Yue Guan

A talented and kind chef, Ling Xiaoxiao, is accepted into the delicacy role of chef in an Imperial palace thanks to the appreciative appetite of the Crown Prince, Zhu Shoukui. Set on becoming the best Imperial Chef, with the Prince's help, Ling tries to navigate the pitfalls of palace life while remaining true to her goals in the face of forbidden love.

Gong Li stars in this low-key drama about a single mother who will do anything to provide for her son. Sun Liying (Li) struggles to care for her hearing-impaired child Zheng Da (Gao Xin) after her taxi driver husband divorces her. After Zheng Da gets his hearing aid smashed in a fight with classmates, Sun Liying sets out to raise 5,000 yuan (a small fortune) to buy him a replacement. A friend helps her set up an unauthorized bookstall, which soon gets raided by the police. Later she splits her time delivering newspapers and cleaning house for a rich businessman. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival.