HOPSCOTCH

In a small town of northern China, a 13-year-old girl, who is good at the traditional Chinese Shaolin sword, is preparing for the upcoming martial arts competition. On the eve of the game, she happens to discover that her parents have been hiding one thing from her: the construction of the new house that the family bought with all their savings is forced to be abandoned. The bad news makes her unable to concentrate on the game.

The girl has been expecting to move out of the old dim shabby house. Facing the incident, the parents can do nothing but sigh and accept the reality. They don’t want their daughter to be affected and refuse to get her involved. They only hope that she can concentrate on the game. But the girl believes that fairness can be upheld and decides to work on it.

But her last hope is completely wiped out when the real estate developer committed suicide by jumping from the top of the unfinished building. 

The competition finally begins. Under the gaze of the teachers and students, the girl waves her sword in the middle of a square where a huge statue of Chairman Mao Zedong stands at the center.