The Eye of the White Dolphin

In the blazing heat of August, Jingzhou is sweltering. Zhou Wentao, who works in construction, sets off on a road trip to Jinling with his wife Kong Chan, their son Zhou Ziqian, and his niece Wang Yaqi. The family of four is looking forward to a relaxed getaway in the Jiangnan region. The sights and history of this ancient capital of the Six Dynasties gradually unfold: an old bowl decorated with entwined lotus patterns at the Nanjing Museum holds a gentle legacy of enduring life; the stone beasts at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum stand silent, having witnessed a thousand years of upheaval; the Qinhuai River’s lights glow with the warmth of everyday life; and the weighty past of the Massacre Memorial Museum quietly plants seeds of reverence and maturity in the boy’s heart. Throughout the trip, strange signs quietly begin to appear: electronic devices repeatedly malfunction, plane trees move without a breeze, the summer heat grows unnaturally oppressive, and the city’s road signs seem jumbled and turned around. No one takes any of it seriously. The weather reports repeatedly assure them that Typhoon White Dolphin, number 202610, is heading straight for Shanghai, leaving Jinling safe and sound.