Please Name This Show!

[AvocadoJojo]

Hello! My parents are from China and I was born in America. I cannot read or write Chinese. I can converse in Taishanese/Cantonese because I watched Chinese shows/movies when I was growing up.

I was explaining to my family a show we watched before but I can’t only remember some scenes. They don’t know which show I’m talking about. Maybe you can help me?

 

Release Date: The quality of the show makes me think the show came out in the 1980’s or 1990’s since it was a little grainy (could also be because it was VHS). It’s definitely before 2006 since I remember it was before we moved from one place to another.

Language: I watched it in Cantonese but it may or may not have been dubbed from Mandarin.

Setting: It was a period time piece of famine in China. It was NOT in an “ancient” time with a king. This whole village had absolutely nothing to eat and a disease could be part of the problem.

Memorable Scene: This family has a valuable pet cow that they love very much. Hungry villagers became so frustrated from hunger that they all attacked the cow (while it was still alive). The family was devastated. One male villager chopped off the cow’s tail and the cow let out a painful moo. (Of course, they didn’t show the gruesome detail since it’s a show.) This guy was holding the oxtail like it was gold and he was so happy like he won the lottery. He quickly brought it home where his wife has been sick in bed and directed his (late teen/early 20’s) daughter to make oxtail soup for the wife. When the daughter brought in the bowl of soup to her mom’s room, she dropped the bowl when she realized his mom is dead. The father came in like “why’d you dropped valuable soup?” and then also realized his wife is dead. Back to the family with the pet cow, family were all sitting around in their home upset. One family member brought in some meat from the cow to maybe feed the family’s hunger and someone went off on him that the cow was a good cow and was family to them and how dare he try to eat the cow’s meat.

 

If you have recollection of what this show is, please let me know!!

 

Thank you!!

Joanne

 

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Possible Related Scene: I’m not sure if this is part of the show or I’m mixing shows up. One daughter was sick and separated into a barn-like area because she’s contagious. Her mom couldn’t leave her daughter like that so she was bringing in food and taking care of her. The mom started getting rashes, too. That’s when the father realized the mom has been going into the barn and yelled at her that she needs stay away. This may be a different show.