Zhao Yimei was an "Empty Nest" old woman. Her husband betrayed her When she was young, and she drove her husband and son out of the house. Today, she has a poor relationship with her son who lives far away and suffers from urinary incontinence. She lost faith in life and intends to end her life. Lei Xiaoding, a health care product salesman who broke into her life "accidentally". His humorous, diligent, and caring brought long-lost love and warmth to Zhao Yimei. The two became increasingly harmonious and created many warm and happy memories. In return, Zhao Yimei bought many health products from Lei Xiaoding. Lei Xiaoding wanted to achieve something in big cities, but was frustrated everywhere. One day, he defrauded all of Zhao Yimei's savings together with others. Facing such a betrayal, Zhao Yimei fell into despair again.

The story of the film "Empty Nest" is adapted from the same name novel by a famous Chinese writer Xue Yiwei. It explores a social issue that is widespread in China or maybe in the world today: how the elderly, the empty nest, live happily in their old age.

Zhu Xijuan   as   Zhao Yimei
Zhang You   as   Lei Xiaoding
Long Gugu     as     Ms. Long
Ma Dongyan   as   Officer Gu
Zhang Hongjie   as   Lao Fan
Wei Xiaoxuan as    Policewoman
Liu Yijiang      as    Young Li Guoqing
Lin Qi     as    Young Zhao Yimei
Yu Zhiyuan     as    Young Li Daxiao
Gao Deng      as    Young Passenger
Shang Ze as Young Passenger
Huang Xiaohu as    Policeman
Tang Wenyuan      as    Policeman
Wang Yuemei as    Granny Lei
Produced and Directed by Zhang Wei
Screenplay by Zhang Min, Lian Xiufeng, Chen Ruirui, Sun Ke, Shan Guoyang, Qin Ying, Lei Chengyun, Ge Lou, Yao Wanli
Art Direction by Li Weixiong
Photography by Masato Kaneko J.S.C. (Japan)
Editing by Luo Yunpeng, Yang Zhifeng, Benjamin ILLOS (France), Bai Chengxun (Korea)
Sound by Gu Changning (C.A.S)
Music by Minami Nozaki (Japan)

In fact, I wanted to adapt the Empty Nest several years ago. There are many well-known old artists in China, but I can't find one who can match Zhao Yimei in my story. Occasionally, I chat with my friends in Shenzhen, they mentioned Zhu Xijuan, who went to the United States before, and now happens to be in Shenzhen.
I found her and told her the story of the Empty Nest in ten minutes. After a few minutes of quietness, she said that she really hoped to play this role, so we had a preliminary intention of cooperation. The more I communicated, the more she was found like the character Zhao Yimei built into my heart. Including her inner and outer temperament, intellectual image, from Jiangsu or Zhejiang province in China, and came to Shenzhen in the 1980s, the same educational background of intellectuals, and the Russian school, all of above are fit for the personal experience of the characters in my film.