Old Things in the South of the City

This film is adapted from Lin Haiyin's short story of the same name. The little girl Lin Yingzi (played by Shen Jie) lived in Nancheng, Beijing fifty years ago. Near their yard lived a crazy woman Xiuzhen (played by Zhang Min). Xiuzhen's husband was killed for participating in a student movement and her child was missing, so she fell mad. She often regarded Yingzi as her own child "Little Guizi". Yingzi also liked Xiuzhen and promised to help her find Xiaoguizi. Yingzi has a miserable little friend, Niuer, who is often beaten and scolded by her godfather when she is studying opera. Yingzi accidentally discovers that Niuer has Xiao Guizi's birthmark and helps them recognize each other as mother and daughter. After Yingzi entered elementary school, his family moved to Changdian. In the abandoned courtyard at the door of her home, Yingzi discovered a haystack where a thief (played by Zhang Fengyi) had hidden stolen goods. The thief had to do disgraceful deeds in order to support his younger brother in studying, but Yingzi did not regard him as a bad person. Soon, the maid Su Ma returned to her hometown, and her father passed away. Yingzi's childhood seemed to be over...