The story summary of the story of the rebellious master Liu Haisu

1921, Shanghai. Liu Haisu, the principal of Shanghai Fine Arts College, and Ding Xiao, a young teacher, met Ding Xiao's neighbor, Li Xiao'e, a beautiful and lively female student, on the street while holding a statue of the goddess Venus. When Li Xiao'e saw the statue, she sincerely admired the extraordinary beauty of the human body. The body painting course of the art college is limited to children's and male bodies. Although advertisements for female models have been posted for many days, there are only shaking heads and critics, but no applicants. Li Xiao'e said that she is willing to devote herself to art, and Ding Xiao is very conflicted. Li Xiao'e entered the sketching classroom with Liu Haisu's encouragement. She won the respect of students and masters alike. The art college's body painting exhibition in Yuyuan Garden attracted a lot of criticism, and was even denounced as "prostitute art." Some students were forced to leave school due to public opinion and family pressure. Li Xiao'e also ran away from home in grief and indignation. The Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces of the five provinces issued an order prohibiting models from sketching. Liu Haisu defied the feudal forces to refute the statement and was taken to court. He was calm and composed in court and argued hard, leaving the prosecutor speechless. More than half a century has passed, and the entanglement of traditional concepts and the nightmare of the "Cultural Revolution" has left people still confused about whether certain things can be "reborn". At the core meeting of the Academy of Fine Arts, Liu Haisu, an 80-year-old man, advocated life drawing. Ding Xiao, the director of the academy, was moved and inspired by it. The college openly recruits mannequins from the public.

Ding Xiao’s granddaughter Liu Yu met the local girl A Kui while sketching in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River. Akui has loved painting since she was a child, and her grandmother often praised her for her talent in painting. Liu Yu thought she was a good choice to be a model. Liu Yu was introduced to the Academy of Fine Arts. Liu Haisu and Ding Xiao felt like they had known each other for the first time when they met her. A Kui's brother A Niu and his sister-in-law learned the truth when they went to the Academy of Fine Arts to visit A ??Kui and were furious. Akui, who returned home due to illness, was angrily scolded by her brother and sister-in-law as soon as she entered the door. A Niu punched, but grandma stopped him. People in the town kept making fun of Akui, and Akui's lover Qiang Ge didn't understand her either. Akui and grandma hugged each other and cried. Liu Yu took A Kui and grandma to Huangshan to watch Liu Haisu paint. Liu Haili, who had been worried about Akui, was very happy to see them. Liu Haisu and Ding Xiao recognized Grandma Akui as Li Xiao'e. What Ding Xiao wanted to say, Li Xiao'e said that the past was in the past and there was no need to mention it again. Liu Haisu firmly believes that history will never repeat itself. The film selects the story of the famous Chinese art master Liu Haisu's interactions with two female models in the 1920s and 1980s as the main plot, showing the exploration and rebellious courage of Master Liu Haisu in order to develop the art of painting.