Indigo and Vermilion

In 1937, the medicine trade in Qizhou was in turmoil. Su Qingdai, the talented daughter of the Su family, dazzled a world in chaos with her uncanny ability to identify medicinal herbs.

This is a story of steadfast devotion spanning half a century. From the century-old braised recipe of Jidetang to cutting off her hair to declare her resolve amid the flames of war; from risking her life to protect prescriptions beneath the Japanese invaders’ iron heel to stubbornly preserving her craft alone amid the tide of industrialization.

After her father died for his country and her confidant departed, Su Qingdai took up the small medicinal spatula that embodied the spirit of craftsmanship and raised the shop’s sign again from the ruins.

She once used her mastery of medicine and ingenious techniques to outwit the powerful, and she also tested medicines on herself to save the people from disaster.

Even after ten years of turmoil and being sent to the wilderness, the “aroma of medicine” in her heart never faded.

“No one sees the care that goes into preparing medicine, but Heaven knows what is in your heart.”

This is the legend of a woman and a pharmacy, and also the final, resounding tale of traditional Chinese medicine’s legacy being mended and kept alive through blood and fire.