A cycle of five black and white films, "Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest" refers to a Chinese legend in which seven philosophers, poets, musicians and writers decided to distance themselves from the chaos of the Warring States Period (third to fourth centuries) so they could live and think freely. In Yang Fudong’s version, seven young men and women explore different settings in search of their identities and an ideal life. From the misty slopes of the Yellow Mountain to the tower blocks of Shanghai as well as rural and coastal landscapes, explorations of love and surrealist scenes unfold in a series of contemplative tableaux. Alternating between a vision of nature and one of timeless modernity, the cycle highlights the aspirations and doubts of a generation living through the urban, economic and ideological upheavals of China today. The first two films in the cycle have Chinese-language dialogue and/or narration; the latter three films do not.