The Dream Maker cast and characters
小城大事 · Xiao Cheng Da Shi
Who plays whom in The Dream Maker, and how the 19 characters are connected. Identity reveals stay closed until you open them.
Main cast
Zhu Yuanyuan朱媛媛as Gao XuemeiLead
How they are connected
Grouped around the main characters. Connections that give away a twist are hidden.
Li QiupingZhao Liying
Zheng Decheng 郑德诚Played by Huang Xiaomingrival, then partner
Du Tao 杜涛Played by Qin Junjieboyfriend- Monica 莫妮卡Played by Li Xiruifriend
Zheng DechengHuang Xiaoming- Zheng Dapeng 郑大鹏Played by Han Haolinson
Xie Chunlai 解春来Played by Chen Minghaodeputy
Lin Dongfu 林冬福Played by Geng Ledeputy
Tan Guangming 谭光明Played by Yu Aileideputy- Zhao Dongsheng 赵东升Played by Zhang Guoqiangcounty superior
- Cai Gang 蔡钢Played by Fang Zibinrival candidate
Xie ChunlaiChen Minghao- Gao Xuemei 高雪梅Played by Zhu Yuanyuanwife
Gao XuemeiZhu Yuanyuan
- Xie Xiaoyu 解小鱼Played by Zhang Simindaughter
Du TaoQin Junjie- Jiang Yun 姜云Played by Wang Jimother
Lin DongfuGeng Le- Yu Qingtian 余青田Played by Zhu Chaoyiapprentice
Sun XiaoyanWang Yiyao
- Lin Dongfu 林冬福Played by Geng Lesuitor
Yang XiaohaiLi Jiuxiao
Minor spoilerShow 1 hidden connection
- Wang Lili 王丽丽Played by Zhang Yezigirlfriend
Qian ChangyuanZhang Weiyi
- Yang Xiaohai 杨小海Played by Li Jiuxiaoapprentice
Change what opens automatically in .
Who's who
- Li Qiuping (Zhao Liying): an idealistic county office secretary educated in France, who plans the town on paper and insists on doing things properly. Her parents' long-silent marriage and her on-off relationship with Du Tao run through her story. She is an invented character and does not appear in the book.
- Zheng Decheng (Huang Xiaoming): a district Party secretary and widower with a gift for talking people into things. He wants Yuehai to have a hospital because his wife died far from one. Locals mock him as the "monkey secretary", after their nickname for the rich farmers he courts.
- Xie Chunlai (Chen Minghao): one of the newly rich wanyuan hu, who resents Li at first and becomes the town's self-taught engineer as deputy head.
- Gao Xuemei (Zhu Yuanyuan): the fierce owner of the Chunmei print works and Xie's wife, whom the other business owners treat as their leader. This was Zhu Yuanyuan's last role. She died in May 2025, shortly after filming ended, and was nominated posthumously for Best Supporting Actress at the 2026 Magnolia Awards.
- Du Tao (Qin Junjie): a provincial reporter posted to Yuehai for a year, whose article questioning the town's fundraising puts Li in an impossible position.
- Lin Dongfu (Geng Le) and Tan Guangming (Yu Ailei): the other two deputy heads, one in charge of construction and the other of the money.
Identity Reveals
Ending spoilerShow identity reveals
There are only small ones. A man presenting himself as a professor at the town's night school turns out to be a con artist, a married woman's soldier husband exists only in a doctored photo, and a hoard of "ancient" relics dug up on the building site turns out to have been planted. Chinese episode summaries reveal each within an episode or two.
Supporting cast
Zhang Guoqiang 张国强as Zhao Dongsheng
Wang Yiyao 王伊瑶as Sun Xiaoyan
Li Jiuxiao 李九霄as Yang Xiaohai
Zhang Yezi 张晔子as Wang Lili
Zhang Weiyi 张维伊as Qian Changyuan
Zhu Chaoyi 朱超艺as Yu Qingtian
Li Xirui 李溪芮as Monica
Wang Ji 王姬as Jiang Yun
Fang Zibin 房子斌as Cai Gang
Zhang Simin 张思敏as Xie Xiaoyu
Han Haolin 韩昊霖as Zheng Dapeng
Chen Meng 陈梦as Xiao Chen · Cameo