Tsao Jui-yuan Unveils 'A Time,' an Eight-Year Folk Music Drama
The series follows five friends across four decades and stars Ning Chang, Jerry Yan, and former K-pop idol Lucas Wong.
By Aiko Brooks ·
Taiwanese director Tsao Jui-yuan presented his new series, “A Time,” at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest. The drama centers on the campus folk music movement of the 1970s and follows the lives of five friends over a forty-year span. Tsao spent eight years developing the project, which he described as a way to process his own youth.
The cast spans two generations. Veteran actors Ning Chang, Jerry Yan, Chen Yi-han, Wu Kang-ren, and Liang Cheng-chun play the older versions of the characters. The younger ensemble includes Lucas Wong, Suri Lin, Fandy Fan, Iain Lu, and Joseph Huang. Chang, who serves as an executive producer on the project, previously worked with Tsao on other productions.
Lucas Wong, a former member of the South Korean groups NCT and WayV, makes his acting debut in the series. He portrays the younger version of Si Mao, one of the five main characters. Wong said he learned diving, guitar, and dancing for the role. He noted that working with the established cast provided a valuable learning experience for his first performance.
The story begins when Si Mao is injured while diving into an empty swimming pool. He falls into a coma for several decades. The plot focuses on the remaining friends as they navigate guilt, love, and personal struggles. Long-buried secrets from their youth eventually surface, forcing a reunion among the group.
Tsao stated that casting the younger actors was a difficult process. He compared the search to finding a needle in a haystack. He praised the five newcomers for their commitment and ability to inhabit their roles. Actor Iain Lu, who plays the younger version of Chang’s character, said Tsao closely monitors the emotional state of the cast during filming.
The production team includes more than 30 creative professionals. Many of these individuals have received recognition from the Golden Horse, Golden Bell, and Golden Melody awards, as well as international film festivals. The series is currently scheduled to premiere in 2027.
