Hey there~ Today's recommendation is Landing from Ten Thousand Meters (从万米高空降临).
This is just a genuine rec from me. Not something we carry
At its core, it's a workplace romance: commercial airline pilot (top) × approach controller (bottom). Both are strong, capable leads, and I've always been a sucker for this dynamic. Most of the scenes are pulled from real aviation incidents, which gives the story this grounded, authentic feel. It follows a captain working through psychological trauma from a past accident and an approach controller carrying his own emotional scars—and how they slowly, gradually fall for each other. It's a slow burn, told in this gentle, unhurried, conversational style that completely pulls you in.
Wiki: https://sumeru-labs.com/creation/1997138758359707648
The story is set right after Beijing Daxing International Airport opens (fictionalized as "Xinxing Airport" in the book). The love interest gets transferred over from Capital International Airport. The pilot gets caught landing without his lights on—classic meet-cute, aviation style.
Since I actually live in Beijing, this one hits close to home. No major spoilers, but here's some context: Beijing Capital International Airport was bursting at the seams, so they built Daxing way out on the edge of the city—about a 90-minute drive from downtown, and half the airport technically sits in Hebei Province. It opened right as COVID hit, and almost nobody from Capital wanted to transfer to what felt like the middle of nowhere.
In the novel, Fang Hao sees Daxing as a smart career move and makes the jump. But days after moving, his boyfriend cheats on him. He swears off love for two full years—until he meets Chen Jiayu. And even then, he's not ready to open up at first.
The story references two real incidents: a rough landing in Hong Kong that I vaguely remember from the news (never fact-checked it, though), and something that went down at Shanghai Pudong that also rings a bell.
Long story short: if you're the type who loves well-researched details and experiencing real-world slices of life through fiction, this one's for you. The audio drama adaptation is also top-tier.
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