XIAO Hu
XIAO Hu
Director Xiao Hu is a public welfare photographer and documentary director. During his university years and work within the public sector, he wrote articles (including photographs) for various media outlets at all levels. For nearly ten years after graduation, he worked and lived in the Northwest and Southwest border regions, consistently conducting independent fieldwork in his spare time outside of his public service or institutional work. His photographic works and documentaries are permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, the Chinese-language independent film streaming service CathayPlay, Renmin University of China, and the Chinese-language Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University, UK.
He has long been concerned with public welfare and innovative education, and wrote the non-fiction novel *The Outsider*. His works have been shortlisted/selected for the Golden Rooster Awards, the China Documentary Academy Awards, the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival's Golden Cotton Film Festival Public Welfare Screening Program, the 10th China-Canada International Film Festival, the 4th China Ethnic Image Chronicle Photography Biennial, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Intangible Cultural Heritage Film Exhibition. His works are also permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, and Renmin University of China.
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<\/style>\r\n2023 Asian International Youth Film Festival (AIYFF), Hong Kong
2023 China Academy Awards for Documentary Film (CAADF), China
2024 Imagineist Art Film Festival, China
2024 Ethnographic and Visual Anthropology Film Exhibition, China
2024 Ethnic Film & Television and Intangible Cultural Heritage Image Forum, China<\/span>"},"further_exploring":{"field_display_name":"Further Exploring","field_value":""},"director___s_state":{"field_display_name":"Director\u2018s Statement \/ Feedback","field_value":"Zhao Xiaolong, a young man from the Yunnan-Vietnam border region, embodies the unique contemporary anxieties of many young people in China. He works hard and strives, yet his pursuit of fame and fortune leaves him emotionally exhausted. He yearns for idealism but is bound by realism—these are the challenges he faces in this era.
Zhao Xiaolong's anxieties reflect the contemporary youth's aversion to the pursuit of fame and fortune. In traditional Chinese culture, the pursuit of success and wealth is seen as a normal way of life, especially within Confucianism. However, in modern society, with the rapid development of the market economy and capitalism, utilitarianism and personal gain have become the goals of many, placing a heavy burden on some young people. They do not want to become victims of utilitarianism, nor do they want to be solely focused on their own interests; instead, they are more concerned with the development of the society and the world around them.
Furthermore, Zhao Xiaolong also reflects the modern youth's yearning for idealism. He wants to contribute, to make a greater contribution to society, rather than merely focusing on his own interests. His pursuit is not simply about money and material possessions, but about a higher way of life. However, reality can easily bind him, limiting his imagination and initiative. For many young people, the pressure of realism can make them forget their ideals and feel that their pursuits are futile.
To cope with this contemporary confusion, young people need to examine their own thoughts and explore their own paths in life. They need to find a balance—one that allows them to achieve their dreams while maintaining a realistic attitude. In this process, they need to constantly reflect on themselves, constantly seek their inner voice, and then translate that voice into action. At the same time, they also need to connect with other like-minded people, forming a shared community to work together to achieve their ideals.
2023 China Academy Awards for Documentary Film (CAADF), China
2024 Imagineist Art Film Festival, China
2024 Ethnographic and Visual Anthropology Film Exhibition, China
2024 Ethnic Film & Television and Intangible Cultural Heritage Image Forum, China<\/span>","further_exploring":"","director___s_state":"Zhao Xiaolong, a young man from the Yunnan-Vietnam border region, embodies the unique contemporary anxieties of many young people in China. He works hard and strives, yet his pursuit of fame and fortune leaves him emotionally exhausted. He yearns for idealism but is bound by realism—these are the challenges he faces in this era.
Zhao Xiaolong's anxieties reflect the contemporary youth's aversion to the pursuit of fame and fortune. In traditional Chinese culture, the pursuit of success and wealth is seen as a normal way of life, especially within Confucianism. However, in modern society, with the rapid development of the market economy and capitalism, utilitarianism and personal gain have become the goals of many, placing a heavy burden on some young people. They do not want to become victims of utilitarianism, nor do they want to be solely focused on their own interests; instead, they are more concerned with the development of the society and the world around them.
Furthermore, Zhao Xiaolong also reflects the modern youth's yearning for idealism. He wants to contribute, to make a greater contribution to society, rather than merely focusing on his own interests. His pursuit is not simply about money and material possessions, but about a higher way of life. However, reality can easily bind him, limiting his imagination and initiative. For many young people, the pressure of realism can make them forget their ideals and feel that their pursuits are futile.
To cope with this contemporary confusion, young people need to examine their own thoughts and explore their own paths in life. They need to find a balance—one that allows them to achieve their dreams while maintaining a realistic attitude. In this process, they need to constantly reflect on themselves, constantly seek their inner voice, and then translate that voice into action. At the same time, they also need to connect with other like-minded people, forming a shared community to work together to achieve their ideals.
2023 China Academy Awards for Documentary Film (CAADF), China
2024 Imagineist Art Film Festival, China
2024 Ethnographic and Visual Anthropology Film Exhibition, China
2024 Ethnic Film & Television and Intangible Cultural Heritage Image Forum, China<\/span>"},"further_exploring":{"field_display_name":"Further Exploring","field_value":""},"director___s_state":{"field_display_name":"Director\u2018s Statement \/ Feedback","field_value":"Zhao Xiaolong, a young man from the Yunnan-Vietnam border region, embodies the unique contemporary anxieties of many young people in China. He works hard and strives, yet his pursuit of fame and fortune leaves him emotionally exhausted. He yearns for idealism but is bound by realism—these are the challenges he faces in this era.
Zhao Xiaolong's anxieties reflect the contemporary youth's aversion to the pursuit of fame and fortune. In traditional Chinese culture, the pursuit of success and wealth is seen as a normal way of life, especially within Confucianism. However, in modern society, with the rapid development of the market economy and capitalism, utilitarianism and personal gain have become the goals of many, placing a heavy burden on some young people. They do not want to become victims of utilitarianism, nor do they want to be solely focused on their own interests; instead, they are more concerned with the development of the society and the world around them.
Furthermore, Zhao Xiaolong also reflects the modern youth's yearning for idealism. He wants to contribute, to make a greater contribution to society, rather than merely focusing on his own interests. His pursuit is not simply about money and material possessions, but about a higher way of life. However, reality can easily bind him, limiting his imagination and initiative. For many young people, the pressure of realism can make them forget their ideals and feel that their pursuits are futile.
To cope with this contemporary confusion, young people need to examine their own thoughts and explore their own paths in life. They need to find a balance—one that allows them to achieve their dreams while maintaining a realistic attitude. In this process, they need to constantly reflect on themselves, constantly seek their inner voice, and then translate that voice into action. At the same time, they also need to connect with other like-minded people, forming a shared community to work together to achieve their ideals.
He has long been concerned with public welfare and innovative education, and wrote the non-fiction novel *The Outsider*. His works have been shortlisted\/selected for the Golden Rooster Awards, the China Documentary Academy Awards, the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival's Golden Cotton Film Festival Public Welfare Screening Program, the 10th China-Canada International Film Festival, the 4th China Ethnic Image Chronicle Photography Biennial, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Intangible Cultural Heritage Film Exhibition. His works are also permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, and Renmin University of China.","field_label0":"Social Media","value0":""}]},"casting":{"director":[{"cast_type":"director","cast_type_name":"Director","celeb_name":"XIAO Hu","celeb_image":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1436101\/standard\/-------_1680137879.JPG","celeb_id":"249912","permalink":"xiao-hu","full_permalink":"https:\/\/classic.cathayplay.com\/en\/star\/xiao-hu","celeb_summary":"Director Xiao Hu is a public welfare photographer and documentary director. During his university years and work within the public sector, he wrote articles (including photographs) for various media outlets at all levels. For nearly ten years after graduation, he worked and lived in the Northwest and Southwest border regions, consistently conducting independent fieldwork in his spare time outside of his public service or institutional work. His photographic works and documentaries are permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, the Chinese-language independent film streaming service CathayPlay, Renmin University of China, and the Chinese-language Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University, UK.
He has long been concerned with public welfare and innovative education, and wrote the non-fiction novel *The Outsider*. His works have been shortlisted\/selected for the Golden Rooster Awards, the China Documentary Academy Awards, the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival's Golden Cotton Film Festival Public Welfare Screening Program, the 10th China-Canada International Film Festival, the 4th China Ethnic Image Chronicle Photography Biennial, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Intangible Cultural Heritage Film Exhibition. His works are also permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, and Renmin University of China."}],"castlist":{"xiao-hu":"XIAO Hu"}},"content_banner":"","reviewformonly":"
You need to login to add your review. Click here<\/a> to login.<\/p><\/div>","reviewsummary":"
Between 2006 and 2010, China's economy experienced rapid growth, leading to a boom in the export trade of cashmere, cotton, and agricultural products. Many people in southern Xinjiang became wealthy, especially since cotton was considered \"soft gold.\" Starting in 2012, this attracted Wenzhou businessmen to the region for a \"land grab,\" and people from other provinces also came to seek their fortune. After 2013, both the international and domestic economic environments declined, agricultural exports plummeted, and prices fluctuated wildly. Many people chose to leave and return to their hometowns in the interior. However, newly recruited college graduates and workers continued to pour in, creating a situation of constant turnover. How can one personally experience the diverse circumstances of grassroots party members, ordinary people, and young students in this last production and construction corps amidst a highly \"red\" cultural atmosphere, a highly unified planned economy, a highly tense stability maintenance situation, and highly centralized administrative management? How can one witness firsthand a closely connected yet loosely connected parallel world?<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Young students, in particular, actively and passively participated in the changes of the times; some stayed, some left. Sometimes they were the main actors, sometimes they were the audience. The original audio recordings of numerous leaders' inspections sound particularly authentic. When the leaders arrived, it was bustling with activity, but after they left, the place was deserted, much like a \"ghost town\" scenario in real life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>"},"imdb":{"field_display_name":"iMDb","field_value":""},"douban_rate":{"field_display_name":"Douban","field_value":""},"tags":{"field_display_name":"Tags","field_value":"#Xinjiang #magical-realism #social-reality"},"exclusive":{"field_display_name":"Exclusive","field_value":"Yes"},"letterboxd":{"field_display_name":"Letterboxd","field_value":""},"stills":{"field_display_name":"Stills","field_value":"![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113448_1705289739.jpeg\")
<\/div>\r\n![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113501_1705289767.jpeg\")
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<\/div>"}},"is_downloadable":"0","download_btn":null,"content_language":"","is_fav_status":0,"custom_meta_data":{"language_content":"Mandarin","country_region":"Mainland China","runtime":"86 minutes","subtitles1":"Chinese, English","festivals_awards":"<style type="text\/css"><\/style>\r\n2022 \"Back to Reality\" Special Screening, China<\/span>","further_exploring":"","director___s_state":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Between 2006 and 2010, China's economy experienced rapid growth, leading to a boom in the export trade of cashmere, cotton, and agricultural products. Many people in southern Xinjiang became wealthy, especially since cotton was considered \"soft gold.\" Starting in 2012, this attracted Wenzhou businessmen to the region for a \"land grab,\" and people from other provinces also came to seek their fortune. After 2013, both the international and domestic economic environments declined, agricultural exports plummeted, and prices fluctuated wildly. Many people chose to leave and return to their hometowns in the interior. However, newly recruited college graduates and workers continued to pour in, creating a situation of constant turnover. How can one personally experience the diverse circumstances of grassroots party members, ordinary people, and young students in this last production and construction corps amidst a highly \"red\" cultural atmosphere, a highly unified planned economy, a highly tense stability maintenance situation, and highly centralized administrative management? How can one witness firsthand a closely connected yet loosely connected parallel world?<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Young students, in particular, actively and passively participated in the changes of the times; some stayed, some left. Sometimes they were the main actors, sometimes they were the audience. The original audio recordings of numerous leaders' inspections sound particularly authentic. When the leaders arrived, it was bustling with activity, but after they left, the place was deserted, much like a \"ghost town\" scenario in real life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","imdb":"","douban_rate":"","tags":"#Xinjiang #magical-realism #social-reality\r\n","exclusive":"Yes","letterboxd":"","stills":"![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113448_1705289739.jpeg\")
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<\/div>\r\n![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113507_1705290221.jpeg\")
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Between 2006 and 2010, China's economy experienced rapid growth, leading to a boom in the export trade of cashmere, cotton, and agricultural products. Many people in southern Xinjiang became wealthy, especially since cotton was considered \"soft gold.\" Starting in 2012, this attracted Wenzhou businessmen to the region for a \"land grab,\" and people from other provinces also came to seek their fortune. After 2013, both the international and domestic economic environments declined, agricultural exports plummeted, and prices fluctuated wildly. Many people chose to leave and return to their hometowns in the interior. However, newly recruited college graduates and workers continued to pour in, creating a situation of constant turnover. How can one personally experience the diverse circumstances of grassroots party members, ordinary people, and young students in this last production and construction corps amidst a highly \"red\" cultural atmosphere, a highly unified planned economy, a highly tense stability maintenance situation, and highly centralized administrative management? How can one witness firsthand a closely connected yet loosely connected parallel world?<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Young students, in particular, actively and passively participated in the changes of the times; some stayed, some left. Sometimes they were the main actors, sometimes they were the audience. The original audio recordings of numerous leaders' inspections sound particularly authentic. When the leaders arrived, it was bustling with activity, but after they left, the place was deserted, much like a \"ghost town\" scenario in real life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>"},"imdb":{"field_display_name":"iMDb","field_value":""},"douban_rate":{"field_display_name":"Douban","field_value":""},"tags":{"field_display_name":"Tags","field_value":"#Xinjiang #magical-realism #social-reality"},"exclusive":{"field_display_name":"Exclusive","field_value":"Yes"},"letterboxd":{"field_display_name":"Letterboxd","field_value":""},"stills":{"field_display_name":"Stills","field_value":"![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113448_1705289739.jpeg\")
<\/div>\r\n![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113501_1705289767.jpeg\")
<\/div>\r\n![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20240115-113507_1705290221.jpeg\")
<\/div>"},"is_like":0,"is_dislike":0,"average_rating":0,"avg_total":"0","all_comments":"0","all_likes":"0","all_dislikes":"0","all_views":"24","count_one":0,"count_two":0,"count_three":0,"count_four":0,"count_five":0},{"user_name":"CATHAYPLAY","profile_image":"https:\/\/d1yjifjuhwl7lc.cloudfront.net\/public\/no-profile.png","user_permalink":"","movie_id":"675323","content_category_value":"869819,38100","content_subcategory_value":null,"is_episode":"0","episode_number":0,"season_number":0,"title":"Exile","parent_content_title":"","content_details":null,"content_title":"Exile","play_btn":"Play Now<\/a>","buy_btn":"","permalink":"https:\/\/classic.cathayplay.com\/en\/exile","c_permalink":"exile","parent_poster":null,"poster":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1480855\/standard\/20231226-165657_1703581966.jpeg","thumb_poster":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1480855\/thumb\/20231226-165657_1703581966.jpeg","data_type":0,"is_landscape":0,"release_date":"2021","full_release_date":"29 October 2021","censor_rating":null,"movie_uniq_id":"53ee44d336acc49d64f04322313cb594","stream_uniq_id":0,"video_duration":"00:54:42","watch_duration":null,"user_watch_status":"start","video_duration_text":"54m42s","video_duration_in_seconds":3282.8800000000001,"watch_duration_in_seconds":0,"watch_percentage":0,"ppv":null,"payment_type":0,"is_converted":"1","movie_stream_id":"1022214","uniq_id":"53ee44d336acc49d64f04322313cb594","content_type_id":null,"content_types_id":"1","ppv_plan_id":"0","full_movie":"Xiao_Hu_Exile.mp4","story":"Su Dongming, nicknamed \"Cousin\", is a primary school student in Lan Indiyao on the Sino-Vietnamese border. In the eyes of others, he is lagging behind in studies, fights and curses, and likes to do some ridiculous behaviors. Throughout his campus life, Su Dongming slipped through a chess game indifferently and then took the initiative to enter the game. He was not very interested in Go at first, but in the end he seemed to like Go again. This process seemed to be black humor, and it also seemed to be a destined chess game in life, an uncontrollable self-exile.","short_story":"Su Dongming, nicknamed \"Cousin\", is a primary school student in Lan Indiyao on the Sino-Vietnamese border. In the eyes of others, he is lagging behind in studies, fights and curses, and likes to do","genres":null,"display_name":"","content_permalink":null,"trailer_url":"","trailer_is_converted":"1","trailer_player":null,"casts":{"Directors":[{"cast_type":"director","cast_type_name":"Director","celeb_name":"XIAO Hu","celeb_image":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1436101\/standard\/-------_1680137879.JPG","celeb_id":"249912","permalink":"xiao-hu","full_permalink":"https:\/\/classic.cathayplay.com\/en\/star\/xiao-hu","celeb_summary":"Director Xiao Hu is a public welfare photographer and documentary director. During his university years and work within the public sector, he wrote articles (including photographs) for various media outlets at all levels. For nearly ten years after graduation, he worked and lived in the Northwest and Southwest border regions, consistently conducting independent fieldwork in his spare time outside of his public service or institutional work. His photographic works and documentaries are permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, the Chinese-language independent film streaming service CathayPlay, Renmin University of China, and the Chinese-language Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University, UK.
He has long been concerned with public welfare and innovative education, and wrote the non-fiction novel *The Outsider*. His works have been shortlisted\/selected for the Golden Rooster Awards, the China Documentary Academy Awards, the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival's Golden Cotton Film Festival Public Welfare Screening Program, the 10th China-Canada International Film Festival, the 4th China Ethnic Image Chronicle Photography Biennial, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Intangible Cultural Heritage Film Exhibition. His works are also permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, and Renmin University of China.","field_label0":"Social Media","value0":""}]},"casting":{"director":[{"cast_type":"director","cast_type_name":"Director","celeb_name":"XIAO Hu","celeb_image":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1436101\/standard\/-------_1680137879.JPG","celeb_id":"249912","permalink":"xiao-hu","full_permalink":"https:\/\/classic.cathayplay.com\/en\/star\/xiao-hu","celeb_summary":"Director Xiao Hu is a public welfare photographer and documentary director. During his university years and work within the public sector, he wrote articles (including photographs) for various media outlets at all levels. For nearly ten years after graduation, he worked and lived in the Northwest and Southwest border regions, consistently conducting independent fieldwork in his spare time outside of his public service or institutional work. His photographic works and documentaries are permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, the Chinese-language independent film streaming service CathayPlay, Renmin University of China, and the Chinese-language Independent Film Archive at Newcastle University, UK.
He has long been concerned with public welfare and innovative education, and wrote the non-fiction novel *The Outsider*. His works have been shortlisted\/selected for the Golden Rooster Awards, the China Documentary Academy Awards, the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival's Golden Cotton Film Festival Public Welfare Screening Program, the 10th China-Canada International Film Festival, the 4th China Ethnic Image Chronicle Photography Biennial, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Intangible Cultural Heritage Film Exhibition. His works are also permanently collected by the Guangxi Nationalities Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology, and Renmin University of China."}],"castlist":{"xiao-hu":"XIAO Hu"}},"content_banner":"","reviewformonly":"
You need to login to add your review. Click here<\/a> to login.<\/p><\/div>","reviewsummary":" 0 out of 5 Star <\/span><\/div>","reviews":"[]","myreview":null,"defaultResolution":"144","multipleVideo":{"144":null},"start_time":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","duration":"","custom":{"language_content":{"field_display_name":"Content Language","field_value":"Mandarin, Yao Dialect"},"country_region":{"field_display_name":"Country\/Region","field_value":"Mainland China"},"runtime":{"field_display_name":"Runtime","field_value":"54 minutes"},"subtitles1":{"field_display_name":"Subtitles","field_value":"Chinese, English"},"festivals_awards":{"field_display_name":"Festivals&Awards","field_value":""},"further_exploring":{"field_display_name":"Further Exploring","field_value":""},"director___s_state":{"field_display_name":"Director\u2018s Statement \/ Feedback","field_value":"
Students like \"Cousin\" Su Dongming are not uncommon in Napo County on the China-Vietnam border. This is a group shrouded in mystery, unsure of their past, how to deal with the present, and what to expect in the future. Classrooms have become more beautiful, room and board are free, tuition is waived, there are more teachers, more books<\/span>… The objective world around Su Dongming is vibrant and colorful, yet none of it enters his subjective world.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
In the film, when the principal's son, his cousin Deng Jingwen, says Su Dongming isn't studying, the cousin angrily responds with an obscene gesture. Despite not studying himself, Su Dongming feigns composure, even lending a dictionary to his struggling student and close friend Cen Jialu to help him with his homework. Cen Jialu is also his only confirmed friend at school; the two share a common language about pornography. The \"improved surroundings\" completely fail to interest Su Dongming; violence and pornography become the cure for his inner turmoil, providing excitement, stimulation, and even despair.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Classmates, teachers, and family all became \"familiar strangers\" in Su Dongming's eyes. Cen Jialu was the only friend who gave him a spark of passion and warmth, sharing laughter, arguments, and carefree days.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Evening self-study was mandatory for most left-behind children in the rural villages along the China-Vietnam border. Some of these children would learn Go. Initially, Su Dongming rejected Go. Go was Chinese, English was foreign; the comparison and choice between China and the US led him to deal with English in class and learn Go outside of class. However, his teacher's guidance gradually shifted his preference towards Go. The black and white of Go symbolized the black and white of life; black and white always change in the blink of an eye amidst the clinking of glasses, the shifting of power between black and white merely an empty \"empty space\" for those involved. Su Dongming couldn't understand others' games, but he was willing to pretend to offer guidance to avoid being looked down upon. His cousin was particularly afraid of being told he was from Xiahua New Village, because Xiahua New Village was a relocation site for poverty alleviation, and his status as a descendant of impoverished families was a topic he wanted to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
One evening, while watching a Go game, his cousin Deng Jingwen was playing. He joined in, pretending to understand even though he didn't, to avoid being looked down upon by his cousin, whose father was the principal of the school. However, his cousin's father often verbally abused his son, Su Dongming, for his disruptive and unruly behavior. That night, bored out of his mind, he picked up a note from a third-grade student, Zhao Wanli, and started playing pranks. By the time Su Dongming's antics ended, his cousin's game was over, and his cousin still claimed he didn't understand. That night, he went to tease the female students playing and, along with his friend Cen Jialu, indulged in self-destructive behavior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
After that night, back in the daytime, he still faced his incomprehensible English. When asked whether China or America was better, he firmly chose China, saying his home was there and he had no strong desire to leave. During one of his two regular English exams, he memorized Chinese texts, and this time he did well. He was so complex, yet so simple. After a few playful and absurd acts of sexual misconduct, his fourth grade ended, but another trap began. His heart was already in the game, and leaving was difficult. In this era of material explosion, my cousin was swept up in the torrent of history, so fast that he didn't even have a chance to react.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
As a former volunteer teacher at that school, I observed the rise and fall of this village school from the dual perspectives of teacher and director, and I also observed the group of left-behind children, including my cousin Su Dongming. We really should think about what these exiled teenagers truly need. Is it effective companionship from their families, precise responsibility from the school, or an improved social atmosphere? Everything changed too drastically, too quickly, leaving these teenagers no time to think before they were exiled.<\/span><\/p>"},"imdb":{"field_display_name":"iMDb","field_value":""},"douban_rate":{"field_display_name":"Douban","field_value":""},"tags":{"field_display_name":"Tags","field_value":"#Minority-nationality #China-vietnam-border #Rural-students"},"exclusive":{"field_display_name":"Exclusive","field_value":"No"},"letterboxd":{"field_display_name":"Letterboxd","field_value":""},"stills":{"field_display_name":"Stills","field_value":"![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20231226-171026_1703581860.jpeg\")
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<\/div>"}},"is_downloadable":"0","download_btn":null,"content_language":"","is_fav_status":0,"custom_meta_data":{"language_content":"Mandarin, Yao Dialect","country_region":"Mainland China","runtime":"54 minutes","subtitles1":"Chinese, English","festivals_awards":"","further_exploring":"","director___s_state":"
Students like \"Cousin\" Su Dongming are not uncommon in Napo County on the China-Vietnam border. This is a group shrouded in mystery, unsure of their past, how to deal with the present, and what to expect in the future. Classrooms have become more beautiful, room and board are free, tuition is waived, there are more teachers, more books<\/span>… The objective world around Su Dongming is vibrant and colorful, yet none of it enters his subjective world.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
In the film, when the principal's son, his cousin Deng Jingwen, says Su Dongming isn't studying, the cousin angrily responds with an obscene gesture. Despite not studying himself, Su Dongming feigns composure, even lending a dictionary to his struggling student and close friend Cen Jialu to help him with his homework. Cen Jialu is also his only confirmed friend at school; the two share a common language about pornography. The \"improved surroundings\" completely fail to interest Su Dongming; violence and pornography become the cure for his inner turmoil, providing excitement, stimulation, and even despair.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Classmates, teachers, and family all became \"familiar strangers\" in Su Dongming's eyes. Cen Jialu was the only friend who gave him a spark of passion and warmth, sharing laughter, arguments, and carefree days.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
Evening self-study was mandatory for most left-behind children in the rural villages along the China-Vietnam border. Some of these children would learn Go. Initially, Su Dongming rejected Go. Go was Chinese, English was foreign; the comparison and choice between China and the US led him to deal with English in class and learn Go outside of class. However, his teacher's guidance gradually shifted his preference towards Go. The black and white of Go symbolized the black and white of life; black and white always change in the blink of an eye amidst the clinking of glasses, the shifting of power between black and white merely an empty \"empty space\" for those involved. Su Dongming couldn't understand others' games, but he was willing to pretend to offer guidance to avoid being looked down upon. His cousin was particularly afraid of being told he was from Xiahua New Village, because Xiahua New Village was a relocation site for poverty alleviation, and his status as a descendant of impoverished families was a topic he wanted to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
One evening, while watching a Go game, his cousin Deng Jingwen was playing. He joined in, pretending to understand even though he didn't, to avoid being looked down upon by his cousin, whose father was the principal of the school. However, his cousin's father often verbally abused his son, Su Dongming, for his disruptive and unruly behavior. That night, bored out of his mind, he picked up a note from a third-grade student, Zhao Wanli, and started playing pranks. By the time Su Dongming's antics ended, his cousin's game was over, and his cousin still claimed he didn't understand. That night, he went to tease the female students playing and, along with his friend Cen Jialu, indulged in self-destructive behavior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
After that night, back in the daytime, he still faced his incomprehensible English. When asked whether China or America was better, he firmly chose China, saying his home was there and he had no strong desire to leave. During one of his two regular English exams, he memorized Chinese texts, and this time he did well. He was so complex, yet so simple. After a few playful and absurd acts of sexual misconduct, his fourth grade ended, but another trap began. His heart was already in the game, and leaving was difficult. In this era of material explosion, my cousin was swept up in the torrent of history, so fast that he didn't even have a chance to react.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
As a former volunteer teacher at that school, I observed the rise and fall of this village school from the dual perspectives of teacher and director, and I also observed the group of left-behind children, including my cousin Su Dongming. We really should think about what these exiled teenagers truly need. Is it effective companionship from their families, precise responsibility from the school, or an improved social atmosphere? Everything changed too drastically, too quickly, leaving these teenagers no time to think before they were exiled.<\/span><\/p>","imdb":"","douban_rate":"","tags":"#Minority-nationality #China-vietnam-border #Rural-students","exclusive":"No","letterboxd":"","stills":"![](\"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/15875\/public\/imagegallery\/original\/20231226-171026_1703581860.jpeg\")
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Students like \"Cousin\" Su Dongming are not uncommon in Napo County on the China-Vietnam border. This is a group shrouded in mystery, unsure of their past, how to deal with the present, and what to expect in the future. Classrooms have become more beautiful, room and board are free, tuition is waived, there are more teachers, more books<\/span>… The objective world around Su Dongming is vibrant and colorful, yet none of it enters his subjective world.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
<\/span><\/p>\r\n
In the film, when the principal's son, his cousin Deng Jingwen, says Su Dongming isn't studying, the cousin angrily responds with an obscene gesture. Despite not studying himself, Su Dongming feigns composure, even lending a dictionary to his struggling student and close friend Cen Jialu to help him with his homework. Cen Jialu is also his only confirmed friend at school; the two share a common language about pornography. The \"improved surroundings\" completely fail to interest Su Dongming; violence and pornography become the cure for his inner turmoil, providing excitement, stimulation, and even despair.<\/span><\/p>\r\n