Springtime in a Small Town () is a 2002 Chinese film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. The film is a remake of director Fei Mu's 1948 film, Spring in a Small Town. Though the two movies are referred to by different English titles, they share the same title in Chinese.
Springtime in a Small Town marks the return of Tian Zhuangzhuang to the director's chair, following a nearly nine-year absence since his last film, The Blue Kite (1993). It was funded by several production companies from China (Beijing Film Studio, Beijing Rosart Film), France (Orly Films, Paradis Films), and the Netherlands (Fortissimo Films).
Unlike Kite, which deployed a large cast, spanned decades, and carried a political message, Springtime is a small intimate chamber-piece.Synopsis
The film follows Fei Mu's original fairly closely. Zhang Zhichen (Xin Baiqing), a city doctor, comes to visit his old friend from school Dai Liyan (Wu Jun) shortly after the war against the Japanese has ended. Dai is sickly although Zhang suspects it to be mainly a case of hypochondria. While visiting, he meets Liyan's wife, Yuwen (Hu Jingfan) and Liyan's young teenage sister Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi).