''Zhou Yu's Train'' () is a

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

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'' ...

, based on a novella by

Bei Cun Bei Cun (), pen name of Kang Hong ( (Changting County, Fujian, September 16, 1965) is a Chinese avant-garde Christian novelist. He has been described as "the only openly Christian Chinese writer who enthusiastically incorporates religious themes in ...

, directed by

Sun Zhou The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared r ...

, and starring

Gong Li Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoni ...

and

Tony Leung Ka-Fai Tony Leung Ka-fai (; born 1 February 1958) is a Hong Kong actor who is a four-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony," while Tony Leu ...

. The title refers to a poetic compilation published by the character in the movie played by Leung. The story starts at a book signing event and leads to the memories of the two lovers encounters. Zhou Yu maintained the relationship by commuting on the train, hence the title of the movie. *

Tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

: ''Her love is torn between a doctor and a poet''.

Synopsis

The story is set in Chongyang (

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

) and Sanming (Fujian province). Zhou Yu, a ceramics artist from Sanming falls in love with the poet Chen Qing, who lives in Chongyang, a town several hundred kilometers from Sanming. During the train trips between Sanming and Chongyang, she also meets Zhang Qiang, a veterinary surgeon. Gong Li plays two characters who only differ by their hair styles, namely Zhou Yu and the short-haired Xiu. The film is pieced together with many flashbacks in no particular chronological order. The relationship between the two women is unclear until the end of the film.

External links

Official website
with synopsis, cast & crew, comments on production, and trailers (requires Flash). * * * * Kaori Shoji

''The Japan Times'', Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003. * Michael O'Sullivan

''The Washington Post'' Friday, August 27, 2004; Page WE31 * Derek Elley

''Variety'' Wed., Mar. 5, 2003. * Dave Kehr
Zhou Yu's Train (2003): Torn Between a Dreamy Idealist and a Veterinarian
''New York Times'' July 16, 2004. * Graham Fuller
Shots in the dark: the reality of the rails may be all iron and steel, but when it comes to the movies, they're magic
February 2005. 2002 films 2000s Mandarin-language films 2002 romantic drama films Sony Pictures Classics films Rail transport films Films scored by Shigeru Umebayashi Chinese romantic drama films Films directed by Sun Zhou 2000s Chinese films {{2000s-romantic-drama-film-stub