Synopsis

Xiao Yingzi, a gentle and compassionate soul, would often spot the "mad woman" Xiu Zhen loitering outside the guild hall. It was here that Xiu Zhen shared her tragic tale of how her lover, a student at Peking University, was snatched by the reactionary military police whilst participating in student protests. Her daughter, Xiao Guizi, was ruthlessly discarded outside the Qi Hua Men city gate, an event that ultimately drove Xiu Zhen to madness. Determined to reunite the mother and daughter, Xiao Yingzi promised to help Xiu Zhen. Later, Xiao Yingzi discovered that her maltreated playmate Niu Er was, in fact, Xiao Guizi, and successfully reunited the family. However, the quest for Xiao Guizi's father proved to be tragic, as both Xiu Zhen and Xiao Yingzi met a cruel end under the wheels of a train. Despite this, Xiao Yingzi remained hopeful, befriending a thief who had been imprisoned for his misdeeds. She believed that his actions were motivated by poverty rather than malice. But tragedy continued to follow her, as Song Ma lost her children and Xiao Yingzi's father passed away from lung disease. In the end, they buried him in the mountains outside Beijing, bidding farewell to all that they knew and loved. The film, narrated in a natural and objective manner, captures the passage of time through the eyes of the protagonist.

Alternative Keywords: Cheng nan jiu shi