Map of the four major families in Jinling during the Republic of China
to 1927-1937 During the National Government period in Nanjing in 1998, the story is about the rise and fall of the four major families of Lin, Su, Gu and Wu. The Lin family (a scholarly family) collects the secret recipes of Jinling scriptures and Shizhuzhai manuscripts; the Su family (Yunjin merchant gang) controls the brocade industry in the south of the Yangtze River but relies on military and political power; the Gu family (military and political upstarts) controls the economic lifeline through marriage; and the Wu family (a family that studied abroad) brings Western ideas but is trapped in the whirlpool of power.
Anchor points of historical background: Select the historical turning points of Nanjing as the plot propeller - the Nationalist Government established the capital in 1927 (the rise of the family), the Yangtze River floods in 1931 (industrial crisis), and the approach of the Japanese army in 1937 (the ultimate choice). Regional symbols are used throughout: the Qinhuai River Painted Boat serves as an information exchange station, the cloud brocade pattern hides a code, Bai Ju's lyrics convey current situation information, and the Ten Bamboo Studio Notes become a secret carrier
