Boyhood by the Lakeside

Synopsis of When We Were Young by the Lake

In the autumn of 2023, Ding Qinghe, from Dingjia Village by the lake, begins three years of high school at Pudu County No. 1 High School. Leaving behind the fishponds and reed beds by the lake, she moves into a dormitory and meets companions with very different personalities: Xu Zhiyao, who grew up in a government compound; Zhao Guilan, who carries her whole family's hopes; and Shen Yan, a clearheaded science student. Amid heavy schoolwork, the girls experience suspicion, companionship, and rifts.

Every weekend, Ding Qinghe travels between the city and the countryside. In the villages along Poyang Lake, elderly people left behind, young people returning home, and neighborhood disputes take turns unfolding. Between the lake's rising and falling waters lie the joys and sorrows of ordinary rural lives. The intricate rules of personal connections in the county government's offices quietly seep into the school, while the compromises and calculations of adults subtly shape the young people.

Three years fly by, and the pressure of entrance exams comes crashing down. Friendships are tested again and again, while unspoken feelings hide in the evening breeze. They witness the struggles of village life and the weight of relationships in a small town. At last, in the height of summer in 2026, the college entrance exams end, and they stand at life's crossroads with their admission letters in hand. The lake still stretches wide and restless. Carrying memories of the lakeside embankment, the young people each set off for distant mountains and rivers.