tangyongr
Set against the gritty, lawless backdrop of 1990s Southwest China, Southwest Gangland: The Rise of Chu Shanhe is a dark, noir chronicle of a young man's forced descent into the abyss of organized crime.
The story follows Chu Shanhe, initially a timid high school student living in the shadow of his older brother, a legendary gangster executed during the 1983 "Strike Hard" campaign. Chu's life changes irrevocably in the summer of 1995 when he blinds a local thug to protect his mother. Released from prison ("university") with a hardened heart, he seeks protection under Chen Qiang, a ruthless "Society Boss" in Liuxiang Town.
Alongside his sworn brother Xu Rang, Chu sheds his innocence, carving out a bloody reputation through acts of extreme violence to help Chen Qiang destroy rivals and seize the town's lucrative bus station. However, in the underworld, loyalty is fragile. Paralyzed by the fear that Chu will one day usurp him, Chen Qiang attempts to execute Chu by burying him alive.
Chu is saved at the last second by Sir Niu, a young police officer with immense political backing. To survive and secure a "protective umbrella," Chu agrees to become a police mole. He travels to the perilous border city of Lincang to infiltrate a cross-border drug syndicate led by Jiang Qingbo ("Old Scarface"), a former associate of Chu's deceased brother.
In the borderlands, Chu endures brutal tests of loyalty-surviving thirteen machete wounds and strapping explosives to his chest to rescue Jiang from bandits. Having won Jiang's absolute trust, Chu ultimately chooses power and survival over the code of brotherhood. He betrays the syndicate to Sir Niu, destroying the drug ring to pave his own road to power. This is a story not of heroes, but of the cruel reality that once one enters the Jianghu, there is no turning back.