Eighteen Springs (simplified Chinese: 半生缘; traditional Chinese: 半生緣; pinyin: Bànshēng Yuán) is a 1997 romance drama film directed by Ann Hui, starring Jacklyn Wu, Leon Lai, Anita Mui, Huang Lei and Ge You. It is a China-Hong Kong co-production based on the novel of the same name by Eileen Chang.
The film tells of the ill-fated romance between two Chinese lovers in 1930s-40s Shanghai and Nanjing, which destined them to be apart for more than a decade. The movie marked the second time Hui directed an Eileen Chang adaptation (the first was 1984’s Love in a Fallen City).
The novel was originally serialized in Shanghai’s Yibao (亦报) from 1950-1. Eileen Chang published a revised version in 1969 in Taiwan, shortening the time span of the lovers’ separation from 18 to 14 years, and changing the title from 十八春 ("Eighteen Springs") to 半生緣 ("The affinity/yuan of half a lifetime").
Although the film's English title retains the former Chinese title, the Chinese title uses the revised title of the book.
Gu Manzhen (Jacklyn Wu) is an educated girl working in a Shanghai factory as a clerical assistant. An orphan whose father died during her childhood, her family is supported by her elder sister,
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