'Before Next Spring,' a film about a Chinese student drifting through Japan while forming friendships with people he encounters, was released nationwide on March 11.

As Li Gen's directorial debut, "Before Next Spring" tells the story of exchange student Li Xiaoli (played by actor Xie Chengze), who goes to Japan to study in a remote part of Tokyo called Fuchinobe for a year. Being clumsy and reluctant to bother his family, he looks for work to support himself but repeatedly suffers from failures. With the help of his alumnus Qiu Qiu (played by actress Qiu Tian), he finally finds a job in Nankokute, a Chinese restaurant, where the acting manager Guan Wei (played by actress Qi Xi) decides to take care of him. However, trouble ensues when clerk Qingmu (played by actor Niu Chao) regards him as his love rival.

Li Gen's own experiences in Japan inspired the semi-autobiographical drama. It is very much an ensemble piece with Matthieu Laclau and Tsai Yann-Shan skillfully weaving together the appealing characters and exploring the themes of contemporary youth, loneliness, and goodbyes.

"I chose the subject of goodbyes because I missed the warmth in life and family love at home," Li said at the premiere held on March 6 in Beijing. "First, I wanted to portray these characters and their relationship in my film, but later I found every one of them was facing a kind of farewell. So the theme of farewell found me."

Xie Chengze, the leading actor, also studied in Japan. "It is not easy living overseas. When I acted the character during the filming, I borrowed experiences from my own too."

Li is the son of famous actor Li Xuejian, a household name in China, who suffered from nasopharynx cancer more than two decades ago. Li Gen's mother, Yu Haidan, rarely appears at public events, but she showed up at the premiere to congratulate her son on his film and thanked everyone who supported their family.

"I felt if I became a director, my father might not have been so tired and hardworking anymore. Maybe I could even earn some honors and make him proud. But at last, I found being a director is not easy and is a tough job," Li Gen said.

Li Xuejian has healed from cancer and started participating in some movie and TV projects. According to his wife Yu, he is currently filming his role in the upcoming and much-anticipated sequel to the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster "The Wandering Earth."

Director's father had attended an advanced screening at last year's Beijing International Film Festival, where "Before Next Spring" was shortlisted to compete for the festival's Tiantan Award. "He presented this film as a birthday gift to me. After I finished, I thought, this lad can direct," Li Xuejian said at the time.

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