Seventeen Years

The 5 yuan dispute was not really about the money itself, but represented deeper tensions within the blended family. Xiaolan was fiercely independent and resented the family situation, while Xiaoqin was more intellectual and aspires to attend university. The small amount triggered an explosion of accumulated resentment between the sisters, leading Xiaolan to strike Xiaoqin in a moment of anger. The injury proved fatal, and Xiaolan was arrested for the murder.

Earlier scenes establish the sisters' divergent dreams and the tension in their blended family home, hinting at underlying conflicts that would escalate.

Xiaolan was tried and convicted for the murder of Xiaoqin. She served 17 years in prison for the fatal assault. The tragedy devastated both families and marked the beginning of a long period of incarceration for Xiaolan, who spent her youth behind bars.

The film establishes early on that the 5 yuan dispute escalates to a fatal injury, setting the trajectory for Xiaolan's imprisonment.

Chen Jie is a young prison guard who encounters Xiaolan on the day of her New Year holiday. After noticing that Xiaolan has no family coming to pick her up while other inmates are collected, Chen Jie feels compassion for her situation. In an act of kindness, she offers to help Xiaolan return home for the holiday, initiating the journey that forms the film's central narrative.

Chen Jie's phone call to her mother about holiday plans establishes her caring nature before she notices Xiaolan's isolation.

When Xiaolan and Chen Jie arrive at her old apartment, they discover the building has long been demolished. Tianjin has undergone urban development, and the neighborhood where Xiaolan grew up no longer exists. Her parents have moved to a different location in the city, making the reunion far more complicated than Xiaolan had hoped.

The timeline establishes that 17 years have passed, during which the city has been redeveloped.

Xiaolan's parents have moved away from their old apartment and the family has scattered. It appears they did not come to the prison to pick her up, likely due to the complex emotional dynamics after Xiaoqin's death. The family remains estranged, and the parents' whereabouts are initially unknown to Xiaolan, preventing a simple reunion.

The tragic death of Xiaoqin at Xiaolan's hands created a deep rift in the family that persists 17 years later.

In Chinese prisons, certain inmates are granted temporary release during major holidays like the Chinese New Year. This is called a holiday permit or furlough, allowing prisoners to spend time with family. Xiaolan is selected for this rare opportunity, which provides the crucial window for the story's central journey outside prison walls.

The film cuts to seventeen years later, showing Xiaolan on the verge of this New Year holiday release.

The film ends with Xiaolan and Chen Jie continuing their search to locate her parents in Tianjin. The narrative remains open about whether they succeed in finding them or whether the family will reconcile. The focus is on the effort to reach across time and distance rather than guaranteeing a reunion.

The meta notes describe the ending as ambiguous, suggesting the reunion is uncertain.

Even during the New Year holiday, prisoners on permit must be accompanied by a guard. Chen Jie volunteers to escort Xiaolan, which is why she is present during the journey to find Xiaolan's family. This creates the dynamic between the two women as they navigate the city together.

Chen Jie's decision to help Xiaolan includes offering to accompany her during the holiday.

Xiaolan and Xiaoqin became stepsisters when their parents remarried. Their father Liang Song married Le Yeping, bringing Xiaolan and Xiaoqin together into a new blended family in Tianjin. The step-sibling relationship adds complexity to their already strained family dynamic.

The timeline establishes that two divorced singles formed a new family, creating the blended household.

The demolished apartment building symbolizes how time and urban development have erased Xiaolan's past. The physical destruction of her childhood home mirrors her estranged relationship with her family. The constant rebuilding of Tianjin reflects the possibility of reinvention, even as Xiaolan grapples with what has been lost.

The film explicitly connects urban development to the upheaval in Xiaolan's personal life.