| Plot | Upon hearing the news of the Japanese surrender in Aug. 1945, the architect Ding Jianhua and his wife Shulan dream of returning to Shanghai, building a house and staring a new life. When they move to the city, they are welcomed by Ding's friend, Gong, who offers to host the couple and Ding's mother. Gong has become rich helping the Japanese and now hopes to exploit Ding's connections withe the government. But Ding's connections do not turn out to be so powerful and Gong's attitude changes. He asks Ding and his family to move into a small attic room. Ding cannot find a job, and Shulan is about to give birth to her baby.
In desperation, Ding gives Gong all he has, including his new-born son and a blueprint of his dream house. Shulan believes that the baby has been taken to an orphanage, ut when he finds out th truth, she tries to get her baby back. Gong's wife, who feels no affection for the baby, is ready to return him to Shulan. The film ends with a shot of Ding, his wife, and his mother on a street, looking at their dream house that now belongs to someone else. (Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, ed. Xiao Zhiwei, Zhang Yingjin) |
