Chronicles of a Blood Merchant
Title: Chronicle of a Blood MerchantRevised romanization: Heosamgwan MaehyeolgiHangul: 허삼관 매혈기Director: Ha Jung-WooWriter: Yu Hua (novel)Producer: Next Entertainment WorldRelease Date: September, 2014


PLOT
Heo Sam-Gwan (Ha Jung-Woo) works in a factory. In the village where he lives, the men can't get married until they are able to sell their own blood. By selling blood, it proves they are in healthy condition. Heo Sam-Gwan is eventually able to marry Heo Ok-Ran (Ha Ji-Won), the most beautiful woman in the village.

CAST


TRIVIABased on Chinese novel "Chronicle of a Blood Merchant" by Yu Hua published in 1995.Filming begins the first half of 2014.
SOURCESPROFILE
Asiawiki | Daum | Hancinema | Nate Links
Yu Hua|Yu Hua Interview & Thoughts on CoaBM 



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Thread Opened: March 11, 2014Last Update on main page: March 14, 2014 5:40 am KST

NEWS & UPDATES
|Year 1995| Chronicle of a Blood Merchant published by Chinese writer Yu Hua WikiPedia
|Aug.30.2003| Interview with Yu Hua MCLC
|Jul.12.13| Actor Ha Jung-woo to Direct and Star in a New Film TenAsia
|Jul.12.13| Ha Jung-woo to direct Blood Merchant FilmBiz Asia
|Jul.17.13| Ha Jung-woo to direct film adaptation of Chinese novel Korean Herald|Aug,28.13| Interview with HA Jung-woo, protagonist of the movie <The Terror Live> | Webzine of MMCA
|Jan.28.14| Ha Jung-woo’s film roles bring out his artistic side  Korean JoongAng Daily|Feb.03.14| Ha Jeong-woo and Ha Ji-won in "Chronicle of A Blood Merchant" HanCinema |Feb.04.14| Ha Ji-won Cast in Ha Jung-woo's CHRONICLE OF A BLOOD MERCHANT TwitchFilm
|Feb.04.14| Ha Jung Woo, Ha Ji Won, Sung Dong Il, Kim Sung Kyun, and more cast in film remake of Chinese novel 'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant' AllKpop
|Feb.04.14| Ha Jung-woo directs new feature co-starring Ha Ji-won Dramabeans
|Feb.04.14| Ha Jung-woo directs again Korean JoongAng Daily
|Feb.05.14| Ha Jung Woo Is Happy To Be Directing Ha Ji Won KDramastarz
|Feb.05.14| Ha Ji Won and Ha Jung Woo to Work Together for First Time in New Film, “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” Soompi
|Feb.06.14| Ha Ji-won Joins Ha Jung-woo’s 2nd Directorial Outing KoreanFilm

Actor Ha Jung-woo to Direct and Star in a New FilmPosted on 2013/07/12 by Lee Eun Ah in Tenasia
 
Korean top actor Ha Jung-woo will direct and star in a new film, the films’ promoter said on Friday.
1st Look said through a press release that the actor will cinematize Chinese writer Hua Yu’s novel “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant.”
After making his directorical debut through film “Roller Coaster” (2012), this will be Ha’s second directorial work, the promoter added.
The novel, published in 1996, satirically depicts a man who willingly sells his blood for the sake of his family. Ha will play the role of that man in the movie.
Although the book has been a bestseller all over the world and has been translated in to German, Italian, French, Korean, Japanese, English and Japanese, the novel will be made into a film in Korea for the first time.
Writer Hua Yu was quoted in a statement as saying, ”Although many countries wanted to make my book into a film, I trusted my friendship with the production company that currently owns the publication rights so I hope that my book will be made into a film in Korea. … Since I have been impressed by Ha’s acting and directing, I am looking forward to what kind of attraction the film will hold.”
The film is set to crank up in early 2014 and open in Korean theaters after the Korean Thanksgiving holidays which will be around September of the same year.
Meanwhile, Ha’s new film “THE TERROR LIVE,” set to be released on August 1, was chosen as the closing film of the 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan), held from July 18 to 28.
Reporter. Lee Eun Ah domino@tenasia.co.krPhotographer. Chae Ki WonEditor. Jessica KimArticle: Tenasia.com 
<ⓒ Korea Entertainment Media Co., LTD. (www.tenasia.com) All rights reserved.>

Ha Jung-woo to direct Blood Merchant

By Stephen Cremin

Fri, 12 July 2013, 15:05 PM (HKT)

Production News

South Korea's HA Jung-woo 하정우 | 河正佑 will direct Chronicle of a Blood Merchant허삼관 매혈기, an adaptation of YU Hua 余華's Chinese novel. It is the actor's second feature film as a director. He will also act in the film.

Ha, best known internationally for his roles in The Chaser 추격자 (2008) and The Berlin File 베를린, is in post-production on his directorial debut, Fasten Your Seatbelt롤러코스터, a comedy about a plane caught in a typhoon between Tokyo and Seoul.

Yu's blackly comic novel, published in 1995, is about a factory worker who sells his blood to provide for his family. It spans three decades spanning his youth in the 1950s to the 1980s, through famines and the turmoils of the Cultural Revolution.

A previous novel by the author was adapted into ZHANG Yimou 張藝謀's To Live 活著(1994) about another Chinese family's experience of the 1950s. Yu also co-wrote the script of ZHANG Yuan 張元's Seventeen Years 過年回家 (1999).

News of the new film was announced today by main investor and distributor Next Entertainment World ＮＥＷ who told Film Business Asia that the film will begin shooting in Feb 2014 in South Korea. The release date has not yet been fixed.

The film is to be produced by Dhuta 두타연 who previously collaborated with NEW onThe Grand Heist 바람과 함께 사라지다 (2012). On release last summer, the period action-comedy made ￦34.6 billion (US$30.8 million) on 4.9 million admissions.

The budget and additional cast of Chronicle have yet to be announced.

credit filmbiz Asia

July 17 2013

Ha Jung-woo to direct film adaptation of Chinese novel

Popular actor Ha Jung-woo will direct and star in a film adaptation of famed Chinese author Yu Hua’s 1995 novel “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant,” Korean film house NEW said.

The novel, which is set from the early years of the People’s Republic of China until after the Cultural Revolution in the early 1950s to the 1980s, deals with a man who sells his blood for many years to support his family. 

The upcoming movie will be the first film adaptation of the novel. Author Yu’s 1992 novel “To Live” was famously made into a movie by internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. 

On top of directing the film, Ha will star as the movie’s protagonist. According to NEW, Yu has watched all of Ha’s films and is happy that the Korean actor is directing the film as well as starring in it. 

“I think Ha is perfect for the role,” the author said through the Korean promoters. “I am very excited to see how this movie will turn out.”

Ha, on the other hand, said he very much enjoyed Yu’s novel. 

“I was touched by the book and am honored to make it into a film,” he said through the promoters. “I will try my best to make it a good one.”

Ha, who is considered one of the most prominent actors in the local film industry, has enjoyed much success in recent years with works including director Ryoo Seung-wan’s spy thriller “The Berlin File” and Yoon Jong-bin’s “Nameless Gangster.” 

He has worked with some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the country, including Kim Ki-duk, Na Hong-jin and Lee Yoon-ki. 

The upcoming project will be Ha’s second film as a director. His directing debut “Rollercoaster” is slated to open in theaters this fall. The comedy tells the story of a Korean hallyu star who gets on a plane to Seoul from Tokyo and encounters severe turbulence during the flight due to a typhoon. 

Ha reportedly wrote the script based on his friend and actor Ryoo Seung-bum’s real-life experience. Ryoo said the plane turbulence went on for almost seven hours ― it normally only takes about two hours to get to Seoul from Tokyo ― and he genuinely thought he was going to die.

Before that, Ha’s latest starring film, director Kim Byung-woo’s “The Terror Live,” opens in theaters Aug. 1. In the thriller, he plays a prominent news anchor who receives a call from a terrorist after he bombs Seoul’s Mapo Bridge. 

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com) | koreaherald

Wow!the plot is aweome... Ha Ji won Fighting!

class="content-title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4em; font-size: 26px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(63, 63, 64); text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px; visibility: visible; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"Ha Ji Won and Ha Jung Woo to Work Together for First Time in New Film, “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant”

Ha Jung Woo and Ha Ji Won, both born in the year of the horse (1978), will be meeting on the big screen for the new film “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant.” Ha Jung Woo plays Heo Sam Kwan, a man who sells his blood to support his family, and Ha Ji Won plays Heo Ok Ran, Heo Sam Kwan’s wife and mother of three.

Ha Jung Woo, also the director for the film, personally sought out Ha Ji Won for the role of Heo Ok Ran. He had previously said, “I really want to work with Ha Ji Won, but it just never happened,” so he took steps to make it happen. One industry official said, “Preparing for his second film as director, Ha Jung Woo has been carrying out his duties quite well. From the script to the cast, he has been preparing everything with a lot of care. It’s the reason why I’m interested in this next project of his.”

Last November, Ha Jung Woo went to Hawaii and started working on the dramatization of “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” after he finished filming for “Kundo: Age of the Rampant.” After going through Ha Jung Woo, the scenario went to Ha Ji Won, who agreed to do the movie due to the quality of the scenario and her trust in her fellow actor.

“Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” is a movie adapted to a Korean background from a satirical and humorous novel of the same name by Chinese author Yu Hua.

Also starring in the movie are Sung Dong Il, Jung Man Shik, Kim Sung Gyun, Kim Young Ae, Kim Ki Chun, and Kim Byung Ok.

Soompi

I'm loving HJW at the moment and glad she's playing good roles in her dramas as well as to keeping herself really busy with dramas after dramas to the fact that it's totally awesome :-bd

Just thinking about how long I would have to wait for this is making me sad.

I loved Ha Jung Woo's (OMG...HJW and HJW is going to be so hard to write) last film, it was fast pace and very entertaining. He's such an all out actor too, staring and acting in his own film, can't wait to see what he brings.

The story line is a bit...don't know how it would translate to the current Korean society since it was very much a China story. The social structure and dialogue would need to be adapted as well for the movie to keep the essence of the original novel.

My love Ha Ji Won is in it so this is a definate must see.

tieuyeunu said:The story line is a bit...don't know how it would translate to the current Korean society since it was very much a China story. The social structure and dialogue would need to be adapted as well for the movie to keep the essence of the original novel.

Bwear said: tieuyeunu said:The story line is a bit...don't know how it would translate to the current Korean society since it was very much a China story. The social structure and dialogue would need to be adapted as well for the movie to keep the essence of the original novel.

January 28, 2014
Ha Jung-woo’s film roles bring out his artistic side
BY YOO JOO-HYUN INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
Actor Ha Jung-woo poses in front of his painting during the Prudential Eye Awards at Singapore Art Week. By Jeon Ho-seong
Actor Ha Jung-woo is the king of Chungmuro, the Korean equivalent of Hollywood. 
He appeared in four films in 2013, with one yet to be released, and another in which he made his directorial debut. In 2012 and 2011, Ha appeared in two and four films, respectively. 
The spy film “The Berlin File” (2013) attracted seven million viewers, while “Nameless Gangster” (2012) was one of that year’s most popular films, drawing 4.7 million viewers. 
Ha has been so reliable for so long in the movie business that it’s said a film can’t go wrong if he’s in it.
He’s at the peak of his career, but he shows no signs of slowing down. In his new film, “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant,” which is set to begin shooting in May, the 36-year-old actor will adapt a novel version of the story into a screenplay, taking the lead role and direct. 
When he’s in between films, he spends his time building up his artistic side. 
Because he’s always portraying someone else’s life - from an insecure North Korean agent to a vicious gangster - Ha found that he needed time to look inside himself, so in 2007, he began to paint. 
“I certainly painted a lot last year, maybe because I had a prolific year. The more I work, [the more] I find myself wanting to paint,” Ha said during a recent interview with the JoongAng Sunday, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. 
The interview took place in Singapore during Singapore Art Week, which ended Sunday. Ha was invited as a public relations ambassador for the inaugural Prudential Eye Awards, which are a part of the annual art week. 
More than 700 Asian artists submitted paintings, sculptures, photographs and installation artworks, but only 20 of them were chosen to have their work displayed at the event, including Ha.
You are in between films. Where do you get inspiration for your paintings? 
I’m not always driven by inspiration. Sometimes I paint things that I’m so into or some other times I start painting without knowing it. 


Why did you choose “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” as the first film in which you direct and act? 
I thought the lead character of the story [a merchant who sells his blood for a living] is a character with many layers. Most of the time, he is a blunt father and husband, but he is, in fact, warm at heart. 
Having two sides, I was enchanted by the character first and also liked the way the story was written, which is quite humorous. 
[omitted non-CoaBM parts, but full excerpts on interview is HERE]

Feb 3 2014

Ha Jeong-woo and Ha Ji-won in "Chronicle of A Blood Merchant"

An actor and actress from the Year of the Horse in 1978 have met.

Ha Jeong-woo and Ha Ji-won are starring in the movie "Chronicle of a Blood Merchant" as a married couple. Ha Jeong-woo is Heo Sam-gwan who sells blood for his family and Ha Ji-won is the prettiest woman in the village named Heo Ok-ran, who marries Heo Sam-gwan and raises three boys.

Ha Jeong-woo is also directing the movie and cast Ha Ji-won himself. He said he's always wanted to work with her but never had the chance too but managed to get in touch with her this time.

Apparently Ha Jeong-woo is working hard for this movie as he is starring in it as well as directing it. He's going through the cast carefully and many are interested in his work.

Ha Jeong-woo started working on this movie in Hawaii where he left to after the November movie "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant". Ha Ji-won read the script and decided to put her faith in Ha Jeong-woo and go for it.

"Chronicle of a Blood Merchant" is based on an original novel written by a Chinese novelist about a man who sells his blood for his family. The story has been adapted to fit the Korean culture and feeling.

Source : sports.hankooki

Credit : Hancinema

Feb 4, 2014
Ha Ji-won Cast in Ha Jung-woo's CHRONICLE OF A BLOOD MERCHANT

Before he makes a decision on his offer to potentially star alongside Lee Jung-jae and Jun Ji-hyun in Choi Dong-hoon's 30s-set blockbuster thriller Assassination, Ha Jung-woo will be spending some time both before and behind the camera with his sophomore directing gig Chronicle a of Blood Merchant. Joining him in this adaptation of a 1995 novel by Chinese writer Yu Hua will be Ha Ji-won, the actress known for her spunky action roles in Duelist (2005) and Sector 7 (2011).

Blood Merchant transposes its original Chinese cultural revolution setting to Seoul and tells the story of a young laborer who has his sights set on his village's most beautiful woman. But before he can marry her, according to the town's rules he must sell his own blood to prove that he is in good health.

Ha Jung-woo launched his directing career with Fasten Your Seatbelt last year at the Busan International Film Festival. A fun and tightly plotted comedy set on an airplane mid-flight, the film showed off Ha's knack for comedy and satire, two elements that will feature prominently in his follow-up. Following the weak debut of The Huntresses, his co-star Ha Ji-won hasn't had a hit film in a while yet remains very popular for her TV work. Considering her co-star and director's recent box office clout, he starred in the hits The Berlin File and The Terror Live last year, this should be a return to form for the screen siren.

Chronicle of a Blood Merchant will be produced and distributed by NEW, which has been the most consistently impressive Korean studio of the last few years, with titles such as Cold Eyes, New World and The Attorney under their belt. Given the outfit's track record, their involvement bodes well for Ha's first big directing gig. Shooting will get underway soon and the film should reach theaters by the end of the year.

Credit Pierce Conrad | Twitchfilm HERE

February 4 2014
Ha Jung Woo, Ha Ji Won, Sung Dong Il, Kim Sung Kyun, and more cast in film remake of Chinese novel 'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant'


Ha Jung Woo, Ha Ji Won, Sung Dong Il, 'Reply 1994's Kim Sung Kyun, and more have been confirmed for the upcoming film 'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant'!
The film distributor NEW revealed the star-studded cast on the 4th, "In the film remake of China's internationally recognized author Yu Hua's famed novel 'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant', which has been receiving attention since its conception with Ha Jung Woo starring as the lead role, Ha Ji Won has also been confirmed as the lead female role. The strong cast, including Sung Dong Il, Jung Man Shik, Kim Sung Kyun, Kim Young Ae, Kim Ki Chun, and Kim Byung Wook, has been completed."
Ha Jung Woo and Ha Ji Won will play the leads as Heo Sam Kwan and his wife Heo Ok Ran, respectively. The film will portray the story of Heo Sam Kwan who ends up marrying and starting a family with Heo Ok Ran, who is known as the prettiest woman in her village.
'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant' is set to crank-in later this year. 
cr allkpop

Ha Jung-woo directs new feature co-starring Ha Ji-wonby javabeans | February 4, 2014

With the number of films Ha Jung-woo has done, he’d be perfect to use as the basis for a Chungmuro-style “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game, though as with anything Korean, Three Degrees would probably be more appropriate. Hot on the heels of news announcing potential project Assassination (with Jeon Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae), he has now announced his second directorial feature, Chronicle of a Blood Merchant.

The film is based on a Chinese novel of the same name, written by Yu Hua, and tells the story of a man who sells blood to earn money. The original story was set in China from the 1950s through ’80s, while this adaptation will relocate to modern Korea. Ha Jung-woo’s directorial debut came in last year’s comedy Roller Coaster (aka Fasten Your Seatbelt), which starred Jung Kyung-ho. Unlike last time, he will also star in this film; Ha Ji-won has signed on to play his wife, the village beauty who is won over by his devotion.

The new movie is also chock-full of stellar veterans in the supporting cast, including Kim Young-ae, Sung Dong-il, Kim Sung-kyun, and Jung Man-shik. Sung Dong-il will play the hero’s blood-selling colleague, whose best friend will be played by Kim Sung-kyun. Aww, that’s gonna bring back lots of Answer Me 1994 memories, isn’t it? Jung Man-shik is the hero’s friend who also sometimes gives him a hard time, and Kim Young-ae will play the mother who gives the hero advice on how to be a good husband.

Chronicle of a Blood Merchant will complete casting and wrap up work on the screenplay soon, and will enter filming in the first half of the year.

credit Dramabeans

Source TVreport

February 4, 2014
Ha Jung-woo directs again

Actor Ha Jung-woo and actress Ha Ji-won are set to play a married couple in coming film “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant,” based on Chinese author Yu Hua’s 1995 novel about a man who sells his own blood to make money for his family. 
In addition to taking a leading role, Ha Jung-woo will direct the film - it is his second time in the director’s chair following the comedy “Fasten Your Seatbelt” (2013). 
“I’ve always wanted to act with Ha Ji-won, since I think she’s one of the most gifted actresses of our time,” said Ha Jung-woo.
Ha went to Hawaii in November to work on adapting Yu’s novel to contemporary Korea.
By Kim Hee-eun, contributing writer INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

class="at_ttl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 35px; color: rgb(63, 63, 64); text-shadow: white 1px 1px 0px; list-style: none; clear: both;"Feb 5 2014
class="at_ttl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-size: 30px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 35px; color: rgb(63, 63, 64); text-shadow: white 1px 1px 0px; list-style: none; clear: both;"Ha Jung Woo Is Happy To Be Directing Ha Ji Won

BY Joan MacDonald 

Ha Jung Woo is very happy that he will direct actress Ha Ji Won in his new film "Chronicles of a Blood Merchant." He wanted her to star in his film so badly that he personally persuaded her.

"I've always wanted to act with Ha Ji Won," he said of the "Empress Ki" and "Secret Garden" star. "I think that she is one of the most gifted actresses of our time."

It will be Ha Jung Woo's second time as a director. Last year he wrote the screenplay for and directed the comedy "Fasten Your Seatbelt." Besides his 2013 directorial effort, he also appeared in two films, "The Berlin File" and "Terror Live." His film career has remained consistently busy for a decade although he has not appeared in a drama since "H.I.T" in 2007.

Unlike his last directorial effort, Ha Jung Woo's new film, "Chronicles of a Blood Merchant," will not be a comedy. The film's story is based on a 1995 Chinese novel about a cart pusher who helps support his family by selling his blood. Besides directing the film and acting in it, Ha Jung Woo also wrote the screenplay.

After he finished filming his latest role in the 2014 film  "Kundo: Age of the Rampant," the actor-director spent time in Hawaii adapting the Yu Hua novel into a contemporary Korean setting. The book was considered one of the last decade's most influential Chinese novels, but it was originally set during the time of China's Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966 to 1976.

The novel's main character, Heo Sam Kwan, faces many hardships. He cannot earn enough money pushing his cart to feed his family. At first he only adds to his income by selling blood but then his visits become dangerously frequent. Then he discovers his favorite son was actually fathered by his neighbor. His wife is scorned for her infidelity. Now his family must cope with poverty and shame. Ultimately, he must find the strength to endure in his family.

Ha Jung Woo will play Heo Sam Kwan. Ha Ji Won will play Heo Ok Ran, his wife. Heo Ok Ran was considered the prettiest woman in her village before she married Sam Kwan and had three children.

The film's cast also includes Sung Dong Il, Jung Man Shik, Kim Sung Kyun, Kim Young Ae, Kim Ki Chun and Kim Byung Wook.

Filming begins later this year after the conclusion of Ha Ji Won's drama "Empress Ki."

 

Copyright ⓒ 2012 KDramaStars.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Ha JungWoo and Ha JiWon in new Movie

credit AJU TV | AJUpress@ YT

Credit ystarnews

February 6, 2014
Ha Ji-won Joins Ha Jung-woo’s 2nd Directorial OutingCHRONICLE A OF BLOOD MERCHANT Shoots for Late 2014 Release
by Pierce Conran KOFIC
This image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.
Following his directorial debut Roller Coaster last fall, HA Jung-woo is getting ready to hop back into the director’s seat with Chronicle of a Blood Merchant (W/T), a new project based on a Chinese novel by YU Hua published in 1995. Joining the star on screen will be leading actress HA Ji-won. The story of YU’s book takes place during China’s cultural revolution in the 1950s and 60s. Refitting the location to Seoul, HEO Sam-gwan (HA Jung-woo) is a factory worker who lives in a village where men can only get married after selling their own blood, in order to demonstrate their good health. Sam-gwan has his eye on HEO Ok-ran (HA Ji-won), the most beautiful girl in the village. HA Jung-woo was one of the hardest working professionals in Korea’s film industry last year, not to mention most successful, following appearances in The Berlin File and The Terror, LIVE. Between those hits he also found time to director his first feature Roller Coaster, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival last October. Currently in theaters with The Huntresses, HA Ji-won has made for herself playing no-nonsense, sporty characters in films such as Duelist (2005) and Sector 7 (2011). HA Jung-woo mentioned that he has been eager to work with her. Chronicle of a Blood Merchant will go before cameras soon and is tentatively scheduled for a release later this year.

Chronicles of a Blood Merchantby Yu Hua


Xu Sanguan is a Chinese everyman - a cart-pusher in a silk mill struggling under the cruelty and hardships of Mao's leadership. His meager salary is not enough to sustain his family, so he pays regular visits to the local blood chief, followed by stops at the Victory Restaurant, where he pounds on the table and demands his ritual meal: 'A plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine. And warm the wine up for me.' 
But fried pork livers and yellow rice wine are not enough to restore Xu Sanguan. With the country in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, his visits to the blood chief become lethally frequent and his obligations to his family press against him mercilessly. At the height of famine, the Xu family lies motionless in bed, rising twice a day to consume increasingly watery rations of corn gruel. Xu Sanguan's wife is forced to stand on a stool in the center of town wearing a sandwich board that reads 'prostitute.' Yile, his wife's bastard son, forever haunts Xu Sanguan's sense of honor. And when Xu Sanguan sells his blood so he can take his family out to a proper meal, he does not invite Yile, who paces the town, famished and in tears, offering himself as a son to any man who will buy him a bowl of noodles.
In a series of heartbreaking reversals, Xu Sanguan decides to risk his own life to save Yile and comes to understand that in a society ravaged by suspicion, hostility, and poverty, blood money not only pays debts, but forgives them as well. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man's days.
credit fantasticfiction



A review on the book by Yu Hua's which this movie is adapted from (same title)

Chronicle of a Blood Merchant

By Yu Hua
Tr. by Andrew F. Jones

Reviewed by Richard King
MCLC Resource Center Publication (Copyright March 2004)

Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay,

Gone are my friends from the cotton fields away,

Gone from the earth to a better land I know …