BASED ON PAI HSIEN-YUNG'S WORK A GREAT LITERARY FIGURE OF TAIWAN
-What? -President of Action's Party,
Mr. Jin-guo Jiang, decided to execute the plan
-What's that? -in Taiwan...
-A snail. -That's a big snail.
All industrial representatives
-Are you afraid of it? -promised to do it.
Be independent and confident, stay calm in the face of disasters.
The following is a speech by Mr. Jiang-jing Guo
to all our fellow countrymen.
The government is responsible for the problems
-Look, what's that? -in commercial industry.
Excuse me. It's time for the elderly to take their naps.
-Grandma has fallen asleep. -But they must have the right attitude.
-Mom. -The money you borrowed
-Mom. -should only be used
for industrial production.
-Who are you? -You shouldn't use it for other purposes.
It means we used public money
-Where's Qian-yi? -to make certain people rich.
-Why hasn't Qian-yi come to visit me? -That's inappropriate.
Dad.
Mom will argue with you if we bring her home.
-She didn't want to disturb us. -When I slept last night...
They built a factory overseas.
-But I don't feel good leaving her here. -They have mansions and bungalows.
I want to go home now.
I'm going home to look for the photo.
Our economic development would be stagnant.
When Qing got married,
Qian-yi, Qing and I stood in front of a jet to take a photo.
Who's doing what? Who's playing tricks?
Look.
You've remembered it wrong.
When we were in Nanjing, there weren't jets yet.
Nonsense.
You're crazy.
Those in the commercial industry will understand this policy.
What we need to take care of is
the stability of life for all my fellow countrymen...
The stability of the nation for all my fellow countrymen.
You've paid for two years, but stayed only for three months.
-So, here's the refund. -Thank you.
Dad.
Is it all settled?
Were you in the Air Force, Mr. Shao?
Yes, but I retired a long time ago.
You look so refined, so thought you were.
-Thank you. -My grandpa was Lieutenant Colonel
of the 11th Wing.
I'm sorry.
My mom is hard to get along with.
Don't worry, she's very sweet.
She would scold us before telling us stories
of Lady Qin and Qing.
Now that she's going home, we'll miss her afternoon story time.
The people in those stories were her good friends.
They used to live in the same village in Nanjing.
Mom, it's time to go home.
To the Northeast?
That's great!
Let's go, little girl.
Let's go.
Thank you.
Hey, Xu-hui.
You're lucky that you're not dead yet.
Otherwise, Mo-ting and I would have been handed over to Zhi-jian.
You can't do that. Let me warn you.
Zhi-jian is too soft.
Even a junior pilot wouldn't listen to him.
It'll be a mess if the whole wing doesn't follow the leader.
Mom.
He's Zhi-jian.
Don't worry about it.
You're right.
That Zhi-jian quit in the end.
He went to the construction unit to build the village.
But the houses were so unstable
that the Air Force didn't want to live there.
Actually, I think he's a nice guy.
I like him.
It's just that he's not good with words. He can't even hold an argument.
He runs away every time I scold him.
I should see him someday.
Sure, we'll see him later.
We sure will.
Mom, who is Xu-hui?
Whenever I recall those days,
I feel like I'm listening to a legend
that everyone has heard of and read before.
Back then, it was hard to tell truth from lies.
But, no one knew what really happened.
Is it snowing now?
Have they finished constructing the three dependents' houses?
Qian-yi, Qing and I agreed
to live together in the same neighborhood.
The construction will be completed after the snow stops.
You've been saying that half your life.
That's Qian-yi.
She came to see me two days ago and pestered me.
She kept asking me for the photo.
It's weird. Where is my photo?
When Qing went to the States, you gave it to her.
Can you ask her to give it back to me?
I won't be able to recall my past without that photo.
I will.
Qian-yi is gone.
Qing has disappeared.
I miss them so much.
Silly girl.
One day, I'm going to beat you up.
Zhi-jian has landed.
I've heard
and seen that legend before.
Eventually,
I saw those people in the legend myself.
They've become old and their hair has turned gray.
Cheers to our victory in the battle!
Our allies have united and defeated the enemy today.
We must punish them heavily
and force them to faithfully follow all conditions for surrender.
Cheers to our victory in the battle!
-Let's go. -Cheers to our victory in the battle!
1945, AUTUMN ZHEJIANG
Long live the Republic of China!
Cheers to our victory in the battle!
Ms. Zhu.
Please go back with us for the sake of your safety.
Long live the Republic of China!
The war is over. We're expecting a commotion in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong.
You guys sent my dad there.
Three million silver dollars. It's the life of a banker.
As a bank manager, your dad is the one who should be sent over.
The bank gave your dad a round-trip ferry ticket.
He will return.
Defeat the betrayers!
Get away!
Fools!
Yeah! Victory!
Three million silver dollars
is the hard-earned savings of these citizens.
To prevent them from taking revenge on your dad and you,
we would like you to stay in our police guest room temporarily.
It'll be safer for you.
Hey! What are you doing?
Don't get the car dirty!
Get lost!
What is this? Get away from the car, now!
Ms. Zhu!
-Defeat the betrayers! -Ms. Zhu!
Ms. Zhu!
Get off me!
Ms. Zhu!
Are you really a graduate of Unified Middle School?
Yes.
The war is over, and so is the school.
Why did you return?
I'm on the run and have nowhere to go.
Even now when the war is over?
Now I'm on your bed because I am injured.
I hope to meet someone to spend my entire life with.
From 513.
To know what the writer looks like is good enough for me.
THE HISTORY OF CHINESE LITERATURE
Have mutual respect and stay united
Sir!
Have some tea?
Sir, have some tea?
Is this your seat?
Student ticket, I suppose.
Look.
You can have it.
Where are you going?
It's okay.
This cup is for you, sir.
Captain.
The train for retired army soldiers is the next one.
She has such a big bag, please let her have a seat.
Army?
Who cares about those that crawl on the ground?
It's fine.
I'll look for another seat.
Follow me. You can have my seat.
Did you give up on trying?
Girls are as scary as explosives.
I'll be leaving first.
You can have my seat.
You still have a long way to go.
The tea is for you. I hope to meet you again next time.
Attention, next station is Nanjing.
Next station is Nanjing.
Hey!
What are you doing?
I'm the police! Get lost!
I'm a deserter. Get lost!
Ms. Zhu, you can never escape.
We'll find where the money is.
Captain!
Why not stay in the army guest room?
-I am a deserter. -What?
Deserter?
A girl on the run slept on this bed last night.
Today, a deserter came.
I will not charge you for this lamp then. I'll place it here.
God knows who else is coming.
Okay?
What right do you have to write a note?
What a coward.
Forget it.
For a girl who picks up that note,
she's just unlucky.
THE HISTORY OF CHINESE LITERATURE
Every single day seems surreal
since the war is over.
Qian-yi.
As time goes by, everything will be fine.
It's not that.
I want to bring Mo-ting back to our old home in the Northeast.
Is it in the village?
Qian-yi.
When are you going to the States with Wei-cheng for his training?
I'll leave once I'm done with your wedding.
This is more like handing me over rather than a marriage.
I'm not even interested.
I'll have nobody to accompany me after you go to the States.
Then I'll have to return home with Mo-ting.
Look at her.
She has become so quiet after the war.
In the past,
when Xu-hui brought her to play around at the airport,
she laughed so happily.
Mo-ting will need someone to help carry her around.
Mr. Jin has been gone for more than a year.
Are you going to stay alone forever?
Furthermore, before he departed, he said...
Stop, that's enough.
If you don't, I'll go home.
I want to leave now.
The guard said he wants to see you.
Multiplication table.
Listen.
Would you believe me if I said that the days won't get better?
One times one is one.
When are you going to master that?
You are not making any progress.
As a godmother, is this how you teach her?
Excuse me?
She learned that herself
by remembering aircraft numbers.
The 11th Wing is written with double one, right?
Yes.
Compared to ours, her life is worse.
She was born in this village.
Her dad died as a vice-captain.
She grew up playing with pilots.
Yet, only a few of them survived the war.
What do you think if I hire a home tutor to be her friend?
That's a good idea.
Let's go. They've landed.
-Come. -Really?
My hearing isn't as good as yours. No wonder I can only be an assistant.
Ladies, the teams have gathered.
Hurry.
Let's go.
-Attention! -Greetings, Lady Qin!
Greetings, Lady Qin.
Greetings, Madam Zhou.
Are you looking down on me?
I walk to-and-from here ten times every day.
Army soldiers...
We used to be in the Air Force in the past.
The Air Force suicide squad as parachutists.
No matter how hard you try, you'll only ever be a parachutist.
Let's go, it's time to see the aircraft!
That year when we won the war,
we lived in the Renai East Village along Nanjing Dafang lane.
Now that we've returned to the capital, everywhere is bustling with life.
We can't help but to look around.
The moment I close my eyes
The soldiers had retreated To Western Liang
During the war,
we listened to aircraft noises and the radio.
In those days, we never stopped counting down.
The Japanese were finally defeated, and the war was over.
Still, everything seemed unclear. We didn't know where to start again.
Greetings, Lady Qin!
-Guards. -Yes?
Let them in.
It's not nice to treat them like this on the street.
Understood, Lady Qin.
Come on in.
Go in.
Hurry up and stop looking over the top.
Good morning, Lady Qin and Madam Zhou.
Have you never seen aircraft before?
Students of Jinling Girls' College are so nosy.
Shall I set one up for you girls to see later?
Hey, which school are you from?
Lady Qin is here, so step back.
Step back.
Hey!
You too.
Step back.
You're not even from this village, yet you're calling her Lady Qin.
Crosswind detected, 514. Pull up and go around.
Vice-Captain, let me try.
Your nose is dipping. What's the point of trying?
Pull up and go around!
There are no clouds at all. Why is there a crosswind?
Gong!
Watch out!
Hey, don't step on the brakes!
Gang!
Guards.
It won't start a fire, right?
Not on the grass.
Why would it catch fire with dew on grass?
Are you going to faint if the wheels aren't down?
Why are you still standing here?
Mo-ting, come.
Why did you hold a stranger's hand?
She looks like you from the back.
You've made a high school student seem old.
I'm a college student.
I see.
You look younger compared to us in college.
Nice to meet you, Lady Qin.
Greetings, Captain!
-Wei-xun. -Yes.
Qian-yi.
Mo-ting.
National Day is almost here.
The 9th Wing's lieutenant colonel complained to the Air Commission again.
Then let them go this time.
You can take a break as well.
The 9th Wing did fight in the war too and was comparable with your wing.
But only one team from the Air Force can take part in the parade.
Besides, the 9th Wing took down fewer Japanese aircraft than us.
We're over that. Stop talking about fighting and wars.
Look.
One still crashed onto the grass while landing.
As the top of the Air Force, isn't it embarrassing?
Look at Gang Wang. He's got scolded by Zhi-jian.
Zhi-jian was so mad that he scolded him on the walkie-talkie.
The "Zhong" in Chairman Zhong-zheng Jiang is easy to spell,
yet, he can't even get it right.
With an additional stroke, the meaning will change.
Aircraft are used for wars.
What's the use of words on them? Who invented that?
With that many strokes in Chen Cheng's parade,
you guys will have a hard time.
It's so unnecessary.
Qian-yi, it seems like I'll have to rearrange the schedule tonight.
Those rookies can't even handle crosswinds.
Go ahead.
Just ask Zhi-jian to come over.
Yes.
Zhi-jian!
Dismissed!
Once I'm done, I will take you to go sightseeing.
I saw everything while escaping from the Japanese soldiers.
Just stay with me when I read books at home.
You English is poor
and all you know are those words in your pilot's handbook.
Yet, you still wish to go to the States.
An English major from Huanan University teaches me English.
I remember that.
Zhi-jian.
Hi, Mo-ting.
Come here.
-I'll meet Lieutenant Colonel... -To rearrange the schedule.
That's right.
You're just a major. Why are you so busy?
I'm sorry.
It's fine, Zhi-jian.
Be sure to go home while you're free.
The day is coming soon.
Let's go.
Which pilot are you looking for?
Hangzhou Normal University?
It's a good school, yet, you quit
and transferred here.
I don't want to be a teacher.
Girls are naturally good teachers,
but not good students.
Let me see your transfer student certificate.
In this world, there are two kinds of living.
One kind is the lost kind,
the other is the getting lost kind.
There are pilots in Nanjing. They are sent by the devil.
Repeat the last two sentences that I just said.
"There are pilots in Nanjing.
They are sent by the devil."
Good.
Don't get lost.
Protect the wings!
Ying Wang!
I thought I wouldn't make it.
The New Society party will be over when you finish your makeup.
Hey.
Who's that girl? I don't think I've seen her before.
She doesn't look like she's from Jinling Girls' College.
I'm not sure where she's from.
She's a first-year student.
Not bad, she looks innocent.
Unlike you girls
who learn about international manners and etiquette.
-Those make you seem old and mature. -Hey.
What nonsense.
Hold on a second.
Hey, you there!
There's a party at the New Society Club! Come on and join us!
It's okay.
Maybe some other time.
Does she actually think that she can get in by herself?
Let's go.
-Hurry! -The enemy is here! Retreat!
Pilots, get lost!
Get away, you bad guys!
Run faster!
What's this cat doing here?
Can I name you 513?
Since I'm already here,
to know how that pilot looks is good enough for me.
Just a glance will do.
I will not bother him.
The First Semester Foreign Literature
It seems like any wildflowers can come to Nanjing now.
Anyway, let's start the class.
Robinson Crusoe.
Teachers have not been punctual since the war ended.
Naturally, senior students will continue as assistants.
You.
Hey.
Remove your earrings.
I'll state the rules again.
Juniors are not allowed to wear earrings. They must remain humble.
Only seniors are allowed to wear makeup and earrings.
Hey.
Hey!
I'm speaking. What are you looking at?
You haven't reported to me after you came here.
Your name is not on the list. How can you attend classes?
Are you from the Hangzhou Normal University?
Are you from the mountains?
Hangzhou Normal University is not a school in the mountains.
I see.
Jinling is an all-girls school.
And I'm an upperclassman.
Stand up.
Do you know what the New Society Club is?
No.
No?
You don't know whether you are from the village or the mountains.
The New Society Club
is where pilots, their wives and future wives gather.
I heard you say that you would go there another day.
Can you go there alone?
My boyfriend, Gang Wang, is Number 514 in the 11th Wing.
That's why I get to go.
Let me warn you.
Don't even think about going there.
You wildflower.
On the day I was transferred here,
Number 514 crashed into the grass while landing.
He indeed destroyed many wildflowers.
You have a good view from here.
I'm going to the 11th Wing's village for a home tutor position.
Aren't you from a normal university? Lend me some reference books.
A normal university in the mountains only has bugs, birds and wild beasts.
We have no reference books.
You're quite special.
Unlike those poor villagers who came here on scholarships.
Of course, you don't look like you're from a rich family either.
You'll need some friends.
I'm used to being alone.
You're used to being alone? Very interesting.
Let's see.
Hey, 513.
Should we go?
The airport?
All right.
Stand beside me.
You're too skinny, I can't even see you.
Hello, ma'am.
She's interesting.
You're scaring her.
She doesn't look scared.
I'm patiently guiding her.
Are you from Jinling Girls' College?
I've told you before.
I have a bad memory. Can't I ask again?
How rude of you!
I'm here for the home tutor's position, Lady Qin.
Although this is her house, I'm the one who's hiring.
Now that you've come to the village,
get me a cup of tea.
She's really quiet and docile.
I haven't seen a person like her in quite some time.
You've done this before.
Let me have fun with her.
Here.
Lady Qin and Madam Zhou.
You can go ahead and hire a senior student.
Hold up!
The Air Force Village is not a place for you to come and go as you wish.
I'll call the guards.
You can step out of this house, but not this village.
What is that?
Give it to me.
I said give it to me.
Mo-ting, there's a cat in here!
Hey.
The guards need to do body searches.
What if that had been a bomb?
THE PRINCIPLES OF PRIMARY EDUCATION
I haven't seen this for a long time.
Where did you get this?
Jinling Girls' College doesn't teach this.
It's from my former school.
I was from Hangzhou Normal University.
Interesting.
We are from Huanan Normal University.
She's much quieter than her schoolmates.
Let's hire her.
What's your name?
-Qing Zhu. -Do you accept?
I'll consider it.
She's interesting, don't you think?
Mo-ting's homework is usually taught on mahjong tables.
-If you don't know how... -I do know.
Then let's see your best effort.
Otherwise, there's no point in winning against your schoolmates.
Come on.
I thought mahjong is a game for four players.
With only three players, it's tough.
You're in the Air Force Village.
Four is an unlucky number.
With only three players, you can pung or kong, but not chow.
Jiang.
There's no such tile.
It's a Fa.
You pronounced it wrong.
You're not getting any better at all.
There are too many strokes.
The Jiang for Chairman Jiang has many strokes too.
Hey.
Be careful.
The one next to you is a professional actor and cheater.
She tricked me into a marriage.
And after I got married, she changed.
She entered the upper class and started bullying me.
She taught my daughter to be like this.
Who reads Fa as Jiang?
Look at her.
Her old trick is to keep quiet.
Discard the Eight Myriad.
Can you trust her?
Eight Myriad.
I win! I have a flush of Pungs.
She doesn't even know how to play.
I've seen people play before.
I haven't seen someone who can play mahjong so well for a long time.
Marry a pilot and move here, okay?
I forgot about the alarm. You may begin tomorrow.
Hey!
Are you a spy or something?
As a female teacher, you need to be proper.
Did you come here to find a pilot? That's not proper.
I was just asking.
It's okay if there isn't a pilot here.
I'm just afraid that you'll be upset and stop teaching me.
Then I won't have any friends
and won't be able to enter primary school.
There is no Number 513 in the 11th Wing.
I won't be upset.
All right, it's time to memorize the multiplication table.
Three times one is three.
Go on.
Four times one is seven.
Four times one is four.
Try to remember it. Continue.
Five times one is three.
What are you talking about?
Number 417 is the lieutenant colonel's aircraft number.
These are aircraft numbers,
not a multiplication table.
Do you recognize all pilots?
Yes, they are all my friends.
They flew with Uncle Jiang and never came back.
So did my dad.
Are there any more in this box?
It's time for lunch!
The school provides me with meals.
We have room for one more.
Hurry, the food is getting cold. Come.
Is your family still in Zhejiang?
My mom died when I was in primary school.
My dad died when the war was almost over.
He left a sum of money for me.
Are you alone in Nanjing?
You can have your meals here before returning to school.
We are from the same hometown after all.
It will bring us closer. Have some.
Eat up, will you?
Thank you, Lady Qin.
Lady Qin, where's your child? I don't mind teaching them together.
My child is elsewhere playing with the pilots.
Keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about.
Qian-yi, let's visit the airport.
They're practicing now and all the wives are there.
Mo-ting hasn't been there since the war ended.
You can all go ahead.
Let's go shopping too.
Your ring is so ugly. I'll choose one for you.
I need to get something repaired as well.
Stop talking nonsense.
And why did you keep glancing at the second floor?
We'll talk about this tomorrow.
The Major is here.
The Lieutenant Colonel will be here soon.
Gang Wang almost crashed into him when he was returning to formation.
What?
Gang Wang.
Try again to get into formation.
Keep your distance and move to the wingman's position.
Captain!
You're flying up and down, it's hard to match you.
You're too nervous and your direction is a mess.
That's why you think I'm flying up and down.
Look straight ahead and don't worry about other things!
Relax your arms and legs.
Take a deep breath.
Captain, I'm stable now!
That's great!
Prepare for a big turn.
Hands and legs must work in unison. Watch your petrol.
Stare at the horizon.
Watch the turn indicator, altimeter and the attitude indicator!
Ready!
Go!
Stick with me, Gang!
Don't just look at the instruments. You're too low now. Pull up!
Gang, you're getting too close!
Gang!
Captain, your tail is damaged and there's smoke coming out of it.
Don't worry about me. How are you?
Captain.
My oil tank is broken and it is leaking.
Okay, listen up.
Land at the slowest speed possible.
Captain, I can support you.
Your damage is more serious. You should land before me.
It has always been the captain's job to provide support.
Clear the landing field.
Prepare to land!
Captain!
I don't dare. I might lose speed.
I need you to lose speed!
Tell me when you see the runway. I'll guide you.
Hurry up. My 417 can't wait much longer.
Captain.
I'm about to land.
Good, now listen to me.
Put your throttle at one-third.
Captain, I'm losing altitude!
Look at your speed when you're landing, not the height!
Stop accelerating.
Activate your landing gear.
Lock your back wheel.
Captain, I've landed!
Ground control. Captain, how's your damage?
Call the fire truck.
Clear the landing field.
Tell the captain to parachute!
Gong hasn't repaired the broken parachute.
So, he didn't bring it along.
Ground control, I'm going to drift down.
I have a little bit of petrol left to fly with.
We'll prepare for his landing.
Somebody bring a stretcher!
Hurry, contact the Air Force Hospital to send an ambulance!
I'm descending.
Only men clap for such things.
As wives in the village, you don't need to be that happy.
How long have you been here?
Why are you all as foolish as pilots?
Sir.
I'm sorry, sir.
-Gang, what's wrong with you? -Vice-Captain!
Gang.
Look at me.
Just now,
if you crashed during the parade,
who would collect your dead body?
If we want to kill ourselves, it's easy.
If our altitude is zero, our lives will be zero as well.
It happens in a split second.
But what about your body?
If you're dead,
those women will have to pick up your body.
It'll take a lifetime just to get it back in one piece again.
That's a very long time.
So, from now on,
why don't you spend less time on them and more time on your flight training?
Then perhaps,
both of you can grow old together.
-Vice-Captain. -Yes, sir.
-Gang! -Yes!
-Copy the wing's rules a hundred times. -Yes, sir!
Everyone else,
dismissed!
Yes, sir!
When I saw you from above,
I had something to look forward to.
That's why I could restart my engine.
Let's go home for dinner.
Please enjoy your dinner with Zhi-jian.
Today, Wei-cheng and I will take Mo-ting
to the hangar and join Gong for dinner.
Have a seat, miss.
Here are some simple dishes
to thank all of you who wrote to the pilots during the war.
Please eat.
Captain.
Why didn't I receive any? Did you reply for me instead?
I never had a chance to.
Don't worry, Gong.
I wrote...
Thank you, Lady Qin.
a note of reprimand.
What?
It's because you didn't help him repair his parachute.
The war has ended.
Who knew we would still need the parachutes?
I'll repair it tomorrow.
No.
Get it done today.
Hang it in the village tomorrow.
Let those wives see their own husbands' parachutes.
Okay.
Wei-xun said she wishes to return to her old home with Mo-ting.
No way.
The ring is ready and the New Society Club is set up.
Wei-xun's and Zhi-jian's wedding must be held.
Wei-xun didn't accept the ring.
She's still searching for her wedding bangle given to her by Xu-hui.
It'll just be all faded.
Neither you nor Wei-xun have the upper hand in this matter.
We must obey Xu-hui's last words to Zhi-jian.
Moreover,
if she really returns to her hometown,
it will ruin our Air Force's reputation.
We'll let Xu-hui down as well.
We didn't agree with his last words.
We flew off when the siren rang. There was no time to ask.
If an aircraft crashes,
we can only
entrust our last words to our friends.
Qian-yi, no matter what,
you must not let Wei-xun leave.
Like you always say, as time goes by, everything will be fine.
Actually,
our victory in 1945
marked the beginning of another war.
Don't crash!
Come back!
It was the beginning of the women's war
when their men came home in victory.
Men always seem heroic in wars.
We often read about it in textbooks.
It's difficult to memorize all the wars.
On the other hand,
the women's war lasted for a long time.
It lasted more than a lifetime.
Like what Chairman Jiang always said, persevere in resisting a fight.
But, in the end,
no one knew who the winner was
or who the loser was.
Captain, hurry!
I used the last of the ammo in my aircraft on him.
Taking care of his dependents is obviously my duty.
Don't you want to get married?
I'm not willing to.
I'd like to thank all of you for giving us a different kind of life.
Why didn't you lead him down as well?
I finally get to see you, you punk.
Hurry!
Subtitle translation by Esther Neo