The Bridge of Life and Death

This film (drama)Also known as生死桥，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2010Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating7.3(For reference only)。

A sky bridge, creating a path from the mundane to the celestial. From this path emerges the legendary stories of three children drifting in a worldly haze. Beijing at the end of the Qing dynasty is noisy and chaotic, with people's joys and sorrows as straightforward and unrestrained as the sunshine of that time. Huang Yu (played by Jia Nailiang) grows up freely under such sunlight alongside his close friend Zhi Gao (played by Wang Bowen). The orphan Huang Yu has a deep passion for theater, but like his confusing background, his guardian, the troupe owner Li Shengtian (played by Guan Dongtian), resolutely refuses to let him learn drama. However, everything about opera and the troupe seems to have a fateful attraction for Huang Yu. Becoming a lead performer is a vague yet firm belief in his young heart. Zhi Gao is a child born into poverty. Raised by his mother, who is a streetwalker, his only dream is for him to learn to become a lead performer—rumor has it that his mother, Hong Lian (played by Kong Lin), had an affair with a famous performer while being a prostitute and gave birth to Zhi Gao so that he could carry on her memories of that famous lead. In the bustling sky bridge, they meet Dan Dan (played by Wang Ziwen), a girl who has come to Beijing to perform. The three children, all with uncertain backgrounds, bond as they learn from the stories they enact and become sworn siblings. In the backyard of Yonghe Palace, the three partners visit a mysterious old eunuch, who is an extraordinary person with the ability to see through fate and predict the future. He knows the date of the fall of the Qing dynasty and prepares an escape route for himself. The three children seek fortune-telling but receive three ominous predictions—“death is better than life,” “life is worse than death,” and “born after death”—like spells and riddles hanging over their heads. But after all, they are just children; the prophecies do not hinder their carefree growth and happiness. Strong and healthy, Zhi Gao is the protector of Huang Yu and Dan Dan, and together they carefree through the dramas of punishment in the theater, fighting in alleyways, and rowboating in Beihai, enjoying a playful childhood. The Qing dynasty falls. There is an uproar in Beijing, and cries and laughter fill the Beijing sky almost simultaneously. To the young Huang Yu, this event seems like a joyous occasion—his uncle Li Shengtian unexpectedly agrees to Huang Yu's request to learn opera at this turning point, and young Huang Yu bids farewell to his home tutor Lu X人生, who is returning to England, and embarks on a journey to realize his Peking opera dream. As the dream draws nearer, the three children gradually grow up. The past innocent play begins to take on a tinge of shyness. Huang Yu and Zhi Gao have both secretly watched the beautiful and stubborn girl, Dan Dan, who also grows a different attachment to the two "brothers." The training school concludes. The infighting in the Pear Garden temporarily disrupts the troupe. Li Shengtian, facing a crisis, organizes a new theater group, and Huang Yu takes the lead on stage, living up to expectations. However, the road to becoming a lead performer is exceptionally arduous. In addition to diligent practice, he has to constantly cope with difficulties and schemes from rivals. Thankfully, there is the support of his master and friends like Zhi Gao, along with Dan Dan, who has silently taken root in his heart. The feelings among the three continue to grow. Dan Dan feels affection for both boys, but she increasingly realizes that she loves Huang Yu; Huang Yu and Zhi Gao both love Dan Dan, but in different ways. Zhi Gao openly pursues her, even asking his brother to step aside, while Huang Yu is proud and values the bond with his brother, harboring ambitions to stand out. As Huang Yu hesitates, Dan Dan is heartbroken, and Zhi Gao remains unaware. However, small rifts due to suspicion and jealousy begin to form among the three. In the early Republic, warlords are in turmoil. Beijing is restless. Huang Yu, chased for helping his friend Jin Bao (played by Sun Jian), who also grew up in the theater, hastily flees to Shanghai. As he departs, Huang Yu subtly expresses his feelings to Dan Dan and states his intent to withdraw from the love triangle involving her and Zhi Gao. Dan Dan's heart-wrenching cries make Zhi Gao realize he cannot compare to Huang Yu in her heart. In 1930s Shanghai, compared to Beijing, it is a dazzling and bizarre world. The music, dance, and entertainment industries thrive, almost leading the world's fashion trends, and the influence of newspapers, magazines, and radio quickly expands. Lu X人生 also enters the Shanghai media industry to make a name for himself. Initially, Huang Yu feels small and inadequate in Shanghai but quickly gathers his courage. He refuses to admit defeat; on this unfamiliar land, he believes he will become the best lead performer. Protecting Huang Yu and inviting him to perform in Shanghai is the local gang boss Jin Xiaofeng (played by Du Yuan), the employer of Shi Zhongming (played by Fang Zibin). He is a man who exudes a chilling aura. Jin Xiaofeng's influence in the entertainment and media industries spans Shanghai, and he secretly conducts many covert businesses that strike fear into people. But Huang Yu seems not to fear this man much and inadvertently deeply wounds Jin Xiaofeng—by chance, Huang Yu meets a woman named Duan Pingting (played by Wan Qian), a movie star. Duan Pingting falls in love with Huang Yu, and he, like being in a dream, is captivated by this beauty, unable to extricate himself. He does not realize that this woman is hiding a knife for him—she is Jin Xiaofeng's woman. Jin Xiaofeng's pride is hurt by this actor; Huang Yu has to leave the stage as life becomes fraught with danger. Thankfully, Duan Pingting's love allows Huang Yu to step into the film industry and shine amidst the rising storm of Shanghai cinema. Dan Dan is determined to leave Beijing and search for Huang Yu in Shanghai. However, she finds Huang Yu in an intimate relationship with a major star. Huang Yu reluctantly asks Dan Dan to return to Beijing, but the stubborn and desperate Dan Dan secretly chooses another path—seeking revenge and dignity, she becomes acquainted with Jin Xiaofeng. Dan Dan’s face reminds Jin Xiaofeng of his first love, stirring warm feelings within him, and he agrees to all of Dan Dan's requests, helping her to rise to fame. At the center of this whirlwind are intertwined characters: the confused yet striving Huang Yu, the proud yet lonely Duan Pingting, and the now-cold star Dan Dan, shaped by despair. And a hand that disturbs their fate—Jin Xiaofeng. After making Dan Dan the “Queen of Burlap” and achieving her fame, he starts supporting her film career, attempting to crush Huang Yu and Duan Pingting's film company. They engage in a tense and evenly matched feud, with media outlets broadcasting every heavyweight figure in this clash. Jin Xiaofeng’s attempts to gain Dan Dan’s love do not bring him the girl he cherishes. When Jin Xiaofeng discovers Dan Dan's emotional connection to Huang Yu, he turns his hatred toward Huang Yu. He vows to make Tang Huang Yu suffer. Meanwhile, Zhi Gao, who is slowly becoming famous in Beijing, is seen dating Dan Dan's former friend Xiao Qiao (played by Xu Cuicui). Jin Xiaofeng invites Zhi Gao to perform in Shanghai, carefully arranging a joint performance with Huang Yu, planning to take advantage of the chaos to assassinate Huang Yu when changing costumes. However, fellow performer Li Shengtian steps in to take Huang Yu's place, resulting in his death. At this point, considering Dan Dan’s predicament, Huang Yu actually heads alone to warn her—although the decadent experiences have engrossed him in love, he cannot forget the purity of his first love at the brink of life and death. Huang Yu and Dan Dan, in a daze, decide to escape to Hangzhou together, abandoning all worldly riches and glory, leaving behind Duan Pingting and Mr. Jin. Returning to their origins, they find it too late. En route, Mr. Jin's men kidnap Huang Yu and order Zhi Gao to be tossed into the Huangpu River. Jin Xiaofeng intends to make Huang Yu wish he were dead, ruining his eyes and face with lime. Huang Yu finally understands that the “death is better than life” from that childhood bamboo stick is indeed his fate. Fortunately, there is love from Duan Pingting, and together, they, a pair of stars who briefly shone in Shanghai, support each other in seclusion in Hangzhou. Jin Xiaofeng's revenge is complete, but his business collapses entirely. His subordinate Shi Zhongming schemes to bring down the arrogant man. Ultimately, all that Jin Xiaofeng desires is Dan Dan, yet he is killed on a secluded island while alone with her. When Zhi Gao arrives to rescue Dan Dan, he finds her face streaked with tears, in a daze........ After the storm of blood, peace must return. The reborn Zhi Gao returns to Beijing. Years later, Zhi Gao marries Xiao Qiao, becomes a father, takes care of his widowed mother, and looks after the dazed Dan Dan. He becomes a lead performer like his father and maintains a local theater. Duan Pingting accompanies Huang Yu back to Beiping. The sky bridge is no more. He goes to the theater, and as a blind man, he sits in the audience listening to Zhi Gao’s performance. After the show, Zhi Gao receives a note that tightens his heart: it is Huang Yu. He rushes out, and in the autumn alleys of Beijing, only a sliver of sunset hangs in the western sky, while in the corner, a long, familiar shadow looms...