I would not reccomend this movie for the impatient. It goes extremely slowly and frequently dwells on mundane scenes. But if you can take it, it is a pretty interesting story. As noted above, the plot goes through a series of unfair situations which are often pretty humorous and relatable. The main plot deals with materialism, jealousy, and righteous perseverence. At first I found the ending to be pointless and stupid, but if you think about it, it's really pretty optimistic. The acting is also top notch, although there are only a few scenes with heavy dialogue (again, it moves slow). Visually, it depicts Beijing quite well, with all its ramshackle residential areas and paradise-like hotels. An overall well done movie...that should've been half as long.