I'm Xiao Hong
My real name is Zhang Naiying
I was born on June 1st, 1911
It was the day of the Dragon Boat Festival
My family were land-owners in Hulan County, Manchuria
At 11 am on January 22nd, 1942...
...I died
I was in a makeshift hospital
in Hong Kong
I was thirty-one
"Blossoms appeared in our back garden in May"
"Then the fruits In June"
"Cucumbers, eggplants, corns, kidney beans..."
"...watermelons, tomatoes..."
"...and pumpkins with creeping vines"
"But the mood in our place was desolate"
How old were you when your mother died?
Eight
I was only seven months when my mother died
My father beat her
So she took opium to die
I heard that when she died,
she was only 19 or 21
I don't know what she looked like
There were no pictures
"I'll probably never understand
people like my father"
"To servants, to his own children"
"and to my grandfather. .. ”
"...he was mean and aloof"
"It was my grandfather who taught me that"
"life includes love and warmth..."
"...as well as coldness and hatred"
Hurry and grow up!
Things will be fine when you're grown up
"I ran away from my father's house when I was 20"
"Ever since then, my life has drifted"
"I've grown up, but things are not fine"
"ZHANG XIUKE Xiao Hong's brother"
When my sister was about to finish high school...
...father arranged
a marriage for her
My sister resisted
She was in love with our cousin, Lu Zheshun
And he was already married
When they ran away to Peking together...
...Lu Zheshun was pressured by his family
and soon abandoned her
My elopement
made me notorious throughout the county
Our family felt disgraced
I got back from Peking in the middle of the night
My father responded by ordering the whole household...
...to move to our place in the countryside
Xiao Hong was locked up for ten months
Then she fled to Harbin
"SHU QUN Xiao Hong's friend, a writer"
Later, Xiao Jun asked her many times how she escaped
She didn't answer
We know nothing at all...
...about what happened to her in Harbin
But her later writings show that she was almost destitute
Cut off from everyone she knew
"In early winter..."
"...while walking in the bracing cold..."
ran into my young brother"
”The coffee-shop Windows... ”
. . were frosted up"
"I hung my coat with its worn-out collar on a hanger"
You should come home
It's so cold!
You still play basketball at school?
How's it going?
You still like it?
I'm better at it now
I wish you still came to watch us
Sister...come on home
You look unhappy
You'll get ill before long
Why do you say I'm unhappy?
Your hair's grown long
You should get it cut
Are you going to go on drifting?
It's getting colder and colder
"My young brother's eyes are pitch black"
Since sister ran away, our family was ruined
My father was fired by his Department
...on the grounds that he'd brought up his daughter badly
I couldn't stand being mocked by my classmates
So I changed school twice
I ended up in Harbin Second High School
That chance meeting with my sister...
...became the subject of her essay "Early Winter"
She never saw our father again
before she died
Not long after our meeting...
...she rejoined the man she was supposed to marry
His name was Wang Enjia,
a primary school teacher
Brother...
Where's your dignity?
You may not care, but your family does
Why have you taken her back?
This bitch all but ruined us!
And you sit here, eating and drinking with her!
Aren't you ashamed?
Show some backbone!
Come back, don't run!
Welcome!
You from one of the brothels ?
- Are you? - Come on in!
What is it?
I'm coming
That summer evening,
Wang Enjia walked out of her life
He was never heard of again
"BAI LANG literary editor"
They had moved into...
...a swanky hotel in November 1931
"LUO FENG writer"
They stayed there for seven months,
until they were broke
They owed the hotel more than $400
It was $600
A huge sum at that time
Later, the hotel locked Xiao Hong...
...in a storeroom
She hoped that Wang would reappear
She wrote...
"In May last year
I tasted green apricot"
"In May this year, the misery of my life..."
"...tastes like that green apricot"
But Wang Enjia never did come back
Stranger yet, the whole Wang family disappeared too
Yet another unsolved mystery in the life of Xiao Hong
Excuse me, are you Zhang Naiying?
I'm the editor of International Gazette, Lao Fei
He writes for us
We received your letter
In her letter, she said if she couldn't pay the bill...
...the hotel owner was going to sell her to a brothel...
...in lieu of payment
It turned out to be true
The woman has guts
It was smart of her to write to us
We must help her!
Really help
Damn it!
I'm a woman too
And the money?
Where do we find that much cash?
If we pooled all we have...
...it wouldn't come to $600
We could publish her letter
Appeal for assistance
You think anyone would donate a cent?
San Lang hasn't said a word all evening
I have nothing...
Except the hair I can't afford to cut these past few months
If I could turn my hair into cash...
...I would go bald
San Lang is drunk
Write something and sell it!
The only ones who'd buy my stuff are ghosts!
I can't write stuff that sells
The evening of July 13th, 1932...
Xiao Jun and Xiao Hong were destined to meet.
Xiao Jun mentioned that first meeting twice
in his writings
"Her pale, round face was framed"
"by long, straggly hair"
"She seemed nervous"
"and her voice
sounded frightened"
A letter for you
So you're Mr San Lang (better known as "Xiao Jun")
I'm reading one of your articles
Haven't finished it yet
This one... The Orphaned Child
I like it
Here are the books you wanted
Lao Fei asked me to bring them
I'll be going
Can we talk?
All right?
Let's talk
Who drew this?
I did it in an idle moment
And the calligraphy?
Yes
You copied a master?
We did it in class
And the poem?
I wrote it
"At that moment, I felt the world was changing”
"The season was changing"
"People were changing"
"My thoughts and feelings were changing too"
"Right in front of me"
"was the most beautiful woman I'd ever known"
What's your philosophy of love?
What philosophy?
Either you love...
...or you ditch the whole business
What if you can't do that?
Then you're stuck with it
I've grown quite fond of a girl who lives downstairs
When she gives me a smile...
...I feel I'm the happiest guy in the world
What do people live for?
Why do you live?
You have plenty of reasons to kill yourself now
Me?
Because there's something in this world...
Some mystery that I cling to...
That's why I go on living
Me too
"We had too much to say"
"I was ready to go several times..."
"But I stayed"
Buy something to eat
That money was his bus fare!
That night, Xiao Jun had to walk ten miles to get home
And next day,
he went to the hotel again
Why?
Why do I have no strength
I can hardly open my eyes
Why is that?
Love does that to you
The power of love may be great...
But not greater than $600
Xiao Jun and the rest of us were useless
We couldn't raise the money to save Xiao Hong
Xiao Jun tried everything
We were at a complete loss...
...when Harbin was suddenly flooded
Uncle!
Uncle! Uncle boatman!
Here!
I'm here!
Uncle,
I'm pregnant
I'll give birth soon!
Help me!
Turn the boat around
The baby for Bed 2
It's a boy
Your family will be happy!
The baby for you
No!
Xiao Hong had the baby adopted
Nobody knew the details
A year later she Wrote The Foundling,
which told us how she felt
Your belly still hurts?
Come along!
Come on!
Watch your step!
Over here, you two
I'm coming
Sign here?
Sit down
All right?
Yes
Take it slowly
It's slippery
I'm all right
Nothing to drink from...
You want the bedding?
Yes
Fifty cents per day
Then never mind
Stingy bastards!
Hungry 7
No
Your belly still hurts?
No
It's freezing outside?
Cold and hard
Eat
You're back
What's that?
I redeemed the clothes
we pawned
Put this on
I'll wear the sweater
Where did you get the money?
Stole it!
I got a job as a tutor
Really?
It's a good place
The rickshaw pullers all eat here
Excuse me...
Come...
Taste good?
I haven't started
- You want meat? - Yes
Boss...
Five cents-worth of pork
Ok
- Which part do you want? - This
And this
- Thank you - Here you are
Pig's head meat!
Look!
Try it?
Nothing special
Look!
We have plenty already
We don't need meatballs
It's meatballs in soup
We'll have one bowl
Okay
It's hot!
It's very good!
We should have a drink with this
I'll keep you company
My shoelace broke!
"Electric lights ablaze in the packed city"
"With cash in our pockets,"
"the two of us stride boldly down the street"
Madam Xu!
I'm reading Xiao Hong's Market Street
She writes so well about cold and hunger
We all know about poverty these days...
But no-one writes about it better than she does
Keep your arm and leg straight
Straight!
You're too padded!
Point!
Use your wrist
Good
And back
Thrust!
Swing!
Roasting your legs?
Let's eat!
This is Lao Huang
Zhang Naiying
Come on in
San Lang's here
Zhang Naiying
This is my wife
San Lang
Sit down
Saline betrays Our Lord...
...by following the Communist path!
I will reclaim her for Our Lord
Lord, please grant me the strength...
Amen
Saline
you are so kind...
Saline...
Auntie...
In our family,
the second miss and the eldest son are both kind
But the elder sister's children
are annoying
Auntie...
Bai Lang!
I warn you, if you keep on giggling, I'll punish you!
You too, Jin
I won't laugh
I won't look
You shouldn't be laughing either!
Try it again
No more laughter!
Auntie...
Your fever is raging...
Listen, stop laughing!
Be serious!
Happy New Year!
Later, our life improved a great deal
We even hired a Russian tutor
Xiao Jun started learning how to drive
One day he came back and said
he'd made a new friend
A high school student from Shanghai
Her name was Cheng
Miss Cheng came by very often
Xiao Jun borrowed skates
so that we could go skating together
New friends...well, we got closer day by day
But she got closer to Xiao Jun
She began to write to him
They met often, but still needed to write to each other
San Lang...
Was it true, what you said?
That day at the hotel
That if you hadn't seen my writing and drawings,
we wouldn't be together now?
What do you mean?
Was it true?
As I said...
I love you for your talents
And if I had no talents, what then?
"The Orphan"
After a While, though, Miss Cheng stopped coming
Maybe she was afraid of me
The final time she came...
Xiao Jun is out
I've come to say goodbye
I'm going back to the south
This is my boyfriend
Hello
I'll tell San Lang when he gets back
He will see you off
Good
I'll be off, then
That spring,
Shu Qun lost contact with the Communist Party
He was in danger
He left Harbin in a hurry, for Qingdao
And once he'd gone,
there were consequences
Are you Miss Bai Lang?
Yes, and you are...?
You are Luo Feng?
Please come with us to the Bureau
Bread, please
We can go
3.5 cents for the bread and sausages
Sausages?
I didn't ask for sausages!
Don't blame me
I didn't ask you to buy anything
Hey, kid
The Bureau isn't stupid
They see that
Luo Feng is mocking the "Manchukuo Day" celebrations
They're sure to hold Bai Lang responsible too
You need to take care, Jin
Oh yes...
San Lang is at risk too
For non-Party members,
he and Xiao Hong are too conspicuous
They don't even know that we're Party activists
I've asked permission for them
to be evacuated right away
Let's go
We saw the couple off
They left Harbin for Qingdao
A week after they left,
Luo Feng was arrested again
Two years later, Jin was killed
by the Japanese
Lao Huang disappeared
We never saw him again
I ran around trying to save Luo Feng
"In the village..."
"...men and beasts were occupied in the business of living...and dying”
"The cycle of life and death there went on..."
"...exactly as it had ten years earlier"
"The same number of sparrows congregated on rooftops"
"The sun was just as warm"
"Nothing had changed in ten years"
"Ping and Lnock-Knee were adults !"
"Aunt Wang stood,with flying hair"
"Outside her plot listening to songs from the mountain"
"Flags which the villagers never saw in cold weather”
"Flew up, fluttering skywards"
Xiao Jun, I have received your letter
I shall answer your two questions
First, don't ask what we writers want now
Ask instead what you can do
We never expected
Lu Xun to answer our letter
Nor that he'd answer so quickly
When I finished The Field of Life and Death, I was at a loss
I had no idea how to get it published
I hadn't moved in literary circles
After Lu Xun's reply arrived...
...Shu Qun and his new bride were arrested by the Kuomintang
Then the wife's whole family was arrested too
We made a hasty escape from Qingdao
The political situation in Shanghai is grim
The Kuomintang is in charge everywhere
except the foreign concessions
In tandem with the suppression
of the Communists...
...the government targets cultural activities
Lu Xun has been in hiding for four years
He lives a semi-clandestine life
There are literary groups,
with different political orientations
The debates between them are bitter
As the most prominent writer in China, Lu Xun stands...
...attacked...
...from all sides
"NIE GANNU poet & essayist"
In his seventh letter...
...to Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun...
...Lu Xun invited them to a meeting
You are Mr Xiao Jun?
Yes
Then let's move, shall we?
This café is mainly patronized by clients from the ballroom nearby
It's quiet in the daytimes
Very few Chinese
So I tend to meet friends here
How are you doing these days?
Thank you, Mr Lu Xun
Thanks
Help yourselves
ls Madam Xu coming?
They're on their way
Daddy!
Let me introduce you
Mr Xiao Jun
Miss Xiao Hong
This is Madam Xu
Hello
Do sit down
You look pretty!
What did he say?
He says you're pretty
Thank you!
What's your name?
He's called Haiying
But he thinks the "ying" is too feminine,
so he doesn't like it
He'll change it when he grows up
It's sometimes interesting to observe a child
But to raise one entails giving up all your own time
It's troublesome
Hey...
You should answer the question
Xiao Hong posed in her letter
Do I look like a loose woman?
I told you it was just a rumor!
I'm always surprised by the kind of rumors
they spread about me
Most are made up by so-called writers
Do they hate me so much?
Most just differ on approaches to writing
I don't socialize with them
They're basically just amusing themselves
I can see that we've overrated the writers in Shanghai
We've come from the far north
We've been longing to come to this cultural center
We thought leftist writers
were exemplary fighters
I think writers tend to have a character flaw
Their lines of thought are not too steady
Sometimes they bend to the east, sometimes to the west
Few of them have firm convictions
When the left prospered...
...they rushed to join what seemed a fashionable cause
Then, when the persecutions began,
they changed direction
Some even betrayed their friends,
handing them over to the other side
It happens in other countries too
But I think it's endemic in China
It's really a bad thing
How is Ding Ling doing since they seized her?
She's still under house arrest in Nanking
We are not sure about the rest
Here you are...
Small change for the tram
Give me the manuscript
Haiying!
Xiao Hong! Xiao Hong!
Madam Xu!
It's terribly cold today
It's all right
Lu Xun is waiting for you
Welcome, please come in
Let me introduce you
You can talk freely in front of these people
This gentleman is our "boss"
Good to meet you
Mr Nie...
His wife Miss Zhou...
And this couple are Mr Xiao Jun and Miss Xiao Hong
They've recently arrived from Manchuria
We're supposed to be celebrating the birth of Mr Hu's son,
but he's absent. Maybe the invitation didn't reach them
Shanghai has its deficiencies
Move round a little
Make yourselves comfortable
"HU FENG literary critic"
Mr Lu Xun's invitation was delivered
the day after the party
"MEI ZHI Writer"
That's...
...why we weren't there
I'm sorry they waited
Lu Xun later gave me Xiao Jun's address,
and asked me to contact them directly
After that dinner,
Lu Xun wrote to the Xiaos, saying...
"The enemy is nothing"
”Much more terrible are the pests in our own camp”
"They're the ones who cause disasters"
"Sometimes I feel lonely, even distraught"
"Still, I just do what I can"
"Even if I'm on the verge of despair"
Coming!
Please come in
Madam Xu...
"The first time we visited Lu Xun's home"
"was in winter, towards dusk"
”It was a little dark in the downstairs room"
"Mr Lu Xun had two kinds of cigarettes,"
"one expensive and one cheap"
"The cheap ones came in a green canister,"
"and Lu Xun smoked those himself"
"The others were in a white canister,”
"served to guests"
Help yourself!
I have enough
You drink
Enough for me
Help yourself
Enough
Both of us raise a glass to you on our first visit
Thank you
Thanks for your dinner
He's very happy that you came
- You drink for me - I'll drink for him
You're always welcome
Bottoms up
"In Mr Lu Xun's parlor, there's a pot-plant"
"When I first saw it, I asked..."
What is this?
It's an evergreen
An evergreen?
Yes
it will always look like that
"That evening, we chatted from 9pm to 10pm..."
"...and then until 11pm"
"We wanted to go, so that Mr Lu Xun could rest"
"We could see that he was not in the best of health"
"Madam Xu told us he'd had a cold for more than a month"
"He'd only just got over it"
"But Mr Lu Xun didn't seem tired"
"After 11 o'clock, it began to rain"
"The rain pattered on the windowpanes"
"It was late, it was raining..."
"We felt uneasy and kept getting up to leave”
"But Mr Lu Xun and Madam Xu insisted that We stay longer"
"The trams run until midnight"
"And so it was nearly 12"
"before we went outside"
Mr Xiao Jun...
Sir
Next time you come...remember this plate
My house is on the lane with this plate
No. 9
Remember it
I Will
Goodbye
Go back indoors!
Goodbye
- See you again! - Take care on the road!
”Mr Lu Xun insisted on seeing us off on the alley"
"I was thinking..."
"Why did he insist on
seeing off his two young guests?"
"The rain would wet his hair"
"He could catch a chill and be ill again"
Xiao Hong is a better writer than you are
Xiao Hong's characters
are so real...
intensely alive
We can feel their joys and sorrows
It's as if we're living their lives
And you...
You're richer in insight
But we can see...
Thank you...l can't drink much
That's enough
But we can see...
You're so painstaking
- in achieving what you do - Absolutely
Whereas Xiao Hong's genius is
that she relies more on her feelings
It's really something precious
Precious
I've always thought highly of her talents
But she still needs my help
Xiao Hong is there alone
I told Haiying to play with her
Go and keep her company
Haiying...
Go fetch your toy bricks
Then you can play with me and Auntie Xiao Hong, all right?
Can I finish this first?
I have to fix my car
Xiao Hong is in the front room again
She spends half the day just sitting there
I don't have time to keep her company
She's suffering, lonely...
She has nowhere else to go
So how can I turn her away?
Miss Xiao Hong was a powerful writer
But in dealing with her problems, she was far too emotional...
...as women always are
I'll eat out
During her lifetime, Xiao Hong never mentioned...
...her break-up with Xiao Jun
So we'll never know exactly how it happened
We are both prone to sickness
It pains me...
It seems I have spent my whole life...
...being ill and scolding others
I lost all my teeth before the age of 30
So I have a mouthful of false teeth
I gave up drinking...
Took cod liver oil...
...to prolong my life
Not only for my loved ones...
...but also for my enemies
I know...
I'm not a magnanimous man
For me, to speak of happiness...
...means either looking back to the old days...
...or looking forward
to my final resting place
All warriors are like this
We live in such a place...
We live at such a time...
Mr Lu Xun hosted a farewell dinner for Xiao Hong in his home
Madam Xu prepared the food herself
Xiao Hong left for Japan
Lu Xun must have known about the crisis
between Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun
But he never said anything
Maybe he felt he shouldn't interfere
Lu Xun introduced his friend Huang Yuan
He advised Xiao Hong to spend some time in Japan...
...to write and to rest
Huang's wife Yuehua was studying in Japan...
...so she could take care of Xiao Hong
Xiao Jun was moving to Qingdao
"Jun..."
"Today I went out for the first time"
"I went into Jinbocho"
"It's a district full of bookshops"
"But I didn't much enjoy it, since I was alone"
"I walked back the same way"
"Everything was fresh to me"
"The streets and sights are quite different"
"But there's a black river..."
"...just like the one in Shanghai"
"Sorry-looking boats bobbed on it"
"There were women with their children..."
"...in ragged clothes"
"And the dark water smelt just the same"
Most of these letters were sent
by Xiao Hong in 1936 and 1937
While she was in Tokyo
I've been roaming around for more than forty years...
So the fact that these letters have survived...
...and can be published today...
...is little short of miraculous
If you get lost, ask a passer-by
Travel safely, Yuehua!
”Jun, Yuehua is taking me to a doctor for a check-up"
"Very cheap, only two dollars!"
"Without her help,"
"I wouldn't have been able to go"
"You probably haven't heard..."
"Her father-in-law is ill, and they have no money"
"So Yuehua has to go back"
"Once she's gone, damn it,
I'll have no friend here"
"Jun, "
"I've had a fever for some days"
"My lips are chapped"
"Of course, everyone has to die"
"But knowing the fact is one thing..."
"Accepting it emotionally is another"
"Now he's been gone for five days"
"Where is he sleeping now?"
"Mr. Lu Xun's tomb"
"Jun, when moonlight whitens the window..."
like to turn off the light and sit in silence"
”Then suddenly the sound of a bell in my heart"
"breaks the silence"
"Isn't this my golden era? Right now?"
"I touch the tablecloth, I turn around, I touch the chair...”
"I raise my hands in front of me"
"It's rather vague..."
"But I'm sure these are my hands"
"Yes..."
"I'm in Japan...
free and comfortable"
"Calm and carefree"
"No money worries"
"It really is my golden era"
"And I'm spending it in a cage"
”As for love,
I was once unfaithful to her"
"During our time together,"
"she was faithful to me"
"It's a fact, I admit it”
"But while she was in Japan..."
had an affair with Yuehua"
"It didn't last long"
"Yuehua and I both knew that we couldn't stay together”
"So, to end our fruitless affair,"
"we agreed..."
"...to urge Xiao Hong to return from Japan"
"So that's what we did, however much it pained us"
I tried to lose myself in writing
To forget my misery
But it was too much to bear
When I couldn't stand it any more...
...I crept outside to walk in the streets
The desolate streets...
I wandered about...
...like a ghost
He ended his affair with Yuehua
for moral reasons...
But he'd got her pregnant
She had an abortion
I didn't hate her
I didn't let it end our friendship
I still respected her
I was grateful she'd taken care of me in Japan
Soseki's novels
took issue with the Meiji period's view of the world...
Let me introduce you
This is the Japanese writer, Mr Uchida
And his translator
You must know Jin Yi already
Xiao Jun
- Xiao Hong - Nice to meet you
Sit here, Xiao Jun
What happened to your eye?
What happened?
You're lucky the eye itself wasn't hurt
Does it hurt?
Be more careful!
It's nothing
I bumped into something
in the dark
It's all right
What would you like?
Anything
I go this way
Be careful!
Ok, no problem
What are you hiding?
I hit her
Don't listen to him
It wasn't deliberate
He was drunk, I tried to stop him drinking
He pushed me aside, and I hit something
Don't defend me!
Leave me alone!
The "July 7th Incident" in 1937 launched the war with Japan
Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun came to Wuhan
"JIANG XIJIN poet, writer"
I first met them one morning
Back then,
we were working for the magazine The Fight
I lived across the river,
and the ferry stopped running at midnight
I never finished work until late,
so I couldn't get home
I had no money for a hotel,
so I had to sleep in the quarantine boat
The guy in charge, Yu Fei, was my friend
That morning I went on board to do my job
Sit down, everyone!
When you've been checked, you can go!
Xiao Jun!
Yu Fei
It's you!
She's seasick...
Xi Jin! Over here!
Help them into our boat
Thank you
"ZHANG MEILIN Writer"
When I saw Xiao Hong again in Wuhan...
...I felt she'd changed,
but I couldn't work out how
Lots of people visited their place,
mostly writers and artists
One day a pale-faced man turned up
He was slightly hunched over and wore smart clothes
Xiao Jun!
Look who's here!
- I can manage - Who is it?
Xiao Jun!
Hey! Duanmu!
- You got my letter? - Of course!
If I hadn't, I would be here!
Sit down
Have some tea
I didn't think the letter would reach you so quickly
I have to look up a friend to find me a place to live
Why bother?
You can stay here
Right? It'll be no trouble
Hu Feng and Nie come by every day
Xi Jin has a room to himself,
let's ask him
Don't bother Xi Jin
You can sleep in our room
It's a big bed
I'll sleep in the middle, Xiao Hong on the inside, you on the outside
You won't fall off, I promise!
You haven't had a cigarette all day
Don't you want one?
Actually, I don't smoke
But when I read your novel...
...I had a cigarette
We hadn't met back then
Thank you
Xiao Jun says your writing lacks power
But I think The Field of Life and Death is bold and forceful
It's better than his Village in August
You get closer to the essence of literature
You're the more talented
They always said my novels were no good
That was because I didn't write the way they expected
I don't believe in rules
There should be as many types of novel
as there are writers
I agree
You like my gloves?
You have such small hands! Fits me perfectly!
You really are so bourgeois
Let's go
Nie! Duanmu!
Xi Jin!
- Good of you to come! - We are here to say good bye
In January 1938,
Li Gongpu, founder of the People's Revolutionary University...
...arrived in Wuhan from Shanxi
He came to enlist intellectuals to teach at Linfen
Six of us writing for our magazine July agreed to go
Everyone except Hu Feng
The other six,
Xiao Hong, Xiao Jun, Duanmu, Nie,
Ai Qing and Tian Jian...
...all volunteered to go to Linfen
The University also recruited students from Wuhan
The north is a sad country...
Zhang Mutao, Trotskyite and spy for the Japanese...
...after the Xi'an Incident...
...stirred up militants in the Communist armies of the north
He took advantage of their wish to rescue Zhang Xueliang
And incited them to attack the Kuomintang army...
...to overthrow Chiang Kaishek
When the anti-Japanese war began,
Zhang Mutao returned to Taiyuan...
...and agitated against
unified resistance to the Japanese
He denounced the United Front of Communists and Nationalists...
...as "class capitulationism"!
Down with Zhang Mutao!
Ding Ling!
- Xiao Jun! - It is you
- I hardly recognized you! - Long time no see!
Xiao Hong!
Ding Ling is here!
- Take a rest, - Wait a moment
everyone, and wait for orders!
Dismiss!
Thank you
You must be Xiao Hong!
Hello
Ding Ling
Hello
Let's go inside, come on
Don't say that, don't say that...
I'll stop here!
Don't say that, don't say that...
Are you hungry
"It was early spring when I met Xiao Hong"
"It was still cold in Shanxi at the time"
"I'd been in the army for a long time..."
"...so I was used to hardship"
”When I saw her pale face... ”
"Her determined lips..."
”Her agile manner, her nervous laughter... ”
felt she was special"
I thought back to my own youth
"But her talk was natural and direct"
"I felt it strange that she, as a writer..."
"...seemed so naive"
"Maybe women are unashamed to appear ingenuous”
"And that's why
she seemed so naive and vulnerable"
"But we got along very well"
"She was forthright"
"We sang together heartily..."
"...and talked into the night"
When I was in Yan'an...
...I helped collect material about the Red Army
Now I'm editing
a history of the Long March
Based on accounts by the soldiers themselves
It's called Our Story
Every day I go through testimonies...
...written on all kinds of paper, in all colors
They describe heart-warming actions, fired by a great spirit
It's deeply moving
I conclude that writing skills alone...
...aren't enough to achieve great work
While I was writing my first novel...
...I felt two opposing forces at war inside me
My blood was telling me I was a writer
But my soul was filled with the passion of a warrior
When I reached the Red Army base in Yan'an...
...I decided to give up writing
I think my great work will be
my actual life and my fighting!
So the old Ding Ling died...
...and a new Ding Ling was born
Is that it?
I've written in my diary that...
...when a great mission confronts you...
...you must forget your own insignificance
We stayed in the Revolutionary University for only 20 days
The Japanese Army started shelling Linfen
The university decided the writers should be evacuated
Those willing to stay
would retreat with the university staff
The others
would leave for Xi'an
Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun disagreed
about which group to follow
I've thought it through...
I'm going to stay and form a guerrilla unit
What about me?
You know that
all I want is a peaceful situation to write in
You know that this is what I've always longed for
Even back in Harbin, I wanted to join a guerrilla war
I'm not content to just be a writer
It's not my goal in life!
San Lang
I know I won't live long
I don't want to go on suffering
all these hardships
San Lang!
Many of those who die in battle have talents!
We're all fighting for liberation
Why should some preserve their talent
while others die?
Each contributes what he is best able to
You're forgetting your duty as a writer!
You're being willfully blind!
I haven't forgotten anything!
Let's go our separate ways
If I die...
I don't think I'll die,
Some day we'll see each other again
And can be together
But if we don't
we can make it a permanent break
All right
You aren't sleeping?
Soon
Aren't you asleep yet?
Haven't you two finished?
I'm really tired of your arguments
It's nothing to joke about
These arguments make us so unhappy
It's better that we go our separate ways
Never mind
I'll sleep outside
You two make up
- We're moving out tomorrow! - Ding Ling!
Don't come out
We're all men out here!
What does it matter!
Don't go out
I won't go to Xi'an
I'd rather stay with you
We can live or die together!
Or you could come with us
I won't rest easy if you stay here alone
I know your temper
Don't be silly
You all leave first
If nothing changes here, you can come back
It'll be the same as before
Xiao Jun...
Don't make Xiao Hong so anxious
He's stronger than us
He fights well
He runs fast
He should stay
You're not weak yourself!
Why don't you stay?
How can we compare with Xiao Jun?
It's his chance to serve the country
What about you? Duanmu,
why don't you stay too?
Stay here and work with me
Then I won't be lonely
There are many students here to teach
No, I'd better go to Xi'an
I'd rather not die in battle
Don't worry
I've survived a lot already
But that was then!
Things are different now!
You've never listened to me!
Let him go
He's a capable man
He can look after himself
You just love him too much
You'll just make the man you love feel bad
I've had enough!
The wind and the dust!
My nose and ears always filthy!
You can always shut yourself away indoors to write...
Are you serious?
What exactly are you trying to tell me?
Nothing
It's still about Xiao Hong
I know
Take care of Xiao Hong!
You've said it a hundred times
Yes...
Her health is fragile
And she can't cope
When you reach Xi'an, if she want
try to send her to Yan'an
Otherwise, keep her in your troupe
Just don't leave her alone
Anyway, she and I will meet again
Right!
So why were you so callous yesterday?
Now you're all care and concern!
Comrades,
let's sing a song for Xiao Jun!
Good!
Have you eaten?
Not yet, I was about to
And you?
I've eaten
But I'll treat you
No need for that
I must treat you tonight
I insist
Can you do me a favor?
What?
Look...
You like this?
I've kept it for a couple of years
Today, Duanmu asked me to give it to him
I told him to wait
I'm going to hide it...
...and tell him I gave it to you
If he asks,
will you tell him you have it?
What does the stick symbolize?
What are you thinking?
I've told you I find Duanmu tiresome
He's soft, cowardly...
You've also said that you have a spirit of self-sacrifice
That's only where Xiao Jun is concerned!
Xiao Jun says you're easily fooled
Not when it really matters
Xiao Hong, let's go to Yan'an together
I don't think so
Why not?
I might meet Xiao Jun there
I doubt it
His temperament won't take him there
He must have joined the guerrillas by now
I love Xiao Jun
Even now
He's an excellent writer
We've battled many hardships together
But...
To be his wife would be to suffer too much
Xiao Hong...
You've written The Field of Life and Death and Market Street
You have to consider your position in literature
You must fly high...
The higher, the better...
The Tang Dynasty...Preface...
This is the Preface to the Three Sacred Doctrines
As written by the Buddhist monk Huairen
He used characters copied
from Wang Xizhi's writings
It contains
a preface to Xuanzang's translations of Buddhist sutras
Also an essay by Prince Li
and Xuanzang's note of gratitude
The entire collection is known as the Preface to the Three Sacred Doctrines
You've stored up a lot of learning
I never knew that about you
I used to study history
It's nothing special
It's a real shame that I know so little about history
To show my appreciation...
...I'll treat you to cold noodles tonight
Since you're so modest, I should treat you
Look!
The light from the torch... Isn't it like a jellyfish?
Yes
Ding Ling and I went to Yan'an for ten days
We brought someone back with us
We're there!
We're back!
Commander Ding is back!
Hello, everyone!
How's everything? All right?
If anything happens,
please help!
Dust yourself down first!
Then me second!
Understand?
Yes
Sure?
Then go!
Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun broke up
What exactly happened remains unknown to outsiders
The three parties involved...
...give conflicting accounts
In old age, Xiao Jun's version was like this...
San Lang...
Let's separate for good
All right
And in old age, Duanmu's version was...
Xiao Hong...
I'll marry Ding Ling You can marry Duanmu
What are you talking about?
I don't care who you marry
My marriage is none of your business!
You're too arrogant! What do you take us for?
I'm trying to do you a favor
Xiao Jun, don't insult us!
Is Xiao Hong an object without feelings?
Look at yourself!
Get out!
Xiao Jun,
let's talk outside
Given what had happened...
...I had to make known
my relationship with Xiao Hong
I've broken up with Xiao Jun
I've returned all his letters
I asked for mine back...
...but he refused
He's stronger than me, so I didn't manage...
...to get them back
So now you're free
I have something to tell you
I'm pregnant with Xiao Jun's child
Child?
Four months
Does he know?
Of course he does
And he asked you to marry me?
That's the kind of man he is
How could you live with a man like that?
He thinks I wouldn't dare marry you
because of the child?
Come in
Sit
I want you to have this
It's a trophy...
...captured from the Japanese
I have nothing to give you
The best gift is knowing you
Take care!
"We spent the whole spring in Xi'an"
"We drank our fill..."
”...and spent evenings in the wind and rain"
"And yet, now that I think back..."
"...we didn't talk that much"
"There are few people"
"you can talk with freely"
"Since we said our goodbyes..."
"...I've never had a letter from Xiao Hong"
"Duanmu has sent several"
"The last one arrived before Hong Kong fell to the Japanese"
I hear Xiao Hong's ashes are buried in Repulse Bay
Do you remember?
You once told me...
...that Xiao Hong would die young
Now your premonition has come true
This is my essay...
Remembering Xiao Hong
After Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun broke up...
...they never saw each other again
That same year, in April 1938...
...Xiao Hong and Duanmu went back to Wuhan
Xiao Jun went to Yan'an...
...and then to Xinjiang,
to fight the Japanese
As he passed through Lanzhou...
...he met Wang Defen
He married her that year
And they lived together ever after
They had eight children in all
I parted from Xiao Jun
And he went to fight as a guerrilla
Now I live with him...
As a woman...
...you suffered humiliations
You have the right to do what you want
It shows how strong you are
As your friends...
...we're happy to see you leave your sufferings behind
But why be in such a hurry ?
Why not calm down a little?
Did you see Ding Ling in the north-west?
How is she?
We are very different people
Why didn't you go to Yan'an?
All I want is to write in peace
I don't want to be a Party member
I know nothing about politics,
nothing at all
Please be seated
Thank you for coming to our wedding
We prepared it in such a rush
Please excuse us for the shortcomings
Duanmu...
These four red beans symbolize mutual longing
They were given to me by Mr Lu Xun
Today, I give them to you...
...as a token of faith
I heard there weren't many guests at the wedding
Most of them were Duanmu's relatives
Duanmu and I...
...had no great romance
It was not until I'd separated from Xiao Jun...
...that I found Duanmu
I do not expect too much from him
All I want is...
...to live as an ordinary husband and wife
No quarrels, no fights...
No betrayals, no mockery...
Only mutual understanding
Only care and kindness between us
I feel deeply that a woman in my situation...
...is no position to expect to marry
But Duanmu made a sacrifice
And that satisfies me
I'm deeply grateful
In June and July of 1938, the Japanese Army prepared its assault
The government announced a campaign to 'Protect Great Wuhan'...
But people began to abandon the city
They fled to Chungking
One rainy day in July...
...I was crossing the river from Wuchang
Xiao Hong!
I didn't expect you to greet me!
I was just thinking...
I have no friends of my own
They're all Xiao Jun's friends
You all belong to him
Do you have any plans?
The situation is getting critical
Many friends are planning to leave
Are you going?
I have tickets to Chungking
I'm going with Luo Feng
Let's go together! Shall we?
Help me get two tickets
At that time, it wasn't easy to get tickets
I found one for Xiao Hong
But on the day...
...it wasn't Xiao Hong who turned up
I have tickets!
Where's Xiao Hong?
She's not coming
She'll take a later steamer
I'm going first to look for a house
Let's go
Xi Jin!
What are you doing here?
I've come to stay here
And Duanmu?
He's gone to Chungking
Why didn't he take you?
I didn't need taking
Sit down
You can't stay here
Listen...I'll explain
The two upstairs rooms are for
Zhao Ximeng
and his family
There are two rooms down here
Three people are in one of them...
...all crammed into one bed
The other is this office
It's crowded and noisy here You can't stay here
And in your condition...
I insist
Look...
I can sleep here
- No, you can't! - I can spread some matting here
- You can't live here! - Xi Jin!
No, you can't live here!
People come and go
Apart from anything else...
...you'd be in their way
Xi Jin!
Thank you!
That's how...
...Xiao Hong
came to live in our office
A pregnant woman stretched out on our floor
As to why Duanmu went first and left her behind...
...she didn't say, and I didn't ask
Xi Jin!
There's a new café!
Treat us to iced drinks!
It's really hot today
I'm broke!
If anyone treats, I'll go!
I have money!
My treat!
My treat
Great!
You're so late
Who's treating?
Xiao Hong...
Order anything!
- Miss! - Here!
What would you like?
Whatever you want
A glass of beer
All right
I'll have a beer too
Shaved ice for me, please
Help yourself
your change,$2.7
Never mind, keep it
Thank you
Cheers
Are you that rich?
Throwing money around like that!
Why are you laughing?
It's all I have, anyway... it wouldn't help much
Better spend it generously
Nonsense!
Generosity! It made no sense!
The nation's in crisis
There's chaos everywhere
We don't know when Wuhan will fall
The Japanese Army
is biding its time
What will we do if they launch an attack?
Think about it! What will you do?
Keeping the change would have made no difference!
All right You have your way, and I have mine
When crisis hits, I might be across the river
Unable to help you!
If that happens, don't worry
Small change wouldn't help anyway
Stop blaming me
You go back first
There's something I must do
Don't ask for the money back!
Get up, get up!
You finally come back
Where did you go?
I borrowed $150 for you
Listen carefully...
This is not a gift, it's a loan
I borrowed $100 from the Life Bookshop
And another $50 from the Reading Press
I told them I was borrowing it for you
And promised you would pay it back
If you don't, then I will
What now?
Keep it
You'll need it
No more treating
I was still worried
So I asked my colleague Naichao for advice
I told him
we couldn't leave Xiao Hong alone in Wuhan
We had to get her away
Naichao had an answer
He said his wife was leaving for Chungking
She could take Xiao Hong I said ok
Not long after,
I was sent to Canton to start a journal
I had to leave
At noon that day, Xiao Hong and other friends...
...threw a farewell lunch for me
And then they saw me off at the pier
After that, I never saw her again
Thank you!
I fell and I couldn't get up
I'm pregnant
I've been waiting and waiting
You're very kind
Thank you!
Why are you running around when you're pregnant?
Going to Chungking
Are you all right?
I'm all right
Thank you...
I don't know how to thank you...
I have money...
Xiao Hong came to see me when she reached Chungking
Back then we lived near the city, in Jiangjin
She wanted to have the child in Jiangjin
Duanmu wasn't with her
For the month she stayed with us...
...she looked pale
Sickly...
Her spirits were low
The landlady has made chicken soup
Have some!
Not now...
I'm not hungry
Look at him,
tiny nose, tiny lips...
He looks just like Xiao Jun!
Cute little hand
What's wrong with you?
Where have you been?
Where's the baby?
Where is he?
Dead
What?
He was fine yesterday, how can he be dead?
I'll get the doctor
Don't go
Please don't
There's no point
He died of convulsions last night
Bai Lang...
I want to be discharged
Right now. I'm so scared
There was only one doctor on duty last night
I'm the only patient left in here
Take me away
Bai Lang...l hope you'll always be happy
You too!
Me?
Can I be happy?
I know my own future
I'll be lonely all my life
"Mr Lu Xun was recovering"
"He sat, smoking, in his reclining chair"
"That day..."
was wearing a garish red blouse"
"Mr Lu Xun said..."
"The heat is oppressive today"
"They call this the 'plum rain season'..."
"He was putting a cigarette"
"in his cigarette-holder..."
Mr Lu Xun...
What do you think of my outfit today?
Am I pretty
Not so pretty
Why not?
You're wearing the wrong skirt
There is nothing wrong with a red blouse
Any color can look good...
But a red blouse needs a red skirt
Or a black one
Miss Xiao!
Mr Duanmu!
Miss Xiao!
Mr Duanmu!
Mr Jin!
I've brought them rice
What should I do?
They don't live here any more
Keep the rice for yourself
How come?
They've moved to Hong Kong
Come in
- Xiao Hong... - Xiao Hong!
What a surprise!
Xiao Gu...
Look who's here!
Say "Auntie"
- He's grown - Yes
Thinner,
Taller too
Come here...Look at our baby girl
She put me through it!
Just as well we didn't abort her in Wuhan
Or you wouldn't be here now!
What happened to her forehead?
It was a rat
It must have been hungry
It nibbled her
It's all right
She looks so delicate...
...and pretty, just like you
Like me?
Not like her dad!
Xiao Hong...
I have something to do, I must go out
Of course
I'll take the boy. You go on
Son, take it with you
Give it to me
Bye
Do sit down
Such a mess!
What about your baby?
It must be big by now
It died
Three days after it was born
How did it die?
Was it a boy or a girl?
A boy
He died of convulsions
I fell down on the pier in Yichang
I found myself thinking...
Child...
If you want to drop...
Drop out of my body
I can't hold on to you
But he survived that fine
You've fleshed out a bit
You look good!
Really!
You look beautiful in that dress
I was stunned when you came in wearing it
I made it myself
I bought the cloth, the thread
and the buttons at the market
Look
The result isn't too bad, is it?
It's elegant, it suits you
I always said
you have really good taste
You can turn any piece of cheap fabric...
...into the most beautiful dress!
If you like, I'll make one for you
I don't have the energy these days
Hey, I must show you something!
This came from Xiao Jun , his wedding photo
I'm going
Give my best to Hu when he gets back
Xiao Hong...
ZHOU JINGWEN magazine publisher
A year after...
...they arrived in Hong Kong...
...Xiao Hong was...
...diagnosed with tuberculosis
While she was in the hospital...
...Duanmu took a call from a stranger
A man named Luo Binji
He claimed to be a friend of Xiao Hong's brother
He was stuck in a hotel
Looking for work
Duanmu turned to me
You've been home for a few days...
You should go back to hospital
This isn't a good environment for you
Don't be too willful
I'd rather die than go back
I was bored stiff there
They wouldn't even let me write
It's a matter of priorities
Mr Zhou...
I'm not sure I can finish my novel Ma Bole...
Can you announce that I'm ill in the magazine?
As excuse
A famous woman writer...
...confined to a shabby, old bed
The whole scene...
...made me feel really sad
Soon after that, without warning...
...the Pacific War began on December 7th
By Luo Binji's own account...
...he was with Xiao Hong in her final days
Five years later...
...he was the first to write a biography of her
The Japanese began shelling Hong Kong on December 8th, 1941
That day I went to say goodbye
before returning to the mainland
You're intent on leaving?
I'll be back soon
I came to say goodbye
I'm going back to China
I have to go...
to discuss if we should leave too
Please stay here a while
I'll be back soon
I'm so tired...
Hold my hand
I want to take a nap
I feel much better...
Apparently, just before I arrived...
...Duanmu and Xiao Hong
had been having a bitter row
Wake up!
Mr Yu Yifu had arranged a boat...
...to get us to Hong Kong island, not yet occupied by the Japanese
Sea traffic
is now officially blocked
Has our retreat been worked out?
My colleague Liao
has divided all the cultural people into groups
He's explained our plans
And has specified who will lead each group
You and Xiao Hong are in my group
...so I'm afraid you have no choice but to stay
Luo Binji...
Before you met me...
...did you think that
I was a writer with loose morals?
I think everyone has heard a little about...
...your troubles with Xiao Jun
So, before you met me...
...you sided with Xiao Jun?
I know very well...
...that leaving Xiao Jun...
...solved one problem
And that Duanmu was the start of another problem
Probably, everybody wears disguises
Nobody ever shows their true face
I've been thinking...
I can't tell if anyone will read my stuff later
But I'm quite sure...
...that the gossip about me will go on and on
As we chatted that morning, I asked Xiao Hong...
How could you live with Duanmu for three or four years?
Xiao Hong replied...
If the pain is in the marrow...
...you don't worry about the flesh wounds
He cannot endure the hardships with me
When I was in Sichuan...
...I found myself thinking of Xiao Jun
If I'd sent him a telegram...
...asking him to come...
...he would have been there for me
Amid the sound of artillery shells...
...we talked about literature...
About Lu Xun...
About living through such hard times
We hadn't seen Duanmu for three or four days
You're back!
You haven't left?
Sorry...Thank you
Sorry...Thank you, thank you
Good bye
On Christmas Day of 1941,
Hong Kong fell to the Japanese
After hiding for some days in a storeroom...
...Xiao Hong's condition worsened
Duanmu and I sent her to a hospital
Considering what's going on around us...
I told Duanmu
...I'll be frank
You're both famous artists
You have open minds
You have a tumor in your throat
We need to operate
I won't agree to an operation
A tuberculosis patient won't recover from it
My brother had spinal tuberculosis...
And he didn't recover from an operation
Who do you believe? Me? Or him?
Don't pussyfoot around
It's not the end of the world
Sign the consent
I won't
If you won't, I will
What did she say?
There was no tumor
Don't cry
I don't want...
...to leave you either
Come with me...
I'll contact Queen Mary Hospital
At noon on January 18th, 1942...
...Xiao Hong was moved to Queen Mary Hospital
I feel quite all right
I've eaten a lot
Luo Binji...
Have a cigarette
Have one
I won't
It's all right
I don't want one
No light?
I'll call for one
All right, all right
Call the nurse
Don't exert yourself
It's done
Wait, the nurse will come
There's nobody in the whole hospital
I'll go and buy matches
I intended to buy matches from a street-stall
But as I wandered downtown, it struck me...
...that I hadn't been back to Kowloon since the city was occupied
Duanmu was with Xiao Hong
And she seemed better that day
So I went home to pick up my manuscripts
I went back to Queen Mary Hospital next morning...
...to find that the Japanese had taken it over
So I rushed back to the storeroom...
...and there found a note Duanmu had left for me
Duanmu had taken Xiao Hong to the French Hospital...
The Japanese have taken the French Hospital too
Where's Xiao Hong?
They've set up a clinic at St Stephen's Girls College
"My grandfather lived in the little town on the Hulan River”
"Grandfather was over sixty when I was born"
"He was nearly seventy by the time I was four or five"
"Our house had a big garden"
"The garden was bright with all the reds and greens"
"Flowers bloomed as if they were waking up"
"Birds flew as if they were going up to heaven"
”When insects buzzed, it was as if they were chatting"
Everything was alive
"There was no limit to what they could do"
"They had complete freedom"
"to do what they liked"
"If a plant wanted to bear a fruit, it did so”
"If it didn't,"
"then not one fruit, not even a blossom"
"And no-one could object"
"But this back garden was sealed off once each year”
”After the autumnal rains, it would languish"
”The ﬂowers would yellow and fall, ”
"then wither and die"
"Almost as if someone was crushing them"
"Spring, summer, autumn, winter..."
"The seasonal cycle goes on
"just as it has since the beginning of time"
"Wind, frost, rain, snow..."
"Those who can bear up manage to survive"
”Those who cannot must take the natural way out"
"That natural way out is not so very good"
"For such people are quietly..."
"Wordlessly. . . "
"...removed from this life and this world"
Xiao Hong wrote Tales of Hu/an River in 1941...
...at a time when most Chinese writers...
...were producing writings contributing
to the anti-Japanese war effort
Tales of Hu/an River didn't meet the needs of the time
All these decades later,
now that we're far from China in wartime...
...people have discovered that Tales of Hulan River...
...is like an undying flower which had been buried by history
This choice that she made for herself...
...had made her name immortal
"These tales I've written are not all beautiful”
"But these memories fill me"
"I cannot forget them"
"They stay with me"
"And so I have recorded them here"
Hey, feller, the candies are two cents, not one!