''A Beautiful New World'' is a 1999 Chinese comedy film directed by Shi Runjiu. The film, Shi's

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

(he had previously served as an assistant director for Lu Yue's '' Mr. Zhao''), was co-produced by Xi'an Film Studio and the independent Imar Film Company. It was Imar Film's second production, after 1997's ''

Spicy Love Soup ''Spicy Love Soup'' () is a 1997 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yang and written by Zhang, Liu Fendou, Cai Shangjun, and Diao Yi'nan based on a story by Zhang and Peter Loehr. ''Spicy Love Soup'' was produced by Loehr's Imar Film Company, Xi ...

''. Set in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, the film stars Jiang Wu and Tao Hong as a mismatched pair. Taiwanese pop stars Richie Jen and

Wu Bai Wu Chun-lin (; born 14 January 1968), better known by his stage name Wu Bai (), is a Taiwanese rock singer, songwriter and actor. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean Zavolta (drums), Yu Ta-hao (keyboards) and Chu Chien-hui (bass gu ...

are cast in minor roles.

Cast

* Jiang Wu as Zhang Baogen, a country boy, who upon winning the lottery, heads to Shanghai to claim his prize, a new apartment. * Tao Hong as Huang Jinfang, Baogen's debt ridden city cousin, who apprehensively offers up her home to her distant country relative. *Chen Ning as Chen Minghui, Jinfang's best friend. * Richie Jen as Bai, Minghui's boyfriend. *

as Liang, a street musician, who befriends Baogen. *Tong Zhengwei as Auntie Cai, Jinfang's elderly neighbor. *

Cheng Lei Cheng Lei (; born on August 26, 1971) is a Chinese television presenter. Cheng Lei was a student in Shanghai Theater Academy in 1990s. After graduation, he was chosen as a host for ''Broken Brain'' (智力大沖浪) by Shanghainese producer Xi ...

(cameo) *

Niu Ben Zhang Xuejing (张学景, Tianjin, 1935-), stagename Niu Ben (牛犇) is a Chinese film actor. Biography He lost both of his parents at the age of six, then lived with his oldest brother, who worked as a driver at the third film factory in Beij ...

(cameo)

Reception

Derek Elley of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the film as "a beautifully played, accessible pic that rewrites the rule book on mainland Chinese cinema."

Awards and nominations

*1999

Beijing College Student Film Festival Beijing College Student Film Festival, first held in 1993, is an annual event organized by Beijing Normal University and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio, Film and Television. It is held in April or May, and is one of the biggest film festivals i ...

**Won — Best Actress ( Tao Hong) *1999

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...

**Won — Special Jury Award ( Jiang Wu)

References

External links

* *
''A Beautiful New World''
at the Chinese Movie Database 1999 films 1999 comedy films 1990s Mandarin-language films Films set in Shanghai Films shot in Shanghai 1999 directorial debut films Chinese comedy films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub