"Wutong Rain" is a gripping romantic drama set in the early years of the Republic of China, directed by Fu Dongyu, starring Qiu Xinzhi, Xu Lu, Pan Hong, Li Zonghan, etc., broadcast in Chinese mainland in 2001. This drama not only won the love and praise of the audience, but also vividly showed the social style and human feelings during the Republic of China with its compact plot, distinctive characters and delicate emotions.
The protagonist in the play, He Junlan (played by Xu Lu), a woman with plump ideals, outstanding talents, and perseverance, gave up her first love Xie Jiashu (played by Li Zonghan) to save her father, married Shen Yan (played by Qiu Xinzhi) and became the young grandmother of the Shen family. Shen Yan is a gentle, talented, and kind-hearted man who falls in love with Junlan at first sight and runs the family business with her. Shen Mu (Pan Hong), a strong, domineering, and conservative woman, has a lot of complaints about He Junlan, causing many conflicts and contradictions. And Yanfeng (Fu Miao), a vain, cunning, and vengeful woman, was once expelled from the Shen family for seducing Shen Yan, and later joined forces with the Shen family's enemies to try to sabotage and retaliate against the Shen family. Xie Jiashu, a persistent, infatuated, and lonely man, is Junlan's first love and Shen Yan's brother-in-law. Because of his father, he left Shanghai for the United States, and returned to Shanghai after becoming a doctor, only to find that Junlan was married to Shen Yan, which made him nostalgic, and there were many misunderstandings and entanglements between him and Shen Yan.
On the whole, "Sycamore Rain" shows a moving story about love, family, responsibility and sacrifice through its multi-layered character relationships and complex emotional entanglements, and profoundly depicts the social background and character psychology of that era.
The climax of "Sycamore Rain" shows that the Shen family is facing an unprecedented crisis: Shen Yan is kidnapped, Shen's mother is injured, the family's money house is burned, the family property is confiscated, and the family is arrested. At this critical juncture, Ho Chun Lan showed extraordinary courage and wisdom. She not only bravely rescued Shen Yan, but also reconciled with Shen's mother, recovered the Shen family's property certificate, exposed Yanfeng's conspiracy, helped Xie Jiashu, rebuilt the money village, defended the family members, restored the Shen family's reputation, and laid a solid foundation for the future of the Shen family. Shen Yan also showed strength and loyalty in this turmoil, protecting Junlan, reconciling with Xie Jiashu, and fully supporting Junlan and fighting for the honor and happiness of the family. The two supported each other in this turmoil, established deep trust and love, and walked out of the predicament together to welcome a new life.
The evaluation of "Sycamore Rain" is: This is a Republic of China romantic drama worth watching. Not only does it have a great story, a great cast, and beautiful music, but it also contains deep themes and deeply emotional feelings. The drama shows the changes in the Republic of China, the light and darkness of human nature, the beauty and ups and downs of love, the warmth and conflict of the family, the prosperity and turmoil of society, and the ups and downs of life. It presents the love between each other in the wind and rain and the love under the sycamore tree, and it is a TV series that makes people cry, laugh, think, move, and forget. "Sycamore Rain" is not only a classic TV series, but also a highly recommended work.