I got to know
that my father was a Chinese,
and my mother a Russian.
She was a professor of Foreign Languages at Tangshan University.
They both died in an earthquake in 1976.
None of my relatives survived.
I was 3 years old at that time.
I had nobody to depend on.
The orphanage became my new home.
That's where I grew up.
The Chinese Botanist's Daughters
Tangshan Orphanage
See you, Dean.
You're leaving?
Oh, I remember...
You're going to the botanical garden of Kunlin University,
to Professor Chen, the famous herbal specialist.
It's a great opportunity for you to gain some experience.
One and a half months is not too long, but you can still learn a lot.
We could use your knowledge here when you come back.
Hello.
Sir, I'd like to talk to Professor Chen.
Dr. Li is talking to him. What do you need?
I'm his intern, Li Ming.
I'll ask him tomorrow.
Excuse me, comrade.
Do you know what time it is?
It's already 21:08.
How dare you bother the Professor at this time?
Dad, what you want me to do?
First, prepare some seeds.
Then remove weeds carefully.
Professor Chen.
You are Li Ming, the intern?
You must have a problem with time.
First, you broke my rule yesterday, bothering me at 9 in the evening,
and now this morning you're an hour late.
See, we already have a break now.
Remember, never bother a professor after nine.
Is that a bird?
Professor Chen, it's my little present.
No need for this.
Long live Chairman Mao!
I heard from the seller that it could speak lots of words,
but all learned from the Culture Revolution.
What's your name?
Enough.
Arrange her accommodation now.
Isn't it only a month and a half?
No need for a whole renovation.
Help me, Li Ming.
I want her to live happily here.
Long live Chairman Mao!
Its Latin name is
Polygonum Multiflorum.
In Chinese we called it He-shou-wu.
In our medicine we use it to treat renal and hepatic illnesses.
According to the most ancient medical books, our ancestors prescribed it
against the wet dreams of men.
Today, we also use it against constipation.
The taste of its root is bitter as well as sweet.
Once you try it, you'll never forget the taste.
All of you who want to become doctors should experience this.
Come here, Comrade Li!
What's the matter?
Say, what did I ask you to bring?
Shou-wu.
Exactly.
But you brought me what?
Wu-tou!
It's not Shou-wu, but Wu-tou.
It's poisonous, lethal, you know that?
Why don't you use your eyes properly?
Fortunately I checked it myself.
Otherwise, everyone here would die because of you.
It's a great privilege for you
to study at the best botanical garden.
Many people dream to come here!
Who sent you to me?
They must be blind!
I am sorry.
I know how you feel, you know?
I'm a half orphan myself.
My mom passed away
when I was ten.
No more words.
Don't leave.
My dad's temper is always like that.
Cold and stubborn. Not only towards you.
Deep inside he's kind, though.
You'll see after a while.
I've tried to adapt to him for more than 20 years,
but I still can't bear his temper all the time.
Dad, your breakfast.
Dad, breakfast.
The time for my breakfast is at 7:30, not 8:00.
Different times for different things.
You should know that.
Take it away. I don't want it today.
This is Erythrina.
A toxic leguminous plant.
Comrade Li, don't forget this! Erythrina.
In the past people took its seeds.
They macerated them for days,
filtered the juice
and reduced it to obtain the poison.
Well, nowadays,
people usually use it as a local anesthetic.
Professor Chen, you are so erudite!
Officinal resin of pine is different.
You must keep trampling it
until it turns snow white.
It's very effective against abscesses
and skin inflammations.
You are so beautiful.
Help me add some water.
Looking for ginseng again?
Morning, Master Wang.
Long time no see. When did you arrive?
Just now.
You got an assistant?
Her name is Li Ming. She's training at our place.
The ginseng is rare this year.
Come.
Wait.
OK, you don't need to be afraid anymore.
The odour of orpiment makes the snakes flee.
Li Ming, come here and look.
Wild Atractylis, very rare. And there are two of them.
Careful.
You know, a long time ago, the robbers from the south of China
attached the root on their belt when they went out.
If they were caught and hit, they chewed on it,
and their wounds would heal faster.
One of these robbers
ended up becoming an emperor.
He named this plant Crimson Whip.
You know, my dad has heart problems.
He's had a few heart attacks.
Then he found a remedy,
made from glycine from the mountains.
The glycine looks like it's the same as that in the garden.
It's twice as heavy though.
Look.
Its juice is like milk.
Has his heart disease gotten better?
It's under control for now.
Ginseng is like us humans.
It has a soul.
You must tie it first.
Otherwise once you dig it out, it'll run away.
An.
Being with you is so interesting.
Professor Chen, your tea's ready.
You didn't forget it's 5 grams less than in the morning, right?
I didn't.
Hold on.
An has already told you to make the tea with rainwater, hasn't she?
Yes.
So why aren't you using it?
Isn't there enough rainwater here?
I...
You thought I couldn't tell?
Let me tell you something.
I can even distinguish which season the rain was from.
An.
I hurt my foot in that place once.
Be careful. There are lots of stones there.
The mud from this pond is my dad's favourite.
I come here several times a year.
An.
The duck is so perfect today. Neither hard nor soft.
Cooked just right.
I can feel it melting in my mouth.
Try some!
Thank you, Professor. I don't like it.
No way.
It's so delicious.
I can say it doesn't get any better than this.
You don't like it either?
I'm not hungry today.
You're both so weird tonight.
An!
Stop it! You made a mistake.
I'm here.
Sorry.
Come on!
Rock-paper-scissors.
Paper-rock-scissors.
Rock-paper-scissors. Paper-rock-scissors.
You lose again!
Dan!
Dad's coming.
Dad!
Always the same.
Showing up out of the blue.
I'll introduce you.
This is Li Ming. She's an intern here.
Hello, Li Ming.
Hello.
Sorry about earlier.
I'm her brother Dan.
You're just in time.
Our family and comrade Li
are going out to have some fun.
What are they doing?
Seems like a peasants' wedding party.
Think about it. You're not so young anymore.
26 years old.
At your age I was already married.
How about her?
You have to ask?
You don't have a boyfriend, do you?
What a coincidence.
I'm single, too.
I think they're fit for each other.
You're Li Ming's friend. You could help your brother settle down.
It's the most important thing in his life.
The sooner the better.
This oarsman is pretty weak.
I don't wanna brag, but I can row much faster than him.
I got third in a competition.
Check out my biceps.
Squeeze it.
Come on, don't be afraid. It's concrete.
I know you wouldn't lie.
How do you know Li Ming likes my brother?
And how do you know he wants to get married now?
I talked to him about it.
He has no objections to my suggestion.
An, do you remember?
That was your favourite game when you were young.
You called it the Botanical Garden's Open Cinema.
Here, Li Ming. Check this out.
An!
Over here.
Sit with me for a while.
They don't need you between them.
Tiger-cat!
Up this early?
Before the others wake up, I wanna ask for your help.
To be my love consultant, okay?
I wrote a letter to Li Ming.
I wanna know what you think.
An!
Give your brother a hand.
Look.
You're her closest friend.
You almost share the same underwear.
I'll read it to you. Listen.
"Dearest Ming."
"Even though we haven't known each other for too long,"
"please allow me to call you so."
"Dearest..." how about it?
Nice beginning, right?
It's vulgar.
Keep listening.
Getting to the point here.
"Dearest Ming."
"I feel we have known each other for a long time."
"Maybe you and me share the same feelings."
"As a soldier, I don't like to waste time."
Stop.
I don't wanna hear it.
"Let's be straight."
"My life, my career, needs a woman like you."
"Let's get married."
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Don't interrupt.
I write more about our future.
I don't care.
I don't wanna listen to this stuff.
It's pathetic.
Where are you going?
An!
I'm so hungry. I've barely eaten anything for two days.
Two days for a young woman like me - isn't that impressive?
You've been crying.
I can see it.
It doesn't matter.
The main thing is that you have come.
Did you have doubts about me?
I'm afraid.
Save for you,
I will never fall in love with anybody.
What are these pigeons here for?
These pigeons?
They're here for the pilgrims.
After the tourists make wishes, they buy and release them to carry their wishes.
And each wish corresponds to a different number of pigeons.
Make a wish?
If two people wish for eternal love,
how many pigeons do they need?
64.
How about to never separate?
108.
The most favorable number.
It's also the number of sutras in the Canon of Buddha.
Your brother asked me to marry him. I refused.
If you really married him,
we'd never really be separated.
Just like in our wish.
Marry him?
He's only a little soldier,
not an officer.
As the regulations say,
he couldn't take his relatives to Tibet.
So even as his wife you could only stay at the home in Kunming,
with my dad and me.
Our wish will come true.
Never separate. Never separate.
Never separate.
How much sticky rice for the red cake did you use?
25 kilos.
Add 10 more.
My son's wedding is the most important thing in his whole life.
Move that to the centre a little bit. Like that.
That's it.
Congratulations!
Thank you all for the wishes
for them to have a son as soon as possible!
We've laid eight quilts on it.
Eight is a good number.
It'll bring your family good luck.
Which one of you has the most children?
I have three sons and two daughters.
An, have you seen my tie?
Goddammit!
Getting married tomorrow and I can't find it.
Dad, your tea.
An.
Come back.
Dad, are you not feeling well?
What's the matter with you?
You forgot to put even one leaf in the tea.
What the hell is going on?
And you cried in the afternoon.
I've been waiting for you.
I knew you'd come.
Help me.
My virginity belongs to you.
Not Dan.
Mine belongs to you as well.
It is my honour to welcome my comrades in the army,
my father's old friends,
and Li Ming's dean, who have come to our wedding.
And I would like to ask everybody to raise their glasses to my beautiful bride.
Cheers!
She's not good at it. I'll do it for her.
I think
if their mother was still alive,
and saw this moment of her son...
Cheers.
Li Ming, you are the bride. You should hand the red cake to the guests.
Li Ming.
Give my comrades more.
Everybody!
For the fortune of this marriage,
I'd like to sing a song for you.
Great!
In the sky
the little raindrops are falling.
On the ground
the gentle breeze is moving.
Ah...
The breeze is caressing my hair.
How could I not miss her?
KUNLIN - MINGLI
Come with me.
Can she come?
Are you out of your mind?
This is our honeymoon.
Don't let me go alone!
I don't wanna be alone!
What's wrong with you?
Tell me.
How come you're not a virgin?
Who the hell fucked you?
Are you gonna tell me?
Tell me!
Are you gonna tell me?
Are you?
Are you gonna tell me or not?
I'm gonna make you talk!
Don't wanna talk?
Sir, the meal you ordered.
Either you speak, or you starve to death.
Help!
Here. This will feel good.
It's the best of the sandalwood incenses.
Take a deep breath.
Breathe.
Come on, you too.
During Ming Dynasty, the botanist Li took care of you the same way.
It's horrible, so horrible.
Did you see her wounds?
Why did she return without Dan?
He is going to Tibet.
You saw her wounds, didn't you?
Yes.
You saw what he did to her?
Whatever happened,
he's still my son.
Two months later.
Don't they sell duck legs on the market?
They do. Why?
I haven't had those in weeks. We should buy some.
Li Ming doesn't like them.
They creep me out.
I told you.
Sir, the duck legs you ordered.
Thank you.
An.
Yes.
Dad.
Where have you been so long?
Where's the newspaper?
Sorry, we forgot.
Yesterday you forgot the milk.
Today the newspaper.
What the hell are you thinking of?
Nothing works right in this house.
Someday, we'll leave together. Somewhere far.
Far away from here.
It's impossible.
If I left, my father would die.
You can't leave your father alone?
I can't leave this garden.
I received a letter from Dan this morning.
You never wrote to him after he went back, did you?
It's been two months.
I didn't have time.
I don't get what the problem is with both of you.
He says you aren't pregnant.
If you aren't pregnant,
and he can't come back any time soon,
I suggest you go to see him directly.
Or rent a house near him.
So both of you can—
An.
One night,
I came here to see you.
You were asleep.
As if you were dead.
There was an odd smell.
Before you came,
I was so lonely.
Lonely in a horror.
But since you came,
I've never had that feeling
of loneliness again.
This is my unique recipe,
These plants can make people hallucinate.
Give them visions.
Close your eyes.
Breathe deep.
Everybody says the first time is the best.
The most magical.
I feel dizzy.
If you want to forget someone,
or something,
just repeat his name
28 times.
Earthquake.
Yes, earthquake.
Earthquake.
You cried?
I heard it.
What?
I heard a foreign name.
They called me by this name before I was 3.
Vera.
It's my mom's voice.
Vera?
Yes.
Vera.
I can hear her. I can see my mom.
Her eyes are grey, just like mine.
Vera.
That was the first time I saw her.
What was she doing?
I don't know either.
Her hair was cut short.
From now on,
I will have the same haircut she did.
Dad.
What's going on?
You know these special peonies don't like the rain.
Why didn't you shelter them?
See what they look like now?
Irremediable!
What you are so busy doing these days?
Where is you concentration?
I'm sorry, Dad. I forgot.
No one can avoid making mistakes.
Why are you so angry?
You dare talk to me like that?
Work is work.
Distraction is not allowed.
There is no excuse.
Your words have no merit here.
It's just a few peonies.
It's not a big deal.
This is none of your business. I'm talking to my daughter.
Talking to your daughter?
Anyone would think you're scolding your servant.
Shut up!
You are a fiend.
You are a fiend to do all this.
My eyes are not blind.
What you have done...
I see it all and remember.
I regret... I regret that I ever took you in.
I know our peace will never come as long as you stay here.
You should leave.
Right now!
If she leaves, I will too.
You've changed so much.
I don't recognize my own daughter anymore.
Where's your daughter?
You came by yourself today?
From now on, I only read the paper I buy myself.
Dad, your alcohol.
An, give me some water. I need to take medicine.
An.
Evil.
Long live Chairman Mao!
Let me talk to him.
We need to leave the garden.
And never come back. Never come back.
Dad.
COURT of KUNLIN
Now, as the judge of the Court,
I will read Professor Chen's testimony
from when he was in bed in the hospital
to our police officer.
I am the District Attorney.
I want to ask everyone a question.
Why does this case make such a commotion in our society?
People are so angry.
The government is very concerned
because Professor Chen's testimony tells us
that what killed him was not the heart attack,
but another, much more dreadful disease.
Both his daughter and his daughter-in-law have this disease.
This disease's name is homosexuality.
A perverse passion between two people of the same sex
led to our famous botanist's death.
Chen An and Li Ming
committed an abominable crime
that neither the legislation nor the natural law,
neither morals nor the society can tolerate.
The punishment must be carried out.
Dear Dean,
thank you.
From the whole trial, I only heard what you said.
You testified to my good reputation in the orphanage.
In fact,
yours were the only nice words I've heard about myself in my whole life.
Other testimonies in the court
mean nothing to me.
There is only one who could judge me.
It's Chen An.
Or our love.
Dean,
regrettably, I can't come back to take care of the garden.
As I have no relatives, my only family is the orphanage.
Therefore, I'd like to ask you for two things.
First, please pay our country
for the bullets used in the execution.
About 7 yuans and 80 cents.
And second,
near the temple on the suburbs of Kunlin,
please mix my ashes with An's
and disperse them into the lake.
So that we
can rest in peace.