In the early 1940s, Zhu Chunhua (played by Xie Fang), a child bride from a mountain village in eastern Zhejiang, fled to a Yue Opera troupe due to unb[Expand All]
In the early 1940s, Zhu Chunhua (played by Xie Fang), a child bride from a mountain village in eastern Zhejiang, fled to a Yue Opera troupe due to unbearable abuse and became sisters with Xing Yuehong (played by Cao Yindi), the daughter of a teacher of opera. Before long, Chunhua, the leading actress, and Yuehong, the trainee, both became the mainposts of the opera troupe. When the opera troupe was performing in Shaoxing, local gentry attempted to humiliate Yuehong. To protect her, Chunhua was tied up at the bridgehead and displayed to the public. Master Xing was also beaten to death. Before his death, Master Xing instructed the two of them to "perform operas earnestly and be honest people." After the troupe arrived in Shanghai, they soon became popular. Manager Tang of the theatre wanted to make more money by staging obscene plays, but was firmly refused by Chunhua. However, Yuehong, driven by vanity, defiled and became Manager Tang's plaything. As a result, the sisters fell out, but their relationship did not end there.[Collapse]
