Shen Danping

A story set in 19th century China and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.

During a brutal Japanese offensive, a skirmish leaves only a handful of children and a few soldiers to carry an important command west along the Great Wall.

Before the Beijing Asian Games in 1990, a group of elementary school kids compete for the chance to participate in a martial arts performance for the opening ceremony. In this coming-of-age story, kind-hearted An Jianjun pursues his dreams through sweat and tears, friendship and betrayal. The comedy depicts Beijing locals in precise, humorous, and loving detail.

Ten years before the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia, a Japanese Go master and his Chinese rival meet in China to play a game of Go (loosely described as an Asian version of chess). It soon becomes evident that the Chinese master's son is the most talented player that the Japanese master has ever encountered, and he convinces the boy's father to let him bring the child back to Japan to train him as a professional Go player. Years pass, and as the young Chinese master grows to maturity in Japan, the Japanese invasion of China forces him to choose between his triumphant career and his loyalty to his native country. His decision is complicated by his marriage to the daughter of the Japanese master, with whom he has produced a child. His choice will profoundly alter the lives of two families. Their saga serves as a reflection of the tragic relations between their two great countries, and the possibility of reconciliation and healing.

A Chinese drama

In 1983 Beijing, Shu Xiaocun bonds with homing pigeons "Marathon" and "Cinderella" through Yunzi, their owner. Enlisting as a signal soldier, he deploys the pigeons to relay orders at a remote outpost. After sacrificing himself to save a comrade, his red-star badge is sent via pigeon to Yunzi—sealing their unspoken camaraderie beyond life and duty.