City of Hope

Liang Youyun is a thirty-something cadre stationed as the first secretary of Manle Village in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. Having spent two years in rural revitalization work, she is nearing the end of her assignment and eagerly anticipates returning to Beijing for a promotion. Her primary goal is to survive the final months without incident, avoiding the political pitfalls that previously forced her into this remote posting. Manle Village, located near the tropical rainforest, is preparing for the upcoming Water Splashing Festival, a time that typically brings increased tourism and administrative pressure. Liang Youyun’s routine is disrupted when three college students go missing after venturing into the rainforest via unofficial trails during heavy rain. As the village secretary, she is tasked with coordinating the search, a responsibility that fills her with anxiety due to the potential for negative public opinion and professional repercussions.

During the search, Liang Youyun becomes separated from her team and suffers from exhaustion and hunger. While resting in the forest, she hears a noise and discovers a man trapped at the bottom of a deep pit. Initially assuming he is one of the missing students, she berates him for his recklessness before realizing her mistake. The man, covered in mud and silent, reveals that he is not a student. Despite her frustration, Liang Youyun attempts to rescue him. The rescue goes awry when the rope she uses slips, causing both of them to fall into the pit. After a chaotic tumble, she manages to climb out with the man’s help, only to discover that he could have escaped on his own had he not chosen to assist her first. He then helps rescue her colleagues and the missing students, who were trapped by a landslide, before disappearing into the night without leaving his name.

Liang Youyun recovers in the hospital from a fever caused by her sprained ankle. Upon returning to work, she learns from her colleagues that the mysterious rescuer is Jiang Muhe, a former special forces soldier who returned to the region to care for his late comrade’s parents. He has built a successful restaurant chain and lives in seclusion in a nearby village. Driven by a mix of duty and curiosity, Liang Youyun, accompanied by her colleagues Zhang He and Yu Xiang, visits Jiang Muhe’s home to express gratitude. However, the encounter is tense. Jiang Muhe declines any formal recognition or public thanks, insisting that the matter be left private. When Liang Youyun refuses to meet with him alone, interpreting his request as a personal advance, the conversation ends abruptly. Zhang He later reveals that he had hoped to leverage Jiang Muhe’s business success for the development of their own village, a plan that has now been complicated by Liang Youyun’s rigid stance.

The incident leaves Liang Youyun reflecting on her own life and career. She recalls her mother’s death and her own feelings of isolation and failure in the workplace. Her interaction with Jiang Muhe stirs emotions she has long suppressed, particularly her vulnerability and desire for connection. Jiang Muhe, meanwhile, is intrigued by Liang Youyun’s fierce independence and hidden tenderness. He learns that she called out for her mother while unconscious, a detail that resonates with his own sense of loss and duty. As the Water Splashing Festival approaches, the tension between Liang Youyun’s professional obligations and her personal feelings grows. The story follows her navigation of these complex dynamics, as she balances her impending departure from the village with the unexpected emotional impact of her encounter with Jiang Muhe. The narrative explores themes of duty, loss, and the possibility of human connection in a remote, beautiful landscape.