This is the story of the son who is forced to take over family business, and a development of his relation with his father. Each of them represents a different moral. The father is the caretaker, he wishes to continue his family line and fortune and represents conservative values. While the son is more of an individual concerned with his conscience and the suffering of the people around him. He will not sacrifice his family about them, but he is willing to sacrifice his family's fortune. The plot is even more intriguing because the father and the son have known the same woman which one marries while the other loves.

On the other hand the movie fails to inform the viewer about the main historic events that direct the events of the movie, but are barely mentioned. Also there are some personages, like the two managers that appear in two many fragments without justifying the shallow development of their personages. Personally I like it's good moral ending, though it might be a little artificial.

First off this movie LOOKS great. The cinematography, the period costumes, the landscapes and the sets were masterfully done in exacting details giving the movie a genuine feel of the period (Late Imperial China during the Boxer Rebellion). It is an historical drama as well as a tragic love story telling of a pivotal time in a family. The gravity of the film never lets up and the drama is, at some points, a bit over the top but the subject matter, the crumbling of a banking family by external and internal problems, is a heavy one. This movie comes with some very harsh scenes and will not be for everyone but those who enjoy well shot, well acted (if not a bit over the top on the drama), and well set period pieces with a touch of history will like the movie. I did.