| Plot | After his father dies, Wu Xun and his mother are reduced to poverty. While working as a hired laborer, Wu is short-changed by his employer because he can’t read. His friend, Zhou Da, is thrown into jail because he stands up for Wu. Wu’s girl friend, Xiaotao, who works as a maid for a landlord and his family, is sold by her employer to another man. In protest, she commits suicide. Having witnessed these tragedies, Wu concludes that the only way poor people can empower themselves is through education. He decides to raise funds and set up free schools for children from impoverished families. To this end he saves, begs and even appeals to the wealthy landlords for help. Finally, his free school is established. However, his friend, Zhou Da, who has since become a peasant rebel leader, considers that Wu’s belief in the power of education to change everything is too naïve. Zhou proposes open rebellion against the establishment.
The emperor learns of Wu’s free school and rewards Wu with official titles, uniforms and other commemorative awards. But Wu refuses to accept those official honors by pretending to be insane and thus unable to go through with the ceremony. As Wu continues his efforts to establish free education for the poor, the peasant rebels led by Zhou Da sweep through the prairies. (Encyclopedia of Chinese Cinema, ed. Xiao Zhiwei, Zhang Yingjin)
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