# Living (有生之年)
**Living** (有生之年) is a 2023 Taiwanese family drama series produced by Lin Xinru (林心如), written by Du Zhengzhe (杜政哲), and directed by Xu Zhaoren (許肇任) and Lin Zhiru (林志儒). It centers on the Gao family of Taipei, whose eldest son Gao Jiayue, played by Wu Kangren (吳慷仁), returns home at age 41 after his business and relationship collapse, and follows the family members as each confronts his or her own difficulties in life.[1](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202308220359.aspx) • [2](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537) The series premiered on September 17, 2023 on TVBS channel 42, airing Saturdays at 10 pm, and streamed on Netflix and other platforms.[3](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2255254) At the 59th Golden Bell Awards in 2024 it won six awards, including Drama Program, Best Actor, and Best Actress.[4](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202410190281.aspx)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / English title | 有生之年 / *Living*, meaning "living" or "being alive"[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25305675) |
| Production | Producer Lin Xinru, in her first role as a full-time producer; fifth collaboration with writer Du Zhengzhe[6](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2250176) |
| Directors | Xu Zhaoren and Lin Zhiru[1](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202308220359.aspx) |
| Main cast | Wu Kangren, Joseph Cheng (鄭元暢), Lin Zhexi (林哲熹), Yang Guimei (楊貴媚), Xi Xiang (喜翔), Chang Jung-ju (張榕容), Sun Kefang (孫可芳)[7](https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/108661) |
| Premiere | September 17, 2023, TVBS channel 42, Saturdays at 10 pm[3](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2255254) |
| Streaming record | Topped Netflix Taiwan's TV show chart for five consecutive weeks; the Taiwanese drama with the most chart weeks of 2023[8](https://taiccaissue.taicca.tw/article/focus-5) |
| Golden Bell Awards | Six wins at the 59th Golden Bell Awards (2024), including Drama Program, Best Actor, and Best Actress[4](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202410190281.aspx) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and themes
The story opens with Gao Jiayue's line "I'm back" (我回來了). Jiayue left Taipei young and ran a small restaurant on Xiaoliuqiu, an island in [Pingtung County](https://www.edgepedia.org/pingtung-county); the restaurant had poor ratings, few customers, and eventually closed. His girlfriend of many years, tired of his carelessness, had an affair and became pregnant, and the man who took over his restaurant turned out to be her lover. Having spent his savings settling his affairs, he returns to the family home ostensibly to celebrate his father's birthday, while privately contemplating ending his life. He finds that every family member is living a life different from what he expected.[1](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202308220359.aspx) • [2](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537) • [11](https://nowplayer.now.com/ondemand/detail?fromSearch=true&id=S202311160172067&lang=zh&type=series)
The Gao parents raised three sons on the income of a breakfast shop. After Jiayue moves back in, the family members each face their own life challenges: the dutiful second son has carried the family's burdens, and the youngest, still unmarried, works at the family breakfast shop.[7](https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/108661) • [2](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537) Critics noted that the premise echoes the Swedish property *A Man Called Ove*, in which a man decides to die before family ties pull him back toward life.[2](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537) The series' signature line comes from Jiayue's suicide note: "In my lifetime (有生之年), growing up this big is already not bad."[12](https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/amp/20231019insight015)
Reviewers placed the show within Taiwanese drama's turn toward realism and concern for ordinary people, while also noting its "healing" and "relaxed" qualities could occasionally feel idealized. Douban's short-review section showed a familiar polarization: admirers argued Taiwanese dramas capture a texture of everyday family life that mainland Chinese productions do not, while critics contended mainland audiences apply too generous a filter to Taiwanese work.[2](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537)
## Production
**Development and team.** Lin Xinru began assembling the project in 2020, spending more than two years preparing this work centered on "family relationships." Filming officially began on September 9, 2022, when the production held its opening ceremony with Lin, lead actor Wu Kangren, and writer Du Zhengzhe, all of whom had just received Golden Bell Award nominations that year.[9](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/1901675) Lin had previously produced *Light the Night* (華燈初上) with Du Zhengzhe as writer; *Living* marked her first time serving as a dedicated, full-time producer rather than acting in the series as well. She said that stepping out of the actor's role let her view every performer and character from a purely production-oriented perspective.[6](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2250176)
**Casting.** The Gao parents, played by Yang Guimei and Xi Xiang, were the first roles cast, and the two actors waited through pandemic-related quarantines and scheduling conflicts while other cast members filmed elsewhere. The three brothers were played by Wu Kangren, Joseph Cheng, and Lin Zhexi. Lin said the story's male perspective was a main reason she stayed behind the camera.[6](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2250176)
**Writing.** Du Zhengzhe completed the script during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he wanted to write about life's difficulties, and that the pandemic enlarged those difficulties in his own mind; his conclusion was that hardships should be treated as nourishment, because they pass and leave a person stronger. Director Xu Zhaoren, who had won the 52nd Golden Bell Award for Best Director and worked with Du on TVBS's *Suan Tian Zhi Wei*, was known for grounding scripts in everyday life; Du said their collaboration on *Living* fused better than their previous work.[3](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2255254) Lin Xinru described her aim as approaching heavy subject matter "in a lighter way," to move audiences more closely.[9](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/1901675)
The series was later extended by two episodes, a change Lin Xinru supported in order to preserve complete emotional sequences.[10](https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/amp/20231019insight020)
## Reception
**Ratings and streaming.** After its September 17, 2023 premiere, the series topped Netflix Taiwan's chart in its first week, beating *One Piece*, and stayed at number one for three consecutive weeks on the daily Top 10; across its run it held the Netflix Taiwan number-one position for five weeks, the most chart weeks of any Taiwanese drama in 2023.[8](https://taiccaissue.taicca.tw/article/focus-5) • [13](https://www.verse.com.tw/article/netflix-living-kang-ren-wu) On television it was the number-one Chinese-language drama for six consecutive weeks after its debut on Ba Da TV, and it ranked first on MOD, HamiVideo, and other platforms.[14](https://ppg.ly.gov.tw/ppg/SittingAttachment/download/2024032263/16002090021004322003.pdf) • [15](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2274841) On Douban, more than 30,000 users rated it 8.8 out of 10.[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25305675) *CommonWealth Magazine* listed it fifth among 2023's most popular Taiwanese dramas.[7](https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/108661)
**Awards.** At the 59th Golden Bell Awards, held in Taipei on October 19, 2024, *Living* won the top Drama Program award, with Wu Kangren taking Best Actor and Yang Guimei Best Actress. Directors Xu Zhaoren and Lin Zhiru, supporting actor Joseph Cheng, and newcomer Xie Zhanrong (謝展榮) also won, for a total of six awards, second only to *Port of Lies* (八尺門的辯護人), which took seven that night. Lin Xinru, accepting the Drama Program award, said it was her first time on the Golden Bell stage in nine years.[4](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202410190281.aspx)
**International reach.** The series was nominated for the "Asian Content & Global OTT Award" at the Busan International Film Festival, and its rights were sold to multiple overseas OTT platforms. TVBS's chief producer Dai Tianyi (戴天易) noted that the series also appeared on Amazon, a platform that generally does not buy Taiwanese dramas, and credited the show's emotional storytelling with cross-cultural appeal.[16](https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/indep/1006302)
## References
1. [「有生之年」再當製作人 林心如專注不技癢, Central News Agency (CNA), August 22, 2023](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202308220359.aspx)
2. [《有生之年》：台剧的现实感与理想化, The Paper (澎湃新闻), October 16, 2023](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24945537)
3. [專訪／林心如哭了！在家追《有生之年》鼻酸落淚, TVBS News, September 2023](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2255254)
4. [「有生之年」奪金鐘戲劇節目 製作人林心如含淚致謝, Central News Agency (CNA), October 19, 2024](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202410190281.aspx)
5. [年度高分台剧，差点错过, The Paper · 澎湃号, November 16, 2023](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25305675)
6. [《有生之年》林心如首當專任製作人曝秘辛 五度合作杜政哲, TVBS News, September 22, 2023](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2250176)
7. [2023最紅台劇排行榜！年度口碑最好的台灣影集你看了嗎？, CommonWealth Magazine (遠見雜誌)](https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/108661)
8. [2023年臺劇OTT與電視收視表現放大鏡, TAICCA issue vol. 05](https://taiccaissue.taicca.tw/article/focus-5)
9. [TVBS大戲《有生之年》驚人卡司公開 製作人林心如：再打造台劇巔峰, TVBS News, September 9, 2022](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/1901675)
10. [〖找回家的溫情5〗保留一氣呵成情感段落 林心如力挺《有生之年》增加2集, Mirror Media, October 19, 2023](https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/amp/20231019insight020)
11. [有生之年 episode guide, Now TV / Now Player](https://nowplayer.now.com/ondemand/detail?fromSearch=true&id=S202311160172067&lang=zh&type=series)
12. [〖娛樂透視〗《有生之年》自然演繹日常 家庭劇集喜感包裝人生課題, Mirror Media, October 28, 2023](https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/amp/20231019insight015)
13. [2024金鐘獎／視帝吳慷仁演活《有生之年》「魯蛇」, VERSE](https://www.verse.com.tw/article/netflix-living-kang-ren-wu)
14. [立法院議案關係文書, March 2024 (Taiwanese drama streaming and ratings summary)](https://ppg.ly.gov.tw/ppg/SittingAttachment/download/2024032263/16002090021004322003.pdf)
15. [《有生之年》重現29年前經典作品 結局「陽光普照」, TVBS News](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2274841)
16. [從《有生之年》到《舊金山美容院》：TVBS 原創戲劇，如何用共鳴打開國際市場, Business Weekly (商業周刊)](https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/indep/1006302)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Hong Kong and Taiwanese serial drama*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license