He - a god-like man
Qin Shutian (played by Jiang Wen) is a magical man. He is suppressed at the bottom of society, but his thoughts are above all things. He resembles those wise but foolish male protagonists in Wang Xiaobo's works, and has a "tragic optimism" advocated by Nietzsche. ——His optimism does not stem from superficial cognition. On the contrary, it is a kind of open-mindedness that understands human nature. He generously accepts the villain hat that others put on his head, and performs it in the way he likes, being crazy, brave and romantic.
"Living well" was not an easy task in that era of self-abasement. Qin Shutian is not a hero who rises up. He chooses to "protect himself", preserving his conscience, his happiness, and the hope that "people's hearts will never die."
She - a flower-like woman
Twenty years ago, Liu Xiaoqing was very beautiful. The character Hu Yuyin she plays really lives up to the saying, "Clear water brings out hibiscus, and nature removes the carvings."
Yuyin is a typical oriental woman, hard-working, beautiful and loyal. If she is a lotus that emerges from the mud but remains unstained, then love is a pool of water that nourishes her. However, in that era, beauty was also a catastrophe. First, the organizational leader confused her first love, and then the "working group" forced her to become a widow. Hu Yuyin is like a lotus that has been roughly picked and discarded on a potholed stone street, helpless, desperate, and withering quickly.
Fortunately, Qin Shutian is by his side, and he nourishes Yuyin's life like dew with his steady stream of care. ——This is called "picking up" girls, so that the heart that has lost all hope and is withering day by day will become plump with the infiltration of love!
The film gives a long close-up of their love, from its inception to their devoted love, undisturbed, isolated from the world, a sweet secret that only belongs to two people. Looking at Yuyin's cheeks gradually turning pink and dewy, she knew that this beautiful hibiscus was in bud again.
Facing the third catastrophe of happiness, Yuyin became much stronger. Her children and husband were her spiritual pillars. She looked at the unfairness of fate with a cold eye, and lived a humble but refined life just for the promise of "living like an animal".
Ten years have passed, and a woman’s delicate face has withered like hibiscus petals, revealing a tough lotus heart, in which only she can appreciate the bitterness and fragrance...
It ——The Golden Age
I have not experienced that era, but "Furong Town" gives me a very realistic feeling, and my parents have a deep understanding of it.
The golden age lasted for more than twenty years, but a hundred years of vicissitudes were engraved in our hearts.
In these twenty years, human nature has been magnified, bound, and tested! Many people didn't make it to the end. ——At the cost of their lives, they turned into burning meteors, trying to cut through the darkness of the night; more people chose to twist their souls in compromise and self-preservation; however, the great and tenacious personality will eventually shine. It shines like gold and turns into the first light of dawn.
In the end, Yuyin got back the confiscated money and house, but there are some things that some people will never get back.
In the end, the sadness of the past can be laughed at easily, but behind the laughter, there are stains of tears.
In the end, life will continue, and the new life after labor pains will eventually mature.
In the end, history will be remembered, just like a vaccine. Although the injection was painful, it finally left an indelible mark on the arm. ——I hope that from now on, I will be immune for life.