Everlasting Regret is based on Changhen Ge, Anyi Wang's multi- award-winning novel that was voted the most influential work of the 1990s in China. Set in Shanghai, it follows the life of the legendary and celebrated beauty, Qiyao, from her pre-Revolution glamour and status to her simpler life as she struggles to preserve the dignity of her past while surviving the constant betrayal by her men. She stands proud and bears witness to the waves of change in her city from 1947 to 1981, until one wave finally overwhelms her. The film is a visionary exploration of history and personal experience conveyed through a refined aesthetic and a romantic style that characterised the pre-Communist literature of Shanghai.