After years of anticipation, Wong Kar Wai’s long-awaited television epic finally arrives. The Criterion Channel will premiere “Blossoms Shanghai” on November 24, marking the first North American release of the filmmaker’s 30-episode series — his first original work for television and his first narrative set entirely in his birthplace. Three new episodes will stream every Monday at 8 p.m. ET through the end of January.
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The series, adapted from Jin Yucheng’s award-winning novel, follows the rise of Ah Bao, a self-made millionaire who becomes the Jay Gatsby of Shanghai during the economic boom of the 1990s. Starring Hu Ge, the show captures a moment of cultural and emotional reinvention as China’s financial center erupts with new wealth and moral uncertainty. If “In the Mood for Love” was a dream of nostalgia, this is its mirror — a story about ambition and loss in the city Wong left behind.
“I am thrilled to continue my long-standing relationship with Criterion with the North American debut of my first series on the Criterion Channel,” Wong said in a statement. “The series captures the vitality of Shanghai’s roaring ’90s, revealing universal human truths about desire and destiny. We hope the series provides insight into the pivotal moment of China’s reinvention.”
Already a phenomenon in China, “Blossoms Shanghai” topped TV ratings throughout its domestic run and became the nation’s most-streamed series. The Criterion Channel release will make it accessible to Western audiences for the first time, joining an extensive slate of Wong’s work already streaming — including “As Tears Go By,” “Days of Being Wild,” “Chungking Express,” “Fallen Angels,” “Happy Together,” and “In the Mood for Love.”
Criterion’s continued partnership with Wong follows the 2021 release of its World of Wong Kar Wai box set, a definitive 4K restoration project that revived the filmmaker’s most iconic films. “Blossoms Shanghai,” meanwhile, represents the director’s boldest new chapter — a 30-hour ode to memory, money, and the ache of transformation, rendered in the neon haze only he could create.
Three new episodes will be released every Monday at 8pm ET through the end of January, starting November 4. Watch the latest trailer below.
