# V Love (微时代)
**V Love** (Chinese: 微时代; pinyin: Wēi Shí Dài), formerly titled *Love In The Micro Era·First Love* (微时代之恋·初恋篇), is a 40-episode Chinese youth romance web series that premiered exclusively on [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video) on July 21, 2014. It was produced by Huanrui Century, Zhejiang Yueshi, and Tencent Video, directed by Liu Yuzhi, written by Chen Baohua, and marked the actress [Yang Mi](https://www.edgepedia.org/yang-mi)'s first work as a producer as well as her starring role.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/0616/c22219-25151856.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 微时代之恋·初恋篇 (Love In The Micro Era·First Love); English title V Love[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Premiere | July 21, 2014, 12:00 noon, exclusive on Tencent Video; one new episode at noon each Monday to Friday[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Format | 40 episodes of 45 minutes each; mainland China production[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Producer | Yang Mi, her first producing credit, with Zeng Jia also credited as producer[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Investment | 50 million yuan, with six idol leads: Yang Mi, Shawn Yue (余文乐), Tan Weiwei, Monica Chan (陈法蓉), Zhou Bichang, and Kim Bum (金汎) of South Korea[3](https://sjb.qlwb.com.cn/qlwb/content/20140724/ArticelA25003FM.htm) |
| Opening viewership | First episode plus trailers reached 34.1 million views by 22:30 on premiere day[4](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c14677-25333598.html) |
| Costumes | More than 6,000 styled outfits; each of the six leads had about 70 complete looks, four to five times the wardrobe of a typical modern drama[5](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/06-23/6310785.shtml) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The series is set in Shanghai and follows eight young people, four men and four women, born in the late 1980s and 1990s, with different personalities and backgrounds, as they grow up and entangle in friendship and romance in the era of new media and social networks.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The main campus setting is Bohan University (博翰大学), where the friend group includes the gossip-loving heartthrob Hua Youxi, the proud but loyal hotel-heiress Wu Anpo, the handsome tomboy Kang Weiwei nicknamed "Young Master Kang", the still-idolized graduate Ying Dong, art-school beauty Wan Jia, campus sweetheart Mei Bao, and the dependable economics student Han Dingyi.[6](https://v.sogou.com/series/orswyzlqnrqxsxzugm2dmnrybhhkfsvrwt5a.html)
The drama uses a structure of one small story every six episodes, with all eight protagonists' threads running through the whole script. According to a Tencent Entertainment review, this form keeps the plot compact while showing each character's perspective, growth path, and attitude toward love.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The series was also described in Chinese press as a Chinese version of *Gossip Girl*, composed of six stories about young city dwellers' love and life.[5](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/06-23/6310785.shtml)
## Production
**Casting and firsts.** The production gathered six stars who each supplied a personal "first": Yang Mi produced a drama for the first time while also starring; Shawn Yue made his first and, as of 2014, only television drama appearance; Tan Weiwei wore buck teeth and played against her image for the first time; Zhou Bichang acted in a drama for the first time since her debut; Monica Chan returned to television drama after years away; and [Kim Bum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-bum) made his first Chinese drama.[2](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/0616/c22219-25151856.html) The supporting and co-leading cast included [Dilraba Dilmurat](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilraba-dilmurat), Gao Weiguang, Zhang Yunlong, Li Xirui, Yang Chengcheng, Xiao Yuyu, Zhang Binbin, and Zhang Zixuan.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
**Creative team.** The screenwriter Chen Baohua won the 33rd Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay and wrote classic Hong Kong dramas including *Old Time Buddy*-era titles such as 《我本善良》, 《荣归》, and *Healing Hands II*. Director Liu Yuzhi had filmed 《白蛇后传》 and 《古今大战秦俑情》 and served as cinematographer on 《野火春风斗古城》, 《征服》, and 《不要和陌生人说话》.[2](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/0616/c22219-25151856.html) Filming took place in Shanghai and Bali, with production in 2013.[7](https://bafybeichypzjch6uuo5pe6btkctcusdwvp77xidgbh5kc2ipowvuaexhiq.eth.sucks/wiki/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3)
**Wardrobe and styling.** Yang Mi said in a video message that she handled casting, costume styling, script discussions, and actor direction. The costume volume was four to five times that of an ordinary modern drama: each of the six leads had roughly 70 fully assembled looks, including clothes, accessories, and bags, and each character had three or four basic makeup and hairstyle designs.[5](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/06-23/6310785.shtml) The *Guangzhou Daily* review noted the show's cooperation with international fashion brands and thousands of trendy costumes, with Yang Mi changing into nearly ten outfits in the opening episodes alone.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
## Release and reception
Tencent Video scheduled the premiere for July 21, 2014 at noon and framed the series as the launch of its first "network summer season" (网络暑期档), a scheduling concept for original online drama. The company positioned it as China's first true web-platform-exclusive drama made with standard television production values, high investment, and a large star cast, as a trial of online drama production, distribution, and release.[2](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/0616/c22219-25151856.html) The 50-million-yuan budget and idol lineup led the *Qilu Evening News* to describe the show as breaking away from the low-cost sketch-comedy model of earlier web series.[3](https://sjb.qlwb.com.cn/qlwb/content/20140724/ArticelA25003FM.htm)
**Opening performance.** On premiere day, the first episode plus trailers had accumulated 34.1 million views on Tencent Video by 22:30, and trailers alone had drawn 20 million clicks before broadcast.[4](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c14677-25333598.html) • [8](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2014-07-22/03194178682.shtml) Reviewers praised the production values: the *Yangzi Evening News* report noted dreamlike visuals, film-like texture, and an Aston Martin Virage Dragon Edition GT appearing on screen, with netizens calling producer Yang Mi an "industry conscience" for the show's polish.[4](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c14677-25333598.html) Some early viewers were impatient that the first episode mainly set up characters, with Yang Mi not appearing until the 24th minute and sharing roughly equal screen time with the ensemble.[4](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c14677-25333598.html)
A Xinhua review wrote that the series turned its lens to young people living in the new-media era, showing their distinctive views on friendship, love, and family, and that its portrayal of post-80s and post-90s love touched viewers across age groups.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Retrospective fan commentary has noted the tangled character relationships, with one fan-made map of the main characters' storylines jokingly called a real-life "love matching game" with a claimed 30 percent pairing accuracy.[9](https://k.sina.cn/article_6790505108_194bee29400100q4js.html?from=ent&subch=tv)
## Place in Chinese web drama history
The series premiered the same week that Yang Mi's film *Tiny Times 3*, directed by Guo Jingming, was in theaters, a coincidence Chinese press framed as Yang Mi competing with Guo Jingming in the same season.[3](https://sjb.qlwb.com.cn/qlwb/content/20140724/ArticelA25003FM.htm) A later industry retrospective placed 《微时代》 among the early attempts to combine traffic-star appeal with streaming platforms: Zhejiang Yueshi, described as part of the broadcast-system establishment, joined Huanrui and Tencent to make it in 2014, seeking to convert between long and short formats, an effort the retrospective judged to have had limited effect.[10](https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/5044281310/12ca99fde02002h1sm?froms=ggmp) The title also drew on the contemporary cultural currency of the word "micro" (微), which *Xin Weekly* had named 2012's character of the year as microblogging and WeChat reshaped Chinese media life.[10](https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/5044281310/12ca99fde02002h1sm?froms=ggmp)
## References
1. [《微时代》entry, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3/7626967?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
2. [杨幂《微时代》首当制片人 余文乐周笔畅等献出"第一次", People's Daily Online (京华时报), June 16, 2014](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/0616/c22219-25151856.html)
3. [杨幂PK郭敬明, 齐鲁晚报, July 24, 2014](https://sjb.qlwb.com.cn/qlwb/content/20140724/ArticelA25003FM.htm)
4. [杨幂《微时代》被赞 首集正片及片花播放达3410万, People's Daily Online (扬子晚报), July 24, 2014](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c14677-25333598.html)
5. [杨幂《微时代之恋》做制片 韩国演员金汎加盟(图), China News Service (深圳商报), June 23, 2014](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/06-23/6310785.shtml)
6. [《微时代》全集在线观看, Sogou Video](https://v.sogou.com/series/orswyzlqnrqxsxzugm2dmnrybhhkfsvrwt5a.html)
7. [《微时代》wiki entry](https://bafybeichypzjch6uuo5pe6btkctcusdwvp77xidgbh5kc2ipowvuaexhiq.eth.sucks/wiki/%E5%BE%AE%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3)
8. [杨幂：产假不误工作狂 《微时代》昨开播, Sina Entertainment (北京青年报), July 22, 2014](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2014-07-22/03194178682.shtml)
9. [嘉行团建之作《微时代》, Sina Entertainment blog, July 12, 2020](https://k.sina.cn/article_6790505108_194bee29400100q4js.html?from=ent&subch=tv)
10. [微短剧时代论, Sina Finance/Caijing, 2024](https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/5044281310/12ca99fde02002h1sm?froms=ggmp)
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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 › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Sp to Z*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license