Character Relationship Map: To Live

Characters

• Xu Fugui (played by Ge You) — protagonist
• Chunsheng (played by Guo Tao) — supporting
• Wan Erxi (played by Jiang Wu) — supporting
• Long'er (played by Ni Dahong) — supporting
• Mantou (played by Zhang Kang) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Xu Fugui → Wan Erxi (Family Father-in-Law)

  Wan Erxi marries Fugui's daughter and later accompanies the family during the childbirth crisis.

• Xu Fugui → Mantou (Family Grandfather)

  Six years later, Fugui visits the graves with Mantou and speaks optimistically about the boy's future.

• Wan Erxi → Mantou (Family Father)

  The newborn is the child of Wan Erxi's marriage, and Erxi later buys chicks for his son.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Chunsheng → Mantou (Narrative Older Generation Contrast)

  Chunsheng's guilt over the earlier death is contrasted with the later family life surrounding Mantou.

• Chunsheng → Wan Erxi (Social Political Contemporary)

  Chunsheng remains in government while Wan Erxi is a local Red Guard leader during the Cultural Revolution.

• Xu Fugui → Chunsheng (Alliance Performance Partner)

  Fugui starts a shadow puppet troupe with Chunsheng.

• Xu Fugui → Long'er (Conflict Gambling Opponent)

  Xu Fugui loses his ancestral home to Long'er through compulsive gambling.

Story Analysis

A family survives gambling, war, political upheaval, and repeated bereavement while preserving a fragile belief in the future.

Plot Progression

1. From Gambling to Puppets
2. War and Political Survival
3. Steel and Irreversible Loss
4. Marriage Under Revolution
5. Grief and Continuing Life