Actor Chen Daoming [Photo provided to China Daily]

TV series The First Half of My Life, a 42-episode production adapted from Hong Kong author Isabel Nee Yeh-su's best-selling novel with the same title, will run on Beijing Satellite TV beginning July 4.

With a star-studded cast boasting Chen Daoming, Mei Ting, Ji Dong and Ma Yili, the series examines the women's independence issue in modern society through the perspective of a housewife-turned-career woman.

Luo Zijun (Ma) was once a carefree wife, but her affluent life encounters an abrupt change after being divorced unexpectedly. With the help of two best friends, she rises again to lead a new life.

Huang Lan, the producer, says the series wants to tell audience "women should not rely on marriages, but should seek their own happiness by their own effort".

Qin Wen, the scriptwriter, says she tries to capture the new changes in modern China through ordinary people's life.

Actress Ma Yili [Photo provided to China Daily]