Although set in the Chinese underworld, Ash Is Purest White seems more of a crime and punishment drama than a gangster movie. Bin (Liao Fan) is a nightclub owner and small-time gangster who lords over his men in a depressed, rural coal-mining town. But Bin’s cocky leadership ends when a rival gang comes after his territory. To save him from being beaten to death, Bin’s resourceful girlfriend Qiao (Zhao Tao) fires a gun and gets five years in prison for refusing to reveal Bin’s ownership of the illegal weapon. When she is released, she hopes to find her old love and pick up where they left off, but times have changed. Qiao is surprised to find a China she barely recognizes, changed irrevocably by the country’s embrace of a fast-growing new society and capitalism. In the role of Qiao, Zhao Tao (director Jia Zhangke's wife and muse) shows her immense talent as she portrays one of Jia’s most mature and complex characters.

In competition for the Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema award.