In a quaint small town, there was a thunderstorm at night and a scorching sun the next day. This strange weather that had not been seen in a century made people doubt whether an earthquake would occur.

A brilliant, blackly comic script and the subtle comic genius of star Zhu Xu mark this as one of the best tragi-comedies of post-liberation Chinese cinema.

In 1894 the Japanese Imperial Navy provokes the Chinese navy to test defenses. Some Chinese want to make concessions while others want to fight. When Japan invades, some naval officers put up a heroic resistance.

The events that take place on a city bus taken daily by workers, students, intellectuals, housewives and schoolchildren are depicted, and the lives of the two conductors, a hard-working young woman and an impatient and lazy man are contrasted.

The clan law of the Yang family works against the relationships of a widow and her daughter until a new marriage law is enacted after liberation.

In 1894 the Japanese Imperial Navy provokes the Chinese navy to test defenses. Some Chinese want to make concessions while others want to fight. When Japan invades, some naval officers put up a heroic resistance.