Synopsis from Douban : Shen Yihang, a high school student, is handsome and has excellent academic performance. He is a well-deserved school idol and has captured countless girls in the school. Once, he met Xia Xuan, a female classmate with ordinary appearance, and was deeply attracted by her kindness and excellence. In order to get close to Xia Xuan, he used various methods to make himself appear in front of her and slowly developed his love for her. During a volunteer service outing, Shen Yihang was ready to muster up the courage to express his feelings, but Xia Xuan accidentally got into a car accident and was sehttps://movie.douban.com/subject/30391352/riously injured and hospitalized. Through this unexpected change, Xia Xuan completely changed into a different person. On the day of discharge from the hospital, Shen Yihang's best friend Chen Yueze happened to transfer to the school and met Xia Xuan who reported to the school. Chen Yueze determined that Xia Xuan was the woman he pursued, and constantly created opportunities to contact Xia Xuan and asked Shen Yihang to accompany him, but this made Shen Yihang understand Chen Yueze's heart. After constant inner struggle, Shen Yihang chose to hide his feelings...
Other synopsis in the presentation : "From the perspective of an 8-year-old boy named Xiwa, the film tells the story of the pure but turbulent love between his cousin Jia Shu (played by Yan Jikai) and the educated youth Xia Nu (played by Zhan Jingyi) who went to the countryside in a special era. When a rural teacher meets a city girl, under the starlight of the folk song propaganda team, in the emotional entanglement between the son of the village party secretary Zhuan Zhuan (played by Li Yuan) and the village flower Danlei, a heartbreaking symphony of fate is composed."
Truth, they could have used a poster you don't need to crane your neck and risk getting a crick from, to look at ; I like that one : https://kisskh.at/photos/mO6WD2_3 which is also used for the Douban page, fwiw.
Watched it at the 16th Festival of Chinese movies in Paris on Tuesday May 25 ; it will have another screening on Monday June 9 at the cinema Pathé Les Fauvettes. The movie depicts the hard life and lack of choices of a woman assigned to work in a factory specializing in dyeing fabric while pushed into two unsuccessful marriages and painful births over a hard period (Cultural Revolution). It leaves an impression of a grey life, even if the end is more hopeful with the protagonist Kong Xiu publishing stories in a newspaper, against the odds. Wang Chao specializes in the portraits of the underprivileged in hard circumstances since in "Orphan of Anyang" trilogy (which he wrote himself, but "A Woman" is adapted by him, also as screenwriter, from the semi autobiographical novel of Zhang Xiuzhen : My Dream, as befits the theme of the festival which is "Adaptation of literary works into Chinese cinema"). This movie can be compared with the one about the tribulations of Xiangling Sao in 1956 "New Year Sacrifice" (adapted from a short story by Lu Xun) and of the classic 1934 "Goddess" (about a woman who sacrifices everything for her child). Despite Mao's saying that "women hold up half the sky", doing so was not an easy task even after the 1949 Liberation and the advent of the New China, especially during the Cultural Revolution when they were at risk of being politically scolded, slandered, or worse. Surviving the hardship, keeping up her spirit, and finding new hopes, Kong Xiu becomes a minor icon to be respected.
Paris at the beginning of summer or fall is the best time to appreciate its marvels. Enjoy! Please do concern…
No problem, staying with trusted friends and "family"... Will enjoy the pho... and have roamed quite a bit, so I usually have a good evaluation of environment, vibes, risks, and when to use Andy Lau like toothy stare-downs (see: A world without thieves) or tricks to deflect attention to decoys and go invisible -- but I've met more guardian angels and good people than huaidans. Paris is like all major cities -and other inhabited places- one that has its cons and pros :)
OK, I am back... It did take longer than hoped for to get that second part. For those who like me were away on other business and did not jump on the bandwagon on May 30 and would like some reminders of who was who, where was what, or missed the first part at the time, my "companion piece" still can be accessed here : https://kisskh.at/discussions/zi-chuan/123627-eternal-brotherhood-shooting-and-dates-location-and-more
(I have excuses for being tardy : have landed my "virtual spaceship" in Paris, to attend the 16th festival of Chinese movies, which features a selection from the early days of Chinese film making, such as 1927 The Romance of the West Pavilion in cinema concert ; delightful underrated movie Shadow Magic depicting the birth of Chinese cinema with the filming of the lost 1905 movie Dingjun Mountain ; the first color feature movie of the PRC : New Year Sacrifice ; the latest movie adaptation of The Dream of The Red Chamber ; the blockbuster Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants ; and a number of other movies in different styles, modern stories, regional stories, even a couple of beloved animation movies featuring Sun Wukong and Nezha, and VR movies, roundtable talks about the industry and adaptations, localization.... Several directors, and cast members are in attendance, among whom Hu Mei, Wang Chao, Liu Miaomiao. I can't attend everything, but don't regret since I have already seen several choices in the selection, and I am also enjoying the start of summer in the European capital, while trying to keep up with watching other movies and dramas online!).
The movie was screened during the 16th Chinese movie festival in Paris on Monday June 2, 16:00 at the Cinéma les 7 Parnassiens, and again on Monday June 9, 19:00 at the Pathé Les Fauvettes cinema. With French subtitles.
This is the first color feature film of the PRC. It has been restored in 4K by China Film Archive and shown at Cannes Classics festival in 2020.
The movie New Year Sacrifice (also known as "Blessings") is adapted from a famous short story by Lǔ Xùn 鲁迅 (1881-1936) titled 《祝福》[Zhùfú] "Blessings", adapted by Xià Yǎn 夏衍 and directed by Sāng Hú 桑弧 stage name of Lǐ Péilín (1916-2004). It stars Bái Yáng 白杨 as Xiang Lin Sao (Xiang Lin's wife), Wei Heling 魏鹤龄 as He Lao Liu , Li Jingbo 李景波 as Mr Lu 4th ; it was produced by Beijing Film Studio in 1956.
"Through the tragic experience of Xiang Lin Sao's life, "Blessings" reflects the social contradictions in China after the Revolution of 1911, deeply exposes the destruction and persecution of working women by the landlord class, reveals the cannibalistic nature of feudal ethics, and points out the necessity of thoroughly opposing feudalism." (Baidu ; translation from Chinese by me)
Synopsis : In the early years of the 20th century, in a mountain village, a young widow accepts to work as servant in a rich family in order to escape a forced remarriage. Caught back by her family, she is wed to He and has a son, named Ah Mao. After the death of her debt-ridden husband and her son falling prey to wolves, she returns to her former employers, but is viewed as a jinx by the villagers who forbid her to take part in the New Year sacrifice ritual ; she loses her mind. (adapted from the 16th Festival of Chinese movies in Paris program book in French)
The program page online also had the following interesting comment (originally in French) : "This is the first screen adaptation of a work by Lu Xun, after the establishment of the communist regime and the first PRC color feature film. At the time BAI Yang was a big star. Revealed at less than seventeen years old by SHEN Xiling's film: "Crossroads" 十字街头 (Shizi jietou, 1937), she would go on to have a successful career in movies, but also on stage at the theater. Her natural acting is particularly well suited to the role of the peasant woman she plays in this film. Playing alongside her, WEI Heling is also perfect in his role. This discreet and nuanced actor excels in playing roles of ordinary city people such as in the movie "Street Angels" 馬路天使 (Malu tianshi, YUAN Muzhi, 1937), or "This Life Of Mine" 我這一輩子 (Wo zheyi beizi, SHI Hui, 1950), but also roles as peasant, such as in "New Year Sacrifice".
Synopsis : The story takes place in a small village called Shujiachuan in northwest China, when alfalfa flowers are in full bloom. Lǐ Hán , a beekeeper from another province, set up camp here, raising bees and collecting honey, and had an ambiguous, hidden but strong emotional entanglement with Màimài, a local girl who often mowed grass nearby. Màimài was engaged, and a little boy named Sùsù shuttled back and forth between them, frequently creating disturbance, making it difficult to know where the relationship was going...
Adaptation from the short story 《花开时节》"Flowers in Bloom" by Shí Shūqīng 石舒清 Original title : 带彩球的帐篷 Dài cǎi qiú de zhàngpéng (Tent with colored balls) Starring: singer MòXīZǐ shī 莫西子诗 (also known as Mo Chunlin 莫春林) as Lǐ Hán; Ke Rong 帐篷 as Màimài Other Title: The Flower's Time /The Time of A Flower Director : Liú Miáomiáo 刘苗苗 screenwriters: Tian Yuan and Shi Shuqing Pre-released Oct.11, 2023 public release : May 25, 2024
About the director : Liú Miáomiáo 刘苗苗 born in 1962 in Guyuan, close to Yinchuan, Ningxia autonomous region of the PRC, is a graduate from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy where she studied 1978-1982. She was a peer of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Tian ZhuangZhuang. She belongs to the fifth generation of directors in China. She started working as assistant director and screenwriter in 1984-1986 while trying her hand at directing herself with 1985 远洋轶事 (Ocean Anecdotes) ; in 1987 her movie 马蹄声碎 (Horseshoes sound/ "Women on the Long March", a war movie about eight female Red Army soldiers who find themselves separated from their main force during the Long March) was screened at the 11th Turin Film Festival in Italy, and in 1992, her 1993 released movie 杂嘴子 ("Chatterbox") won the gold medal at the Venice Mostra. In 1992, she became the director of the Ningxia film studios, while she went on to direct other movies : 1994 《家丑》 (Family scandal) which won the 2nd Beijing University Student Film Festival Best Story Film Award, and 1996 《家事》 (Family Problems), and 2000 movie 《黑色风景里的女人》(Woman in black scenery)
While also working as guest teacher 2004-2008 in Beijing at Beijing Daxue, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Film academy, she also worked as editor for movies by Feng Xiaogang ("A World Without Thieves" and "If You Are The One"), and directed her own movies : 2005 《拯救艾玛》 (Saving Emma) from a true story, and 《大山无言》 (Silent Mountains), 2006 《夜深人静》(In the Stillness of the Night), 2008 《小田进城》 (Xiaotian Enters the City). In 2013, she directed the romance movie film "Butterfly Love"《蝶之恋》 starring Ji Li and Jin Daoxinxin. In 2018, her romance movie "Red Flowers and Green Leaves" 《红花绿叶》won the most popular film in the premiere unit of the 2nd Pingyao International Film Festival and the Best Small and Medium Cost Feature Film Award at the 32nd China Film Golden Rooster Awards .
On May 25, 2024, her film "Tent with Colored Balls" was released in mainland China. The movies of Liu Miaomiao focus on the humanistic expression of the hometown theme, and her work has won domestic and foreign awards many times. (Information sourced from Baidu, iMDB, Sohu, Wikipedia, and 16th Festival of Chinese movies in Paris May 2025 program book page, added to photo section -- I have submitted a short version of this bio with accurate birth date and a portrait to MDL on June 1, 2025.)
This movie will be shown on Saturday May 31 and Friday June 6, in the 16th festival of Chinese movies in Paris, with French subtitles. Description in French and Chinese in the program as follows : https://www.festivalducinemachinoisdeparis.com/spip.php?article766 Director LIU Miaomiao / 刘苗苗 will be in attendance.
Very interesting review and you are such a great writer 😭😭. I wanted to write reviews sometimes but my english…
Thank you for liking! Don't let your feelings of having limited skills in English stop you from writing : from what I see, they are good enough and in using them, you would only improve continuously to reach the level you wish for :) Wishing you the best in enjoyment of dramas, c-movies and ZLY fandom.
(Me, I am just a multi fandom explorer and an old movie lover, currently in between a few flicks showing in the 16th Chinese movies festival that I am attending until next week in Paris, as a highlight of my vacation there. I reported about it in comments for "The Dream of the Red Chamber" directed by Hu Mei. Taking in some sights while also watching some other stuff on tablet, phone, or laptop. )
The official announcement of the key extension of the movie "Sunflower" is that the release date will be extended…
It is an interesting review, although I don't agree with the "teary" in the title. I was also surprised that among all the titles in the Feng Xiaogang filmography, the reviewer did not spot the link to "A World Without Thieves". But the picture of Gao Yuexiang, standing in thoughts and isolation on a high dangerous steel utility bridge over a railroad, is the one I was thinking of to illustrate that movie. The picture is cropped so it conveys less of the life and death choices open to desperate people like Gao Yuexiang, but she is not jumping, saved by her sense of motherhood even in separation. I am copying the picture into photo section, since it does not seem it was included before.
Watched it too. Zhao Liying always delivers solid performances in tough stories ; the resilience of the character she plays also comes from experience in life and acting although the character she played in "The Story of Xing Fu" was not as poor and desperate as Gao Yuexiang who sometimes reminds of the slave girl of "Princess Agents" in her dire straits. GYX is a light grey character with a low moral compass but a strong sense of faithfulness to those she protects, thinking of her daughter, like Hei Mei (played memorably by Lan Xiya, already noticed as prominent in "She and Her Girls", the biopic series about the mountain high school for girls - she is still playing support with as much brilliance as if she was lead).
The two struggle against the hurdles that keep the poor on the threshold of desperation, saddled with that backstory of going through prison for minor or more serious crimes while the gang that forced Hei Mei to break the law went scot free ...until the bloody retribution in the literally dying out gang in the end. Former ways of thieving are on the way of disappearing in a cashless society where Internet fraud replaces lock picking, and animal trafficking is on the rise while kids abducting is still a menace. Going to prison being also to make inmates reflect and reform, there is a clear goal, but former inmates insertion into society, as in most countries, is not easy, even with the sum allowed to start anew, and they are expected to fend for themselves or finding support in their families if they have one, even a bad one.
Deng Hong is not a typical prison warden, but does have some sympathy for the downtrodden women who become sisters in need, and is impressed by the more moral Hei Mei who instead of ripping off old relatives of their former prison cell enemy, goes to lengths to help them. Deng Hong has a back story that explains her sympathy : she was a baby saved from drowning by an escaped inmate and was raised by a police officer, as she tells her story in passing, not insisting. She genuinely wants her former inmates and charges to insert back and start afresh, away from law breaking.
There are a lot of ups and downs in the movie that depicts another side of city under world. But finally there is a happy end, where blood stains are aptly washed clean, while the former law breakers slate is wiped clean.
So, this is perhaps a tad over optimistic, not as realistic as a "Xiao Wu" pickpocket story told by Jia Zhangke in his famous independent movie, but "We Girls" also reminds of that underworld of ordinary people whose lives also contribute to building a country, shown over the years in movies such as "Platform", "Suzhou River" etc. and referring directly to the spirit of the famous Feng Xiaogang 2004 crime comedy "A World Without Thieves".
It is an interesting watch, indeed not depressing or boring, even thrilling, although there is not much humor in this one. I align with Sandrusca for rating this new movie.
This will be shown on Saturday June 7 as part of the 16th festival of Chinese movies in Paris, at the Cinéma Pathé Les Fauvettes, 58 avenue des Gobelins, Paris 13th (not far from the Parisian Chinese quarter in the 13th arrondissement).
The film was nominated for the Golden Goblet Awards at the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2021. Its lead star, Zheng Yunlong, won a Golden Angel award for the best new actor at the 17th Chinese American Film Festival in Los Angeles in November 2021. Zheng, a musical theater actor and singer, said at the premiere in Beijing that the movie is his first major silver-screen project, and he regards it as a gift to pay tribute to his mother, a former Peking Opera actress.
The movie is adapted from the Mao Dun Literature Prize winning novelist Wang Xufeng's novella Liu Lang Wen Ying (Orioles Singing in the Willows)－also the film's Chinese title.
The tale is set in the titular park, one of the 10 most renowned scenic spots, surrounding the iconic West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.
The veteran director Dai Wei 戴玮, with more than 40 galas under her belt at China Central Television, shifted her interest to the silver screen with the 2008 musical film "Ganglamedo", named after a popular Tibetan folk song, Snow Lotus. With other directorial efforts, including "Once Upon a Time in Tibet" (2011) and "Once Again" (2017), Dai has demonstrated her talent in the examination of women's status and psyche.
But her connection with "The Chanting Willows" started much earlier. "When I was studying in college, I was impressed by novelist Wang while reading her award-winning series Charen Sanbuqu (Tea Men Trilogy). Her language has a particular magic to make you feel that you could step into the fictional world and closely follow the characters," recalls Dai. When her executive producer recommended Dai to read Wang's Liu Lang Wen Ying, one of 10 novellas in the anthology Aiqing Xihu (Love Stories in West Lake), Dai was quickly hooked.
After getting financed and then interviewing more than 100 actors to select the cast, the movie started shooting－with its major scenarios filmed in West Lake area of Hangzhou, in the summer of 2021.
It links to a page mentioning that Dai Wei also wrote the score for May 2025 "A Stolen Life" movie directed by Zhao Fei 赵非. https://sino-cinema.com/tag/dai-wei/
-- The Chanting Willows movie is still available in full, with English subtitles, on YouTube, which has some interviews with Zheng Yunlong, an MV, and a trailer
The synopsis was changed to correct the previous erroneous one : rejoice! But my other additions for the director Ann Hu are still not taken into account despite following correct MDL addition procedure through https://kisskh.at/add/person/details MDL volunteer staff seems swamped and can't keep up with submissions...
Otherwise, I am sharing the Douban rating for this movie : 7.6 from about 7034 ratings (that's almost confidential, as audience number goes) : https://movie.douban.com/subject/1304489/ ; IMDb credited it with 7.1/10 from 833 ratings, and Rotten Tomatoes is rather evenly balanced between those who loved it and those who objected, recording, among other reviews, this one from Michel O'Sullivan, Washington Post, April 20, 2001 : "It's a film about film, and Hu's love of the medium's storytelling power shines through every frame.".
I'm just out from the opening of the 16th festival of Chinese cinema, where the movie was screened yesterday (and will be again, Wednesday May 28 and Thursday June 5).
Double subtitling in Chinese and French were a bit complicated to read because too close to bottom of screen, in the crowded cinema where the 380 seats were fully occupied, with a bunch of celebs and cinema directors, producers, or people involved in culture. Those guests made speeches before having a group photo prior to screening. Among those were director Hu Mei and actress Lin Peng, who played as Wang Xifeng (wife of Baoyu's cousin and niece of Madam Wang) the woman who ruled the financial affairs of Rongguo mansion.
I remembered fondly reading an easy version of the novel, a long time ago, and it did help following the convoluted web of characters in the story. The movie centered on Jia Baoyu ("Precious Jade") , spontaneous and innocent pleasures seeking adolescent, protected by his jade pendant (remnant of the magic stone of Nüwa, but that information was not much emphasized in the movie, except for the engraving and consequences of its loss), and Lin Daiyu, the orphan cousin he loved and wanted to marry someday, taken in by the Jia Matriarch of the Rong estate, residing in Rongguo Mansion. Daiyu henceforth lived there with her cousins Baoyu and Jia Xichun (who was originally from Ningguo mansion).
The mansions were large, adjacent family compounds in the capital. Although the capital is not named in the novel (and the first chapter insists that the dynasty is indeterminate), it is generally agreed that this is set in the Qing dynasty. The story is an allegory of corruption, through the portrayal of a sprawling cast of characters, many of which are cousins or close blood relations.
Then came the introduction of other girls, among whom Qin Keyi (the one who seduced her father-in-law, in a short nighttime scene where guards/servants lamented the man's behavior, glimpsed from the garden); Xue Baochai whose brother Xue Pan was a murderer (he killed a man to get the slave girl Xiangling). The Xue were intent on marrying Baochai into the Jia family for gaining status in exchange for money, while the Jia family through the machinations of Madam Wang, old Jia Zheng's wife, misappropriated the inheritance of Lin Daiyu to pay for luxury and offset some debts, before casting Daiyu off and tricking Baoyu to marry Baochai...
The power intrigues and exacerbated sentimentality were lightly touched upon in sometimes grandiose cinematic takes. The characters of Granny Liu and her grandson did appear too, but were not lingered on (they served as necessary contrast between princely city life in the mansions and rural life, not shown). The set was carefully, richly, and tastefully laid out, with many colors emphasizing details such as games ; strolling in Suzhou style gardens... The movie has the stately visit in the Daguanyuan (Grand View Garden) of the Rongguo mansion, of princess consort Yuanchun (sister of Jia Zheng who headed the other branch of the Jia clan in Ningguo mansion) , bringing with her imperial gifts and honor. There was also the other-worldly pink peach blossoms raining on Daiyu burying withered flowers, her and Baoyu reading poetry books, crossing arched bridges, Baoyu flying kites, personnel sleeping under the covered outer porches, because of the killing heat and vapor making Daiyu's cough worse, and more. The fantastic comes in with Baoyu's nightmares of drowning and visiting the Void, announcing the downfall of the mansions and of his hopes, and of course the ""sentient", "magic" jade stone pendant, that had begged to be sent to mortal realm to experience life, thus giving its other name to the novel (The Story of the Stone).
For those who are unfamiliar with the classic story, and lacking time to read or re-read the classic novel, there is an interesting 48 minutes animation+documentary video to get introduced to it and the author Cao Xueqin : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab0Fa8G845I
The movie wrapped in 2018, and introduced Zhang Miaoyi as Lin Daiyu, but drew harsh criticism centered on her portrayal of the sickly adolescent who comes out sometimes as peevish and was not beautiful enough, too bland, according to the taste of some audience, still faithful to the canon incarnation of the late Chen Xiaoxu in 1987! Actor Cheng Bian's Jia Baoyu conformed better to expectations. The main objections to young (then) Zhang Miaoyi are recorded in this post : https://dramapanda.com/2024/08/dream-red-chamber-movie-flopped-zhang-miaoyi-role-lin-daiyu-criticism.html. Perhaps there has now been too many adaptations of the long and sprawling novel, so audiences are jaded. Douban rating was low at 3.1 (https://movie.douban.com/subject/26924522/) from only about 21,000 ratings, ; and ImDB followed suit at 4.6/10 from 26 ratings, RottenTomatoes simply ignored the movie, while some lamented that director Hu Mei (famous for her almost classic movie biopic of Confucius) mangled the project, which in my opinion is too negative. I'd give it a passing 7, following the level of applause from audience in Paris, which was composed both of professionals, people interested in Chinese literature and movies, and simply curious naive newbies, a bit put off by having to crane their necks to try and read subtitles (in Chinese and French) at bottom of screen, over a sea of bobbing heads...
The cinema chosen for the purpose was not uncomfortable, despite being an Art Deco arthouse. Seats had been renovated, but still followed the historical almost flat parallel lines seating layout, with the screen placed high up over a stage. So it did feel a bit stuffy for so many people, and the lack of clear slope was unfortunate, especially since this was after all not a mobility impaired friendly theater (many steps and stairs without ramps). Paris is not really friendly to mobility impaired people anyway, be it public transport, rail stations, metro, official buildings, most buildings (despite ramps are supposedly mandatory for private buildings, but can become treacherous with width and lack of handrails). Besides which, since the municipality has vowed to make the city a hell for car drivers and force everybody to become pedestrians, the roads are bumpy and there are almost no parking spaces in the vicinity, even for handicapped people. Even taxi drivers complain, and the metro is a far cry in cleanliness, safety, and reliability, from those who are used to Chinese cities public transit. The state of roads can be a hazard to inexperienced bike or other wheel users. This cinema was not even the worst, as layout comes. For those who came early or wished to speak after (or during! the screening) there was a micro-café style bar with chairs, small round tables, and refreshments to be purchased, although not cheap. On the other hand, the independent cinemas such as Le Balzac are more friendly for the wallet in their policy for tickets. Prices are around 11€ or 9€ reduced when the major cinemas charge up to 15 or 20€.
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4 
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Director: Huang Lanjia 黄蓝嘉
Screenwriters: Huang Lanjia 黄蓝嘉/ Peng Weixia 彭微霞 / Yang Zhongping 杨仲平
Starring: Wu Yixun 吴一逊 / Zhang Yongxian 张咏娴 / Huang Lanjia 黄蓝嘉 / Ma Li 马力 / Wu Jiarong 吴佳容/ Huang Jiahui 黄嘉惠 / Deng Wen 邓雯 / Bu Shengjun卜圣君 / Shen Chao 沈超 / Fān Shǔxiōng番薯兄
Release date: 2020-03-15 (Mainland China)
Duration: 94 minutes
No Douban rating
Synopsis from Douban : Shen Yihang, a high school student, is handsome and has excellent academic performance. He is a well-deserved school idol and has captured countless girls in the school. Once, he met Xia Xuan, a female classmate with ordinary appearance, and was deeply attracted by her kindness and excellence. In order to get close to Xia Xuan, he used various methods to make himself appear in front of her and slowly developed his love for her. During a volunteer service outing, Shen Yihang was ready to muster up the courage to express his feelings, but Xia Xuan accidentally got into a car accident and was sehttps://movie.douban.com/subject/30391352/riously injured and hospitalized. Through this unexpected change, Xia Xuan completely changed into a different person. On the day of discharge from the hospital, Shen Yihang's best friend Chen Yueze happened to transfer to the school and met Xia Xuan who reported to the school. Chen Yueze determined that Xia Xuan was the woman he pursued, and constantly created opportunities to contact Xia Xuan and asked Shen Yihang to accompany him, but this made Shen Yihang understand Chen Yueze's heart. After constant inner struggle, Shen Yihang chose to hide his feelings...
高中生沈亦航凭着英俊的外表，在学校学习成绩也是非常优异，是当之无愧的校草，捕获了学校无数的少女，一次偶遇他认识了相貌平平的女同学夏萱，被善良优秀的她深深吸引，为了接近夏萱，通过各种方式使自已出现在她面前，慢慢展开爱慕之心，在一次志愿服务外出活动时，沈亦航准备鼓起勇气表达自己的心意，夏萱却意外出了车祸，严重受伤住院，通过这次意外的改变，夏萱完完全全变了一个人，在出院当天刚好沈亦航的死党陈越泽转校过来，遇到了到学校报道的夏萱，陈越泽认定了夏萱为自己追求的女人，不断制造机会与夏萱接触并拉上沈亦航陪同，却因此让沈亦航也了解了陈越泽的内心，在不断的内心挣扎下沈亦航选择把他的感情隐藏了起来…
Other synopsis in the presentation : "From the perspective of an 8-year-old boy named Xiwa, the film tells the story of the pure but turbulent love between his cousin Jia Shu (played by Yan Jikai) and the educated youth Xia Nu (played by Zhan Jingyi) who went to the countryside in a special era. When a rural teacher meets a city girl, under the starlight of the folk song propaganda team, in the emotional entanglement between the son of the village party secretary Zhuan Zhuan (played by Li Yuan) and the village flower Danlei, a heartbreaking symphony of fate is composed."
以8岁少年喜娃的视角，讲述表哥贾舒（严继开 饰）与下乡知青夏女（战菁一 饰）在特殊年代中纯粹却波折的爱情。当乡村教师遇上城里姑娘，在民歌宣传队的星光下，在村支书之子转转（李元 饰）与村花丹蕾的情感纠葛中，谱写出令人心碎的命运交响曲
.... looks like a namesake different movie?
The movie depicts the hard life and lack of choices of a woman assigned to work in a factory specializing in dyeing fabric while pushed into two unsuccessful marriages and painful births over a hard period (Cultural Revolution). It leaves an impression of a grey life, even if the end is more hopeful with the protagonist Kong Xiu publishing stories in a newspaper, against the odds.
Wang Chao specializes in the portraits of the underprivileged in hard circumstances since in "Orphan of Anyang" trilogy (which he wrote himself, but "A Woman" is adapted by him, also as screenwriter, from the semi autobiographical novel of Zhang Xiuzhen : My Dream, as befits the theme of the festival which is "Adaptation of literary works into Chinese cinema").
This movie can be compared with the one about the tribulations of Xiangling Sao in 1956 "New Year Sacrifice" (adapted from a short story by Lu Xun) and of the classic 1934 "Goddess" (about a woman who sacrifices everything for her child).
Despite Mao's saying that "women hold up half the sky", doing so was not an easy task even after the 1949 Liberation and the advent of the New China, especially during the Cultural Revolution when they were at risk of being politically scolded, slandered, or worse. Surviving the hardship, keeping up her spirit, and finding new hopes, Kong Xiu becomes a minor icon to be respected.
Will enjoy the pho...
and have roamed quite a bit, so I usually have a good evaluation of environment, vibes, risks, and when to use Andy Lau like toothy stare-downs (see: A world without thieves) or tricks to deflect attention to decoys and go invisible -- but I've met more guardian angels and good people than huaidans. Paris is like all major cities -and other inhabited places- one that has its cons and pros :)
For those who like me were away on other business and did not jump on the bandwagon on May 30 and would like some reminders of who was who, where was what, or missed the first part at the time, my "companion piece" still can be accessed here : https://kisskh.at/discussions/zi-chuan/123627-eternal-brotherhood-shooting-and-dates-location-and-more
(I have excuses for being tardy : have landed my "virtual spaceship" in Paris, to attend the 16th festival of Chinese movies, which features a selection from the early days of Chinese film making, such as 1927 The Romance of the West Pavilion in cinema concert ; delightful underrated movie Shadow Magic depicting the birth of Chinese cinema with the filming of the lost 1905 movie Dingjun Mountain ; the first color feature movie of the PRC : New Year Sacrifice ; the latest movie adaptation of The Dream of The Red Chamber ; the blockbuster Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants ; and a number of other movies in different styles, modern stories, regional stories, even a couple of beloved animation movies featuring Sun Wukong and Nezha, and VR movies, roundtable talks about the industry and adaptations, localization.... Several directors, and cast members are in attendance, among whom Hu Mei, Wang Chao, Liu Miaomiao. I can't attend everything, but don't regret since I have already seen several choices in the selection, and I am also enjoying the start of summer in the European capital, while trying to keep up with watching other movies and dramas online!).
This is the first color feature film of the PRC. It has been restored in 4K by China Film Archive and shown at Cannes Classics festival in 2020.
The movie New Year Sacrifice (also known as "Blessings") is adapted from a famous short story by Lǔ Xùn 鲁迅 (1881-1936) titled 《祝福》[Zhùfú] "Blessings", adapted by Xià Yǎn 夏衍 and directed by Sāng Hú 桑弧 stage name of Lǐ Péilín (1916-2004). It stars Bái Yáng 白杨 as Xiang Lin Sao (Xiang Lin's wife), Wei Heling 魏鹤龄 as He Lao Liu , Li Jingbo 李景波 as Mr Lu 4th ; it was produced by Beijing Film Studio in 1956.
"Through the tragic experience of Xiang Lin Sao's life, "Blessings" reflects the social contradictions in China after the Revolution of 1911, deeply exposes the destruction and persecution of working women by the landlord class, reveals the cannibalistic nature of feudal ethics, and points out the necessity of thoroughly opposing feudalism." (Baidu ; translation from Chinese by me)
Synopsis : In the early years of the 20th century, in a mountain village, a young widow accepts to work as servant in a rich family in order to escape a forced remarriage. Caught back by her family, she is wed to He and has a son, named Ah Mao. After the death of her debt-ridden husband and her son falling prey to wolves, she returns to her former employers, but is viewed as a jinx by the villagers who forbid her to take part in the New Year sacrifice ritual ; she loses her mind. (adapted from the 16th Festival of Chinese movies in Paris program book in French)
The program page online also had the following interesting comment (originally in French) : "This is the first screen adaptation of a work by Lu Xun, after the establishment of the communist regime and the first PRC color feature film. At the time BAI Yang was a big star. Revealed at less than seventeen years old by SHEN Xiling's film: "Crossroads" 十字街头 (Shizi jietou, 1937), she would go on to have a successful career in movies, but also on stage at the theater. Her natural acting is particularly well suited to the role of the peasant woman she plays in this film. Playing alongside her, WEI Heling is also perfect in his role. This discreet and nuanced actor excels in playing roles of ordinary city people such as in the movie "Street Angels" 馬路天使 (Malu tianshi, YUAN Muzhi, 1937), or "This Life Of Mine" 我這一輩子 (Wo zheyi beizi, SHI Hui, 1950), but also roles as peasant, such as in "New Year Sacrifice".
You can read the text of the original story in English translation here : https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/20245602/lu-hsun-the-new-years-sacrifice
There is also a musical version of 1978 with lyrics of the Yue opera style songs on screen (but no translation in English) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEWYL9ul_zs
Lǐ Hán , a beekeeper from another province, set up camp here, raising bees and collecting honey, and had an ambiguous, hidden but strong emotional entanglement with Màimài, a local girl who often mowed grass nearby. Màimài was engaged, and a little boy named Sùsù shuttled back and forth between them, frequently creating disturbance, making it difficult to know where the relationship was going...
Adaptation from the short story 《花开时节》"Flowers in Bloom" by Shí Shūqīng 石舒清
Original title : 带彩球的帐篷 Dài cǎi qiú de zhàngpéng (Tent with colored balls)
Starring: singer MòXīZǐ shī 莫西子诗 (also known as Mo Chunlin 莫春林) as Lǐ Hán; Ke Rong 帐篷 as Màimài
Other Title: The Flower's Time /The Time of A Flower
Director : Liú Miáomiáo 刘苗苗
screenwriters: Tian Yuan and Shi Shuqing
Pre-released Oct.11, 2023 public release : May 25, 2024
About the director : Liú Miáomiáo 刘苗苗 born in 1962 in Guyuan, close to Yinchuan, Ningxia autonomous region of the PRC, is a graduate from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy where she studied 1978-1982. She was a peer of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Tian ZhuangZhuang. She belongs to the fifth generation of directors in China. She started working as assistant director and screenwriter in 1984-1986 while trying her hand at directing herself with 1985 远洋轶事 (Ocean Anecdotes) ; in 1987 her movie 马蹄声碎 (Horseshoes sound/ "Women on the Long March", a war movie about eight female Red Army soldiers who find themselves separated from their main force during the Long March) was screened at the 11th Turin Film Festival in Italy, and in 1992, her 1993 released movie 杂嘴子 ("Chatterbox") won the gold medal at the Venice Mostra.
In 1992, she became the director of the Ningxia film studios, while she went on to direct other movies : 1994 《家丑》 (Family scandal) which won the 2nd Beijing University Student Film Festival Best Story Film Award, and 1996 《家事》 (Family Problems), and 2000 movie 《黑色风景里的女人》(Woman in black scenery)
While also working as guest teacher 2004-2008 in Beijing at Beijing Daxue, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Film academy, she also worked as editor for movies by Feng Xiaogang ("A World Without Thieves" and "If You Are The One"), and directed her own movies : 2005 《拯救艾玛》 (Saving Emma) from a true story, and 《大山无言》 (Silent Mountains), 2006 《夜深人静》(In the Stillness of the Night), 2008 《小田进城》 (Xiaotian Enters the City).
In 2013, she directed the romance movie film "Butterfly Love"《蝶之恋》 starring Ji Li and Jin Daoxinxin.
In 2018, her romance movie "Red Flowers and Green Leaves" 《红花绿叶》won the most popular film in the premiere unit of the 2nd Pingyao International Film Festival and the Best Small and Medium Cost Feature Film Award at the 32nd China Film Golden Rooster Awards .
On May 25, 2024, her film "Tent with Colored Balls" was released in mainland China.
The movies of Liu Miaomiao focus on the humanistic expression of the hometown theme, and her work has won domestic and foreign awards many times. (Information sourced from Baidu, iMDB, Sohu, Wikipedia, and 16th Festival of Chinese movies in Paris May 2025 program book page, added to photo section -- I have submitted a short version of this bio with accurate birth date and a portrait to MDL on June 1, 2025.)
You can listen to the song "Don't Be Afraid" by Mo Zixishi on this video recording of a 2020 performed for CCTV and posted in 2021 on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fts5QsDQaVU, and some other ones like 《妈妈的歌谣》https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSQIpguXPOk
The movie can be streamed without subtitles on this link : https://w.mgtv.com/b/649768/20960392.html?lastp=v_progdtl
Don't let your feelings of having limited skills in English stop you from writing : from what I see, they are good enough and in using them, you would only improve continuously to reach the level you wish for :)
Wishing you the best in enjoyment of dramas, c-movies and ZLY fandom.
(Me, I am just a multi fandom explorer and an old movie lover, currently in between a few flicks showing in the 16th Chinese movies festival that I am attending until next week in Paris, as a highlight of my vacation there. I reported about it in comments for "The Dream of the Red Chamber" directed by Hu Mei. Taking in some sights while also watching some other stuff on tablet, phone, or laptop. )
I was also surprised that among all the titles in the Feng Xiaogang filmography, the reviewer did not spot the link to "A World Without Thieves". But the picture of Gao Yuexiang, standing in thoughts and isolation on a high dangerous steel utility bridge over a railroad, is the one I was thinking of to illustrate that movie. The picture is cropped so it conveys less of the life and death choices open to desperate people like Gao Yuexiang, but she is not jumping, saved by her sense of motherhood even in separation. I am copying the picture into photo section, since it does not seem it was included before.
The two struggle against the hurdles that keep the poor on the threshold of desperation, saddled with that backstory of going through prison for minor or more serious crimes while the gang that forced Hei Mei to break the law went scot free ...until the bloody retribution in the literally dying out gang in the end. Former ways of thieving are on the way of disappearing in a cashless society where Internet fraud replaces lock picking, and animal trafficking is on the rise while kids abducting is still a menace. Going to prison being also to make inmates reflect and reform, there is a clear goal, but former inmates insertion into society, as in most countries, is not easy, even with the sum allowed to start anew, and they are expected to fend for themselves or finding support in their families if they have one, even a bad one.
Deng Hong is not a typical prison warden, but does have some sympathy for the downtrodden women who become sisters in need, and is impressed by the more moral Hei Mei who instead of ripping off old relatives of their former prison cell enemy, goes to lengths to help them. Deng Hong has a back story that explains her sympathy : she was a baby saved from drowning by an escaped inmate and was raised by a police officer, as she tells her story in passing, not insisting. She genuinely wants her former inmates and charges to insert back and start afresh, away from law breaking.
There are a lot of ups and downs in the movie that depicts another side of city under world. But finally there is a happy end, where blood stains are aptly washed clean, while the former law breakers slate is wiped clean.
So, this is perhaps a tad over optimistic, not as realistic as a "Xiao Wu" pickpocket story told by Jia Zhangke in his famous independent movie, but "We Girls" also reminds of that underworld of ordinary people whose lives also contribute to building a country, shown over the years in movies such as "Platform", "Suzhou River" etc. and referring directly to the spirit of the famous Feng Xiaogang 2004 crime comedy "A World Without Thieves".
It is an interesting watch, indeed not depressing or boring, even thrilling, although there is not much humor in this one. I align with Sandrusca for rating this new movie.
Excerpts from an article by Xu Fan | China Daily | Updated: 2022-03-23 (https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/23/WS623a8ac5a310fd2b29e52bf3.html) :
The film was nominated for the Golden Goblet Awards at the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2021. Its lead star, Zheng Yunlong, won a Golden Angel award for the best new actor at the 17th Chinese American Film Festival in Los Angeles in November 2021. Zheng, a musical theater actor and singer, said at the premiere in Beijing that the movie is his first major silver-screen project, and he regards it as a gift to pay tribute to his mother, a former Peking Opera actress.
The movie is adapted from the Mao Dun Literature Prize winning novelist Wang Xufeng's novella Liu Lang Wen Ying (Orioles Singing in the Willows)－also the film's Chinese title.
The tale is set in the titular park, one of the 10 most renowned scenic spots, surrounding the iconic West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.
The veteran director Dai Wei 戴玮, with more than 40 galas under her belt at China Central Television, shifted her interest to the silver screen with the 2008 musical film "Ganglamedo", named after a popular Tibetan folk song, Snow Lotus. With other directorial efforts, including "Once Upon a Time in Tibet" (2011) and "Once Again" (2017), Dai has demonstrated her talent in the examination of women's status and psyche.
But her connection with "The Chanting Willows" started much earlier. "When I was studying in college, I was impressed by novelist Wang while reading her award-winning series Charen Sanbuqu (Tea Men Trilogy). Her language has a particular magic to make you feel that you could step into the fictional world and closely follow the characters," recalls Dai. When her executive producer recommended Dai to read Wang's Liu Lang Wen Ying, one of 10 novellas in the anthology Aiqing Xihu (Love Stories in West Lake), Dai was quickly hooked.
After getting financed and then interviewing more than 100 actors to select the cast, the movie started shooting－with its major scenarios filmed in West Lake area of Hangzhou, in the summer of 2021.
-- There is also a review here : https://sino-cinema.com/2022/04/16/review-the-chanting-willows-2021/ with a long synopsis, full cast and crew, assessment for 6/10 by author "Derek ELLEY 艾德礼, who has been writing about Chinese (and international) cinema since the early 1970s" : https://sino-cinema.com/2022/04/16/review-the-chanting-willows-2021/
It links to a page mentioning that Dai Wei also wrote the score for May 2025 "A Stolen Life" movie directed by Zhao Fei 赵非. https://sino-cinema.com/tag/dai-wei/
-- The Chanting Willows movie is still available in full, with English subtitles, on YouTube, which has some interviews with Zheng Yunlong, an MV, and a trailer
But my other additions for the director Ann Hu are still not taken into account despite following correct MDL addition procedure through https://kisskh.at/add/person/details
MDL volunteer staff seems swamped and can't keep up with submissions...
Otherwise, I am sharing the Douban rating for this movie : 7.6 from about 7034 ratings (that's almost confidential, as audience number goes) : https://movie.douban.com/subject/1304489/ ; IMDb credited it with 7.1/10 from 833 ratings, and Rotten Tomatoes is rather evenly balanced between those who loved it and those who objected, recording, among other reviews, this one from Michel O'Sullivan, Washington Post, April 20, 2001 : "It's a film about film, and Hu's love of the medium's storytelling power shines through every frame.".
Double subtitling in Chinese and French were a bit complicated to read because too close to bottom of screen, in the crowded cinema where the 380 seats were fully occupied, with a bunch of celebs and cinema directors, producers, or people involved in culture. Those guests made speeches before having a group photo prior to screening. Among those were director Hu Mei and actress Lin Peng, who played as Wang Xifeng (wife of Baoyu's cousin and niece of Madam Wang) the woman who ruled the financial affairs of Rongguo mansion.
I remembered fondly reading an easy version of the novel, a long time ago, and it did help following the convoluted web of characters in the story. The movie centered on Jia Baoyu ("Precious Jade") , spontaneous and innocent pleasures seeking adolescent, protected by his jade pendant (remnant of the magic stone of Nüwa, but that information was not much emphasized in the movie, except for the engraving and consequences of its loss), and Lin Daiyu, the orphan cousin he loved and wanted to marry someday, taken in by the Jia Matriarch of the Rong estate, residing in Rongguo Mansion. Daiyu henceforth lived there with her cousins Baoyu and Jia Xichun (who was originally from Ningguo mansion).
The mansions were large, adjacent family compounds in the capital. Although the capital is not named in the novel (and the first chapter insists that the dynasty is indeterminate), it is generally agreed that this is set in the Qing dynasty. The story is an allegory of corruption, through the portrayal of a sprawling cast of characters, many of which are cousins or close blood relations.
Then came the introduction of other girls, among whom Qin Keyi (the one who seduced her father-in-law, in a short nighttime scene where guards/servants lamented the man's behavior, glimpsed from the garden); Xue Baochai whose brother Xue Pan was a murderer (he killed a man to get the slave girl Xiangling). The Xue were intent on marrying Baochai into the Jia family for gaining status in exchange for money, while the Jia family through the machinations of Madam Wang, old Jia Zheng's wife, misappropriated the inheritance of Lin Daiyu to pay for luxury and offset some debts, before casting Daiyu off and tricking Baoyu to marry Baochai...
The power intrigues and exacerbated sentimentality were lightly touched upon in sometimes grandiose cinematic takes. The characters of Granny Liu and her grandson did appear too, but were not lingered on (they served as necessary contrast between princely city life in the mansions and rural life, not shown). The set was carefully, richly, and tastefully laid out, with many colors emphasizing details such as games ; strolling in Suzhou style gardens... The movie has the stately visit in the Daguanyuan (Grand View Garden) of the Rongguo mansion, of princess consort Yuanchun (sister of Jia Zheng who headed the other branch of the Jia clan in Ningguo mansion) , bringing with her imperial gifts and honor. There was also the other-worldly pink peach blossoms raining on Daiyu burying withered flowers, her and Baoyu reading poetry books, crossing arched bridges, Baoyu flying kites, personnel sleeping under the covered outer porches, because of the killing heat and vapor making Daiyu's cough worse, and more. The fantastic comes in with Baoyu's nightmares of drowning and visiting the Void, announcing the downfall of the mansions and of his hopes, and of course the ""sentient", "magic" jade stone pendant, that had begged to be sent to mortal realm to experience life, thus giving its other name to the novel (The Story of the Stone).
For an idea of the movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_cEBn4Drnk (1 minute trailer)
For those who are unfamiliar with the classic story, and lacking time to read or re-read the classic novel, there is an interesting 48 minutes animation+documentary video to get introduced to it and the author Cao Xueqin : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab0Fa8G845I
The movie wrapped in 2018, and introduced Zhang Miaoyi as Lin Daiyu, but drew harsh criticism centered on her portrayal of the sickly adolescent who comes out sometimes as peevish and was not beautiful enough, too bland, according to the taste of some audience, still faithful to the canon incarnation of the late Chen Xiaoxu in 1987! Actor Cheng Bian's Jia Baoyu conformed better to expectations. The main objections to young (then) Zhang Miaoyi are recorded in this post : https://dramapanda.com/2024/08/dream-red-chamber-movie-flopped-zhang-miaoyi-role-lin-daiyu-criticism.html. Perhaps there has now been too many adaptations of the long and sprawling novel, so audiences are jaded. Douban rating was low at 3.1 (https://movie.douban.com/subject/26924522/) from only about 21,000 ratings, ; and ImDB followed suit at 4.6/10 from 26 ratings, RottenTomatoes simply ignored the movie, while some lamented that director Hu Mei (famous for her almost classic movie biopic of Confucius) mangled the project, which in my opinion is too negative. I'd give it a passing 7, following the level of applause from audience in Paris, which was composed both of professionals, people interested in Chinese literature and movies, and simply curious naive newbies, a bit put off by having to crane their necks to try and read subtitles (in Chinese and French) at bottom of screen, over a sea of bobbing heads...
The cinema chosen for the purpose was not uncomfortable, despite being an Art Deco arthouse. Seats had been renovated, but still followed the historical almost flat parallel lines seating layout, with the screen placed high up over a stage. So it did feel a bit stuffy for so many people, and the lack of clear slope was unfortunate, especially since this was after all not a mobility impaired friendly theater (many steps and stairs without ramps). Paris is not really friendly to mobility impaired people anyway, be it public transport, rail stations, metro, official buildings, most buildings (despite ramps are supposedly mandatory for private buildings, but can become treacherous with width and lack of handrails). Besides which, since the municipality has vowed to make the city a hell for car drivers and force everybody to become pedestrians, the roads are bumpy and there are almost no parking spaces in the vicinity, even for handicapped people. Even taxi drivers complain, and the metro is a far cry in cleanliness, safety, and reliability, from those who are used to Chinese cities public transit. The state of roads can be a hazard to inexperienced bike or other wheel users. This cinema was not even the worst, as layout comes. For those who came early or wished to speak after (or during! the screening) there was a micro-café style bar with chairs, small round tables, and refreshments to be purchased, although not cheap. On the other hand, the independent cinemas such as Le Balzac are more friendly for the wallet in their policy for tickets. Prices are around 11€ or 9€ reduced when the major cinemas charge up to 15 or 20€.
Full program of the festival here : https://www.festivalducinemachinoisdeparis.com/
Page in French for the movie here : https://www.festivalducinemachinoisdeparis.com/spip.php?article770