Zhang Yimou's latest feature film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" is a story of pure love set against the backdrop of the final years of the Cultural Revolution. The tale is based on a true story and adapted from the famous 2007 Chinese novel "Hawthorn Tree Forever," written by Ai Mi. The story centers on "Jing Qiu," played by nineteen-year old newcomer Zhou Dongyu, and her relationship with "Sun," played by Dou Xiao or Shawn Dou. The two young lovers come from very different families.

Zhang Yimou responds to a question while Zhou Dongyu and Dou Xiao set next to him at a special screening of "Under the Hawthorn Tree" in Beijing on September 16, 2010. [CRI]

After Jing Qiu's father is labeled a "right-winger" and sent off to prison, she and the rest of her family are sent to a re-education camp in a remote village. Sun's father is a high-ranking military officer, and has a great future ahead of him as a geologist. When Jing Qiu's mother learns of their secret relationship she tells Sun not to bother her daughter until she turns 25, their relationship could easily jeopardize Jing's future.

At a screening Thursday night in Beijing, Zhang Yimou, Zhou Dongyu, and Dou Xiao made a special appearance and fielded questions from the media. Zhang Yimou was asked how he feels his new film will be received by Western audiences and replied, "Western audiences will not understand the historical significance of the film, but they will certainly understand the love story aspect."

One of Zhang Yimou's many talents as a director is his ability to discover new actresses for the big screen. Gong Li was only nineteen when she appeared in "Red Sorghum." Zhang Ziyi was also nineteen when he cast her in the critically-acclaimed "The Road Home" in 1999. In the same year he also released "Not One Less" which featured Wei Minzhi, a thirteen year-old girl from Hebei Province who went on to study filmmaking in the U.S. In Hawthorn Tree, we have nineteen-year old Zhou Dongyu, who is also from Hebei Province, and whose life will undoubtedly change as she is thrown under the international spotlight of the film world. "Under the Hawthorn Tree" will be the opening film for the 15th Annual Pusan International Film Festival, the largest Asian film festival in the world. Afterwards it is more than likely to screen at a variety of other international film festivals, which is usually the norm for a Zhang Yimou film.

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" is currently showing in theatres throughout China.