The Grain People of Heaven and Earth

This film (drama)Also known as天地粮人，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2006Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating8.8(For reference only)。

The story tells of a generation of conscientious "grain people." The male protagonists, Gao Yuan and Qu Zhengping, are close friends. More than thirty years later, Gao Yuan returns to his hometown as the newly appointed director of the Grain Bureau. Shortly after taking office, he receives a mysterious "anonymous letter" reporting that the grain depot is actually empty, directly targeting Qu Zhengping, who is now the vice governor. Determined to investigate the truth, Gao Yuan faces interference and surveillance from various parties. Why is there an empty depot at the Hongqi Grain Storage? Who is the mysterious informant? A series of puzzling mysteries confront Gao Yuan. The two male leads, Gao Yuan and Qu Zhengping, are played by Li Youbin, known as a "police specialist," and Zhang Zhizhong. When discussing the play, Li Youbin stated, "Acting should not start from events, but from the feelings of characters. Performance is not a competition, but a process of understanding the role, society, and issues." Zhang Zhizhong, who traditionally portrays "tough guy" roles, plays Qu Zhengping in "The Grain People of Heaven and Earth." Due to differing political views, he parts ways with his friend Gao Yuan and becomes an adversary. With his rich acting experience, he portrays the character's struggle between emotion and self-interest in a vivid and moving manner. This is a long television series set against the backdrop of the grain industry, deeply concerned with "grain safety" and issues related to "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers," while passionately celebrating the high sense of responsibility and selfless dedication of "grain people" to society. The protagonists Gao Yuan, Qu Zhengping, and Fang Jie spent their youth during the "Three Years of Natural Disasters." Linked by grain, Gao Yuan, a descendant of peasants, and Qu Zhengping, the son of the county party secretary, formed a bond of life and death; similarly, through grain, Gao Yuan develops a vague romantic connection with Fang Jie, the daughter of an agricultural expert. Nearing forty years later, Qu Zhengping is now the vice governor in charge of agriculture and grain, while Fang Jie has become a senior engineer at the provincial grain inspection agency—seven years after her divorce from Gao Yuan. One day, shortly after his divorce from his ex-wife Ye Wen, Qu Zhengping is preparing to make his relationship with Fang Jie public, which has evolved from their youthful friendship, when Gao Yuan suddenly returns as the new director of the Grain Bureau... thus, the story officially begins. Gao Yuan's return is not just about rekindling a relationship; he is someone who has vivid memories of the years of famine, has been working in the grain sector, and regards grain as his life. Upon discovering an empty depot in his hometown, which has been completely emptied by "grain rats," he decides to carry out a "Four Clean and Four Investigate" initiative aimed at understanding local conditions and establishing a sound grain reserve security system. Ironically, Qu Zhengping, having achieved remarkable political results as the Grain Bureau director, gets promoted to vice governor, and the Hongqi Grain Depot is one of his model projects! As such, conflicts intertwined with friendship arise over the mystery of the empty depot and the whereabouts of the funds from it. Thanks to the firm support of Governor Chang Yanbin and the enthusiastic backing of officials represented by Sun Li, the director of the Grain Bureau, Gao Yuan finally overcomes the resistance from Qu Zhengping and Li Yongbao, the head of the Heji Grain Bureau, to expand the province-wide investigation. To cover up the problem and deflect criticism, Qu Zhengping insists on piloting "marketization of grain procurement and sales" in Heji at the beginning of summer harvest, leading to individual grain merchants, represented by Meizi, troubling the state-owned grain station to the brink of closure. This coincides with a heavy rain that causes “sprouted wheat” to appear everywhere, leading to a significant shortage in commodity grain. Farmers, having already ceased to store grain, face issues even providing for themselves! Faced with such a severe grain security situation, Gao Yuan organizes an emergency grain transfer from other provinces and begins seeking solutions for farmers dealing with sprouted wheat. However, at this time, under Li Yongbao's hint, Qu Zhengping realizes that the funds related to the empty depot are connected to his ex-wife, and that continuing the investigation could threaten his position. He paradoxically and painfully takes advantage of Governor Chang Yanbin's trip abroad to strike against Gao Yuan, using the sprouted wheat incident as an excuse to suspend Gao Yuan’s role as director... At this moment, Gao Yuan wrestles with his thoughts; he contemplates angrily resigning and returning to Beijing. However, facing the farmers who are his own kin and are at a loss, and the potential for a "grain shortage," he recognizes his responsibility. He chooses to set aside personal gain and, with steadfast support from the staff of the Grain Bureau and the grain industry, continues working to prevent a grain crisis. At this point, not only Gao Yuan but many individuals, including Meizi, make their own correct life choices, and Fang Jie also makes her emotional choice—Qu Zhengping no longer holds a place in her heart. Grain is the "foundation of prices" and a special commodity concerning the national economy and people's livelihood. Gao Yuan's actions truly represent the group of "grain people," embodying a "duty" spirit of high responsibility to the nation and society. For example, a grassroots grain station head named He Shunfa, facing personal destiny being at its end due to being ostracized by Li Yongbao, does not forget his own responsibilities, quietly collecting and safeguarding grain in a remote area, supporting a grain station operated by just himself! Similarly, Gao Yuan's childhood playmate, Ding Zhigang, returns from military service to work at the Heji Grain Bureau, unafraid of Li Yongbao's power, and selflessly takes "shocking" actions for grain safety. Sadly, Qu Zhengping neglects the dire situation of grain security and mistakenly initiates a "fruits and vegetables substitute for grain" trial in Heji to create personal political achievements, sacrificing grain production to guide poor farmers in the province toward wealth. As a result, Heji quickly becomes a so-called model with "no grain households, no grain villages, no grain townships." The outcome is that farmers without grain rush to Heji City to buy grain, ultimately triggering a preventable "grain shortage"... Finally, through efforts from Gao Yuan and others, the "grain shortage" is quelled. With full support from Secretary Hao of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor Chang of the provincial government, the investigation that Qu Zhengping had interrupted resumes comprehensively. Qu Zhengping seems to recognize his mistakes and voluntarily offers to resign. Li Yongbao, who had used Qu Zhengping for his own purposes, also faces proper punishment... However, the plot does not seem to conclude entirely, as Gao Yuan's public remarks continue to resonate, sparking reflections: the abolition of grain tickets and grain stores does not mean that "eating grain" is no longer a problem for us. While cherishing grain like Gao Yuan, the entire society should heighten its awareness of grain security and the critical issues concerning "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers." Fortunately, it is heartening that this issue is now beginning to receive significant attention.