Soul of the Sea

1930's China. The village of a poor family is taken over by the occupying Japanese army. One son, Zhongliang, leaves his wife and young son to join a medic group for the Chinese Army. The other son, Zhangmin goes into hiding to protect his family. The focus shifts back and forth from the brothers' parents and Zhongliang's wife and son to Zhongliang's newfound life of luxury in a town not too far away. The plight of Zhongliang's mother, his wife, Sufan and her son, Kongeson is contrasted with Zhongliang's rise in a flourishing company.

A story of a corrupt party official who attempts to sell an apartment building he has appropriated from the original owner and the struggles of the tenants to prevent themselves being thrown onto the street.

In the center of the story is the story of a young girl from the Dai nation, who, despite gossip and accusations of witchcraft, becomes a successful doctor and finds happiness in her personal life.

The People on the Grassland is one of the earliest “minority nationality films” produced in the PRC. It features Mongolian herders who serve the people in the struggle against the forces of the KMT. The film was released in China in 1953 and became particularly well-known for its songs and theme-music.

In August 1945, after the Japanese surrendered, the New Fourth Army was ordered to move north of the Yangtze River, but was ambushed by the Kuomintang reactionaries on the way. Column instructor Zhou Qiang (played by Pan Wenzhan), machine gunner Lao Shen (played by Jin Yan) and health worker Yang Yuwen (played by Zhang Zheng) were outnumbered and unfortunately captured in order to cover the retreat of the sick and wounded. During the escort, Zhou Qiang and others, with the help of everyone, killed the enemy squad leader (played by Dong Lin) and led the others to successfully escape. They re-armed themselves with captured weapons, fought guerrillas with the enemy in Siming Mountain, and mobilized the surrounding people to consolidate their own strength.