In the last twenty-odd years of the last century, the extraordinary events on the old street of Lizilin became a catalyst for change in the hearts of its residents. Their actions seemed absurd and fervent, and their feelings became intense and direct. All this made the era seem magical and fascinating. But however times change, people's pursuit of happiness and love stays the same. Mr. Ji, Fang Husheng and Yin Xiaomei give up temporary "freedom" and worldly "happiness" and gain lasting "love". Residents of different cultures and temperaments become entangled and compete on this street, searching for their "freedom", and together protect this "land of peach blossoms".
In the 1970s, after the Soviet technical experts withdraw, the Chongqing food factory becomes a meat processing plant, and the experts sent from Shanghai to help build it become pig farmers and butchers overnight. Outside the factory is an old street called Lizilin, home to old Chongqing families. People of different cultures and temperaments become entangled and compete with one another on this street, searching for their "freedom". Fang Husheng takes his brother's place at the factory and soon marries Yin Xiaomei, a Chongqing beauty, but at the wedding Yin Xiaomei loses her mind. Rumour has it that Fang Husheng frightened her out of her wits so he could seize the Yin family's house to open a tailor's shop. Mr. Ji, a scion of a wealthy family, is taciturn and always wears a long gown. Rumour has it that the Ji family's wallpaper is made of US dollars, but no one has ever been inside the Ji home except Fang Husheng. Rumour also has it that Mr. Ji, so aloof from worldly things, has a soft spot for Yin Xiaomei. Lao Yang of the neighbourhood patrol who spies on the Fang family, Blind Lai who is blind but sees clearly, the wayward widow who runs the cotton shop and others come on stage one by one. They are all makers of rumours, and also characters in them. In this time of change, Lizilin presents a remarkable spectacle of street life.
Genre:
Drama, Dark ComedyDirector:
Zhou JieScreenwriter:
Zhou Jie | Zhao XiaoqiuProducer:
Wang YajingProduction Company:
Qingdao Second Eye Culture Media Co., Ltd.Executive Producer:
Huang Chih-mingZhou Jie: a new director born in the 1980s. In 2015, Zhou was among the top ten of the China Influence Young Directors Narrative Short Film Season. The debut feature, Light Blue Amber, won the Best Young Director Project Award at the SIFF Project Market of the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival, and Best Cinematography in the Asian New Talent Award section of the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival, where it was also nominated for Best Film.
Zhou Jie: in 2013 the short film Blind was nominated for Best Director at the first China Genre Short Film Project Season. In 2015 the short film A Farewell was among the top ten of the China Influence Young Directors Narrative Short Film Season. The debut feature, Light Blue Amber, received several nominations and awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Zhao Xiaoqiu: screenwriter of the film Light Blue Amber.
Wang Yajing: formerly a core founding member and head of production at Youth Enlight Pictures, now a producer at Second Eye, leading the production, publicity and distribution of a number of hit films. Marketing: the films The Witness and Chongqing Hot Pot. Production: the films The Devotion of Suspect X and Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, and reshoots for The Three-Body Problem.
Qingdao Second Eye Culture Media Co., Ltd.: a content production company co-founded by director and screenwriter Su Chao-pin and producer Huang Chih-ming. It combines creative, story and screenplay development with experience of cross-border production in Asia, and has worked many times with the film industries and well-known actors of Japan, the United States and Australia. The company specialises in bringing local character to international subjects and aims to work with the global film and television industry to present a new face of Chinese film and drama.
Huang Chih-ming: film professional from Taiwan, China, who has worked with directors including Chen Kuo-fu, Ang Lee and Wei Te-sheng. With strong production and resource integration skills, he produced films such as Double Vision. In recent years he has worked on films across the Taiwan Strait, producing hit films such as Left Ear and The Devotion of Suspect X, and has discovered a number of promising filmmakers.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, in a place called Lizilin, everyone rides the waves of changing times in search of happiness. Only two misfits, Mr. Ji and the tailor Fang, do not want to change, and try to protect this paradise.