In his 1994 premiered movie To Live, the story portrays the pre and post Communist China. The depiction is made through the Xu family which consist of Fugui, Jiazhen, Youquing and Fengxia. The main character, Fugui, plays an important role because he surmounts three main calamities in his life. At the beginning of his misfortune, he loses his family mansion, after awhile, he loses his son and near the end of the movie he loses his daughter. We should note the significance of Fugui"s losses: every time he encounters a loss, China itself undergoes a transformation. These losses are inevitable tragedies that Fugui has to face, and furthermore, the transformation of China to communism, which parallel Fugui"s losses were unavoidable as well. We should also note the importance of the plot: the way Fugui and in the latter, Jiazhen, endures through these ascetic circumstances because they have the ability to acknowledge the tragedies as a part of living a life. Zhang Yimou illustrates different messages within each time period, but one main point of this movie is obvious: all the tragedies that the Xu family faces are "just a part of living.".

             Set in China during the 1940"s, we find Fugui as a gambler: An upper class master who loses his family mansion due to his uncontrollable gambling habits. Jiahen, Fugui"s wife, leaves him, making him homeless and leaving him to take care of his mother. He is forced into a different lifestyle: Fugui"s life changes dramatically - from a wealthy upper class master to a poor working class. However, his wife returns with a newly born child, Youquing. Her return provides new hope and courage for Fugui, who sets out to make a living with Taupe: a special entertainment in China using paper puppets with people playing and singing music in the background.

             Fugui"s job as a Taupe singer required heavy traveling. While playing for an audience, his friend Cheungshe and Fungui are captured by Chinese Soldiers to fight against the communists in the battle against POWS and the Reds.