So Passionate

Freely adapted from Gabriel García Márquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the film follows the investigation of a local teacher's murder in a small and desperately poor rural village, the story of the crime gradually pieced together from the fragmented memories of witnesses forced to testify at an inquest. Sharing with her Fifth Generation colleagues Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang a remarkable eye for the barren landscapes of northern China and a fascination with small-town life — especially those enduring superstitions that Communism failed to erase — director Li Shaohong also introduces several formal innovations, particularly in storytelling structure, that remain unprecedented in Chinese cinema.

At the age of 16 Zhou Lian, who lost her parents at the age of two and was raised by a stepmother, marries Jiang Mei, a progressive young man from Changsha No. 1 Normal School. Jiang Meiqing has also lost both of his parents. The couple has two sons, Liqun, Xiaoqing and daughter Xiaolian. The film follows the family through turbulent times from 1924 to 1930.

A 29-year-old assistant engineer is assigned the director of a failing synthetic fiber factory.

The life and death of Zhao Yi-Man, a female member of the Chinese resistance

The events that take place on a city bus taken daily by workers, students, intellectuals, housewives and schoolchildren are depicted, and the lives of the two conductors, a hard-working young woman and an impatient and lazy man are contrasted.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, a CCP army unit guarding the southwest border follows what is ostensibly a trading caravan and discovers that these traders are actually smuggling arms and spy equipment to Chiang Kai-shek and his American allies.

Three young female speed skating athletes help and compete with each other, and all get outstanding achievements.

Yang Min, a county party committee secretary, goes against superstition and leads a prospecting team to Baoshan to look for iron ore.

In the early days of liberation, Kuomintang remnants fled to the Menghe Tibetan region. The government sent Chen Shaohua’s political work team to secure local chieftain Luobu Danzeng’s help against the enemy. Spy Xie Chunfu deceived Luobu Danzeng, causing conflict between the Menghe and Wari people to undermine the Communist Party and plan a counter-revolutionary uprising. Chen Shaohua implemented ethnic policies to win Luobu Danzeng’s support and investigated the spies’ activities. Xie attempted to poison steward Lang Jie, but Lang Jie discovered the plot. Nationalist spies threatened Luobu Danzeng to detain the work team. Chen Shaohua sent Xiao Li and Dali Jie to the military division. The People’s Government advanced into Menghe, prompting Xie to assassinate Lang Jie to eliminate witnesses. Before dying, Lang Jie exposed Xie’s plot to Luobu Danzeng, who apologised and cooperated with the People’s Liberation Army to eliminate the remnants.

Set in the 1950s, the PLA exterminates residual bandits in the Yunwushan Mountain.

Detectives investigate the death of a clerk, murdered before his wedding

A guerrilla group led by Li Xiangyang are ambushed by the Japanese invasion army during the War of Resistance.

During the civil war, the counterintelligence agencies of the Chinese People's Liberation Army fought against Kuomintang spies and saboteurs. Battles are already taking place in the suburbs of the city. Zhang Go-zhong, head of Kuomintang intelligence, following orders from his command, leaves a large group of saboteurs in the city. He hands over the lists of this sabotage group to the remaining resident, the major merchant Cui Xizheng. The PLA enters the city and establishes people's power. But the hidden enemy immediately begins to act.