In 1935, Gu Jingshen, a photographer who returned from studying abroad in Tianjin, took a photo in an alleyway embroidery workshop - the embroiderer Su Wan, wearing a green cloth cheongsam, was embroidering lotus flowers with her head lowered. The sun fell on the tips of her hair, which became the most unforgettable frame in his lens.
During a war raid, Gu Jingshen was ordered to record the front line. Su Wan took the camera he left behind and hid in the embroidery workshop in the concession, embroidering his thoughts into every inch of thread. When they met again, he had broken his right arm and she was blind in her left eye. Only the old photos in the camera and the lotus flowers on the embroidery still retained their youthful appearance.
Later, Gu Jingshen became a grandfather. Before he died, he handed the camera to his granddaughter: "Look for the person who embroidered the lotus flower." When his granddaughter found the broken embroidery at the antique market, there was half a yellowed note hidden in the embroidery thread, which said: "When you come back, take another photo of the lotus flower."
