A Withered Tree Meets Spring

1961 • 1h 40m • Drama

A critical hit during one of China’s most politically charged periods, Zheng’s follow-up to his 1959 anniversary epics merged Soviet-style socialist realism with his own breakthroughs in film technique, specifically his use of continuous camera movement in the spirit of traditional Chinese scrolls. Tractor-kino at its finest, the film revolves around two rural lovers—one struck with a deadly disease—and their eventual survival thanks to socialist medical advances.

Director

Zheng Jun-li

Writers

Wang Lian, Zheng Jun-li

Status

Released