Shunzo is a popular greengrocer in a town near Tokyo. His life, and the lives of his wife Michi, and their two children, undergoes a dramatic change when he encounters Li, a poor college student from China.
Beijing Watermelon is a 1989 Japanese slice of life film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Based partly on true events, the film follows the relationship between a Japanese greengrocer and a group of Chinese exchange students. The film is noted for the proximity of its production and release to the Tiananmen Square massacre, which forced the cancellation of plans to shoot the Beijing-set portions of the film on-location.