Xu Wenqiang (Chow Yun Fat), a student in Beiping, lost not only his lover but also his freedom in the student movement. After three years in prison, he is determined to turn over a new leaf and fight for his future. He came to the bustling city of Shanghai alone. As a newcomer, he had no friends. He met Li Ding (Lv Liangwei), a poor pear seller, and they became friends.
Xu Wenqiang finds her old classmate and Shanghai socialite Fang Yanyun (Lin Jianming). With the help of Fang Yanyun, Xu Wenqiang began to join the Shanghai mafia, and with his resolute and brave style, he eventually became the leader of one side in a rebellion. Xu Wenqiang, who has achieved something, never forgets his old feelings and invites Li Ding to join his company and become his right-hand man.
Feng Jingyao (Liu Dan), a tycoon in the French Concession, takes a fancy to Xu Wenqiang's talent and wants to keep it for himself, while Xu Wenqiang wants to open up a world by himself. Although he is unwilling, he still keeps close contacts with Xu and Ding and becomes close partners.
Feng Chengcheng (Angie Chiu), the daughter of Feng Jingyao, returned from studying in Beiping and was taken hostage by a killer at the railway station. Xu Wenqiang tactfully resolved the crisis and won the beauty's heart. Feng Chengcheng was obsessed with Xu Wenqiang and took the initiative to associate with Xu Wenqiang. However, Xu Wenqiang was so absorbed in her career that she didn't want to talk about her children, so their relationship was at arm's length.
In a gang dispute, Li Ding, who was not calm enough, attacked and killed Kim, the leader of the other side, which triggered a gang siege on Xu Wenqiang. Xu Wenqiang and Li Ding have no choice but to go to Feng Jingyao. Feng Jingyao exultation, with two people as the right-hand man. In this way, Feng Chengcheng has the opportunity to get close to Xu Wenqiang frequently.
Finally, Xu Wenqiang understood her heart and found herself in love. The two finally made it clear to each other that they were going to get married in a few days. At this critical juncture, Xu Wenqiang discovered that Feng Jingyao colluded with Japanese spy Yamaguchi (Ouyang Peishan) and sold him information, and learned that Yamaguchi would attack the patriotic group Jingwumen that night.
Xu Wenqiang thinks twice, and decides to inform Chen Hanlin (Tang Shi), the ex-boyfriend and patriotic youth of the love affair, to tell him where Jingwumen Yamaguchi and others are hiding their weapons. That night, Xu Wenqiang was sent by Feng Jingyao to contact Xiangzi Pass, and the congregation of Jingwumen who stole the weapons ambushed Xiangzi Pass, and Xu Wenqiang killed Xiangzi Pass in the melee.
Knowing Xu Wenqiang's betrayal, Feng Jingyao was furious. In order to explain to the Japanese side and the police department, he sent people everywhere to search for Xu Wenqiang. Xu Wenqiang hid in the home of his poor friend Chang Gui in Li Ding, but was found by Li Ding, and he was ordered to arrest him. Li Ding doesn't want to betray Feng Jingyao, but he doesn't want to hurt Wen Qiang either. He cut off his tail and pointed it at Feng, and gave him a ticket to leave Shanghai.
With the help of Chen Hanlin, looking at Feng Chengcheng, who had been waiting for him, Xu Wenqiang fled Shanghai awkwardly. When the train arrived in Hongkong, Xu Wenqiang, who was in trouble, met Uncle Cheng's family. Under the introduction of fellow villagers, Xu Wenqiang found a clerical job in Hongkong and started an ordinary life. I saw Uncle Cheng's granddaughter and aunt fall in love with him, so I married her and planned to forget the past and start over.
Feng Jingyao didn't let him go. He got the clue that Xu Wenqiang appeared in Hong Kong, so he sent a killer to Hong Kong. At the same time, Cheng Cheng also heard that Wen Qiang was in Hong Kong and found it alone. Persuaded by Chen Hanlin, Xu Wenqiang met Feng Chengcheng and explained his present situation to her. The relationship left in despair. But unexpectedly, the murderer followed his love affair to Xu Wenqiang's home, but instead of seeing Xu Wenqiang, he killed her three grandparents.
Xu Wenqiang, who lost his loved ones, is going crazy. He decided to go back to Shanghai and take revenge on Feng Jingyao. After Xu Wenqiang left, Li Ding devoted himself to pursuing the journey. Love never forgets to learn that Wen Qiang's return to Shanghai is not good for his father. She wanted to settle this feud and asked Xu Wenqiang to leave Shanghai with him, but Wen Qiang wouldn't listen.
Finally, Li Ding was injured once. Before the operation, she proposed to Cheng Cheng, and Cheng Cheng agreed with tears. Xu Wenqiang can't accept that his lover wants to marry his best friend, but there is nothing he can do. He quickened the pace of revenge. In order to compete with Feng Jingyao, he threw himself into the arms of Nie Wangren under the banner of patriotism and retaliated with his strength.
Li Ding's power is growing, and so is his ambition. With long-standing friendship, Xu Wenqiang asked Li Ding to avenge him. Li Ding then found an opportunity for Xu Wenqiang to meet Feng Jingyao alone, so that the two could compete fairly.
After a Russian roulette game, the defeated Feng Jingyao was shot by Xu Wenqiang. At this point, Feng Chengcheng, who came here, couldn't accept all this, and he didn't have the heart to kill Xu Wenqiang to avenge his father. He was disheartened and soon went to France.
Li Ding and Xu Wenqiang once again joined hands to eradicate dissidents, and Nie Wangren, who wanted to monopolize a country, also died at the hands of Ding Li, the national monopoly concession. But Xu Wenqiang is not interested in all this. He wants to go to France to find a journey. It was the night before he left that the French attacked. At the door of the warm and quiet coffee shop, a burst of disorderly shooting, Xu Wenqiang fell in a pool of blood.
2. Shanghai Beach is a drama of the Republic of China produced by tvbi, directed by Chun Keung Chiu and Tan Ruiming, starring Chow Yun Fat, Angie Chiu and Lv Liangwei.
The play is set in Shanghai during the Republic of China and describes the love story between Xu Wenqiang and Feng Chengcheng. The play premiered on TVB in Hongkong on 1980, and was introduced to China mainland on 1985. 1990 TVB of Hong Kong held the selection of "Top Ten TV Plays in 1980s", and "Shanghai Beach" ranked first.