A girl of the people who live beneath the sea, Chun discovers the human world at sixteen, transformed into a red dolphin. A boy drowns saving her, and she decides to give everything to repay that debt.
Personality
Determined, sensitive and sometimes reckless, Chun acts with her heart. She takes responsibility for her choices, even when they endanger her world.
Powers & abilities
Like her people, she can act on nature. She has the gift of making plants grow, especially the begonias that give the film its name.
History
To save the boy's soul, she trades half her life with the keeper of souls. She secretly raises the little fish he has become, Kun, until he can return to the sea, at the risk of causing a catastrophe.
Relationships
Kun is the boy she wants to bring back. Qiu, her childhood friend, loves her silently and helps her to the end. Her grandparents try to protect her.
Key moments
- Her transformation into a red dolphin for her coming-of-age rite.
- The pact with the keeper of souls.
- The days spent raising the little fish Kun.
In the adaptations
Her story exists in only one version, the 2016 film. The announced sequel, centred on Qiu, will extend her world.
Did you know?
- Her name refers to the Chun tree of the Zhuangzi, said to live for thousands of years.
- Her red dress is one of the film's most recognisable visual elements.
Our take
Chun is a heroine driven by guilt and love, imperfect but sincere. Her journey gives the film its emotional power.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan