The list of “Top Ten Influential Characters in TV Dramas in the First Half of the Year” selected by Tencent Entertainment in mainland China has recently been released. Sun Li, known as the “Queen of Chinese Dramas,” defeated popular male stars Wang Hedi and Xiao Zhan with 23,966 votes, leading by over 6,000 votes to secure the top spot for her portrayal of “Hu Manli” in “A Wonderful Life.”
Focusing on the insurance industry in mainland China, the drama “A Wonderful Life” premiered in April this year and has been highly acclaimed. At the beginning of the series, viewers witnessed Sun Li’s character, Hu Manli, who is both radiant and fierce in her portrayal. She is an insurance broker, excelling in her field, lively, flamboyant, and with a touch of the ordinary. Through a fast-paced narrative, Hu Manli, at 39 years old, faces marriage crisis, job loss, and industry exclusion, leading to the crumbling of her life’s foundation.
One of the most memorable details in the drama is that the female lead is always busy at home, juggling work, cooking for her children, worrying about her husband, and taking care of her father, leaving no time for herself. Sun Li expressed that she can empathize with her character, feeling like she is a friend to her.
In the drama, Sun Li appears with a neat short haircut, often clad in sharp suits. As a top salesperson in the insurance industry, Hu Manli is passionate in dealing with clients to meet her targets. One striking scene is when she confronts the “mistress” by standing on a truck, holding a megaphone, and shouting at the mistress and ex-husband’s love nest, saying, “I don’t want what you want! I don’t want you either,” and even grandiosely offering a wedding gift, using black and white wedding photos as a backdrop, labeled as a “marriage altar,” causing the mistress to accept the gift embarrassedly amid the neighbors’ gossip.
Beneath the flamboyant and glamorous facade, Sun Li saw the sadness, helplessness, kindness, and resilience in Hu Manli, along with her unwavering determination. Rising from the front desk of an insurance company to become a sales champion, Hu Manli, like an “octopus,” is versatile while also having a “core” personality. She spent five years maintaining a single client, not only to sell insurance for commissions but also to prove that she is not the fraudster others claim her to be.
Some critics pointed out that Hu Manli, who has worked in the insurance industry for many years, has matured into a seasoned “you tiao,” vividly showcasing the hidden currents and rules of the mainland Chinese insurance industry. It is Sun Li’s authentic, delicate, and natural performance that unveils the layers of the industry’s secrets in the drama. Interestingly, according to reports from mainland Chinese media, many insurance industry practitioners in real life feel indignant about the storyline, as if their dignity has been stripped away and their reputation tarnished.
Some netizens believe that the drama portrays a realistic depiction of the Chinese insurance industry, with the actual situation being even more complex than what is shown in the series, revealing just the tip of the iceberg.
In Tencent Entertainment’s selection of the most influential characters in mainland Chinese dramas in the first half of the year, popular male star Wang Hedi’s portrayal of “Xu Qian’an” in “Grand Secretarial” took second place with a heat score of 17,695. Xiao Zhan, playing “Zang Hai” in “Legend of the Tibetan Sea,” ranked third with a heat score of 16,311.
Surpassing these two popular male stars is Sun Li, who portrayed “Hu Manli” in “A Wonderful Life,” with a heat score exceeding 20,000, reaching 23,966, clinching the top spot with a significant lead of over 6,000 votes ahead of the second-place winner. Netizens praised Sun Li’s character highlights: “A resilient female character in a realistic setting, displaying multi-layered emotions with delicate acting.”