Set along the Sanhe area south of Hongze Lake in Jiangsu, The Story of the East and West Banks slowly unfolds the sweeping, 80-year saga of three generations of the Ji family. The river separates not only the fertile land on the east bank from the low-lying west bank, but also three generations' enduring search for survival and for their true selves.
In the bitter winter of 1944, after her husband died of illness, Yu Yulan, the first generation of the Ji family, fought back with scissors against her clan's attempt to sell her daughter for food. Amid famine and the upheaval of land reform, she stood firm like the reeds along Sanhe, chewing on reed roots and holding fast to the belief that as long as the roots survive, new shoots will sprout in spring. She protected her children and etched her indomitable spirit into the Ji family bloodline.
The second generation, Ji Zhonghu, grew strong through working the land. From a boy hauling plows and harrows to a leading member of a mutual-aid team, he held the land in deep reverence. Floods could not break his resolve to reclaim wasteland, and changing policies could not shake his determination to defend his land.
