Synopsis

This film describes the life of some ordinary people in a small town in southern China. Among them are a recent college graduate, a businessman, and a government office worker. Although the country is supposedly advancing triumphantly and the economy developing rapidly, these ordinary people are miserable. Because now is a time to get rich, they dream of making as much money as possible, in order to change their fate, which has seemed for a long time impossible.

These people are not content with what they’ve had, and are afraid of what miseries might come; they are just struggling. They play mahjong, gamble on the lottery, and fight about whether or not to have abortions. (Remember? This is a nation where people have as many babies as possible all the time). In my opinion, they are making their last ditch effort, but because they have no opportunities, it’s all in vain—their hopes are dashed. Then, most of them will live the rest of their life mechanically, like a walking corpse. This documentary film records and describes their struggle before their hopes are dashed.