“THE Story of Hay Bo,” a Chinese mainland movie centering on a young woman in a relationship with an old wealthy man, received an average score of only 3.4 out of 10 on the domestic reviewing website Douban due to its poor storytelling and shoddy production.

Adapted from Hong Kong writer Isabel Nee Yeh-su’s novel of the same name published in 1979, the movie recounts the story of Hay Bo from a helpless family. Her decision to be in a relationship with an old wealthy man results in her own unhappiness.

Although the highly-anticipated movie stars veteran actor Chang Kuo-chu and popular actress Amber Kuo, it is criticized for its inauthentic backdrop settings and unconvincing plot.

“Hay Bo in the novel is an ambitious character who knows what she wants and her relationship with the old man is very complicated but in the movie, she is simply a weak girl falling in love with the old man,” a Douban user commented.

“The novel is not only about a material girl’s pursuit of wealth but also questions whether a woman can utilize her youth and beauty to depend on a man to get wealth and happiness, but the movie fails to explore these themes,” the user added.

As a prolific writer, Nee stands out with her romantic but sober stories set in modern Hong Kong. She is dubbed one of the Three Miracles in Hong Kong’s literary circles, along with Louis Cha and Ni Kuang. Nee’s romantic stories, Cha’s martial art novels and Ni’s science fictions have enjoyed tremendous popularity for decades among Chinese readers.

In 2017, mainland TV drama “The First Half of My Life,” adapted from Nee’s novel of the same name, explores modern women’s independence issues. The drama caused heated discussions online and obtained high ratings.(Cao Zhen)