''Waiting Alone'' ( zh, c=独自等待, p=''Dúzì Děngdài'') is a 2004 Chinese

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film written & directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Dayyan Eng ( zh, c=伍仕贤, p=''Wǔ Shìxían''), depicting the lives of a group of hip twenty-something

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

residents. The film features Chinese movie stars Xia Yu, Gong Beibi and Li Bingbing. It also features cameos of some of Asia's best known actors, including Hong Kong superstar

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility, encompassing action to melodrama and comedy and historical drama, his accolades include three Hong Kong Film Awar ...

in his first mainland Chinese film appearance. Excellent reviews and strong word-of-mouth made this

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

a cult hit in China where it was embraced by millennial audiences. The film debuted at the 2004

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

and was released in theaters in China in 2005. In the same year, ''Waiting Alone'' was nominated for three Chinese academy awards (

Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the sha ...

) including Best Picture -- the first time a nomination was awarded to a foreign director in this category. ''Waiting Alone'' was acquired for international distribution in 2006 by Arclight Films and subsequently became available on streamer platforms worldwide including Amazon Prime. With this film, Eng made history as the first American to direct a Chinese feature film, and the first and only foreign director to date (as of 2024) to have a film nominated for Best Picture at the Chinese academy awards. The film also remains the highest-rated romantic comedy from China on

Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese ci ...

and other review sites (as of 2025), resonating deeply with an entire generation of Chinese audiences.

Cast

* Xia Yu * Li Bingbing * Gong Beibi * Gao Qi * Wu Chao * Gao Yalin * Tu Songyan * Dayyan Eng * Li Lihong *

Yuan Quan Yuan Quan (, born 16 October 1977), also known as Yolanda Yuan, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama where she majored in drama. Career Yuan starred in her first film '' Rhapsody of Spring'' (1998), ...

(cameo) * Chen Yufan (cameo) *

Ying Da Ying Da (; born July 7, 1960) is a Chinese actor and director, best known in film for portraying Louie Wang in '' Big Shot's Funeral'' (2001), Ni Zhengyu in '' The Tokyo Trial'' (2006) and Jin Shenghuo in '' The Message'' (2009), and has received ...

(cameo) *

David Wu David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. Wu was born ...

(cameo) *

(cameo)

Plot Summary

Waiting Alone is a coming-of-age romantic comedy that follows Chen Wen (Xia Yu), a young co-owner of a Beijing antique shop and an aspiring novelist. Told from his point of view, the story centers on his infatuation with Liu Rong (Li Bingbing), an up-and-coming actress whom he believes might be the perfect girl. Despite their growing closeness, Wen struggles to understand why she won’t return his affections. With the help of his eccentric group of friends and his trusted confidante Li Jing (Gong Beibi), Wen navigates the challenges of modern relationships, romantic missteps, and self-discovery in a witty, grounded portrait of urban life and young adulthood in fast-changing China.

Awards

*Best Picture Nomination (Dayyan Eng) - 2005

*Best Actress Nomination (Li Bingbing) - 2005

*Best Art Direction Nomination (Thomas Chong) - 2005

*Best First Feature Award (Dayyan Eng) - 2005 Beijing College Students Film Festival *Best Actor Award (Xia Yu) - 2005 Beijing College Students Film Festival *Favorite Actress Nomination (Gong Beibi) - 2005 Beijing College Students Film Festival *Favorite Actress (Li Bingbing) - 2005 Beijing College Students Film Festival * Best New Director Nomination (Dayyan Eng) - 6th Chinese Film Media Awards *Official Selection - 17th

*Official Selection - 2006

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is a film festival held every November in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It features internationa ...

*Official Selection - 2006

Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

Reviews & Quotes:

; New Cinema Magazine: : "The funniest Chinese-language film of 2005!" ; Variety: : "Waiting Alone provides honest laughter and touching moments as it invades the modern romantic comedy turf of Woody Allen and Nora Ephron. … All thesps show good comic timing, and Xia uis especially good as the lovelorn Chen and Gong Beibi also impresses as

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 199 ...

...Will leave the cinema with a joyous bang." ; Over 50 Chinese media outlets agree: : "One of the top 10 must-see movies of the year!" ; Shanghai Weekly: : "Urban and hip... superb use of dialogue and music." ; Beijing Youth Weekly: : "The most anticipated director of 2005." ; Film World Magazine: : "Waiting Alone brings a uniquely new style and approach to Chinese cinema; it is one that cannot be found in past Chinese films. Eng is a strong and unique new talent in Chinese cinema." ; MonkeyPeaches.com: : "Top 10 Best of 2005! A fast paced comedy, which offers nothing but fun." ; Variety International Film Guide 2006: : One of the top 5 best Chinese films of 2005

References

External links

* * *
Official "Waiting Alone" Site

Xia Yu Official Site

Gong Beibi Official Site

Li Bingbing Official Site
2004 films 2004 romantic comedy films 2000s Mandarin-language films Films set in Beijing Chinese romantic comedy films {{2000s-romantic-comedy-film-stub 2005 films