Month: July 2013

A Touch of Sin – 天注定

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Films

ATouchofSin

(Image from http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/movie-poster-of-the-week-the-posters-of-the-2013-cannes-competition )

Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s new film A Touch of Sin is a powerful one. It was in this year’s Cannes film competition and won  the best screen play.

The films runs over 2 hours long, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the whole time. The story includes four main characters.

A man lives in the village who seeks justice after the land has been taken for mining, and the profit was kept  only by few.

A young man from a little village goes to the big city carries out merciless armed robbery .

A woman who works in a massage parlor as an receptionist, being humiliated by two male clients who want her to provide other services.

A young factory worker’s last few months before he ends his life.

These four character do not have direct links to one another. One thing they have in common is that life has not been easy on them and they decide to take the matter into their own hands.

I asked a friend who watched the film what she thinks of it, she replied “I don’t want to go to China anymore after watching it.”

My reaction was almost identical. The film make you think of China’s lower class are powerless so they act rules-less. The characters featured in this film in everyday life are faceless in the society.  Jia Zhangke’s movie give these people a face, an identity, a voice on the international stage. For that, I salute Jia !

Recently I attended a full day symposium talk about the gateway of doing business in China. Overseas investors are more eager than ever to play a part in the biggest consumer market in the world.  Being a Chinese living overseas sometime I do feel a sense of pride when the motherland being praised as the power house.However, when I read daily news about farmers being beaten up, or street vendors being pushed over, people who are not rich and powerful being treated unfairly, its not easy to keep the head up and still be cheerful about the bright future ahead.

I wont go into human rights issues , these are big topics discussed by many greater minds constantly. The bottom line I hope one day the motherland can achieve is for all to have an equal opportunity for pursuing a better life.

Whoever is reading this may chuckle after reading my words above. I know its naive to think that a big nation can provide equal opportunity to everyone. Also what does it mean a better life? It covers so many layers and aspects of life.

My point is that we all need to have a point, make a stand. If we don’t ask for something, we get nothing.  Just asking is not enough either. What can I do to get closer to that goal?

To be honest , I have no clue. Just like the movie, it does not tell you the solution, it opens a window for you to see the mess in the house. Sometime its more important to face the reality than  seeking a solution blindly.

That’s what good documentaries, film and books can do. Education comes first, solution hopefully follows not that far behind.

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Resistance of Change

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Films

Image

(Image taken from http://villageattheendoftheworld.com/about.php)

Every winter, this film festival showcase over a hundred films from all around the world. The first one I watched this year is Village at the End of the World.

The documentary is about this village called Niaqornat in North West Greenland has a population of only 59. People who lived there carry on their way of life for generations. Due to lack of jobs, the population is declining rapidly. The residents need to gather funds to co-operate the fishing factory to secure jobs and attract people to move back to the village.

It sounds like a very simple plot and the only special thing about this place is probably the remote location, their tradition of hunting and close relationship with nature. many scenes from the film revoke the memories of my departure from my hometown. When the young teenager in the village looking for an escape from the boredom of village life, I was cheering for him . But when his grandma said life could be happier for him outside the village, I really had my doubts about that.

I moved from a place which is the furthest from any sea in the world to an island country at the bottom of the earth. The outside world has its thrills and excitements, but it definitely does not guarantee you happiness. On the one hand I deeply feel the need for the younger generation to stay on and learn about their roots from the older generations and carry on the way of life. On the other hand, the world is constantly changing, if they want to have a better life they need to adapt to changes and sometime it means to leave the familiar behind.

The similar struggle is happening throughout the world and human history. We encourage innovation and welcome changes, but the same time we feel sad about losing our tradition and become someone we are not. My question is, what make us who we are? How does one experience different things in life but yet maintain the core of one’s being?

The perfect ending of this scenario would be  this little village does not get affected by the greed and pollution of the outside world, the young people in the village get the freedom to travel to the outside world, but one day they all come back home carry on the culture of the village and bring new knowledge and skills to make their hometown a better place.

Relate to my own situation, many times I think about going back home, to contribute the things I learnt to my birth place, also continue learning about my roots and find the core values and the culture that shaped who I am. But with whats happening in my hometown, I fear that when I return, the most valuable things are no longer there. The way of life, the best part of our tradition and culture are GONE, or RUINED,. Then is it still worth to go back?

The ending of the movie is a pleasant one, people in the village find a way to continue make a living. One scene from the movie stuck with me for a long time, its when the old ladies in the village talk about their childhood. With no electricity,  during the dark and long winter time the Shaman will come to the village tell stories. The whole village will  gather together around the fire place and listen to the stories . Stories about the spirits, ancestors, nature and the sea. Don’t we all miss those days when we were close to one another, having that strong sense of belonging . I am lucky to be able to relate myself to those experiences, will the future generation  still have the chance to experience that?

Modern technology changed so much of our lives, we don’t need story-man visiting us anymore, tv, films and internet take care of the storytelling.  We sit in cars drive to shopping malls instead of walk miles together to a market. We don’t even need to talk to anyone to buy our grocery, automatic checkout takes care of that. We can move from one place to another faster than ever, but does that mean we are closer to each other?

Here is hoping, with more and more people become conscious of supporting local produce and smaller food growers, we return to the market, we eat food locally made by people we know. There will be a global movement to encourage us to reach out to people around us, make an little extra effort get out of cars and walk to places, meet people face to face and have a conversation.

If we don’t change the way we live now, I seriously doubt how many of us can live with joy in a cold technology driven society for generations to come.

More on this movie: http://villageattheendoftheworld.com/filmmakers.php

To Mr Hitch

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Films

Dear Mr Hitchcock,

Over the weekend I watched the latest film based on you and Alma’s life during the making of Psycho – Hitchcock. After watching that, I thought it might be a good idea to write a letter to you.

The world today is way more diverse than your days, there is a thing called globalization going on. Back in your time, you can get away with just having white people and blondes in the stories, I don’t think that would represent the face of today’s society. Also you probably never expected a Chinese girl and her little brother would be glued to the TV set and fascinated by your television series titled Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The first time my brother and I watched your TV shows was in our 30 square meter flat in a city footed at the north west part of China. Our local TV station from time to time selected some of the best films and TV series. 20 years later when I think back, I thank the person who chose your series to broadcast. It was a favorite by my family.

I remember my brother and I would rush home from schools during lunch break, my mum would prepare us a delicious lunch. We sat in our little living room in front of the old TV set. We waited patiently for a dark figure to appear on the screen and speak slowly about the story we were about to see. That time I didn’t know your name, but my brother and I know that when the fat Englishman appear on TV  (excuse my rudeness), we are guaranteed to have a good hour of SUSPENSE.

For some reason, I dont remember if the TV series was subtitled in Chinese or dubbed . Never the less, we get the whole story quite well. It was the time when our imagination ran wild, watched people who dressed completely different from us, looked different, lived differently. What a great gateway to another world, full of thrills, suspense and excitements. When the age of VCD arrived, we also rented your films to watch. I have a fear of birds and when I watched the film “Bird”, all my horrors came alive on that little TV screen.

In the movie “Hitchcock”, it seems you were worried people did not like your films.It is curious that even the geniuses experience the fear of failure, fear their work and effort not being noticed and appreciated. How interesting ! It reassured me again that being fearful is normal, the most brave are the ones carry on with fear, charging forward.

Thanks for making so many great stories, it makes this world a more interesting place to be. In your stories, people can be horrible and twisted. It makes me wonder the darkness inside each  of us. The world today have all sorts of problems, you have lived through World War one and two. Things are not much better today.  Just like the characters in your films, we all have our crosses to bear. Its a struggle in each day to choose between good and evil. It reflects to the world we live in .

I wonder the place you are at now, do you still make lots of wonderful stories to entertain and shock others around you? I bet you are ! Lucky them ….

Yours faithfully

A fan

忆那年，记七五

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Hometown

下面的字我写在2009年10月2日，， 乌鲁木齐飞往上海的航班上。

每次离家的感受都是复杂的， 但我的心没有一次能和这次相比。

2009年7月5日， 在我的家乡乌鲁木齐上百名群众被种族分裂分子用极其残忍的方式杀害，由于官方当时的处理不及时造成难以估计的死伤和财产损失。乌市人民失去的不仅仅是他们的亲人， 邻居，朋友，同事，他们更失去了对政府的信心， 还有基本生存所需的安全感和稳定感。

我于9月6日出发，7，8日停留香港，沿途香港和国际媒体对这件事仍是十分关注。在往北京的航班上，我的心从来没有那样累过。我从不知道国仇家难的感受可以那样难以下咽。当我8号到达北京，第一件事就是给家里打电话。电话接通那一瞬，我在机场控制不住大哭起来。自从七五后，多少个日夜我在异国他乡为我的家人亲友担惊受怕，有时我会在电话前长达4个小时， 不停重播那个我反复打了七年熟悉的号码。但是由于政府开始封闭新疆区域的电信网络，需要很长的时间才能拨通一次， 听见父母的声音。

在北京停留的四天时间里，我陆陆续续见了几位高中时代的同学。在餐桌上七月份的惨案变成了中心话题，每个人都感到震惊，愤怒。令人喜忧参半的是其中一个同学订婚了， 其他同学家人都平安。同时得知我们同届毕业一个同学的父亲是武警， 失踪了， 车停在二道桥， 被砸烂。 那是重灾区。

2009年，中国庆国60周年，我也去了天安门广场感受了一下国庆前夕的气氛。全国各地对新疆人的检查都很严格。我在宾馆入住不到五分钟，附近派出所的警察就来敲门，查我的证件。

北京之后我在成都和父母汇合，同游成都，九寨沟。在成都我们看望了姑奶奶。大家自然谈起08年的四川大地震。中国在2008和09年经历太多，但我真的相信这片土地的人会更顽强的生活。在去九寨沟的路上，导游小张是个很可爱的女孩子， 她教了我们一定要学的一句话：“扎西德勒”，是保平安的意思。她让全车的乘客一起学说这句话， 当大家同声说出，我的眼睛又被泪水模糊了。保家平安，简单四个字是每个人心中最基本的要求。如果我们的家园安危受到威胁，这怎么能够让人们安居乐业， 安心工作，为生活专心奋斗呢？

这一行更难忘的一站是小平舅舅带我们去了5.12的重灾区，映秀中学。2/3的村民在地震中遇害。映秀中学6层高的教学楼在遗址只剩下最上面一层。直到现在，学生们的遗体还在废墟里。带我们进入灾区的是王师傅。当我们临走时，问到他的家人还好吗。 王师傅边开车，边说他的两个孩子，一个上四年级， 一个上六年级， 都走了。我妈妈对他说他还年轻，还可以再有孩子。王师傅慢慢答道，是啊，我和我妻子把新房盖起来了，就再要孩子。我和妈妈听到这里在车后面憋着声音，哭了出来。 我哭不仅是对他的悲痛感到同情，更是对他声音里的平静和对今后生活的盼望而感动。映秀让我认识到人类的韧性。再大的灾难，人只要能活下来就能继续生存。也许接下来的日子每一天都是在怀念亲人的痛苦里度过的。但正是这些痛苦让人们记住这片土地的苦难， 留在土里的血和泪，更重要的是继续传播在这片土地上生生不息希望的种子。

九寨，黄龙，景色秀丽，旅游业正规很多，5.12后政府给了这个地区很多捐助和重建， 情景很乐观。重返成都，我们又去看了乐山大佛。佛文化精深，博大。我希望以后有机会多了解。一路我都在参拜的庙宇里为家乡祈福，希望灾难带来的创伤能尽快过去。人们能从哀伤和恐惧中解脱出来。

两周后我回到了日有所思，夜有所想的家乡－乌鲁木齐。到达时以是凌晨1点，大街上很安静，我们的大院里住满了解放军，据说是从西藏那边过来的。他们都和我年级相仿，甚至还小，很多人来自五湖四海，到这里维护我们的安全。我看见这些年轻的士兵，心里真的很感动。每天早上能听见他们吹哨起床练兵的声音，晚上他们唱歌，吹哨，熄灯。

在家的日子里每天还是不能安心，传闻不断，大家都表示这是一场不可理解的屠杀。我的家乡在这次重创后，不仅仅要严惩暴徒，更需要的是扪心自问几个问题，为什么会这样。

为什么仇恨这样深？

为什么会有这样的惨剧发生？

是什么引发这样的暴行，以后的日子怎么过？

那些遇难的家属怎么办？

心灵受到重创的孩子怎么办？

这个城市的经济，教育，和未来十年怎么办？

我们该给这个国家和世界怎样一个姿态和面貌？

如果说七五事件是民族分裂分子给当局政府的一个警钟，那么这个代价太大了。走在街上总感到不安，有传言针扎事件，搞得人心惶惶不可终日。此时的民族分化才是最明显。许多维吾尔族经营的商铺关闭了，整个二道桥五步一岗，大街上到处可见军人，巡逻车，一会儿一个关卡。有维吾尔族的车辆就会受到严厉的搜查，但如果有一张不很名族的面孔就可以较容易的通行。这种做法短期也许可行但是会让很多原本善良的维吾尔族人民心中受到很大伤害和阴影。我的父亲曾在各处走过看过， 他说还是好人多。很多维吾尔族和大家一样，过自己的生活，但这次事件之后很多事情发生了质的变化。我爸说永远忘不了年轻时在南疆坐公共车，上去后一车维吾尔族，突然很多人站了起来，把右手放在胸前，低头给我爸爸问好。这个名族对外来的人是很热情，尊重，友善的。但现在很多人都忘记这一点。

当民族矛盾激化到需要用军队镇压来解决，当局者是否应该深深反省很多的决策？不仅仅是政府，我们每一个新疆人也该想想曾经，现在和将来怎样该与身边的人相处。民族关系是一条生命线的标语随处可见，现在这条线断了。我们要对过去进行毫不留情的分析和反省，同时要对以后的生活有创造力的计划。因为以前的政策一定有不合理之处，才会有今天的下场。这是重建家园的时刻。

我在离家的前一晚和妈妈睡一起。像每次离家前一样，妈妈紧紧握着我的手，叮咛嘱咐我离家后要好好照顾自己。但我们心里都明白这次是离家的孩子为在家的亲人担心的时候。我问妈妈：“妈，以后会好吗？”我妈说：“是的，而且我们要坚信这一点。”