Under the Hawthorn Tree

2010 1h 53m ZH

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 163

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The daughter of a right-winger, schoolgirl Jing Qiu is sent to the countryside for reeducation, and tasked to help write a textbook. There she meets Lao San, a young soldier with a bright future ahead. Despite the class divide and parental disapproval, romance blooms against turbulent times.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Zhou Dongyu
Jing
Shawn Dou Xiao
Sun
Xi Meijuan
Jing's Mother
Li Xuejian
Mr.Zhang
Cheng Taishen
Mr.Luo
Sa Rina
Auntie
Lü Liping
Wei's Mother
Jiang Ruijia
Wei

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Zhou Xiaofeng, Yin Lichuan, Gu Xiaobai
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chen Qigang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Meng Peicong shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou Xiao and Xi Meijuan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1554523 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zhang Yimou directs. Zhao Xiaoding behind the camera. Chen Qigang scores. Meng Peicong cuts. Produced in China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 16 years ago.
2Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Chen Qigang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Meng Peicong shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou Xiao and Xi Meijuan carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1554523 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Zhao Xiaoding
Original score: Chen Qigang
Editing: Meng Peicong
Makeup / hair: Xu Guangrui
Sound: Tao Jing
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Status: Released
Original language: ZH
IMDB: Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)

Awards

Huabiao Award for Outstanding Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Zhang Yimou

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-08-11
★ 9/10
A very sweet and sad tale based on one of the many stories from Cultural Revolution. It feels personal since the heroine claims that she wants to be a writer, and at the end of the film she goes abroad to study. Coincidentally, the author is a Chinese (American) living in Florida who seems to know exactly how it felt living under Mao Tse Tung. It was brilliantly translated to film by the accomplished Zhang Yimou.

Production companies