Fu'erdai means 'rich second generation': the grown child of a family that made its money in the reform era. The word carries social judgement, since it suggests an inherited advantage rather than earned success. Its counterpart is qiong'erdai, 'poor second generation'. Ode to Joy introduces Qu Xiaoxiao as a fu'erdai.
Dramas
Where it comes up
Neon & Nine-to-Five
Ode to Joy: The Shanghai Drama That Put Five Women on One Floor and Made Class the Plot
A guide to the 2016 first season of Ode to Joy: five women from very different backgrounds on one Shanghai floor, why class is the real subject, the Fan Shengmei family debate, the novel-to-screen production, and the template it set for later city dramas.