Gui lin rong ji

This is a story based on the refugees of China;s revolution in 1949 who fled to Taiwan. Set in Tai-Pei, the film centers around a noodle shop owned by Rong Rong (Carol Cheng, in a terrific performance). Basically, you meet a small group of people affected by the revolution and how they make do. Rong Rong, whose husband was in the military and is presumably dead, has a niece named Xiu-Hua, whom she helps out monetarily. She wants to match him with Teacher Lu (kevin Lin), the respectable young man who goes to the shop. That is just one small part of this film, which has fringe characters that are also part of the narrative. My one complaint is at least for a while the film jumps in time, forward but mostly back, and you're not sure exactly what year it is. However, stick with this film and I think you'll find it a compelling, authentic, character driven slice of life.