Small Town Remedy: A Gifted Doctor Goes Home to Northeast China

Why this one

Official genre label: a small-town life "healing" drama (小城生活「疗」愈剧, xiaocheng shenghuo "liao" yu ju). One-line story: a gifted doctor, Liu Zhengliang (刘铮亮, played by Xiao Zhan, 肖战), hits a career low, goes back to his hometown in Northeast China and gathers a group of "unreliable" people to do the "most reliable" things.

The setup

The official synopsis says Liu Zhengliang meets his "Waterloo" and is forced to return home and begin from zero. Official posts place the town in Northeast China (东北, Dongbei) and say he comes back "from the south". Its hospital is called Xiaoximen (小西门). The official tagline asks: "Is it an accident, or a way home?" The cause of his setback is not stated officially. The town's name is not yet announced.

Background

The drama adapts the novel Fei Dao (飞刀, "Flying Knife") by Liu Sanshu (刘三叔). In a China News Service interview (October 2026), the author said the trailer matched his imagination, only Xiao Zhan is too handsome for the character he wrote, and he is curious how the screenwriter changed the girlfriend break-up. Douban also lists the alternative titles Liu Yisheng Fanxiang Ji (刘医生返乡记, "Doctor Liu's Return Home") and Fei Dao.

Cast and crew

• Lead: Xiao Zhan (肖战), Liu Zhengliang

• Then: Ding Jiali (丁嘉丽); Wang Yanlin (王彦霖), Chen Junnan; Shi Pengyuan (史彭元), Liu Zhengguang; Liu Hua (刘桦); Ren Chengwei (任程伟), Che Changhai; Zhang Guoqiang (张国强), Huang Dongsheng; Chen Jin (陈瑾), Mi Si; Jiang Yan (姜妍), Ai Chen; Ni Dahong (倪大红), Long Dongdong; Jian Renzi (菅纫姿), Che Mingming

• Director Zhang Xiaobo (张晓波); writer Nie Chengshuai (聂成帅); producers Su Xiao (苏晓), Xia Jie (夏杰)

• CCTV and Ningmeng Pictures (柠萌影视), with iQIYI (爱奇艺)

Glossary

• lao (唠): to chat, gossip; the official copy's word for Northeastern talk (promo)

• jiachang liduan (家长里短): everyday family chatter (promo)

• yanhuoqi (烟火气): the warmth of ordinary daily life (promo)

• chufang (处方): prescription; the synopsis speaks of "life prescriptions" (promo)

• liangfang (良方): an effective prescription, as in the title (promo)

Trailers and posters

• 23 September: first trailer, shown at the iQIYI 2026 showcase

• 16 October: release-date trailer

• 19 October: "Bu Chashi" trailer

• 20 October: character featurette; iQIYI trailer; behind the scenes: the Cantonese-meets-Northeastern scene

• Four named posters: Seeking Heart (寻心版), Warm Hearth (烟火有方), Lively Streets (老热闹), Life's Seesaw (人生跷跷板)

• Theme and closing song "Qingqing" (《轻轻》, "Gently"), sung by Xiao Zhan

• First OST wave, four insert songs: sung by Ren Suxi (任素汐), Zhang Chi (张弛), Zhang Xingte (张星特), Wang Tianfang (王天放)

Where to watch

From 21 October 2026, CCTV-8 airs the drama in its prime-time slot, two episodes nightly. iQIYI streams it exclusively: VIP members get four episodes at 19:30 on 21 October, then two episodes daily at 19:30 from 22 October. Episode count: not yet announced.

Overseas

Not yet announced. No official overseas platform has been named.