“Set in the years prior to the 1949 Liberation, the richly atmospheric and episodic Second Spring Mirroring the Moon is based on the life of Abing, a blind folk musician of Wuxi. His life story is well known to the people of China's beautiful southern regions and his music - including the famous erhu solo and theme song for the film, ‘Second Spring Mirroring the Moon' - has made him a national figure.
“Taught in the tradition of classical music by his father, Abing is expelled from a Taoist monastery for adapting canonized music to folk and personal melodies. Increasingly, his music comes to be associated with the spirit and struggles of the people. Refusing to play properly for the local police chief, Tiger-Li, he is beaten and blinded.
“Attempting to inspire his people on the eve of the 1937 Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Abing is again beaten by Tiger-Li and left for dead. But discovered alive after the 1949 Liberation, he is, at long last, recognized for his lifelong refusal to bend in the face of oppression. His music stands as part of, not apart from, the Chinese people.
“With a quiet anger, free from all traces of didacticism, the story of Abing is filmed in pastel colors and tinted scenes that frequently mute the immediacy of the violence.” --American Film Inst.