Red Sorghum (1987) was the first directorial effort of controversial Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. The director's favorite leading lady Gong Li plays a young woman of the 1920s whose family sells her into marriage with a wealthy winemaker. At first a loveless union, the relationship blossoms into one of strong friendship and mutual respect. During World War II,Gong Lifights side by side with her husband against the invading Japanese. A sweeping yet intensely personal historical epic, Red Sorghumwon the 1988 Golden Bear award at the BerlinFilm Festival. – Synopsis taken from allmovie.com