Stichwort Shanghai

Erinnerungen in dampfenden Nudeln, eine welkende Schönheit auf der Suche nach sich selbst und eine bittersüße erste Liebe – alles Anekdoten über das Stadtleben in China. Der Film besteht aus drei Kurzgeschichten mit den Titeln »Hidamari no Chōshoku« (Sunny Breakfast), »Chiisana Fashion Show« (A Small Fashion Show) und »Shanghai Koi« (Shanghai Love), die alle in verschiedenen chinesischen Städten spielen.

Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in the 1990s, the story follows A Bao, a self-made millionaire and his journey from being a young opportunist with a troubled past to accumulating dazzling wealth in the city of Shanghai. It also follows his entanglement with four women who represent the pursuits of his life: adventure, honour, love and innocence.

The young man from the small town, Tao Wujie, was accepted into the Binjiang branch of Shenmao Bank, starting from the very bottom as a teller. His girlfriend, Tian Xiaohui, a Shanghai girl, entered a trust company through the introduction of her cousin. The two vowed to make great strides in the financial industry and strive to establish themselves in Shanghai as soon as possible. Tao Wujie, diligent and capable, stood out and was spotted and carefully mentored by the branch manager Zhao Hui and the audit director Miao Che, gradually finding his purpose and direction in his banking work; while Xiaohui, after entering the trust capital, brutally fought for survival, climbing up step by step only to discover that in this world of money, the two faced various challenges and tests. Wujie and Xiaohui, Zhao Hui and Miao Che, two generations of financial workers in the city, experienced career choices and fluctuations in fate.