Original subtitles

Hibiscus town

shot by China film distribution and exhibition corporation

produced by Shanghai film corporation

based on a novel written by go hua

screenplay a Cheng, xie Jin

Cinematography lu junfu

composer geyan art director Jin qifen

Cast liu xiaoqing, Jiang wen, zheng zaishi, zhu shibin.

Director xie Jin

Sister hibiscus, extra spicy hot please.

No problem.

More spring onions for me.

Guigui.

Sister hibiscus, I'm still waiting. Come on.

Coming.

- Extra spicy hot? - Yeah.

Hot enough to cause a stomach ache.

Then I have you to cure it.

Can I have a bowl with more soup please?

No problem.

Here's a bowl with more soup to cool you off.

You hands are as white and soft as rice beancurd.

Shut up.

Did you wife tell you to kneel beside the bed yesterday?

Did she tweak your ear?

My ears would rather be tweaked by you.

Come on. Come on, please.

Go away.

Stop being a lout.

Grandma, welcome.

Take a seat.

How are you?

How is the business?

I've put more chili sauce for you.

Leaving? See you.

Sister mangeng.

- Morning. - Have a big one.

Brother mangeng, morning.

Secretary li is here. Have some rice beancurd.

- Have a bowl. - I'll have a bowl.

Sister hibiscus, can I have a bowl of rice beancurd?

I've heard it.

Sister hibiscus, here you are.

Alright. Give it to me then.

Yuyin, how much have you earned?

Mom.

Let's go.

Sister hibiscus, a bowl of rice beancurd please.

Alright.

Wang qiushe.

Have you got up?

Coming.

Have you told everyone about the meeting tonight?

I'm about to.

What are you doing?

Where is manager li?

Is she in the wok?

I've got an important notice from the town.

If she misses it, will you be responsible?

An intelligence officer you are. There she is.

Business of the government really.

But a man from the government can't be received with a bowl of water.

Don't touch it.

The world is so inconceivable.

Haven't they tried rice beancurd before?

You don't understand. Can't you see?

They are like cats prowling around that beancurd stall.

Manager li, we can set up a stall too.

We'll make a lot of money, trust me.

Bullshit.

Our restaurant is state run, using commodity grain.

That stall is what?

Manager li, there's a meeting for all cadres tonight.

Okay. Okay.

Four freedoms are getting corrupted.

Old go,

- what have you been up to? - Nothing much.

Can I talk to you for a second?

You need grain again?

With the grain you have, you can make lots of nice food.

The manager of the grain depot is all about grain.

Don't you like wulin liquor?

I've saved two bottles for you.

Shall I get them now?

Forget it. Forget it.

Rumor says rat poop is found in the food sold in your restaurant.

Come on. Will I give customers rat poop to eat?

Your collar's so dirty. Shall I wash it for you?

Old go, people in the cities are using fake collars now.

Anyway. See you.

Old go, don't be late for the meeting tonight.

I'll have a bowl.

- Manager go. - Hello.

Guigui, manager cu is here.

Old go, hello.

Mangeng.

Manager go.

Old go.

Oiushe, is that a dine and dash again?

Did you see oin shutian? He is giving a hand after paying.

But you eat and run.

If this house is sold to hu yuyin,

two or three thousand bowls wouldn't be enough.

A local rascal.

Do you have a trading license?

Sister officer, do you want to have some...?

Trading license.

What's the matter?

It's a small business, but we're paying taxes.

Trading license.

Everybody in the town knows that.

I need to see your trading license.

If you don't have it, I'll ask my assistants to confiscate your stall.

Another one.

Another one.

Say something.

Forget it. Forget it.

Living in this town, we see each other frequently.

If needed, go to the tax office.

Sister hibiscus's rice beancurd is delicious.

Guoxiang, has he told you about the meeting tonight?

You're all treating me as an outsider.

Give me another bowl.

Uncle.

Crazy qin,

summon the five categories to the public square after dinner.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

What is making so much smoke?

I'm cooking something.

Give me a cigarette.

Do you want to have mine?

Summon all of them now.

Yes.

Attention please...

At the border of three provinces, this town is in a complicated situation.

A lot have abandoned farming and started to do private businesses,

which have harmed the collective economy of the people's commune.

As cadres,

what do you think about the situation?

Hibiscus town has always been a pain for political movement.

But this time, the county committee are determined.

Guoxiang, you've been in this town for a long time.

Are you going out with someone?

Men here are not my cup of tea.

Takeil

secretary li, they are all there.

Good.

Crazy oin, come on.

Stand up.

Secretary li,

the five categories have been summoned as you requested.

- All of them? - Yes.

- Call the roll. - Yes.

Rightist oin shutian. Here.

- Landlord zhang hongde. - Yes.

- Landlord zhang yaozhong. - Yes.

- Bad-influencer tian zhifen. - Yes.

- Rich peasant liu deqi. - Yes.

- Counter-revolutionary huang jinchang. - Yes.

Rich peasant li fugui.

Yes.

Where is li fugui?

Secretary li,

at 3:29 this afternoon, rich peasant li fugui

started vomiting blood.

He is not able to come. But, his grandson is here

to hear instructions on behalf of him.

What a life!

Class struggle will probably last for decades.

You can go back now.

From now on, behave yourselves.

Mind your words and actions.

Dismissed.

Be quick. Come on.

- Crazy oin - yes? I

any paint left for another slogan?

Yes, secretary li.

On the wall over there, put another slogan.

Just write...

I'll read the document first. I'll tell you when to copy it.

No problem.

Excuse me, secretary li,

should it be in bold Ariel or imitation song?

The one you used last time.

Yes. I'll successfully accomplish the task.

How is it?

Manager go.

Wang oiushe has sold his homestead to us.

We're planing to build a new house here.

Shall I dry your face?

- Never mind. - Walk slowly.

Walk slowly.

Uncle,

when will I have the result of my job relocation application?

You're secretary of the county committee.

The permit will soon arrive.

You'll be chief of county bureau of commerce.

- Very nice. - Have some tea.

Hello. Have some candies.

Give some candies to the girl.

This house is light and bright.

When the old house is torn down, guigui and I want to adopt a child.

We'll need support from the production brigade.

Yes, we'll support.

Manager go, we want you to be his sworn father.

In that case, supplying you with seconds and sweepings

would give me a bad name.

It's a joke.

Being a sworn father means wealth and prosperity.

Manager li.

Chief li now.

You left last year, right? Just settle down first.

I'll call the secretary.

You're wang oiushe?

He's a land reform activist.

Oh, right.

We'll go to your house later.

My house is very messy. Chaotic really.

We're looking for someone in great affliction.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for coming from afar.

Comrades, it's been nearly 15 years since liberation,

but land reform activists like wang oiushe

have not actually become rich.

What is the reason?

I'm in charge of class struggle. But, without a movement,

how could we do it?

Any activities going on in the town?

Hu yuyin has moved into her new house.

It's bustling. Meat and alcohol are being served.

Let's go, team leader li, let's go.

Hu yuyin?

The one who sells rice beancurd?

It's her. I would have been there, if I hadn't gone to pick you up.

Alright, I will drink it for her.

Say something.

I'm not good at talking. But I'll give everyone a bow.

Give us a bow too.

Brother mangeng, please help.

Shall we invite old go to say something?

Some are rich, and some poor.

That's a big gap here.

Comrades, we have a heavy responsibility.

Right.

Qiushe,

why didn't you come yesterday?

Some are rich, and some poor. Time for a movement.

Team leader li, is this movement like a land reform?

A second land reform?

A second land reform.

Will people be reclassified?

Yes. To purify the class ranks

by drawing a clear line between different elements.

Old wang, I'm impressed by your thoughts.

Very good. Very good.

Will the property of each family get redistributed?

You can say so.

Fine. I'm all for such a movement.

Old wang, can you tell us honestly

who belongs to the four uncleans?

And who is the newly rich?

Is hu yuyin at home?

Yes? Team leader li, I've heard you're in the town.

And I was planning to visit you.

Come in please.

Guigui,

team leader li is here to visit us. Prepare some tea.

Please sit here.

I'll help myself.

Boil some water now.

Have some melon seeds.

He's dumb.

I should have come earlier.

Today, on behalf the work team,

I'm here to see your new house,

and to discuss a couple of things with you.

Sit. Sit.

There's no market today?

Have you heard of the work team from the the county committee?

For this movement,

we have to assess each family's political and financial status.

Honesty to the work team equals honesty to the party.

You know what I mean?

Have some tea.

I've drawn up a preliminary reckoning for you.

Point out any discrepancies if there are.

If you sell 500 bowls of rice beancurd at each market,

that's 50 yuan.

Six markets a month, you make 300 yuan.

We can deduct 100 yuan for your expenses,

you still make 200 yuan a month.

Hu yuyin,

that is as high as the salary of provincial leaders.

Trading in a small way,

we just muddled along, and never figured that out.

Team leader li, I've got a trading license.

We're not saying you broke the law or exploited anyone.

Anyway, we won't go into that now.

But the land of your house

is the benefit of the poor peasant wang oiushe, isn't it?

The couplet on the gate

was written by the reactionary rightist oin shutian, right?

Another thing.

The manager of the grain depot,

go yanshan supplied you with 60 pounds of good rice for each market.

No, they're seconds and sweepings.

Lots of organizations and private families buy seconds to feed pigs.

They fatten their pigs and sell them to the state.

What about you?

You buy rice seconds

and turn them into a commodity to fatten yourself.

The manager of the grain depot, go yanshan

has supplied you with 11,880 pounds of rice.

No, team leader li.

Don't be nervous.

I'm here to learn more about the situation.

I'm still busy. I should be going.

The provincial, city, and county committees

have issued the above three notices

on class struggle for the four cleanups movement.

Let's come to the second part of the meeting.

Is the bourgeois rightist oin shutian present?

Yes.

Come here.

Stand over there.

This is the famous oin shutian of hibiscus town.

Crazy qin.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

- Stand still. - Yes. Yes. Yes.

Do you hate your class enemy?

I want to ask you a question.

Particularly you cadres.

Is oin shutian famous or notorious?

In 1957, he collected folk songs,

wrote reactionary dance dramas.

He used them as weapons to attack our party and socialism.

Isn't he an evil rightist?

He's dismissed from his post to get reeducated.

But quite shockingly,

he's in charge of the political propaganda in hibiscus town.

On walls all over the town,

there are revolutionary slogans.

They are written by this reactionary rightist.

Qin shutian.

Answer me.

Who gave this important task to you?

Important task?

Crazy oin, tell us.

It's...

A higher-up. A higher-up.

Stuttering in fright shows you're hiding something.

Back to your seat.

Some cadres can't tell enemies and allies apart,

and have completely lost their class stand.

Can I possibly ask

which side are you on?

Comrades,

poor and lower-middle peasants,

many strange things have happened.

Not long ago, a stall owner in our town

has just built a new house.

People are saying

the new house is grander

than two of the biggest before liberation.

By the way,

in two years and nine months,

that stall owner has made a profit of 6,600 yuan.

It's 6,600 yuan.

But some cadres

are behind her for a capitalist path.

Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.

Quiet. Quiet.

I'll take a pee.

We'd better sell the new house,

even at a loss of two or three hundred yuan.

We're fated to live in this dump.

Shut up. Can't you show some guts?

We've worked our fingers to the bone,

and have worn out the mill handle and the cauldron.

Who have we exploited? What law have we broken?

How can you think of selling it?

Yuyin, it's just an idea.

You always have the final say.

Do what you think is right.

You fool.

Can't you even say it when it hurts?

Yuyin,

with you, I'm not afraid of anything,

even if we have to beg.

Yuyin, I'm not as cowardly as a wild duck.

For this new house,

I'll do anything, even if you want me to kill someone.

Are you out of your mind to say something like that?

Just want you to know it, though I'm not going to kill anyone.

You wanted to sell our new house. Now you want to risk your neck.

It's just a mass meeting, then you're scared stiff.

If real trouble happens, how could you cope?

At least I can choose to die.

You...

Over half of what the team leader said

was aimed at you! Party secretary!

I don't now whether you've taken that in?

What are you really up to

with that sworn sister of yours who sells beancurd?

How did you lose your class stand because of crazy qin?

Luckily, that team leader didn't name you.

Does she look like a married woman?

Is she a woman or a devil?

Can you please shut up?

You...

I've had enough tonight.

Stop being so headstrong in front of me.

Why not put up a fight outside if you believe you're right?

- Itching for a clout, are you? - So what?

Bitch.

- How dare you. - Serves you right.

See if I don't beat you.

Don't you dare!

Which side are you on?

This 1500 yuan shouldn't stay here.

We'd better ask brother mangeng to take care of it,

in case it becomes the root of all trouble.

Mangeng?

What the team leader said was aimed at him.

No worries. He's a soldier before. And a party member now.

Who can hurt him?

And he's my sworn brother.

Alright.

Yuyin,

you'd better hide yourself.

I have a relative in guangxi province.

Lower your voice.

Sister mangeng.

You all belong to the five categories,

the reactionary class and element.

Remember to mind your words and actions.

Think about what you did last week,

and report it to me later. Got it?

Yes.

Stop looking elsewhere.

Look.

Hey.

What are you doing?

You'd better stay away from that bitch hu yuyin.

Sooner or later you'll get enticed.

Can you shut up?

Bastard.

Food and sleep are important.

Life is like that.

Movement? It'll soon be past.

You don't understand a shit.

Go to sleep.

You're driving away mosquitoes.

Life is not easy for mosquitoes either.

What's wrong?

What is it? Tell me.

Do you know that yuyin is my sworn sister?

She and guigui are nice and honest.

But they have probably become li guoxiang's targets.

Hu yuyin has 1500 yuan.

How do you know that secret stash of your sworn sister?

It might get confiscated.

None of our business.

Listen to me.

After the mass meeting, hu yuyin gave the money to me,

and asked me to keep it for her.

You took it?

Where did you put it?

The old place upstairs.

Fine.

You're asking for trouble, are you?

You'll be the ruin of us.

I've been a good wife to you,

but you're bewitched by that tramp.

What's there to scream about?

Tell me straight,

what's that bitch hu yuyin to you?

Am I your wife? Or is she your wife?

Can't you just shut up? Stop your nonsense.

Go ahead then. Punch me.

I've got you three daughters. Now you don't like me anymore?

You want to ditch me,

because I'm not as beautiful as she is. You wretch!

Go on.

Beat me to death, then you can...

What did the team leader say at the meeting?

You don't want this family anymore?

Hiding the filthy money of a filthy whore.

You stupid wretch.

You want to get the kids into trouble too?

And get all of us punished and jailed?

No way.

What are you doing?

Let me go.

Where are you going?

Give it to me.

Will you hand it in or not?

If you don't, I'll report you.

Bitch.

Want me to knock you dead?

Anyway I've nothing to live for.

Mangeng...

Mangeng, mangeng, I beg you, mangeng...

Mangeng, I'm not asking you to do it for me.

For three kids, you have to hand the money in.

Mangeng,

I beg you.

Heavens, in this world,

how can we live if people are trampling over others?

Think about it carefully.

To keep your party membership,

or to marry a girl running an illegal stall?