Adapted from Chinese writer Yu Hua’s (余华) novel, To Live is a controversial film surrounding the life of a puppetmaster and former heir, Xu Fugui (徐福贵), portrayed by Ge You (葛优), who had lost his family’s fortune through compulsive gambling, and his family—his wife, Jiazhen (家珍), played by Gong Li (巩俐); his daughter, Fengxia (凤霞); and his son, Youqing (有庆). The film spans decades, beginning during the Chinese Civil War and ending years into the Great Leap Forward. Fugui and his puppet troupe partner, Chunsheng (春生), are initially conscripted into the Guomindang (国民党) during a performance on the road, and he returns home years later only to find his family struck by hardship and tragedy. From then on, the Xu family endures losses and failures together, working through the harsh intricacies of what it means “to live.”
To Live is a poignant depiction of hard-fought optimism and resilience during times of physical and emotional privation; renowned globally, it has been nominated for and won numerous foreign language film awards, including the Grand Prix du Jury award at the Cannes Film Festival. However, due to its critical portrayals of polices and stances of the communist government, it was banned in mainland China. Zhang Yimou and Gong Li, the actress starring as Jiazhen, were banned from publicly speaking about To Live or participating in filmmaking for two years.
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