In 1880's China, young Lalu is sold into marriage by her impoverished father. Rather than becoming a bride, Lalu ends up in an Idaho gold-mining town, the property of a saloon owner who ...
See full summary »
Crazy Rich Asians star Gemma Chan gets real about her favorite movies, her "Queer Eye" desires, and her biggest TV crush.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Thousand Pieces of Gold (1991)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win & 1 nomination.
See more awards »
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rosalind Chao | ... | Lalu | |
| Chris Cooper | ... | Charlie | |
| Michael Paul Chan | ... | Hong King | |
| Dennis Dun | ... | Jim | |
| Jimmie F. Skaggs | ... | Jonas | |
| Will Oldham | ... | Miles | |
| David Hayward | ... | Ohio | |
| Beth Broderick | ... | Berthe | |
| Kim Chan | ... | Li Ping | |
 |
Chris Evans | ... | Sailor #2 |
|
|
Weili Fan | ... | Sayan |
|
|
Evan C. Kim | ... | Shun Lee |
| Freda Foh Shen | ... | Ah Ling | |
|
|
John M. Hosking | ... | Watkins |
|
|
Mary Matvy | ... | Françoise |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (7) »
Storyline
In 1880's China, young Lalu is sold into marriage by her impoverished father. Rather than becoming a bride, Lalu ends up in an Idaho gold-mining town, the property of a saloon owner who renames her China Polly and plans to sell her as entertainment for the locals. Refusing to become a whore, Lalu ultimately finds her own way in this strange country filled with white demons. Written by Kelley O.
Plot Keywords:
idaho | f rated | chinese american | female protagonist | asian american |Taglines:
A testament to the strength of the human spiritCertificate:
PG-13Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
November 1991 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
American Playhouse: Thousand Pieces of Gold See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$717,772Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
Based on the true story of "China Polly". See more »Connections
Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Bad Girls/The Inkwell/Naked in New York/Brainscan/Surviving the Game (1994) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
Gritty social realist story of Chinese woman Lalu who is sold into slavery in the late 19th century, and taken to a rough mining town in the American west. There she faces a series of humiliations, rejections and triumphs before finding at least a degree of happiness with a sympathetic saloon keeper. By turns both gloomy and sentimental (not necessarily a bad thing) issues of racism and feminism are very much to the fore.