So Young

So Young is a 2013 Chinese drama film directed by Zhao Wei. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name To Our Youth that is Fading Away by Xin Yiwu. The film is Zhao's directorial debut. The film's English-language title alludes to the song "So Young" by the British alternative rock band Suede from their self-titled debut album. In addition to the novel, the film was also based in part by Zhao's own personal college experience in the 1990s. The film has become a major success at the Chinese box office, grossing over US$118 million with a US$5 million budget. Plot Zheng Wei starts college as a civil engineering major to be in the same city as her childhood playmate, Lin Jing, whom she is determined to marry one day. When Wei visits Jing at his dormitory, however, she is told that Jing left for America. Unable to understand why Jing left so abruptly, Wei is confused and heartbroken. Back in her own dormitory, Wei becomes close friends with her three roommates: Ruan Guan, the most beautiful and popular girl in the class; Li Weijuan, a realistic girl who comes from a poor town but is determined to marry well; and Zhu Xiaobei, a tomboy. The four girls talk about their goals in life and all cheer to Ruan Guan's ambition—to have a youth that never fades away.