Under the Hawthorn Tree

In the late Cultural Revolution, Jing Qiu is sent to the countryside and placed in the home of the village head in Xiping village near the Yangtze River. The village's landscape is punctuated by the emblematic Tree of Heroes and its memory of sacrifice. This arrival marks the beginning of her struggle to balance family duty, personal ambition, and the weight of history.

Jing Qiu and Lao San meet as she settles in, and a quiet bond begins to form between them. Lao San is a geology student with a sense of responsibility that draws Jing Qiu toward him. Their budding connection grows amid the village's steady routines and the shadow of political upheaval.

The couple's romance is set against the scars of the era. Lao San's father once held a high military position, and his mother was branded a rightist. Jing Qiu's father was imprisoned and her mother labeled a capitalist—families marked by political persecution that haunt their daily choices.

Jing Qiu vows to become a teacher to support her family and contribute to the community's future. She pursues her studies and training while navigating the expectations placed on her as a young woman in the countryside. The goal anchors her decisions and highlights the tension between filial duty and personal aspiration.

Despite danger and social stigma, Jing Qiu and Lao San deepen their love, drawing strength from shared dreams. They find private moments amid the village's rhythms of work, family duties, and communal memory. The relationship becomes a living testament to resilience in a period of upheaval.

Their romance continues into the following year as Lao San promises to wait for Jing Qiu until she comes of age. He commits to a future beyond distance and political constraints. The vow sustains their bond as the world around them remains uncertain.

Lao San is struck by leukemia, a devastating turn that shatters their plans. He chooses to leave Jing Qiu to fight the illness, a departure that she cannot fully understand at first. The separation marks the beginning of a painful, extended longing.

Jing Qiu searches for Lao San after his departure, clinging to memories, promises, and the sense that their love can endure. She finds herself moving through the rhythms of everyday life while holding onto a belief that they will be reunited. The search deepens her own sense of purpose and endurance.

The lovers are finally reunited only as Lao San lies dying in a hospital. Their moments are quiet and devastating, a stark contrast to their earlier tenderness. Jing Qiu's presence becomes a final intimate exchange between two people who refused to let go.

In the closing scene, Jing Qiu whispers to the dying Lao San, I am Jing Qiu, a confession of lifelong longing and memory. The moment carries a weight of farewell neither could have anticipated. It lingers as a testament to a love that endured beyond time.

The Tree of Heroes stands as a constant symbol throughout the film, tying personal romance to the larger history of sacrifice and memory. It frames the couple's choices and acts as a silent witness to their endurance. Its presence invites reflection on what history asks of ordinary lives.

The film blends lyrical imagery with grounded realism, presenting memory, duty, and affection under pressure. It uses the rural landscape to ground an intimate coming-of-age romance in the era's turmoil. The result is a quiet, universal meditation on love, sacrifice, and the persistence of memory.