Director Qiu Jiongjiong follows his 2021 feature A New Old Play with Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting, a 135-minute film that weaves together over 2,000 years of myth and history through four stories centered on special meals and banquets. The word "fuxi" means both delicious food as a noun and the act of savoring food as a verb.
The four unrelated segments mix slapstick comedy with moments of solemnity. Qiu connects them through a framing device about a film crew making each story, with actors Wen Ke and Xiao Luxi playing the sun and moon in massive headpieces.
The first chapter depicts ancient hominids living in the forest with sacred tails that get served as food when an elderly woman, played by Lee Kang-Sheng, dies. The second follows King Wang, who abdicated Sichuan's throne and transformed into a cuckoo bird, returning annually to eat a prepared feast. Actor Fan Guang Yao performs the role while wearing giant fake wings and a white wig.
The third chapter draws its heft from four fantastical creatures gathering to remember poet and gastronome Su Dongpo, played by Lee Hong-Chi. A Harvester, water spirit Yaksha, an older woman called Granny Spring Dream, and a fox in human form share dishes associated with Su's life while scenes from his past play out. Actors Wang Yitong, Xue Xuchun, Wang Hai, Wang Talu, and Zha Xinji make up this ensemble.
The final story centers on servant boy Zhang Sanxing, played by Zhou Jiarui, living during the fall of the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century. The film premiered in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival. Much dialogue reportedly uses the Sichuan dialect, which native speakers will recognize more fully than international audiences. Qiu deploys painted stage sets, rippling cloths for water, and actors in wacky costumes playing fantastical beings, creating an effect reminiscent of commedia dell'arte.