Red Sea Tang

This film (drama)Also known as红海棠，is aMainland China, Hong KongProducerbeauty live，At2008Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating7.7(For reference only)。

Shanghai in the late 1930s.Shu Yuan Tang Qiao Chu, the eldest daughter of a well-off family, lost her father at a young age. She shares a close relationship with her younger sister Chao Yue and their mother. Though they live in a household without men, the three of them are very happy together. The only thing that makes Qiao Chu unhappy is her mother’s constant pressure to marry her off to a wealthy family, introducing her to men she doesn’t like. However, Qiao Chu has her own dreams; she longs for a prince charming who she would fall in love with at first sight, even if he is penniless, something her mother dismisses as unrealistic.It seems that fate truly favors her when she meets a man at an unexpected occasion who makes her heart race. His smile and a few words light a flame in her dormant heart. This chance encounter feels both lifelong and fleeting."He" disappears around the corner in a rush, without even exchanging names. From that day on, she seems to lose her soul, ignoring all suitors. She believes this man is her future happiness and, feeling nostalgic, she repeatedly goes to that street corner hoping to "bump" into him, but each time she returns disappointed.To her surprise, "he" appears again at her sister’s engagement ceremony, but this time as her brother-in-law! Seeing her brother-in-law Yang Jun De's passionate love for Chao Yue fills her heart with both gratitude and sadness. Soon, her sister and brother-in-law get married, and the family lives happily together.During a family summer outing in the countryside, Qiao Chu argues with her mother over the marriage arrangements for her, and in a fit of anger, accidentally breaks the railing at the cliff's edge. She ties her scarf around the railing as a warning to tourists.However, that evening, she receives the devastating news of her sister's death in a fall from the cliff. Qiao Chu is engulfed in immense grief and guilt, haunted by dreams of happier times with her sister. Carrying the secret of her role in the railing's destruction, her anxiety grows.Yang, devastated by his wife’s death, finds himself drawn to Qiao Chu as she takes care of her sister’s funeral and tries to comfort him. Their feelings begin to blossom as Yang painfully confesses his deep love for Chao Yue.Her mother sees Yang as someone they can rely on and facilitates the marriage between Qiao Chu and Yang. Time eases Qiao Chu's guilt over her sister, and she happily starts her married life with the man she loves. Yang Jun De is quite skilled at managing the family business, and everything seems peaceful.But this happiness doesn't last. Private detective Luo Zhi Ping suddenly appears at the Tang household, repeatedly threatening to expose the truth about Chao Yue's death in order to extort money from Qiao Chu. She is compelled to confront her troublesome secret, and no matter how she explains, Luo gives her a knowing look while revealing shocking photographs: one showing Old Wei getting cozy with her mother during a spring outing, and several others of her kicking the railing. Before leaving, Luo whispers, "Who would have thought such an esteemed family harbors so many secrets?"Qiao Chu is overwhelmed by fear; she did not realize there are more secrets involving her mother—those photos cannot depict merely a friendship between two ordinary people! Determined to protect this hard-won love and preserve the honor of the Tang family, she resolves to silence him at all costs.Thinking that a sum of money would be enough to appease him, Qiao Chu soon finds herself withdrawing funds from the company to meet Luo's increasingly demanding requests. During their last encounter over money, a confrontation ensues, leading to Luo's accidental fall from the balcony, resulting in his untimely death.The police begin an investigation and discover Luo's detective records, which list many names and secrets, ultimately culminating with Qiao Chu. Consequently, she is invited to assist in the investigation into Luo's death.Panic-stricken, Qiao Chu never expected Luo would die.Upon questioning by detectives, she learns Luo had been hired by many people, particularly focusing on her husband Yang Jun De! This revelation leaves her deeply unsettled—who is investigating Yang Jun De?Qiao Chu manages to sneak a peek at part of the detective records, which reveals another secret—Yang may have been married multiple times before marrying Chao Yue!Qiao Chu begins to suspect that her beloved husband harbors secrets. Just as she seeks to uncover the truth, a bizarre fire engulfs the police station, erasing all records and claiming the lives of the officers involved—Luo's case turns into a cold case.Determined to investigate her husband’s marital history, she discovers that before Chao Yue, he had been married at least twice, each time losing his wife to tragedy, after which he married wealthier women—this frightens Qiao Chu immensely!Accepting her friend Wang Qian Shi's suggestion, she hires lawyer Lin Dong Yun to probe into the causes of Yang's previous wives' deaths and the benefits he gained from those marriages. Lin Dong Yun uncovers that Yang's entire fortune is tied to his wives; and each time a more affluent woman entered his life, his previous wife perished.Was her sister’s death truly accidental? Qiao Chu feels she is getting closer to the truth from her mother—it seems her father specified in his will that the inheritance would only go to the eldest daughter, meaning Chao Yue would not inherit anything; it’s likely this drove Yang to kill her sister in order to marry her. Learning that Yang married her not out of love, but for money, shatters Qiao Chu's dream of love—she realizes she may be just another dead wife of Yang! She questions herself: did she misjudge this man?Unwilling to accept this answer, because Yang Jun De's every action with her suggested he loved her as well as her sister, not just her wealth.Torn between belief and disbelief, she continues her investigation alongside Lin Dong Yun, but the next event plunges her deeper into despair—while secretly following Yang, she witnesses her friend Wang Qian Shi frequently entering Yang Jun De's company lounge!Wang is wealthier than the Tang family; it seems Yang truly is a man who kills wives for money! Qiao Chu has never felt such desperation: her sister died at his hands, and now it seems her life is at risk. She cannot sit idly by; she must protect her life and seek justice for her sister! She will gather all the evidence to send this murderer to prison personally.Not long after, Yang indeed files for divorce, but Qiao Chu deliberately refuses. To ensure her safety, she must prevent Yang from killing her first; with Lin Dong Yun's help, the police finally arrest Yang…Despite lingering doubts in the case, Yang is sentenced to death. Before his execution, unable to bear parting from the man she loves, she asks through tears: did you ever love me? Did you really want to kill me?Yang Jun De responds, "I've been sentenced to death; nothing matters anymore!"Following the will, Qiao Chu receives an inheritance of 226,700 yuan from Yang; while over a million is transferred to a certain foundation.After a year of turmoil, Qiao Chu feels drained as if she has lived through a nightmare; her sister and love have vanished, leaving her to wonder if money still holds meaning?Yet this sum raises her suspicions.Lin Dong Yun begins to passionately pursue Qiao Chu, but after experiencing the trials of love and death, she no longer dares to hope for a future. Before long, the two marry quietly. However, after marriage, Qiao Chu discovers that her "good husband" Lin is also involved with Wang Qian Shi!Qiao Chu is once again called into the police station to assist in the investigation into Luo Zhi Ping's death.At this time, Luo's detective records mysteriously resurface, revealing suspicions that Qiao Chu killed her sister and detailing the process of her attempts to buy her way to safety—she becomes the prime suspect in Luo's murder! Despite Lin Dong Yun's defense, all evidence mercilessly leads to Qiao Chu being sentenced to 15 years in prison for negligent homicide.She realizes she has fallen into a trap.To uncover the truth, she learns an unsettling secret—Wang Qian Shi's mother is Yang Jun De's first wife, and the estate left to Yang was precisely 226,700 yuan! The avenger is Wang Qian Shi! She and Lin Dong Yun might have originally been lovers! Qiao Chu now sees how her marriage with Yang was meticulously plotted and dismantled by Wang!Eager to clear her name, Qiao Chu seizes an opportunity during a prisoner revolt to secretly report it to the warden, gaining a reduction in her sentence and subsequent release.After her release, Qiao Chu files for divorce, but Lin refuses and voluntarily abandons Wang Qian Shi.To restore Yang's honor, Qiao Chu continues her investigation, only to receive devastating news—the true reason Lin is pursuing her and refuses to divorce is Yang's last will: a significant portion of his estate was left to Lin, conditional on his marrying Qiao Chu and never divorcing her. Faced with this, Qiao Chu decides to continue living with Lin as things stand.At this moment, Qiao Chu unexpectedly meets Yang Jun De again on a ferry! Fate seems to play a cruel joke on her!Despite Yang's persistent attempts to conceal his identity, Qiao Chu confirms he is her beloved ex-husband, leaving her heartbroken and helpless.More surprises follow; Yang Jun De reveals to Qiao Chu: your sister was killed by Old Wei, your mother’s lover!Old Wei was Mrs. Tang's first love when she was young. After Mrs. Tang’s family deemed him too poor, she broke off their engagement shortly after it was formed, eventually marrying into the wealthy Tang family. Old Wei had taken advantage of Mrs. Tang's guilt for years after that. Following his wife's death, he sought to marry her, hoping to escape his life of poverty. However, Mrs. Tang had grown weary of the man who refused to do anything productive over the years and repeatedly rejected his requests. Upon learning of his terminal illness, he felt that his entire miserable life was caused by Mrs. Tang, so he deliberately set up an accident to kill her. However, it was Chao Yue who fell instead!Before his execution, Yang reveals all the secrets to Qiao Chu. He admits that in his youth, he sought wealth through marrying rich women, but life with wealth didn't bring happiness. His previous wives’ families were hostile and distrustful of him, always questioning his motives. He realized that the wealthy women treated him as nothing more than a plaything. When their wives died, their families also suspected him of being their murderer and even attempted to frame him. Living this wealthy life caused Yang Jun De considerable suffering until he met Chao Yue and the Tang family. He deeply loved Chao Yue and cherished this kind and warm family; he had never felt love or happiness throughout his years of struggle. Only the Tang family made him feel joy in living!Chao Yue's death left his heart and sincere feelings shattered; he vowed to hunt down her killer! He killed Old Wei, accepting his own fate as just retribution! It was greed that led to his downfall; desires can lead to catastrophic errors, and once lost, they can never be regained!Heartbroken, Qiao Chu asks him if he ever loved her. Yang Jun De nods: "I loved you once, and I still do. You and your sister are so different, yet equally beautiful. Though you mistakenly imprisoned me as Chao Yue's killer, I don't hate you. I deserve this fate. After my death, you sent my personal fortune of one million to the foundation—it was for atonement." Having experienced life and death, Qiao Chu undergoes a significant transformation in her outlook. Disillusioned with the so-called upper class, she accepts the affection of the earnest young man Tong Xu Sheng, who has always pursued her, preparing to leave this decayed circle in search of a new life!