The Ripening

Fang Yiyi is a mute woman with physical disabilities who cannot speak or hear. Despite her limitations, she is kind-hearted, intelligent, and beautiful. She marries Liu Jingyan and demonstrates utmost filial piety toward her in-laws, supporting her husband and raising their daughter—a series of touching tales. Fang Yiyi's mother had a close relationship with the Liu family as cousins. During her pregnancy, they arranged a marriage by touching bellies, promising to marry Yiyi to Liu Jingyan. After marriage, they had a daughter who was also mute. Jingyan was disappointed and left home, marrying a talkative woman elsewhere. Yiyi worked tirelessly at home, caring for her in-laws, raising her young daughter, and dedicating herself to the family until she fell ill. On her deathbed, she finally saw her husband return. Liu Jingyan knew that Yi Yi had loved him until her death, and he felt endless sorrow and guilt. In the end, he lived out his days with the mute girl Xue'er.

In this drama, the harsh treatment of women in Chinese society is examined and subtly commented upon as it tells the tale of an impoverished woman living in Shanghai, circa 1910 who tries to support her brother and sister-in-law. A marriage to a wealthy man is arranged for her, and reluctantly she endures it, even though she does not love the man who is as cruel as he is wealthy. His mother is also brutally unkind to her. She then has a son, but her struggles are not over when her husband dies and only leaves her a modest inheritance. Her wretched life has made her bitter, and so she begins making her son suffer as she die; she also becomes addicted to opium.

A romantic melodrama starring Brigitte Lin.

The mast of a villa, Shih Feng, hires Mei-heng supposedly as a secretary, but actually for the purpose of consoling his younger brother Shih Lei, who is heartbroken because of an unfortunate love affair. After Shih Lei regains his spirit, Shih Feng reacts unpleasantly: the once beautiful villa becomes an unpleasant place, and everyone's life is affected. But gradually the beauty of the villa returns, and on a bright moon-lit night they sit together and recall the bitter-sweet past.

Wang Yan-ru is a very popular nightclub singer, she also teaches at the orphanage where she is brought up. She has always hoped that talents in the orphanage could form their own chorus and eventually stand on their own feet. Chang Chi-cheng is in Taiwan with a tour group from Malaysia. Much to his amazement, he finds out the dual identity of Yan-ru, both as a teacher and a singer. He quickly falls in love with her. He too is very fond of the children in the orphanage. He helps them to get what they want. Finally, he wins her affection. The affair is eventually brought to the attention of Chang's parents who are tipped off by his cousin Yu-ping. It so happens that Yu-ping is also in love with Chi-cheng...

It narrates the sad experiences of the people around Huang Mingzhu who cannot enjoy freedom and live a peaceful life even though they live in the 1960s.