Bian dan, gu niang (So Close to Paradise)

After the recent economic reforms when China opened its door to the outside world, a large number of farm workers left their villages to move to the big cities looking to make their fortunes. Dong Zi and Gao Ping, two good friends, come to Wuhan, a city in central China. Like hundreds and thousands of others, they have big dreams for the big city. In Wuhan Dong Zi starts working in the docks, carrying around heavy goods. Gao Ping gets along through petty crime as a confidence trickster. After he is cheated in a scam, Gao asks Dong to help him kidnap the night-club singer, Ruan Hong. Clumsily, they pull it off and Gao Ping and the girl become lovers. Their words and behaviour arouse a longing for love in the unsophisticated Dong Zi.