During the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xingde (played by Hiroshi Sato), a juren, was speechless when faced with the examination questions from the Wes[Expand All]
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xingde (played by Hiroshi Sato), a juren, was speechless when faced with the examination questions from the Western Xia Dynasty and took the palace examination with regret. After that, disheartened, Xingde decided to travel far beyond the Great Wall to the Western Xia, a place full of imagination. During his journey, Xingde's caravan was attacked by a mercenary force composed of Han people. He was forced to join the army and gradually gained the appreciation and respect of the captain, Zhu Wangli. In the battle against the Uighurs, he rescued and hid the Uighur princess Srubiya (played by Anna Nakagawa). The two turned from hatred to love and agreed to escape to the Western Xia. Unfortunately, due to a series of misfortunes, Xingde had no choice but to leave his lover behind and set off alone. Little did he know that two years after his departure, Slubiya was occupied by Prince Li Yuanhao of the Western Xia (played by Tsunehiko Watase). Having been manipulated and toyed with by fate, Xingde is destined to leave behind an eternal legend in the sands of history... This film is adapted from the famous Japanese historical novel by the renowned author Yasuhiro Inoue and won the Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor awards at the 12th Japan Academy Awards in 1988 (by Toshiyuki Nishida).[Collapse]
