Zhaohui Gong

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.

Ming Chuan is a famed forensics doctor who is known for cracking countless cases. However, no one understands his past, including himself. A mysterious serial murder case allows him to meet Luo Bixin, a beautiful and capable police captain. Luo Bixin starts to suspect Ming Chuan's actual identity when his photo was found the crime scene.

Amid war and chaos, Xue Yunjin's difficult childhood shapes his strong-willed character. Driven by patriotism, he joins the revolution, while his childhood sweetheart, Duan Siqi, dreams of a peaceful family life. As fate pulls them in opposite directions, their love is tested by the turbulence of their time.