Revolutionary justice

The almost forgotten saga of a military officer tried for murder in 1937 comes together in a challenging film, Wang Kaihao reports.

A historical courtroom drama is perhaps Chinese cinema's best gift for the nation's first Constitution Day, which falls on Dec 4.

Spoiler alert: A Murder Beside Yanhe River takes the viewer back to 1937, when in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, the first widely influential public trial was held in the history of the Communist Party of China. A 26-year-old military officer, Huang Kegong, was charged with killing a female student after she rejected his marriage proposal. Huang expected Chairman Mao Zedong's amnesty, but it wasn't granted.