[English subtitles are available.]
Winter Begonia
Episode 1
This is Peking in the 1930s.
All the musical arts are combined here.
It witnesses the golden time of opera
[The Best Performer]
and the hardest time of China.
Many opera performers show their beautiful voice,
and many merchant princes spend money like water.
It’s under a chaotic state.
[Time to save our country]
The show will begin.
Please enjoy.
The name of the show is
Winter Begonia.
Mr. Jiang. Mr. Jiang.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
Congratulations, Mr. Jiang.
Dad.
Congratulations, master.
Wish you happy and healthy forever.
[Jiang Dengbao]
[Jiang Rongshou]
[Lai]
Leader.
You need to go.
Today is Jiang Rongshou’s birthday.
You need to go.
Leader.
You need to start off.
[I don’t go.]
Dad.
It’s time
to start.
Wait for a while.
What’s up, Mr. Jiang?
Who are you waiting for?
Of course it’s Shang Xirui.
The famous performer from Shantung.
Now he has a stable life in Peking.
Shang Xirui is
too arrogant just
because he is popular.
He doesn’t do things under rules.
Well.
Seeing we will perform Concubine Mei,
he advertised that he will perform Concubine Yang.
This is provocation.
How arrogant he is!
Don’t say that in front of Mr. Jiang.
Shang Xirui is
from an aristocratic family.
Yes.
His dad is Shang Juzhen
who learned opera
with Mr. Jiang.
And then they worshiped for the opera together.
He’s
well educated.
Shang Xirui
should call me “uncle”.
That’s surprising.
Chairman.
Please forgive my ignorance.
This lad.
His parents passed away long ago,
so no one taught him rules.
[Niu Baiwen]
He always behaves as he pleases.
He even performs the opera
at you are best at.
I’ll teach him a lesson
when he arrives.
Sir.
[Shang Xirui]
She can’t.
Why?
This lady’s hands
are not hands.
They are claws.
Not charming.
Mr. Shang.
Are you serious?
Miss Hong is a popular girl in this area.
This city is flooded with men
who want to sleep with her.
She’s not charming?
By the way,
men want to sleep
with sultry girls,
but they love
charming girls.
Alright. Alright.
Tell me,
what kind of girls are charming?
For example.
Girls like this.
Or
like this.
Beauty,
you are hiding here?
I’ve been looking for you.
Come to my embrace.
Or like this.
You!
[String]
Mr. Shang.
- You... - String.
Your earnings are measly,
but you spend all of them at here?
You are really living a carefree life.
Mr. Shang.
My blood
won’t be inherited.
I have no child.
So my money is just for fun.
Mr. Shang,
why are you here?
Today is Chairman Jiang’s birthday.
You are supposed to congratulate him.
Ladies, you can leave.
Go.
Let’s go.
Go. Go.
Peach.
Don’t go.
Peach.
You...
I’ve sent
my gift to him.
So
I won’t go to the feast.
I can’t say the flattering words
even though I meet him.
I will be like a nerd.
It’s not easy for me to have a day-off.
Next month, I’ll perform the whole opera, Susan.
But I can’t catch the feeling of Susan.
Annoying.
Susan
is out of date.
Just imitate
the previous performers.
Why do you need to catch a feeling?
I don’t want to intimate them.
The previous actors
performed Susan like a ladyship
or a complete harlot.
I don’t like each of them.
Today I come here
to learn from the girls.
At the end,
Shang Xirui didn’t come.
How arrogant he is.
Who does he think he is?
Stop it.
Why should I stop?
We must
find a chance to teach him a lesson.
How come he ignores Mr. Jiang’s birthday?
Alright. Stop him.
He needs a lecture.
He deserves it.
He can’t get away from it.
The bastard Shang Xirui.
He didn’t come,
and sent me a shabby walking stick?
What does he mean?
I’m too old to walk?
Dengbao.
Send someone to ask him.
What important thing did he have?
Dad!
I sent people to ask.
But I was too embarrassed to tell you.
This lad was with harlots at somewhere
while you were celebrating your birthday.
Jerk!
I was celebrating my birthday,
but he was having fun with harlots?
[Cheng Mansion]
Good morning, my lady.
[Chunxing]
What will we eat today?
Buns.
Why will we eat buns again?
I said that I want bread.
I remember that you said buns.
You know what I said better than me?
Just do as
what she told you.
Mind your manner.
Go to prepare.
Yes.
Argue with me?
Gosh.
Sis. Have a bun.
It’s not bad.
Look.
I’m not blaming you.
After you married,
you’ve paid all your attention
to my brother and children.
The servants need to be taught.
Our guests are all from the upper class in the future.
Don’t make others laugh at us.
[Cheng Meixin]
What?
You were not listening to me.
Didn’t you sleep well?
[Fan Xiang’er]
Fengtai told me that he’ll be back this morning.
But why hasn’t he arrived?
He’s in this city already.
Take it easy.
Mr. Ge went to pick him up.
You
never pay attention to
the things that you should care.
My brother
is not the previous Cheng Fengtai.
He’s second to none
when it comes to the businessmen in Peking.
After the commander comes to Peking,
we’ll become
a family with wealth and power.
You need behave like a lady with new-style.
Go out to play majong and dance.
Make some friends.
Otherwise,
you can’t keep up with my brother.
I can’t be calm
until he arrives at home.
Eat.
Ge.
Mr. Cheng.
Did you bring my clean clothes?
Yes.
The maid you’re your clothes secretly.
I didn’t let Mrs. Cheng know.
How’s everything going at home?
Everything is fine.
The chamber of commerce’s known that you are back,
[Cheng Fengtai]
so they gathered
to wait for your reply.
I asked Fan Lian to take care of this.
How did he deal with it?
Mr. Fan?
He didn’t appear last night.
What a good brother-in-law!
I need to take action
before they are ready.
Mr. Cheng.
Don’t you change your clothes?
These are the most suitable clothes.
Yah!
Only Cheng Fengtai can
go through the eastern road?
Why can’t we?
This is unfair!
Yes.
The members of our chamber
always share the needed resources.
But now?
That’s unjust.
Everyone is here?
What’s up?
Why are you silent when I come?
OK.
You don’t talk,
so I’ll say something.
Excuse me.
Bandits always appear on the eastern road.
So I risked my life to get it.
Now you want to rob it?
There’s no free lunch in this world.
Besides the guns with me,
I have a Wilkes Browning machine gun
in the car.
Also, I have a professional gunner.
It’s harder than fighting in a war
if I meet bandits.
Look at the blood on my clothes.
It’s from a bandit who was killed by me this morning.
Mr. Cheng.
You really contributed a lot.
But we have our rule.
We share everything with each other.
But you take that road as your own,
which is against the rule.
Yes.
Please make it clear.
Don’t ask me to obey your rule.
When did I join
your Peking Chamber of Commerce?
What’s more,
everyone goes their own way.
No one stops you if you go through that road.
Mr. Cheng.
Mind your words.
We’ll pay you
for using your road.
Can you hire it to us?
Yes.
We’ll pay you.
I risked my life
to fight against the bandits for it.
I won’t hire it.
But my friends can use without paying me.
As what I said before,
it’s easy to be my friends.
Donate the half of your profits
for the anti-Japanese war
in the northeast of China.
The half?
That’s too much.
Cheng Fengtai.
Your brother-in-law
is a commander with troops.
So you are overweening now?
Yes.
Bandits on the road?
I think you are just a bandit!
Yes!
You are a bandit!
Freeze!
[Zheng Yuanmu]
What’s going on?
Mr. Cheng.
I’m just late for a while.
Welcome me with a troop?
Chairman Zheng.
We just want to
borrow a way from Mr. Cheng.
I heard it.
How muddled you are.
You are doing the business for years,
but why haven’t you known
how to communicate with others?
It’s our great honor that Mr. Cheng
came here.
Look at you.
You picked faults with him in various ways.
What?
He owes you?
All of you, sit down.
Mr. Cheng.
It’s my fault.
I didn’t lead them well.
Could you
forgive them
for me?
They are businessmen.
Your weapons will
scare them to death.
Your words work
for me.
But
I don’t have appetite
on your feast.
So I won’t
force you to stay.
Well,
I’ll hire an opera troupe
to perform at Huibin Theatre.
Please accept my apology and come.
Of course
I’ll accept your invitation.
Thanks.
Take care.
Thank you today.
Go back to have a rest.
Thanks, Mr. Cheng.
Seems that you won.
Arguing with some losers
is a piece of cake.
I’ve put your clothes
in the car.
Will we go home?
Let’s go to Little Mansion first
to catch Fan Lian.
Mr. Cheng.
I urged him.
Mr. Fan asked us to wait for a while.
It’s been a long time.
Go.
Break the windows with stones.
Go.
Oh my god.
What are you doing?
What did you say?
This is my house. It’s none of your business.
Continue.
OK.
Mr. Fan.
Mr. Cheng?
[Fan Lian]
I’m coming.
Wait me.
Just me a minute.
Mr. Cheng.
You are here?
[Zeng Aiyu]
Don’t you go upstairs?
Mr. Fan.
I asked you to go to the chamber,
but why didn’t you listen to me?
Does it work?
My words are not deterrent to those old guys.
They are always against me.
Look how coward you are.
- Mrs. Cheng. - We are back.
I’m back!
Welcome back.
I miss you so much.
Why did you go back late?
Yes.
What things delayed you?
Our madam was so worried.
Fan Lian and I went to the chamber of commerce.
Tell them
to cook lobsters and vegetarian hams
for Mr. Cheng.
Yes.
Wait.
Xiang’er.
How about my pork with pickles?
I’m starving.
I only want this.
Go.
What?
Tell Chacha’er to come to have lunch.
OK.
Come.
Let’s have lunch.
Thank you
- for preparing this for me. - Give me a set of tableware.
It’s really different after my brother-in-law comes back.
How thickskinned you are.
What?
Today, two men came here
to find you.
You must not know why they came.
They came to ask for payment of your debts.
They asked me
whether Mr. Fan
has money.
If he has money,
how come he hasn’t paid his debts?
If he doesn’t,
how could he reward the performers
in Shuiyun Theater with five gold ingots?
Come on, Xiang’er.
I am wronged.
I gave them for my friends.
They need a chance to show off.
Am I right, Mr. Cheng?
My lady,
have a shrimp.
Meixin.
I can’t help you on this.
I’ll help you
if you rewarded other performers.
But Shuiyun Theatre is run by Shang Xirui.
He’s the opera performer who I dislike most.
Can you be generous?
No, I can’t.
Shang Xirui?
My disloyal brother.
You should have slapped him.
How come you rewarded him?
You rarely went out.
How did you
become the enemy of an opera performer?
How could I become a performer’s enemy?
That’s because of my cousin and his wife.
What’s
the story?
Fengtai!
Chacha’er comes. Stop it.
Fengtai! You are back!
It was a long time that you left.
I miss you so much.
Good girl.
Come.
Sit beside me.
Hurry.
Mrs. Cheng.
Good girl.
Eat.
Sit here.
Don’t talk to our sister?
Be polite.
This girl can
only see you.
[Chacha’er]
The shrimp peeled by you tastes so good.
One more.
How’s your leg?
Do I need to call a doctor here?
It’s all right.
I fell down from a horse.
It’s almost healed.
You didn’t tell me the whole story at the lunch.
How did your cousin and his wife
meet the opera performer
surnamed Shang?
It’s a tragedy.
When they were in Pingyang,
Shang Xirui
learned opera with my cousin-in-law, Jiang Mengping.
He felt in love with Jiang Mengping.
But Jiang Mengping
didn’t have affection to him.
He didn’t give up.
Then, Jiang Mengping
felt in love with my cousin, Chang Zhixin.
When they prepared for their wedding,
Shang Xirui made a scene
to stop her marrying my cousin.
He even suppressed her
with forbidding her to perform in other opera troupes.
What’s worse,
he also created an opera based on their story
and performed it every day.
Now, everyone knows it.
Which opera?
How can I know?
Everyone has right to marry the one she loves.
It’s he who should be blamed
due to his love to his senior fellow.
It’s shameless of him
to spread this story.
He’s like
the celebrities of Broadway.
When they feel wronged, they’ll shout it out,
make it published in newspapers,
have a press,
and write an autobiography.
This will help them to be known by more people.
And then they’ll hype it more.
What Broadway?
The women who show their legs on your posters?
Indecent.
Don’t say that.
This is for the performance.
They are professional actresses.
Those who flirt with the audiences
in the skinny pants?
Indecent.
OK. OK.
What you said is Bible.
You...
Are you thinking about women on your posters
or those actresses?
Which one am I thinking about?
I’d rather think about your cousin-in-law.
Two men fought for her.
She must be a beauty.
Yes.
She’s a beauty.
What a pity.
She has married.
What a pity.
I should meet her earlier.
It’s painful.
Painful.
Does it hurt more than the pain when I delivered a baby?
I didn’t think too much when speaking.
Are you jealous?
I am.
What a pity.
I have married as well.
I have Mrs. Cheng.
I don’t believe that Jiang Mengping
is more beautiful than my wife.
My wife is the most beautiful woman in the northeast.
I should be careful.
Maybe someday you’ll be stolen.
Look at you.
The lad has grown up into a man.
But you are still glib.
OK.
Let me show you how glib I am.
How...
How glib I am.
Sir.
Are you removing lice?
Go away.
It’s spinning.
[Mr. Ma]
Let me have a look.
Where is it?
I can’t see.
Open your eyes.
It’s here.
What?
Where?
It’s just a thread.
Mr. Shang.
It will be fine after your dressmakers clean it.
This is the costume for the opera Fight against Jin.
The armor is loose
before Liang Hongyu goes for a battle.
The dressmakers in my troupe
can’t make embroidery.
Well...
Give me your idea.
I don’t accept it.
Return the costume.
They have to give me new a one.
So,
Mr. Shang.
It’s just a thread.
Can we have a compromised way?
I give you 20% off.
I don’t care the price.
I want good clothes.
I...
It will cost more
during the process.
I need to ask my boss.
I have a performance tonight.
Hurry up.
My boss is always busy.
He won’t reply us
within a short time.
Who is your boss?
The Commander Cao’s brother-in-law,
Fan Jiabao’s son-in-law,
Cheng Fengtai.
He’s just a brother-in-law of Commander Cao.
I’m not afraid of Commander Cao.
Do I care him?
I need to perform tonight.
So I won’t waste time at here.
I’ll talk to his brother-in-law later.
Mr. Shang!
What a superstar.
Mr. Cheng.
Someone is calling you.
Got it.
Don’t look at my tiles.
Why don’t you give this tile?
This one?
This is what I need.
Don’t peep.
Hello.
Only a glance.
Come. Look.
Let me have a look.
Only a glance.
No.
Based on the rules.
No.
Return it.
Yeah.
OK. Fine.
How dishonest you are.
Fengtai. You finished?
What’s the urgent thing?
They even called our home phone.
It was from freight’s staff.
Do you have troubles again?
No.
Shang Xirui
bought a costume with embroidery from my company.
But he found a thread on it,
so he asked to return the good.
A picky man.
He found quarrel in a straw.
Yes, Mr. Cheng.
What will you do?
Do I have another choice?
I have to meet his requirement.
His clothes are expensive.
Only the pearls and gold threads
on his clothes
cost thousands of dollars.
Now,
the hardworking people are living in poverty,
but the entertainers are affluent.
I tell you.
Shang Xirui
doesn’t show off usually.
But he
spends much money on costumes.
He doesn’t care the price
as long as the costumes are good.
Mr. Fan.
Sounds like
you are familiar with Shang Xirui.
Yes.
He’s so popular nowadays.
Tell us about him.
I know. I know.
It is said that
when Commander Cao fought in Pingyang,
Shang Xirui sang an opera on the tower.
Go! Go!
Go!
♫ Han Soldiers have gained the land ♫
No fires!
- No fires! - No fires!
♫ Chu songs appear around ♫
No fires!
♫ The king won’t be the king ♫
Don’t hurt him!
♫ I’ve lost my courage to survive ♫
[Cao Wanjun]
I want an alive Concubine Yu!
All the warriors stopped
to listen to his opera.
- Really? - Yes.
Really?
I said the truth.
How can an entertainer be so charming?
I don’t believe.
This is
too exaggerating.
Well,
there’s a story between
Shang Xirui, Jiang Mengping
and Chang Zhixin,
my cousin and his wife.
What happened?
After they left Pingyang,
Shang Xirui
was stimulated.
So
he did something crazy,
singing a day and a night on the tower.
So is this
something to do with Mr. Cao’s war?
So, is this Shang mental?
He wasted his good voice.
The roles that he plays
have been combined with himself.
But Mr. Shang
really sings well,
doesn’t he?
You all heard his voice.
He is unique
who can’t be imitated.
Gosh, I forgot him.
I’ll go.
Keep my money.
What?
Fengtai.
You shocked me.
What? Fengtai?
Where are you going?
The theatre.
The theatre?
[Huibin Theater]
Go.
I’ll take you to watch something new.
[Shang Xirui]
Shang Xirui?
It’s weird today.
I’ve seen his name everywhere.
Bravo!
Mr. Cheng.
Bravo!
Once again!
Bravo!
Chairman Zheng.
Mr. Cheng.
Sorry to make you wait.
You arrived at a right time.
The greatest show hasn’t been performed.
Is this
Lady Cheng?
My sister never went to a theatre.
So I take her here to open her horizons.
Nice.
Mr. Shang will perform later.
Well,
you are lucky today.
Come.
Chacha’er. Sit there.
It’s closer to the stage.
Have some tea.
♫ Living in Dragon and Phoenix for long ♫
♫ We’ve seen various flowers ♫
♫ Serving in the place ♫
♫ We’ll die in here as well ♫
Mr. Cheng.
Seems that you don’t enjoy the opera.
♫ I am Pei Lishi ♫
To be honest,
I don’t understand it.
♫ I am Gao Lishi ♫
You are from Shanghai.
♫ Mr. Gao, please ♫
You love Shaoxing opera?
♫ Mr. Pei, please ♫
No.
♫ Our concubine will hold a feast at Flowers Pavilion ♫
I studied overseas.
So I like watching movies.
♫ Let’s serve her well ♫
I don’t
understand Chinese opera.
♫ The smokes are embracing here ♫
Then learn it.
Theaters are everywhere
♫ Our concubine comes ♫
in Peking.
But the cinemas are few.
♫ Let’s be on duty by turns, please ♫
Movies are too high
to be popular in here.
It’s fine.
Some seniors in our chamber
know operas well.
When you are available,
they can come to your mansion and teach you.
And cotton up with me?
So I’ll give you the eastern road?
Don’t misunderstand.
You are a wise man.
It’s our honor
that you spend time with us.
Yesterday
you mentioned the donation.
OK.
I accept it.
I accept.
How about
we donate twenty percent of our profits?
We are under a chaotic state.
Everyone suffers a hard time.
Please show your mercy.
You’ll be our redeemer ever.
Once you agree with it,
I’ll send the money
to your mansion.
Only
you and I know it.
- We... - The opera begins.
Enjoy the opera.
♫ Now ♫
OK. Watch the opera.
It’s time for the opera.
[Chunxuan]
Bravo!
Bravo! Bravo!
Bravo!
Fengtai, what are they throwing?
Silver dollars
are in these.
It’s the reward given to the performers.
Is it interesting?
♫ Ices rise from the island ♫
Chacha’er.
Have a try.
Throw it on the stage.
Watch the target.
Put forth your strength.
I...
This ring is heavy.
He will get a bruise.
♫ Jade Rabbit appears ♫
My lady,
great strength.
It’s also accurate.
It’s fine.
They always meet such a thing.
Also, they should
♫ Jade Rabbit goes to east ♫
thank you
for giving them a gold ring with a gem.
It’s okay.
You didn’t hurt him on purpose.
I’ll take you to apologize to him later.
♫ And the ices leave the island ♫
♫ Everything is clear in this world ♫
- What are you singing? - What?
What are you singing?
Is this opera?
Stop it. Give our money back!
♫ The bright moon is in the sky ♫
What’s the garbage?
Give our money back!
Go down!
Let’s go
to have a look.