shadow puppet business for their livelihood, but they were forcibly conscripted by the Kuomintang army, and later the Communist Party. When at last, Fugui got home after the war, everything has changed. Gong Li as Jiazhen (, Jiāzhēn, lit."Precious Family"), Fugui's wife: Jiazhen is a hard-working, kind, and virtuous woman. She is a strong spiritual pillar for Fugui. When her husband gambled his possessions away, Jiazhen angrily left him and took their daughter away. But when Fugui had lost everything, and she knew that Fugui had completely quit gambling, she returned to his side to share in weal and woe. She was not after a great fortune, just a peaceful life with her family. Liu Tianchi as adult Xu Fengxia (t, s, Xú Fèngxiá, lit."Phoenix & Rosy Clouds"), daughter of Fugui and Jiazhen Xiao Cong as teenage Xu Fengxia; Zhang Lu as child Xu Fengxia; When Fengxia was a child, she had a serious fever and could not be cured in time, so she became deaf. She married Erxi after she grew up, but when she gave birth, she died for lack of professional doctors. Fei Deng as Xu Youqing (t, s, Xú Yǒuqìng, lit."Full of Celebration"), Fugui and Jiazhen's son: Youqing was accidentally hit and killed by Chunsheng due to drowsy driving during the Great Leap Forward. Jiang Wu as Wan Erxi (t, s, Wàn Èrxǐ, lit."Double Happiness"), Fengxia's husband: Erxi is honest, kind, and loyal. He often took care of Fengxia’s parents after Fengxia’s death. Ni Dahong as Long'er (t, s, Lóng'èr lit."Dragon the Second"): Long'er used to be the head of a shadow puppet troupe and won all of Fu Gui's property by gambling. After liberation, he was classified as a landlord and his property was ordered to be confiscated. But he refused the confiscation, and set the property on fire. As a result, he was convicted of the crime of "counterrevolutionary sabotage" and sentenced to death by shooting. Guo Tao as Chunsheng (, Chūnshēng, lit."Spring-born"): Fugui's good friend, they served together as forced conscripts. Chunsheng then joined the People's Liberation Army, and became the district governor. Due to this position, he was criticized as a capitalist roader and endured struggle sessions during the Cultural Revolution. Production Development Zhang Yimou originally intended to adapt Mistake at River's Edge, a thriller written by Yu Hua. Yu gave Zhang a set of all of the works that had been