Huo zhe

In 1940s China, Xu Fugui (Ge You), a compulsive gambler, loses his ancestral home and vows to never gamble again after his wife Jiazhen (Gong Li) returns with their children. Fugui starts a shadow puppet troupe with Chunsheng, and during the Chinese Civil War, they are conscripted into the armed forces. After the Communist victory, Fugui is put on trial for counter-revolutionary sabotage, but a certificate of commendation for their shadow puppet performances helps him clear his name. A decade later, Mao's Great Leap Forward leads to widespread hardship, and the family faces new challenges. The Cultural Revolution follows, and the family's fortunes continue to rise and fall as they navigate the tumultuous mid-20th century Chinese landscape.