Unlike the sterile romances of mainstream cinema, Summer Palace is visceral and uncomfortable. The story follows Yu Hong, a provincial girl from the rust belt of northeastern China, who moves to Beijing for university. It is 1987—a specific year that Western audiences might miss, but one that is pivotal to Chinese history. The film does not show the political turmoil of that spring directly; instead, it shows the emotional fallout: the hedonism, the confusion, and the disillusionment of a generation whose idealism was shattered.
: The film famously uses sex and personal desire as a proxy for the longing for political freedom and democracy. A "Banned" Legacy summer palace film
: Due to the real Summer Palace not allowing filming, a massive replica studio (95% to scale) was eventually built in Zhejiang Province to accommodate other historical productions. Female Desire, Pop Rock, and the Tiananmen Generation Unlike the sterile romances of mainstream cinema, Summer
Here is why, nearly two decades later, this film remains one of the most important (and difficult) pieces of Chinese cinema. The film does not show the political turmoil