The series also provides a nostalgic touch when it revisits the early years after China started the process of reform and opening-up in late 1978.

In one episode, Li Fan and Du Yingxin - a couple living in Beijing - recall their wedding ceremony held at a KFC outlet in the city's Qianmen area, the debut store of the American fast food chain in China that opened in 1987. Back then, Kentucky fried children was a "foreign delicacy", which is why some guests at the wedding were curious about the food, according to the couple.

Stories about the earliest foreign enterprises to come to China also include Coca-Cola's return and Japanese TV brand Furi's joint venture launched with a domestic partner.

In an effort to re-create the pivotal moments in history, the show features the birth of China's first share on its stock market, the establishment of the country's first joint venture automobile factory, the unprecedented impact of the internet and the ensuing tide of startups.

"We asked the crew to interview people who were involved in these events as much as possible, and to reflect the big era through interesting personal stories," says Zhang Wei, director of the documentary center of Youku, a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group.