Yellow Earth

Gu Qing, a propaganda soldier, leaves Yan'an in early spring 1939 to travel into the northern Shaanxi region known as Shanbei. He aims to record peasants' folk songs to rewrite them with communist lyrics for morale. The journey exposes him to the harsh yet hopeful rural landscape and the people whose voices he hopes to amplify.

Upon arrival, Gu is assigned to stay with a poor, illiterate family so he can document their songs firsthand. The father resents his reformist tales, while Cui Qiao, the hardworking daughter, listens with a mix of curiosity and patience. Through daily chores and conversations, Gu begins to see the peasants' world with new complexity.

The father rejects Gu's social reforms and women's education concepts, but Cui Qiao absorbs Gu's words with interest. Her openness contrasts with her father's rigidity, hinting at a different path for her future. Gu's presence sparks a tentative bond, rooted in shared longing for change.

Gu witnesses the daily hardships of peasant life, including poverty, hard labor, and the strain of traditional marriages. He records these moments, motivated by the belief that songs can carry revolutionary messages. The intimate portrait of Cui Qiao reveals why their cause matters to ordinary people.

Cui Qiao, only 14, is told she must marry an older man within months because her mother's funeral and her brother's engagement costs have drained the family. The news weighs heavily on her spirit, mixing resignation with quiet sorrow. Gu's later conversations intensify the sense of pathos surrounding her fate.

The next morning, Gu accompanies Hanhan as he leaves for Yan'an, bidding farewell to the village family. Cui Qiao pleads to go with him, but Gu explains the practical barriers and promises he will try to return someday. The separation marks a crucial emotional hinge in the story.

On the wedding day, Cui Qiao is taken away in a bridal sedan, leaving Gu behind in Yan'an. The act crystallizes the clash between personal dreams and collective duties under wartime conditions. The scene underscores the sacrifices demanded by the soldiers' cause.

Gu arrives in Yan'an and witnesses a drum-dance welcoming new recruits for the anti-Japanese war. The performance amplifies the ongoing struggle and the propaganda purpose of his mission. He reflects on the distance between his work and the life he left behind.

Cui Qiao tells Hanhan that she wants to run away and join the army. She asks him to care for their father and to give Gu some hand-sewn insoles when he returns. The resolve signals a radical shift away from her arranged fate toward collective action.

At night, Cui Qiao attempts to cross the turbulent Yellow River, singing a song Gu Qing taught her. The crossing is perilous, and the film leaves her fate uncertain as the waters rush by. The moment captures her courage and the peril of fleeing toward the revolution.

Some time later, Gu returns to the region only to find the village affected by drought and the people gathering for rain prayers led by Cui Qiao's father. The land has dried up and crops are dying, heightening the community's desperation. The scene ties personal sacrifice to broader survival needs.

As Gu observes the scene, Hanhan tries to reach him, but a crowd of peasants blocks the way. The blockage highlights the tension between individual longing and the collective demands of the village. It reinforces the idea that movement and escape are constrained by the times.

The film closes with Cui Qiao's voice rising in a song: The Communist Party shall save us all. The tune embodies hope, sacrifice, and the idea that collective action will endure beyond any single life. The ending leaves Cui Qiao's fate deliberately open while reinforcing the revolutionary message.