''iPartment'' (; pinyin: Àiqíng Gōngyù), is a sitcom from Mainland China. It was produced by the

Shanghai Film Group Shanghai Film Group Corporation () is a film, animation and documentary production company under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group conglomerate. In 2001, it was announced to be a combination of a number of studios, all of which are locate ...

and Shanghai Film Studio, and aired by Jiangxi TV in August 2009, with twenty 45-minute episodes. The second season aired episodes online due to its online fan base and polls for upcoming episodes. The second season featured four of the same characters from the first season with three new characters. The third season followed with the same cast. A film adaptation, '' Love Apartment'', was filmed and released in 2018, and featured most of the cast reprising their roles. The show is generally regarded as one of the most successful Chinese sitcoms of all time, mainly among the Post-80's generation and Generation Z due to the advent of streaming services and TV reruns. It is one of the first Chinese shows to depict modern young urban society and references wider Western pop culture phenomenon.

Premise

The show details the lives of seven young adults in their mid-to-late 20s who are neighbors in an apartment complex in Shanghai, "iPartment," which was opened to young couples in love for heavily discounted prices by a wealthy philanthropist who was moved by a wedding.

Cast

* Jin Shijia (Kim Jin) as Lu Zhanbo * Zhao Ji (Evonne Zhao) as Lin Wanyu * Chen He (Michael Chen) as Zeng Xiaoxian * Lou Yixiao (Loura Lou) as Hu Yifei * Sun Yizhou (Sean Sun) as Lü Ziqiao * Li Jinming (Kimi Li) as Chen Meijia * Wang Chuanjun (Eric Wang) as Sekiya Kamiki (Chinese: Guangu Shenqi) * Deng Jiajia as Tang Youyou *

Li Jiahang Li Jiahang (; born March 8, 1987) is a Chinese actor. Life and career Li Jiahang was born in Anshan, Liaoning. He graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2010. In ''New My Fair Princess'', he played the role of Fu Erkang. He then starred in ...

(Jean Li) as Zhang Wei/Snake * Zhao Wenqi (Vanessa Zhao) as Qin Yumo * Rong Rong as Lisa Rong * Kenichi Miura as Sekiya Kenjiro * Cheng Guo (Loyce Cheng) as Zhuge Dali * Wan Zilin (Catharine Wan) as Curry sauce * Zhang Yiduo (Zac Zhang) as Zhao Haitang

Episodes

Season 1 (2009)

Season 2 (2011)

Season 3 (2012)

Season 4 (2014)

Summary

Season 1

There are seven young adults who have different backgrounds, ideals, and identities, that live in an unlike apartment. Hu Yifei is a PhD graduate who lectures at a university and lives with her stepbrother Lu Zhanbo and late-night talk show host Zeng Xiaoxian. After Zhanbo graduates from MIT, he meets a girl, Lin Wanyu, who is the daughter of a billionaire banker. Wanyu ran away from home to avoid her engagement, so she moves into iPartment. The apartment owner sets a rule: if a couple moves in, they only pay half rent and do not need to pay for utilities. Lu Ziqiao and Chen Meijia try to save money by pretending to be a couple and move into iPartment. The rent is still expensive for them, so they find a Japanese cartoonist, Sekiya Kamiki, to move in with them.

Season 2

Three new residents move into the apartment: Zhang Wei, Tang Youyou, and Qin Yumo.

Season 3

After the grand prize, Xiaoxian continues to live with in iPartment. He buys the bar and becomes the owner. Meijia returns with a man when the residents celebrate the opening of Xiaoxian's bar. Kamiki and Youyou fall in love. After Zhanbo and Wanyu traveled around the world, Zhanbo formally proposes to Wanyu, who refuses. Wanyu leaves iPartment to go to Italy to chase her dream.

Season 4

Xiaoxian and Yifei's careers become successful on their work place. Although Ziqiao and Meijia get back together again, Ziqiao continues hitting on other girls. Kamiki's business is getting better, but it does not fix his relationship with Youyou.

Season 5

The iPartment residents have achieved their goals.

Reception

Much criticism has been directed towards the reuse of jokes and settings from American sitcoms such as ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'', ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

'', '' The Big Bang Theory'' and '' The War at Home''. The War at Home

Awards and nominations

References

External links

iPartment's homepage
{{Zhejiang Television Dramas 2009 Chinese television series debuts Chinese television sitcoms Television series by Croton Media