The Fragrance of Chrysanthemums

This film (drama)Also known as几度菊花香，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2008Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating7.2(For reference only)。

On the eve of Shanghai's liberation in 1949, Lu Jiaqi, the owner of the Huxin Textile Factory, discovered that his cousin Lu Jialiang was having an affair with his concubine Surong. Furious, and under the instigation of his legal wife, Lu Jiaqi decided to leave Lu Jialiang behind in Shanghai to manage the family business, while he took his whole family to Hong Kong, actually intending to use the knife of the Communist Party to kill his own brother. The pregnant Surong, aware of Lu Jiaqi's sinister intentions, resolutely chose to stay with her beloved Lu Jialiang, shocking Lu Jiaqi. Soon, Surong gave birth to a son named Lu Jianguo, coincidentally in the same delivery room where two other newborns arrived: one was the son of the PLA commander Gao Dajie, named Gao Hongqi, and the other was the daughter of Lu's enemy — the worker Hao Dage from the Huxin factory, named Hao Aihua. From that moment on, the three children were bound by fate. Time passed, and the now teenage Hao Aihua developed feelings for the honest and kind Lu Jianguo. However, Gao Hongqi, son of high-ranking officials, also fell in love with Hao Aihua. Naturally, the less privileged Lu Jianguo tried to withdraw from this romantic pursuit, but his intelligence and good looks not only captured Hao Aihua's heart but also attracted the admiration of Zeng Kangmei, the daughter of a martyr. Zeng Kangmei's passionate pursuit of Lu Jianguo provoked jealousy in her boyfriend Zhao Dongfang. When the "up to the mountains and down to the countryside" movement began, Lu Jianguo, Gao Hongqi, Hao Aihua, Zeng Kangmei, and Zhao Dongfang all threw themselves into this sweeping tide. At that time, Hao Dage, who had become the director of the Huxin Revolutionary Committee, used his power to stop Hao Aihua from dating Lu Jianguo. He arranged for Lu Jianguo, Gao Hongqi, Zhao Dongfang, and Zeng Kangmei to be assigned to remote rural areas in Guangxi, while sending Hao Aihua alone to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Deeply in love with Lu Jianguo, Hao Aihua resolutely broke away from her family and gave up her placement at the Corps to follow Lu Jianguo to Guangxi. In the economically and spiritually impoverished countryside of Guangxi, love quietly blossomed. The couple Lu Jianguo and Hao Aihua finally came together. Zeng Kangmei and Gao Hongqi also found their own love—Zeng Kangmei accepted Zhao Dongfang's affection, while Gao Hongqi began a romance with the village party secretary's daughter, Juxiang. However, their dreams of happiness were short-lived. A year later, a transfer order from Hao Dage brought Hao Aihua back to the city, separating her from Lu Jianguo once again. Gao Dajie returned to leadership, and Hao Dage summoned Gao Hongqi back to the city to facilitate a marriage between Gao Hongqi and Hao Aihua, achieving a "political marriage." After returning to the city, Gao Hongqi learned that Juxiang was pregnant with his child. Meanwhile, Li Xingfu, a village cadre who had unsuccessfully pursued Juxiang, took revenge on her. In order to protect Juxiang, Lu Jianguo voluntarily claimed the child was his and married Juxiang, naming their son Lu Zhiqing. Lu Jianguo and Zeng Kangmei agreed to keep this matter a secret from Gao Hongqi and Hao Aihua for life. Unaware of the truth, Hao Aihua was devastated when she learned of Lu Jianguo's marriage and impulsively married Gao Hongqi. Leveraging his family's connections, Gao Hongqi rapidly ascended to the position of deputy factory director of Huxin and head of the textile bureau. Soon, Zeng Kangmei and Zhao Dongfang also returned to the city. Lu Jianguo remained in Guangxi, living with Juxiang and their child. Surong fell ill, and on her deathbed, she entrusted Lu Jianguo's nanny, Jinfeng, to take care of him. Jinfeng traveled to Guangxi to persuade Lu Jianguo to return to the city, but he refused. As the great migration back to the city began, Juxiang, unwilling to burden Lu Jianguo, proactively sought a divorce, and Lu Jianguo then set off for the city, working as an ordinary factory worker at Huxin. Life was very hard for the widowed Juxiang. In order to provide a better life for her and Zhiqing, Lu Jianguo took on a second job, drawing severe criticism from factory director Gao Hongqi. Zeng Kangmei stood up for Lu Jianguo, informing Gao Hongqi of Zhiqing's background, which shocked Gao Hongqi. However, to protect his political future, Gao Hongqi insisted that Lu Jianguo and Zeng Kangmei keep the matter secret and agreed not to obstruct Lu Jianguo's second job. Soon, Lu Jianguo was sentenced to three years for economic crimes. During his imprisonment, Gao Hongqi voluntarily supported Juxiang and her child by sending them money. Juxiang, unwilling to add to Lu Jianguo's burdens, married a mute villager and returned all the money Gao Hongqi had sent on Lu Jianguo’s behalf. After serving his sentence, Lu Jianguo sought jobs everywhere but was repeatedly rejected due to his criminal record. Just when he felt hopeless, Lu Jiaqi passed away in Hong Kong, bequeathing his inheritance to Lu Jianguo. Lu Jun, the son of the legal wife, attempted to seize the inheritance by suing Lu Jianguo, claiming he was not Lu Jiaqi's biological son. Paternity tests confirmed that Lu Jianguo was indeed Lu Jiaqi's son, while Lu Jun was not. Consequently, Lu Jianguo inherited the family business and became the president of the Xinxin Group. To ensure Zhiqing could attend university, Juxiang traveled to the county seat for work as a temporary worker at a quartz sand factory. A year later, she collapsed at work and was diagnosed with stage two pneumoconiosis, forcing her to return home. Upon learning that Juxiang needed a lot of money for lung treatment, the mute man went to work in a small coal mine but tragically died in a cave-in. With her severe health condition, Juxiang could only manage to survive by making chrysanthemum tea. Lu Jianguo entrusted the operations of the Xinxin Group to his sister Lu Ying and returned to Shanghai, where he partnered with Pan Feng, whom he met in Macau, to start a real estate company. The rebellious and fashionable Gao Hongqi fell madly in love with his superior, Lu Jianguo, who was also the first love of her mother, causing a family turmoil. To fulfill their father's wishes, Lu Ying came to Shanghai and decided to spend a large sum to acquire the heavily indebted Huxin, but the acquisition faced strong opposition from old staff members like Hao Dage and Gao Dajie. Lu Jianguo fervently worked to reconcile both sides, and they finally reached a joint-venture agreement. As Juxiang's condition deteriorated, she eventually passed away. Lu Jianguo, Gao Hongqi, and all of the educated youth reunited in the Guangxi countryside, where the true identities of the educated youth were revealed. It was then that Hao Aihua learned about the real reasons why Lu Jianguo had abandoned her for Juxiang. Three months later, the "Shanghai Gonghe Textile Co., Ltd." was officially established. During the company's inaugural meeting, Hao Aihua received Lu Jianguo's resignation letter. It turned out that Lu Jianguo had started a travel company and was currently leading a group of tourists on a "dream-seeking journey" to Guangxi...