su Xiao, who is now the Reform Team Leader, manages to convince the group’s senior management of the need for an employee stock option scheme and why Zhao Xian Kun has agreed to the same earlier. Zhao Xian Kun also struck a deal with Xia Ming to be the General Manager of the merged subsidiaries. But Wang Ming Yu sees that as a threat to his power base and takes Zhao Xian Kun down. He wants Xia Ming to cooperate with him to accuse Zhao Xian Kun of doing things without the board members’ approval.

Xia Ming traps Wang Ming Yu into letting slip that he has a sinister motive to remove Zhao Xian Kun during the board meeting. He insinuates that he has secretly recorded Wang Ming Yu’s deal with him to accuse Zhao Xian Kun. Wang Ming Yu becomes flustered and walks into Xia Ming’s trap. This results in him losing the board members’ support.

What Is Happening In Ying Hai Group?

Ying Hai Group began with a few founding members banding together to do construction projects. As the business grew, it was organized into 5 subsidiaries which are construction companies, a main EPC company, and a holding company. The founding members became the General Managers of the subsidiaries and EPC company as well as senior managers in the holding company.

Over the years, the profitability of the construction subsidiary companies are increasingly being squeezed. They are forced to buy building supplies from the EPC company headed by Wang Ming Yu which charged them more than the average market rate. On top of that, the market is getting more and more competitive. Hence, all the founding members will look after their own interests first which jeopardizes the long-term survival of the group as a whole.

To make matters worse, the founding members which are now old-timers are resistant to change. They are only interested in protecting their turf and gaining power with each working in silo. Help is only rendered when there are benefits to be extracted. Zhao Xian Kun realizes the something must be done and starts investigation into TK Construction which is the largest of the 5 construction subsidiaries.

What Is Xia Ming’s Plan?

What Xia Ming wants to do is to take TK Construction away from Ying Hai Group. He knows that the people in Ying Hai Group are all vultures and TK Construction will always be at their mercy. Hence, he has a long-term plan of forcing the holding company to divest its stake in TK Construction which was built up by his uncle.

When Zhao Xian Kun decides to merge all the construction subsidiaries to prepare for listing, Xia Ming has already made sure that TK Construction is showing a loss with huge borrowings from a loan shark. This will force Ying Hai Group to divest its stake to maintain its integrity and balance sheet. All these happened in Episode 36.

However, Su Xiao knows Xia Ming too well and doesn’t believe that TK Construction is insolvent. She then finds out that the company is the owner of a large piece of agricultural land which everyone has overlooked because it is worthless at the moment. But a metro line connecting to the site is in the works in the near future. This means TK Construction is sitting on a gold mine. That is why he wants Ying Hai Group to divest TK Construction. Then, he and his uncle could buy it over and free themselves from being controlled by the holding company.

The plan fails because Su Xiao deems it her responsibility report it to her boss. As a compromise, she proposes to Zhao Xian Kun to set up an employee stock option scheme. Part of the reason why Xia Ming wants to make TK Construction independent is due to his desire to help the old and poor construction workers of Ying Hai Group which have no place to stay after retirement.

When Did Xia Ming And Su Xiao Start Dating?

Xia Ming confesses to Su Xiao at the end of Episode 23 and they share a kiss in Episode 24. They start dating then but circumstances break them apart in Episode 31. Su Xiao understands Xia Ming has his reasons for being manipulative and using people as tools to achieve his aim since TK Construction is at the mercy of unscrupulous people in the holding company. But she doesn’t agree with his way of doing things. She loves him but she also has her principles. Therefore, Su Xiao asks for a breakup as she feels her strong values will only hold him back from doing what needs to be done for his company and his uncle.

What Happened To Hong Mei?

Hong Mei finally finds the courage to leave Xiao Bei in Episode 38. She has had enough of his saving and scrimping ways which has taken a toll on her mental health. She doesn’t want to lead that kind of life anymore especially when she develops a crush on Zhao Xian Kun who has begun to take notice of her. In Episode 40, Zhao Xian Kun is shown showing up at her apartment and she cooks for him. There is no direct indication that they are in a relationship and it is up to viewers to make their own interpretation.

The Fate Of Other Characters

• Chen Si Min leaves TC Construction in Episode 20. He is told by Wang Yang to do so because he keeps resisting and sabotaging Su Xiao’s efforts to improve the company’s performance.
• Huang Li Lin has a stroke while scolding Su Xiao for refusing to leave Xia Ming in Episode 26. He gets better over time but still needs a wheelchair to move around by the end of the drama.
• Xu Feng quits in Episode 35 with the plan to join the civil service. He is tired of the office politics of which he is often a victim. He also feels that people like him and Su Xiao are disposable tools of the President and they will be kicked out once their job is done.
• Wang Yang is disappointed for not being chosen as the General Manager for the merged subsidiaries despite his brotherhood relationship with Zhao Xian Kun in Episode 40. But Su Xiao tells him that no matter who they are, they will have to keep up with the President if they do not want to be left behind.

The Ideal City Review – A Riveting Business Drama

The Ideal City is a good business drama to spend your time on if you prefer stories that are more polished and logically told. The plot is well-executed as viewers are taken on the career journey of Su Xiao and the story is told from her point of view. When I started watching, I actually thought this would be one boring and confusing drama. It is conversation-heavy as you need to really to listen to the dialogues to know what is happening and the subtleties of the characters’ intentions and motivations.

Therefore, this is a drama that you need to pay attention when you watch unlike simple rom-coms such as Cute Programmer and Sweet Teeth. That is why I thought it would be boring but I was wrong. The story is riveting as it progresses because what the female lead faces in her different job positions skirts pretty close to reality in the working world. And it is told in a way that gives viewers some level of anticipation and suspense. You would also be able to easily relate to the problems and pressure Su Xiao is put under.

Well-Developed Plot

The Ideal City is rich in office politics and power plays. It also gives us 2 characters with different views on how to approach a problem. Su Xiao is the idealistic one who thinks rules should be followed and one should have conscience in striving for success. Xia Ming is the practical one who believes there are unspoken rules and people could be taken advantage of to solve a problem. So, you would get to see 2 people with different life principles doing their jobs in a very toxic workplace environment. There is depth to these characters and plot which makes the story addictive.

Basically, the drama is about old blood vs new blood. The old-timers resist change because that will break their hold on power and the benefits that come with it. As such, there will be internal sabotage and backstabbing, setting up a rival to be kicked out, evading responsibility, and all that is common in office politics. Viewers will be following Su Xiao as she learns what co-workers and bosses are capable of and how to respond. The Ideal City is certainly not something that you want to watch if you are looking to de-stress but the story is well-written and executed.

Is There Romance In The Ideal City?

Yes, but minimal. I wouldn’t watch it for the romance at all. It is not like My Bargain Queen or even Something Just Like This whereby there is enough romance to satisfy those who crave for some sweetness in a business drama. The romance in The Ideal City probably just spans over 2 episodes out of 40 in total. There is very little dating time for the couple as the focus is strictly business. There is one kiss when Xia Ming confessed and that’s about it.

The romance is needed to magnify the couple’s different life philosophies. It also lays the foundation for Su Xiao’s suspicion on Xia Ming later on as she knows him too well. Thus, forget it if you are looking for sweetness and fluff. You wouldn’t be satisfied with what is offered in this drama.

Great Acting

Betty Sun brings out Su Xiao’s character very well. She gives Su Xiao a tough and rough-edged look with a lot on her mind. But there will also be moments of melancholy and weakness when she is down and those emotional scenes are also perfectly carried out. Basically, Betty Sun successfully gives life to the character with all the different expressions and body language to suit different scenes. Su Xiao is not a role that is easy to portray as she has a lot of unspoken emotions within her. But Betty Sun manages to bring these emotions out for the viewers with her great acting.

Mark Chao is also good as Xia Ming who is calm and rational. But he also has this resignation written on his face that he simply has to do what needs to be done despite hating it. I think Mark Chao brings out that internal conflict rather well and as such, it is easy for viewers to sympathize with Xia Ming.

My Verdict – Watch!

The Ideal City is just nice at 40 episodes with even pacing throughout except for the rushed ending. The last 2 episodes suffer from some weak editing. I guess they simply want to close off the drama at 40 episodes that some scenes are deleted. You will still get a satisfactory ending but a rushed one. For example, there is no proper accounting of Hong Mei’s relationship and the consequences for the villain.

A word of warning is that the drama starts off with a lot of characters and that might put some people off. You need to learn who is who which could be confusing for the first few episodes. But it gets better after that as most characters are unimportant. Only a handful will stay to take on significant roles in the drama. As mentioned, the story is flushed out through conversations. So, don’t expect it to be a breezy watch.

For this The Ideal City review, I would give it a score of 8/10. The ending is marred by the rushed pacing but the overall story is still well-told. Watch it if you don’t mind loads and loads of office politics and a toxic work environment as the setting. The great acting helps and so does the strength and growing maturity of the female character. It is satisfying to watch her pick herself up whenever she gets kicked down.

However, it can also be frustrating for those who dislike obstacle after obstacle being thrown at the female lead with little breather. It is that kind of drama. If you find that repetitive, then The Ideal City would be a boring one to watch. But if you can relate to each of the problem that she faces, then this will be a riveting drama from start to finish.