A hit television drama that had previously highlighted gender discrimination in Chinese families on Monday cast a spotlight on another topic affecting millions of people: Alzheimer’s disease.

Thousands of Chinese netizens shared their Alzheimer’s-related stories on microblogging platform Weibo after the final episode of “All Is Well” revealed that the patriarch on the show has the disease. But Monday’s episode — which ended with the protagonist, Su Mingyu, quitting her job to take care of her ailing father — also drew criticism.

“Ming Yu is rich, pretty, independent, and smart, and is willing to help her family through and through,” commented one Weibo user, suggesting she should have given greater consideration to her own goals. “Quitting her job to take care of her father is a real indication of a filial daughter.”

Classified as a form of dementia, Alzheimer’s affects more than 9 million Chinese — and that figure is likely to rise due to the country’s rapidly aging population, according to the World Health Organization. (Image: IC)