The Oath of the Sea

This film (drama)Also known as海的誓言，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2004Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin/Cantonese，Current Douban rating7.9(For reference only)。

The story begins on a sunset-red evening, when young Ouyang Zheng (played by Chen Xiaodong) finds himself in a small northern town. Both of Ouyang Zheng's parents are police officers, but they have both passed away. He grew up with Wen Xi (played by Deng Chao), whose parents were overthrown by the rebels, and Ye Yu (played by Gao Yuanyuan), who was fostered with her grandmother. After the Cultural Revolution, Wen Xi and Ye Yu returned to the provincial capital with their parents, and before parting, Ye Yu made a pure promise to Ouyang Zheng: "When I grow up, I'll come find you. Don't forget." As adults, the three of them find themselves in vastly different circumstances. Ouyang Zheng finally passes the university entrance exam and, after arriving in the provincial capital, reunites with the lively, 5Q-loving Wen Xi and Ye Yu. Struggling to survive, Ouyang Zheng learns that Wen Xi has feelings for Ye Yu and thus rejects Ye Yu's affection. After graduation, Ouyang Zheng is assigned to a remote small town. Years later, he returns to the provincial capital and finds himself struggling to make ends meet. After enduring the harsh transitions of life, Ouyang Zheng and Ye Yu meet again by the sea... On a sunset-red evening, young Ouyang finds himself in a coastal northern town, where his parents, both police officers, have already passed away. Ouyang relies on his single uncle in the town, who is a very intense person with a single passion for drinking. The uncle has a woman he likes, who is Wen Xi's aunt and also came from the provincial capital to this small town. Wen Xi and Ouyang become good friends, along with another girl their age named Ye Yu, whose parents are in Hong Kong and who is fostered at her grandmother’s house in the town. Another girl in their class, named Liu Xiaofen, is Wen Xi’s neighbor, and her mother, Xu Yanqiu, is known as a flirtatious woman in the town. Xu Yanqiu has affairs with many men in town but harbors a crush on Ouyang's uncle, thus she hates Wen Xi's aunt. Liu Xiaofen resembles her mother—vulgar yet pretty—with a greedy mouth. Both Ouyang and Wen Xi dislike her, and so does Ye Yu, which is why the three of them never play with Liu Xiaofen. The uncle likes the aunt but has never dared to confess his feelings. One rainy afternoon, the aunt suddenly coughs up blood and is taken to the hospital, where she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before her death, she entrusts Wen Xi to Ouyang's uncle. Wen Xi's parents are imprisoned; her father is the one the aunt loves deeply, and she gave up her job in the provincial capital to raise Wen Xi and move to this small town, waiting for Wen Xi's father to be released from prison. But now, with her illness, everything seems impossible. She asks her uncle to bury her at the top of a mountain by the sea, where she can see the only dock in the town. She believes that one day Wen Xi's father will surely appear at that dock to see her and take Wen Xi away. From then on, Wen Xi and Ouyang go to school together, skip school together, and fight with Liu Xiaofen, throwing stones at her family’s windows, while Ye Yu also joins in their play. Time passes, and suddenly a black car arrives in the small town. Two people get out; they are Wen Xi's parents, who have been vindicated, and they take Wen Xi away. As she departs, Wen Xi cries and tells Ouyang, "I'll be back in a few days." As the years go by, Wen Xi's words disappear with the sea breeze. Wen Xi does not return, and Ouyang is left alone in the town, along with Ye Yu. In the misty rain, Ouyang walks alone, and Ye Yu holds an umbrella for him, but he rejects the lonely Ouyang. Ye Yu simply puts away her umbrella and walks into the rain with Ouyang. They support each other, watching the sun rise and set, the tides come and go, childhood sweethearts in deep affection. In another twilight, Ouyang sees Ye Yu at his house, leaving a cassette recorder for him as a lasting memory. Ye Yu also leaves, going far away to Hong Kong with her grandparents to reunite with her parents. The cassette records Ye Yu's pure promise—"When I grow up, I'll come back to find you. Don't forget." Thus, in every day or night, morning or twilight, Ouyang waits, waiting to grow up, waiting for the one he misses to return. Ouyang has grown up, and he goes to the small station in town every day, watching trains rush in and then out again. He earnestly watches the people disembarking, hoping to find Ye Yu or Wen Xi among the crowd, but they do not return. Ouyang continues to wait. His uncle is also waiting, but not at the train station; he waits by the top of the mountain by the sea, beside the aunt's grave. His uncle's waiting is a hopeless one, as the aunt has gone to heaven. The uncle is old now, his hair gray, and he knows that in this life, the aunt will not come back. His only hope is for Ouyang to pass the university entrance exam and become a police officer, just like Ouyang's father. Ouyang passes the entrance exam, but his uncle dies; the long years of longing have exhausted his life. A fire tragically sweeps through their home, consuming everything completely, except for the tuition money his uncle saved for him, which thankfully was not burned, thanks to an old police officer named Liu from the town. He perished in the fire while trying to save Ouyang's uncle and retrieve the tuition money saved for Ouyang. Liu Xiaofen has also grown up, becoming a beautiful young woman, though somewhat resembling her mother—vulgar yet attractive. Many young men in town admire her, but she loves Ouyang deeply. Ouyang also leaves, departing from the town that has brought him both joy and sorrow to study in the provincial capital. Liu Xiaofen feels disappointed because she cannot go with Ouyang to the far-off capital; she did not perform well in her studies and did not go to university, staying behind to run a restaurant with Xu Yanqiu. On her eighteenth birthday, Ye Yu expresses her wish to her parents to return to the small town because she has grown up and has never forgotten the promise she made—when she grew up, she would go back to find Ouyang. Ye Yu returns to the small town, only to find Ouyang's house has become black rubble. She searches for Liu Xiaofen, who tells her that Ouyang died in the fire. Hearing this, Ye Yu feels as if her heart has been cut, losing all hope, and returns to the provincial capital to continue her studies, as she also got into university, studying cello at the conservatory. Ouyang and Wen Xi reunite in the provincial capital and recognize each other; they are both studying at the same school. Wen Xi's father has been vindicated and holds a very high position in the provincial capital. Ouyang's life is destitute, and he often relies on Wen Xi's help. Ouyang has a strong sense of pride, so he often skips classes to work part-time selling newspapers on the street, occasionally joined by Wen Xi. At school, a classmate named Bai Ying, recognized as the prettiest girl, falls in love with Ouyang at first sight and frequently looks for ways to approach him. Ouyang is appreciative, but his heart belongs elsewhere, numb to Bai Ying's feelings. By chance, one day after school, Ye Yu sees Ouyang selling newspapers in the wind and rain. At that moment, she feels that he must be her Ouyang. She rushes into the storm to look for him, but he vanishes. She waits at the intersection from dusk to sunset, from the pouring rain to the rainbow appearing on the horizon, but Ouyang's figure does not reappear. Ye Yu refuses to leave; she continues to wait. Four swift years pass in university, and at Ye Yu’s graduation performance, both Ouyang and Wen Xi recognize her. Wen Xi shows deep love for Ye Yu and intends to go backstage to find her. Heartbroken, Ouyang quietly leaves, believing that Ye Yu is no longer the same as before; she has long forgotten him, and the past promise was just child's play. His circumstances cannot compare with those of Wen Xi and Ye Yu, who are kindred spirits. Bai Ying takes care of Ouyang tenderly, deeply and affectionately, providing a comforting warmth to the scarred Ouyang. He does not refuse Bai Ying again; he does not know how to describe this feeling—more than friendship yet less than love. Wen Xi meets Ye Yu and arranges to meet at a café by the sea, bringing Ouyang along. When Ye Yu sees Ouyang, she faints because she cannot believe her lover, whom she has missed day and night, is alive and nearby. Ye Yu wakes up in the hospital, her first request being to see her Ouyang, but he does not come; only Wen Xi is by her side. Ye Yu tells Wen Xi about her longing for Ouyang, which moves and saddens Wen Xi. Wen Xi tells Ouyang that Ye Yu wishes to see him, but Ouyang coldly replies that he is busy and has forgotten everything from the past. Ye Yu finds her way to Ouyang's dormitory, but he isn't there. Instead, she sees the cassette recorder she gave him. She presses the play button, and her voice floats out—"When I grow up, I'll come back to find you. Don't forget." Ye Yu understands; she rushes out and finds Ouyang at an intersection. Through the bustling crowd, she wants to embrace her Ouyang but hesitates, letting her hands fall. Bai Ying, standing beside Ouyang, witnesses everything and quietly leaves. Ouyang, Ye Yu, and Wen Xi return to their childhood small town, watching the sun rise and set, the tides coming and going, just as they did before. There, they encounter Liu Xiaofen again. That night, a rain falls, and Ye Yu falls ill again, being sent back to the hospital in the provincial capital. Ye Yu is diagnosed with a terminal illness and the doctor says she has at most five years to live. At that moment, the only thought in Ye Yu's mind is that if she is no longer around, Ouyang would resemble her uncle, standing by her gravestone for his entire life. She wants Ouyang to be happy, so she must leave him. Ye Yu parts from Ouyang, telling him they are not the same people. Ouyang cannot believe his ears when he hears Ye Yu say such things, but she is resolute, her expression cold. He realizes that no matter what he does, even if he kneels before Ye Yu, he cannot change her mind. At that moment, he thinks the only way to forget his pain is to fulfill his ancestors' expectations, to be a good police officer, and work hard. However, misfortunes do not come alone. His previously approved special recruitment quota is canceled due to a phone call from a secretary of the Wen family. Another friend of Wen Xi takes his place as a police officer. Ouyang cannot believe that Wen Xi would do something like this to him. He wants to ask Wen Xi for clarity but sees her with Ye Yu, with Wen Xi's hand resting on Ye Yu's shoulder—supporting her when Ye Yu fainted. He once thought the love and friendship he believed in would never crumble, but in that moment, everything collapses, fading away. Ouyang is left in despair, uncertain where his future lies. He is transferred to a border region, to a remote northern town, where he becomes a teacher at a rural primary school. Five years pass quickly, and Ouyang returns to the city, reduced to working as a waiter in a small bar. At this point, Ye Yu's illness has worsened, and she is searching everywhere for Ouyang because she heard he was sent to the north, living a miserable life. She left Ouyang hoping for his happiness, never imagining his life would become so unfortunate because of her departure. Wen Xi encounters Ouyang; he is now successful in his career and wishes to rescue Ouyang from his plight. He buys a luxurious house for Ouyang and invites him to work at his unit, arranging a superior position for him, but Ouyang coldly refuses. Wen Xi does not dare to tell Ye Yu about Ouyang’s current circumstances, fearing it would upset her. Yet Ouyang only wants to live as a bartender in the bar, maintaining that miserable life. Eventually, one day, Ye Yu learns about Ouyang's situation and seeks him out in the bar but runs into a gang confrontation. As a hostage, she cannot see and hears someone plotting to kill Ouyang. She desperately shouts his name for him to leave. The gang members shove her into a car and douse her with gasoline, intending to set her ablaze. Wen Xi rushes in to save her, and the gang members shoot at Wen Xi. Ouyang uses his body to shield him from the bullets, collapsing in a pool of blood. Ouyang awakens; he hasn't died. He is a police officer who, after going north, was admitted to a police academy for graduate studies. His presence in the bar was to investigate a case, as it was a gang hideout. Wen Xi comes to Ouyang's bedside, explaining everything that has happened. Ouyang is heartbroken and rushes out to find his beloved Ye Yu, but she has already quietly left, disappearing without a trace. Time passes, and Ouyang is transferred back to the provincial capital, yet he has never forgotten his quest for Ye Yu. One day, he suddenly receives a package with no return address; inside is a cassette tape of an old song he knows well, one that Ye Yu also loved. He realizes the person who recorded it must be Ye Yu. He uses the number from the postmark and, utilizing his police identity, ultimately finds a lonely postal office in a rural area, discovering Ye Yu's whereabouts—at a fairy-tale-like little cabin by the sea. When Ye Yu learns that Ouyang is doing well and has landed a job he loves in law enforcement, she feels comforted and thus quietly leaves. She wants to remember him in a place where no one knows her, wishing him silently, blessing him quietly, and dying quietly. Once again, on a sunset-red evening, as Ye Yu plays her violin by the sea, she suddenly stops her bow. She hears a familiar sound—the footsteps she recognizes as Ouyang’s—stop beside her. Ye Yu gently reaches out, smiles, tears streaming from her already blind eyes, and touches a familiar face—it is her beloved's face, Ouyang's face...