To Live is a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou. It covers the affairs of one family from the 1940s through the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.
Fugui squanders the family fortune gambling. While he is serving in the Nationalist Army his wife (Gong Li) barely gets by. During the Great Leap Forward in the 1950s, Fugui and his family serve the common good but are distraught when their son is killed in a senseless accident. Later, their daughter follows in the same path.
As in Raise the Red Lantern and The Story of Qui Ju director Zhang Yimou meticulously presents a sober view of Chinese life where the destinies of individuals are determined by forces beyond their control. To Live honors the resiliency of Fugui and his wife in the face of political change, bureaucratic incompetence, and personal tragedy.