Director: Zhang Hanjie

Starring: Ma Yashu  /  Jia Nailiang  /  Zhang Heng

First aired: 2009

Plot Summary:

     The story unfolds in the 1930s, when war‑torn China lies reduced to scorched earth. Everywhere you look, smoke and ash shroud the land, and the people struggle to survive. Chun Tao (played by Ma Yashu), born in the northwest, endures a profound upheaval even before she is married: her fiancé, Dalong (played by Cao Weiyu), goes missing after being captured by bandits, leaving her with no way to know whether he lives or dies. Through countless trials and tribulations, she is driven from place to place, eventually falling into the hands of a brothel. After winning the favor of the ruthless warlord Tao Zhengyuan (played by Lin Dongfu), Chun Tao manages to escape her misery—for now—only to cross paths once again with Erhu (played by Jia Nailiang), Dalong’s younger brother, with whom she once shared a love affair. Now a member of the Communist Party, Erhu and Chun Tao meet face to face, yet they cannot recognize one another; though their hearts are close, fate has torn them apart. Caught in the sweeping tides of history, the frail Chun Tao finds herself utterly powerless to shape her own destiny. She drifts with the currents, enduring abuse and humiliation, yet she clings to every last ounce of courage to pursue the love she holds dear.

　　History will ultimately bear witness to the legendary tale of a kind woman’s desperate struggle for survival…