Blind Massage

Blind Massage

Year: 2014

Runtime: 114 mins

Language: Chinese

Director: Lou Ye

Drama

The employees of a massage parlour share a close bond with each other as they all share a trait in common, they are all visually impaired.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Blind Massage yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Blind Massage (2014)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Blind Massage (2014). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Nanjing, Shenzhen

The story unfolds around a blind massage clinic in Nanjing, a city that blends ancient heritage with a bustling modern life. The clinic acts as an intimate, self-contained world where staff navigate disability, dignity, and everyday struggles. Later, the characters move to Shenzhen, highlighting a new urban frontier and the fragility of community under pressure.

🏥 Clinic setting 🌆 Nanjing city 🚚 Shenzhen relocation

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:46

Main Characters – Blind Massage (2014)

Meet the key characters of Blind Massage (2014), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Sha Fuming (Qin Hao)

Co-owner of the clinic, Sha is charming and expressive, fond of poetry and dance. His blindness shapes how he experiences connection and desire, and he often faces disappointment in arranged dates. He remains hopeful and affectionate, navigating longing with vulnerability.

🎭 Charismatic 🧭 Loyal 🌀 Impulsive

Zhang Zongqi (Wang Zhihua)

Co-owner and steady presence among the staff, Zhang Zongqi anchors the group with quiet pragmatism and loyalty. He navigates tension with empathy, balancing care for colleagues with practical burdens. His calm demeanor helps others weather personal storms.

🕯️ Steady 🧭 Loyal 🔗 Reliable

Lao Wang (Guo Xiaodong)

A doctor at the clinic who grapples with financial pressure and dangerous loan sharks. His commitment to Xiao Kong and his friends drives him to protective, sometimes drastic, actions. He embodies sacrifice in the face of economic duress.

🧰 Resourceful 🧠 Practical 🛡️ Protective

Xiao Kong (Zhang Lei)

A blind partner of Dr. Wang and a close friend within the clinic, Xiao Kong supports others while seeking her own steady path. Her relationships are tested as personal and financial pressures mount. She embodies resilience and tenderness in a challenging world.

🌟 Compassionate 🧠 Observant 🎯 Determined

Xiao Ma (Huang Xuan)

A long-time employee who loses his sight in childhood and lives largely in a dream world. He becomes obsessed with Xiao Kong, calling her 'Sister-in-law,' and later meets Xiao Man, deepening his emotional orbit. After a violent incident, he regains partial vision and eventually pursues a new life with Xiao Man.

🌙 Dreamy 🔍 Observant 🌀 Obsessive

Xiao Man

A young prostitute whom Xiao Ma falls for after being introduced to a nearby hair salon. Their romance propels a flight from the clinic toward an unknown destination, marking a turning point for both characters.

💖 Young 🧭 Adventurous 🚶‍♀️ Fateful

Du Hong (Mei Ting)

A proud and beautiful therapist whose beauty draws repeat clients, complicating her sense of self and power. She rejects Sha with the line 'You’re in love with a concept,' revealing the vulnerability behind her outward confidence. After a thumb injury and emotional strain, she ultimately resigns and carries a heavy sense of burden.

💎 Beautiful 💪 Strong 🧭 Honest

Jin Yan (Jiang Dan)

A woman involved in a mutual affair with Xu Taihe; Jin Yan's heart remains open even as Taihe fails to express his love openly. Their relationship highlights frustration, longing, and the pain of unspoken feelings.

💔 Wistful 🎭 Romantic 🪙 Practical

Xu Taihe (Huang Junjun)

Lover of Jin Yan, Xu Taihe struggles with expressing his love, leading to heartbreak and distance. His inability to communicate contrasts with Jin Yan’s emotional needs and contributes to the couple’s difficulties.

🤐 Reserved 🫶 Sincere 🕊️ Honest

Zhang Yiguang (Mu Huaipeng)

A colleague who helps connect people within the network, notably introducing Xiao Ma to the nearby hair salon. His practical approach and willingness to bridge connections push the narrative toward new opportunities.

🧩 Clever 🛠️ Pragmatic 🧱 Resilient

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:46

Major Themes – Blind Massage (2014)

Explore the central themes of Blind Massage (2014), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💞 Love & Desire

Love and desire drive many interactions, revealing how longing can both sustain and destabilize people. Sha Fuming pursues Du Hong and tests the boundaries between care, fantasy, and reality. Xiao Ma’s fixation on Xiao Kong shows how unfulfilled desire can color perception and choices. The film uses intimate, fragile relationships to explore what people want in a world that often denies they can have it.

♿ Disability & Identity

blindness shapes daily life and personal identity, and the film centers on how its characters seek autonomy and respect. The clinic becomes a space where disabled people assert dignity, form bonds, and support one another. Through their conversations and small acts of courage, the story portrays inner worlds that are often overlooked. The portrayal emphasizes resilience, agency, and the need for belonging.

🌙 Dreams & Reality

Characters drift between the waking world and dream-like escapes as a coping mechanism for hardship. Xiao Ma inhabits a dream world that temporarily softens the harshness of life and longing. This tension between fantasy and reality drives key choices, including relationships and career paths. The film uses these contrasts to examine what sustains people when they feel seen and unseen at once.

🤝 Community & Sacrifice

The clinic functions as a makeshift family where colleagues support one another in the face of debt, danger, and disappointment. Loan sharks threaten the group, prompting acts of solidarity and tough decisions. The dissolution of the clinic tests loyalty, leading characters to pursue new beginnings, sometimes at personal cost. The narrative highlights resilience, adaptation, and the price of caring for others.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:46

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a group of characters who become a surrogate family. Their journey is marked by shared hardship, unrequited love, and the need for sacrifice. The story arc often involves the dissolution of this family unit, forcing characters toward individual paths that offer autonomy but leave a poignant sense of loss for the community they once had.

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These movies are connected by their central theme of found family, the emotional weight of the characters' struggles, and their bittersweet narrative conclusions. They share a resonant mood of poetic melancholy balanced with a quiet celebration of human resilience.

Unlock the Full Story of Blind Massage

Don't stop at just watching — explore Blind Massage in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Blind Massage is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Blind Massage Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Blind Massage, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Blind Massage Summary

Blind Massage Timeline

Track the full timeline of Blind Massage with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Blind Massage Timeline

Blind Massage Spoiler-Free Summary

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Blind Massage Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Blind Massage

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Blind Massage: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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