The Peach Boy (directed by Cai Bi Xia)
Once upon a time there lived an old man an old woman in the country of Okayama . The old man went everyday into the mountains to cut wood, while his wife would go to the river to wash clothes. One day, wshile the old woman was down at the river washing clothes, a big peach came floating down the river! It looked so delicious, she decided to take it home for her and her husband to eat. When the old man came back to their home, the old woman cut the peach open, and to their surprise, there was a small boy inside! They decided to call him Momotaro, which means 'peach boy'.
The old couple raised Momotaro to be big and strong. One day, he decided to go and defeat the ogres living on Ogre Island that were pillaging the land. The old woman fixed him some delicious millet dumplings, known as kibi-dango, for his long journey to the island. On the way, a monkey, a dog, and a pheasant joined him, giving them a dumpling each in return for their help in fighting the ogres.
Upon reaching the Ogre Island , Momotaro and his companions found that the gate to the Ogre's fort was locked. The pheasant flew inside, and grabbed a key to let the others in. Once inside, they fought the evil ogres. The pheasant pecked their eyes, the dog bit their legs and the monkey jumped on their backs, clawing at the beasts. Finally, the ogres cried for mercy! They gave the strong Momotaro all of their treasure, and he returned to his village triumphantly. Momotaro and the old couple lived happily ever after. |
The Man without a Soul (directed by Lin Hong)
A young man from a very poor family decides to leave the house in order to find a job as a helper. No one need his services and he starts to despair until one day, he arrives at a farm where the owners are ready to offer him a job if he succeeds to go down to the bottom of an old well… |
Hua Mu Lan (directed by Li Shuai Min)
Hua Mu Lan lived and fought in the fifth century AD. Her father was conscripted to go to war, but he was too sick to fight, so Hua Mu Lan offered to go in his place. Her father rejected the offer, but she insisted.
She cut her hair, put on her father's armor and joined the emperor's troops using her father's name. For over ten years, she fought as a man without her true identity being discovered. |
