Synopsis
"To Live" is a 1994 drama film directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Ge You and Gong Li, adapted from Yu Hua's novel of the same name. It tells the story of Fugui, a wealthy young man who experiences the decline of his family and the pain of losing loved ones from the Republican era through the Cultural Revolution, yet remains resilient in his will to live. With a Douban rating of 9.3, Ge You won the Best Actor Award at Cannes for this film, which is considered the pinnacle of Zhang Yimou's directorial career.
Overview
"To Live" is a 1994 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou, with a screenplay by Lu Wei and Yu Hua, adapted from Yu Hua's novel of the same name. Starring Ge You and Gong Li, with supporting roles by Jiang Wu and Ni Dahong, the film runs for 132 minutes. It holds a high rating of 9.3 on Douban and is listed in the Douban Movie Top 250. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 47th Cannes Film Festival, and Ge You won the Best Actor award for his role as Fugui, becoming the first Chinese actor to receive the Cannes Best Actor award.
The film follows the fate of an ordinary family against the backdrop of historical upheavals, spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s, covering some of the most turbulent decades in modern Chinese history. Fugui transforms from a spoiled young master into a destitute peasant, enduring continuous blows and losses while tenaciously surviving, showcasing the astonishing resilience of ordinary Chinese people in the face of suffering.
Plot
The wealthy young master Fugui (Ge You) is a compulsive gambler who squanders the family fortune at the gambling den daily. His wife, Jiazhen (Gong Li), pleads with him in vain and eventually leaves him, taking their daughter Fengxia. Fugui eventually loses all the family property, and his father dies of anger. From then on, Fugui is left penniless, surviving by selling his mother's jewelry.
Fate begins to subject this former playboy to cruel trials. He is captured by the Nationalist army to serve as a laborer, narrowly escaping death on the battlefield. When he finally returns home, his mother has already passed away, and his daughter Fengxia has become deaf and mute due to a high fever from illness.
After the founding of New China, Fugui and Jiazhen reunite. Though poor, the family finds moments of joy amidst hardship. However, fate does not spare them. During the Great Leap Forward, their son Youqing is accidentally run over and killed by the district chief's car. During the Cultural Revolution, their daughter Fengxia marries the kind-hearted worker Wan Erxi, but she dies from postpartum hemorrhage because the old experts in the hospital are being persecuted and no one is available to treat her.
At the end of the film, the elderly Fugui, Jiazhen, their son-in-law, and grandson are having a meal together. Fugui tells his grandson: "When the chicken grows up, it becomes a goose; when the goose grows up, it becomes a sheep; when the sheep grows up, it becomes an ox." This simple statement carries the most fundamental life belief of ordinary Chinese people—no matter what happens, one must live on.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ge You | Fugui | From a spoiled young master to a poor peasant, a life full of hardships |
| Gong Li | Jiazhen | Fugui's wife, a resilient and kind traditional Chinese woman |
| Jiang Wu | Wan Erxi | Fengxia's husband, a kind-hearted worker |
| Ni Dahong | — | Important supporting role |
Cultural Impact
"To Live" is considered the pinnacle of Zhang Yimou's directorial career. The film avoids grand narratives and flashy cinematography, instead employing an almost documentary-like approach to narrate the fate of ordinary Chinese people amidst historical upheavals. Ge You's performance is widely regarded as one of the finest in the history of Chinese-language cinema. He masterfully portrays Fugui's transformation from youthful folly to elderly equanimity with nuanced and moving authenticity.
Yu Hua's original novel is itself a classic of contemporary Chinese literature. Zhang Yimou preserved the core spirit of the novel in his adaptation but adjusted some of the overly cruel plot points, allowing the film to retain a touch of warmth and hope amidst the tragedy. Ultimately, the film conveys a simple yet profound philosophy of life: living itself is the purpose; living itself is the meaning.
The film was once not publicly released in mainland China but became widely circulated through film festivals and pirated videotapes, earning a cult status among Chinese film fans. Over time, the film's value has become increasingly prominent, and it is regarded as an important visual text for understanding 20th-century Chinese history and the Chinese spiritual world.
References
- Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/1292365/
- Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/活着/5515
- Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/活着_(电影)
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