''Spicy Love Soup'' () is a 1997

Chinese film The cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, '' Dingjun Mountain'' ...

directed by Zhang Yang and written by Zhang,

Liu Fendou Liu Fendou () (born 1969, Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and film producer. Biography Born in Beijing, Liu Fendou spent some time in the United States in his youth doing "generally doing a whole lot of nothing" until retur ...

Cai Shangjun Cai Shangjun () is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. Cai graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1992. Since then, his major work has been that of a professional screenwriter. Cai was part of the team, along with Zhang Yang, D ...

, and

Diao Yi'nan Diao Yinan (; born 1969 in Xi'an, Shaanxi) is a Chinese director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival for the widely acclaimed Chinese neo-noir film ''Black Coal, Th ...

based on a story by Zhang and

Peter Loehr Peter Loehr is an American film producer and executive who spent the bulk of his career in Asia. He was the chief executive officer of Legendary East, a Beijing-based division of Legendary Entertainment from 2012 to 2017. Loehr first arrived in Chin ...

. ''Spicy Love Soup'' was produced by Loehr's Imar Film Company,

Xi'an Film Studio Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...

, and Taiwanese financing. The film is Zhang's directorial debut and would prove to be a launching pad for those both in front and behind the cameras. Screenwriters

('' The Red Awn'') and

(''

Uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

'', '' Night Train'') have since gone on to direct their own films, while Liu Fendou has expanded into both directing (''

Green Hat ''Green Hat'' () (also known as ''The Green Hat'') is a Chinese film from 2003 and the debut of screenwriter Liu Fendou. Starring Li Congxi, Liao Fan, and Dong Lifan, the film tells the story of two men, one a bank robber, and one a police offi ...

'') and film production (

Zhang Yibai Zhang Xiaoling, better known by his stage name Zhang Yibai () (born 14 April 1963, in Chongqing, China) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer. Directorial career Zhang began his career in television and music videos before dire ...

's ''

Spring Subway ''Spring Subway'' () is a 2002 Chinese romance film directed by Zhang Yibai and starring Xu Jinglei and Geng Le. Sixth Generation director Zhang Yang also plays a role. The film represents a relatively new genre in China, the artistic "commerc ...

''). The cast is also notable for the debuts of two of China's most popular actresses,

Gao Yuanyuan Gao Yuanyuan (, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and model. She ranked 64th on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 40th in 2014, 76th in 2015, and 86th in 2017. Career Gao Yuanyuan was born in Beijing and graduated from China In ...

and

Xu Jinglei Xu Jinglei (, born 16 April 1974 in Chaoyang District, Beijing) is a Chinese actress and film director. She was hailed as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China. In 2002, Xu won the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for her performance ...

. The film is an anthology of sorts, and tells its story of love and life in modern Beijing through a series of six vignettes. ''Spicy Love Soup'' was, in addition, the first film in mainland China to see a simultaneous release of a

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

, consisting largely of contemporary pop songs.

Cast

First vignette

Wang Xuebing Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thailan ...

, a husband * Liu Jie, his wife

Second vignette

* Tang Sifu, an elderly widow * Li Mei, her daughter * Liu Zhao, a suitor * Li Tang, a suitor *

Wen Xingyu Wen Xingyu ( Chinese: 文兴宇; 1941–2007) was a popular comedian and director in mainland China. Wen is famous for his relaxing style and his talent as a senior comedian. He died on 30 July 2007 in Beijing due to lung cancer at the age of 65. ...

, a suitor *

Wakin Chau Wakin Chau (born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau during the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese singer and actor, popular throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia (Singapo ...

, a neighbor

Third vignette

* Zhao Miao, a school boy, *

, his object of affection

Fourth vignette

* Guo Tao, a husband *

Xu Fan Xu Fan (, born 16 August 1967) is a Chinese actress and Asian Film Awards winner. She married film director Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician ...

, and his wife

Fifth vignette

* Sun Yisheng, a young boy *

Pu Cunxin Pu Cunxin (; born 31 July 1953), also known as Pu Quanxin, is a Chinese actor who has served as Chairman of China Theatre Association since July 2015. He is or was a member of the Beijing Experimental Theater Troupe. Biography Pu had a rough ch ...

, his father *

Lü Liping Lǚ Lìpíng (; born 3 April 1960) is a Chinese actress. Her career accolades include one Golden Rooster Award, Flying Apsaras Award, Golden Horse Award and Golden Phoenix Award, two Hundred Flowers Awards, Golden Eagle Awards and Chinese Film ...

, his mother

Sixth vignette

Shao Bing Shao Bing (邵兵) is a Chinese actor who has won a Huabiao Award China Huabiao Film Awards (), also simply known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns (''huab ...

, a young man *

, a young woman

Reception

Released internationally in London's East West Film Festival in June 1998, ''Spicy Love Soup'' was generally well received by western critics. 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), ...

cited the film as being a pioneering example of the "well directed" Chinese movie, that nevertheless doesn't fall into the camp of "artier" fare. The film was also well received in mainland China, where it had been released a year earlier, where it became one of the most successful independent films released domestically.

References

External links

* *
''Spicy Love Soup''
at the Chinese Movie Database {{Zhang Yang 1990s romance films 1997 films Chinese anthology films Chinese romance films Films set in Beijing 1990s Mandarin-language films Films directed by Zhang Yang 1997 directorial debut films