Under the Hawthorn Tree

I read this book a few months ago in school's library. Initially the story was kind of boring,but then it became so sad at the end. 

Not to say it's boring, it's the way of how the 70's conservative Chinese fall in love and date. Perhaps one should date before watching this movie.

It's basically a love story between a girl whose background is 'not really decent' at that time, and a boy who comes from a military family. They've gone across so many obstacles and when they could finally come together, the boy had leukaemia and died at the end.

A typical love story(BUT IT WAS SO TOUCHING AND HEART WRENCHING) but according to wiki, it managed to earn a box office of 1.6 bil. 

Poster portraying the 70s of China.

A few months later, I saw the movie. I can finally feel how heartbreaking their relationship was. Like the book, the beginning was mediocre. But there was a cute scene as the chemistry developed.

So this is when they're about to cross a river, the boy offered his hand to the girl. The girl, of course, was shy, refused to give her hand. The boy then had to pick up a branch to let her hold on it. As they cross the river, the boy's hand got closer and closer and then woop their hands meet and finally they hold hands.

The next favourite scene of mine is when the girl, Jing Qiu heard that the boy, Jian Xin is suspected to have leukaemia. So she made a tough decision to make a visit to the town hospital. As expected, she found him there.

Sadly,the hospital rules forbade outsiders to stay overnight with the patients, and Jing Qiu, of course is chased out of the hospital. But she just stood outside of the hospital and stared at the window where Jian Xin stood there. Both of them waved to each other and insisted that their other partner should leave first. The scene ends when Jian Xin agreed to go first(but apparently he was hiding behind the wall).

Jian Xin peeping through the window to see whether Jing Qiu has left.

She did not. She sat outside of the hospital's gate overnight just to be the first to enter the hospital the next day, to see him.

Neither of them wanted to make their other partner worry about them. 

Another heartbreaking part is when Jing Qiu is going to leave Jian Xin after her trip to the hospital. They were at each ends of a river and could only give each other an air-hug because during the 70s, the society didn't like the younger generations to "date too early"(Jing Qiu was only 17) so they had to date secretly. Even a hug is also too much to ask for.

The sadness is unbearable.

People normally would thought that the ending of the film is the saddest part, but in my opinion I don't think so. Maybe it's because of the actress, Zhou Dongyu is an amateur, as this is her first time acting; I thought that her crying looks a little unnatural. However, I do like her beauty. 

I think she really is a beauty, not the typical oriental beauty like Fan BingBing or Tang Wei, she gives people a clean and calming impression. Her eyes is not the same boring double eye-lid, hers is the special single.  

Even makeup is unnecessary to enhance her beauty. She's simply pretty in her own way. Her smile is especially stunning that it could melt you.

Of course, the director gave us a tear-shedding ending: