Movie reel

Qiu Xi

Sun Zhou's latest spy movie Qiu Xi takes place in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou before the country's liberation by the Communist Party in 1949. Qui Xi, played by mainland actress Jiang Yiyan (The City of Life and Death) is a servant to Yan Haiqing, played by actor Guo Xiaodong (Summer Palace), a secret communist agent who works for the ruling nationalist regime. Qiu's love for the man who is responsible for trying to keep the country under Kuomintang rule contrasts sharply with the ongoing civil war and the tension and destruction it carries with it.

Meanwhile, Yan's boss Xia Huimin, played by the director's real-life brother Sun Chun, tries to uncover and expose the identity of the underground communist agent to give the narrative a strong dramatic tension.