The Garden of Youth

A group of eighth-grade boys and girls set themselves the goal of greening the vacant lot adjacent to their school and turning it into a blooming garden. At first, they thought it would be extremely easy to achieve this goal. But then there were those who argued that the garden only required physical strength (so wouldn't it be easier to hire workers?) and that schoolchildren should not be distracted from their classes, especially since many of them were falling behind. The enthusiastic gardeners did not give up. They took the weaker students under their wing. Much more was needed—special knowledge, teamwork skills, and perseverance—before the eighth graders were able to ceremoniously present the school with the first bouquets of flowers from their plot.

Directed by Weiyi Wang, The Garden of Youth leans on a strong ensemble — Manyi Su, Jie Liu, Weina Zhang — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1956.