{ "id": "ep732mn17t", "slug": "under-the-hawthorn-tree", "title": "Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014", "label": "Drama films 2010 to 2014", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films", "label": "Romantic and coming-of-age drama films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋) is Zhang Yimou's 2010 Chinese romantic drama, adapted from Aimi's novel, about Jing Qiu and Lao San's forbidden love during the Cultural Revolution; released September 2010, starring Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou.", "snippet": "Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋) is Zhang Yimou's 2010 Chinese romantic drama, adapted from Aimi's novel, about Jing Qiu and Lao San's forbidden love during the Cultural Revolution; released September 2010, starring Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films", "markdown": "# Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋)\n\n**Under the Hawthorn Tree** (山楂树之恋) is a 2010 Chinese romantic drama directed by [Zhang Yimou](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-yimou), adapted from Aimi's novel *Hawthorn Tree Forever*, about a forbidden first love between two young people during China's Cultural Revolution.[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) • [2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) It was released in China on September 15, 2010 and screened as the opening film of the 2010 Pusan International Film Festival.[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / year | Zhang Yimou, 2010, China; Mandarin with English subtitles[3](https://miff.com.au/festival-archive/films/24358/under-the-hawthorn-tree) |\n| Source | Novel *Hawthorn Tree Forever* by Aimi, adapted from the real-life story of her friend[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) |\n| Runtime | 114 minutes (some listings give 110 or 113 minutes)[4](https://eternalitytan.com/2020/12/12/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010/) • [1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) |\n| Lead cast | Zhou Dongyu as Jing (Jingqiu) and Shawn Dou as Sun Jianxin (Lao San)[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) |\n| Screenwriters | Yin Lichuan, Gu Xiaobai, A Mei, and Xiao Kefan (credited as writer of the shooting script)[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) • [5](https://wyb.chinawriter.com.cn/content/201009/29/content19331.html) |\n| Key crew | Cinematography Zhao Xiaoding; music Chen Qigang; producers Zhang Weiping, Bill Kong, Hugo Shong, Cao Huayi[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) |\n| Reception | 75% Tomatometer (3 critics) and 250+ audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes; 7.2/10 on IMDb[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_hawthorn_tree) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/under-the-hawthorn-tree) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and setting\n\nThe story is set during the [Cultural Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/cultural-revolution) (1966–1976). Jing Qiu, a city schoolgirl whose father has been jailed as a \"Rightist\" and whose mother struggles to support three children, is sent to the countryside for \"re-education\" under Mao's call for \"a classroom in every field.\" She is lodged with the family of the village head, Zhang, in Xiping village in the Three Gorges region of Hubei, and is tasked with helping to write a textbook.[8](https://www.scmp.com/article/730845/under-hawthorne-tree-film) • [2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/under-the-hawthorn-tree)\n\nThere she meets Sun Jianxin, known as Lao San, a geology student who takes his meals in the same house. His father held a high military post; his mother was branded a Rightist and killed herself four years earlier. Because Jing knows that a misstep could endanger her family's welfare and her chance of becoming a teacher, the romance that develops is secret and dangerous. After Jing returns to the city the two continue a clandestine relationship under the threat of discovery by her mother and school authorities.[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) • [1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) • [8](https://www.scmp.com/article/730845/under-hawthorne-tree-film)\n\nThe story ends in tragedy: Lao San, suffering from leukemia, waits for Jing to graduate, find work, and see her dreams realized, but dies before they can be together.[9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1206/c408673-28929383.html) A line repeated in the film's promotion became widely quoted: \"I cannot wait for you for one year and one month. I cannot wait for you until you are 25. But I have waited for you my whole life.\"[4](https://eternalitytan.com/2020/12/12/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010/)\n\n## Origin and adaptation\n\nThe film adapts a best-selling online novel by the author Aimi, who based it on the real-life story of her friend; the prototype of Jing Qiu is named Xiong Yin.[3](https://miff.com.au/festival-archive/films/24358/under-the-hawthorn-tree) • [2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) • [9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1206/c408673-28929383.html) A production company first bought the film rights and commissioned three screenwriters, including Yin Lichuan and A Mei; Zhang Yimou then bought the rights and the existing script and commissioned a rewrite.[10](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/18063089972.shtml) • [11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/22133090117.shtml)\n\n**The shooting script.** The Tianjin-based novelist Xiao Kefan, who had not written a screenplay for about ten years, was brought in in early February 2010 and credited as \"writer of the shooting script.\" He and Zhang worked out the outline through days of conversation, and the script was completed in about two months before shooting began in early April; Zhang told him he had never worked from a script finished in so short a time.[5](https://wyb.chinawriter.com.cn/content/201009/29/content19331.html) • [11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/22133090117.shtml) Xiao added details not in the novel, such as the small wooden stick with which Lao San leads Jing across the river and the washbasin with a hawthorn-tree design, and changed the photograph in Lao San's hospital room from a picture of six-year-old Jing to a studio portrait of the two together.[12](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%82%E6%A0%91%E4%B9%8B%E6%81%8B%E3%80%8B/7229347)\n\nThe adaptation drew criticism from the novelist herself. In an interview with *China Youth Daily*, Aimi said the film changed the story's season from early to mid spring, deleted several kissing scenes that she considered essential to Jing's transformation, and in her view handled the novel's fidelity poorly.[13](https://aiyuan.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/%E8%89%BE%E7%B1%B3%E7%AD%94%E3%80%8A%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E6%8A%A5%E3%80%8B%E8%AE%B0%E8%80%85%E9%97%AE/) Xiao Kefan responded that the film kept the novel's overall structure while making the love story purer than the book's, and that \"the film is Zhang Yimou's *Under the Hawthorn Tree*, the novel is Aimi's.\"[11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/22133090117.shtml) Zhang Yimou himself said he did not want drastic changes out of respect for the novel's large readership.[14](https://www.sinoca.com/news/ent/2010-09-13/96284.html)\n\n## Casting and style\n\nZhang searched art colleges across Beijing for an actress who was both pretty and unpolished before casting [Zhou Dongyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhou-dongyu), who had no prior acting experience and was preparing for university when she won the role.[12](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%82%E6%A0%91%E4%B9%8B%E6%81%8B%E3%80%8B/7229347) • [8](https://www.scmp.com/article/730845/under-hawthorne-tree-film) Critics singled out her performance: Screen Daily's Darcy Paquet wrote that the newcomer \"stands out for her nuance and control,\" and the film placed the young actors' performances at its center with minimal plot twists.[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article)\n\n**Visual restraint.** Unlike the saturated color of Zhang's epics such as *Raise the Red Lantern* and *Hero*, the film uses a muted palette built on simple white and red; reviewers read the white shirts worn by the two leads as a sign of the love's purity, and red as a marker of the era's political background.[4](https://eternalitytan.com/2020/12/12/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010/) • [9](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1206/c408673-28929383.html) • [15](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0628/c420257-30093934-3.html) Zhao Xiaoding's cinematography was called one of the film's strengths, and Zhang made notable use of intertitles to convey plot developments directly.[1](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article) Producer Zhang Weiping described the film as \"pak choi and bean curd, healthy and light\" in a market of visual-spectacle blockbusters, positioning it in the *wenyi* (art/romance) genre.[16](https://iafor.org/archives/journals/iafor-journal-of-asian-studies/10.22492.ijas.2.1.pdf)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film earned a 75% Tomatometer from three critics and 250+ audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and holds 7.2/10 on IMDb from more than 4,000 votes.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_hawthorn_tree) • [2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010) Variety's Russell Edwards called it \"a tender, understated romancer\" that \"touches the heart with a disarming, almost stealthy sweetness,\" and the *Jerusalem Post*'s Hannah Brown called it probably Zhang's most emotionally resonant film since *To Live*.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_hawthorn_tree) It was nominated for the Crystal Bear in the [Generation](https://www.edgepedia.org/generation) 14plus section of the Berlinale, and at the 2011 Asian Film Awards it received nominations for Best Editor and Best Newcomer.[4](https://eternalitytan.com/2020/12/12/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010/) • [17](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/under-the-hawthorn-tree/review/2030185815/) • [20](https://www.afa-academy.com/awards/5th/)\n\nCommercially, the film grossed over 100 million yuan, and a Chinese government-published study of web-literature adaptations groups it with [Xu Jinglei](https://www.edgepedia.org/xu-jinglei)'s *[Go Lala Go!](https://www.edgepedia.org/go-lala-go)* as 2010 releases whose success raised film capital's confidence in adapting contemporary-source fiction.[18](https://zjjcmspublic.oss-cn-hangzhou-zwynet-d01-a.internet.cloud.zj.gov.cn/jcms_files/jcms1/web3872/site/attach/0/3a9aa88a645247959631d6c4834e6904.pdf) Academic commentary has been mixed on the film's treatment of history: one study notes Wang's argument that, compared with the novel, the film reduced, split, or twisted the story and added a sequence that could not have occurred in real history.[19](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/7724/1/2016yuanphd.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Under The Hawthorn Tree, Screen Daily (Darcy Paquet, 2010)](https://www.screendaily.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-/5019160.article)\n2. [Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010)\n3. [Under the Hawthorn Tree, Melbourne International Film Festival archive](https://miff.com.au/festival-archive/films/24358/under-the-hawthorn-tree)\n4. [Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010), Eternality Tan review](https://eternalitytan.com/2020/12/12/under-the-hawthorn-tree-2010/)\n5. [肖克凡：编剧《山楂树之恋》是\"模拟恋爱\", 中国作家网 (2010)](https://wyb.chinawriter.com.cn/content/201009/29/content19331.html)\n6. [Under the Hawthorn Tree, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_hawthorn_tree)\n7. [Under the Hawthorn Tree, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/under-the-hawthorn-tree)\n8. [Under the Hawthorne Tree (film), South China Morning Post (2010)](https://www.scmp.com/article/730845/under-hawthorne-tree-film)\n9. [从符号学角度解析电影《山楂树之恋》, 人民网传媒 (2016)](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/1206/c408673-28929383.html)\n10. [山楂树编剧顾小白：张艺谋想做一次极致的尝试, 新浪娱乐/深圳商报 (2010)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/18063089972.shtml)\n11. [肖克凡编剧《山楂树》：张艺谋很厚道, 新浪娱乐/每日新报 (2010)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-16/22133090117.shtml)\n12. [山楂树之恋（2010年张艺谋执导的爱情片）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%82%E6%A0%91%E4%B9%8B%E6%81%8B%E3%80%8B/7229347)\n13. [艾米就影视改编答《中国青年报》记者问, 艾园 (2010)](https://aiyuan.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/%E8%89%BE%E7%B1%B3%E7%AD%94%E3%80%8A%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E6%8A%A5%E3%80%8B%E8%AE%B0%E8%80%85%E9%97%AE/)\n14. [张艺谋谈山楂树之恋:影片里有我的初恋故事, 加拿大华人网 (2010)](https://www.sinoca.com/news/ent/2010-09-13/96284.html)\n15. [张艺谋电影叙事的\"诗意\"策略, 人民网传媒](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0628/c420257-30093934-3.html)\n16. [The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1 (2016)](https://iafor.org/archives/journals/iafor-journal-of-asian-studies/10.22492.ijas.2.1.pdf)\n17. [Under the Hawthorne Tree, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/under-the-hawthorn-tree/review/2030185815/)\n18. [网络文学现实题材影视改编研究 (Zhejiang government publication)](https://zjjcmspublic.oss-cn-hangzhou-zwynet-d01-a.internet.cloud.zj.gov.cn/jcms_files/jcms1/web3872/site/attach/0/3a9aa88a645247959631d6c4834e6904.pdf)\n19. [Yuan, PhD thesis, University of Glasgow (2016)](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/7724/1/2016yuanphd.pdf)\n20. [5th, Asian Film Awards Academy](https://www.afa-academy.com/awards/5th/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2010 to 2014 › Romantic and coming-of-age drama films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋)](https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree](https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/under-the-hawthorn-tree. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Under the Hawthorn Tree is Zhang Yimou's 2010 Chinese romantic drama, adapted from Aimi's novel, about Jing Qiu and Lao San's forbidden love during the Cultural Revolution; released September 2010, starring Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou." }