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Chinese Independent Documentary :
CIDFA031:
Back to Daxian
Director: Liu Heng
Length: 120 minutes
Production Year: 2008
Synopsis:
Daxian is located deep in the Daba mountains in the northeast of Sichuan province. Actually, Daxian is the city's former name. Its residents didn't like the name Daxian because "xian" means town, and they wanted their home to be known as a city. So they changed its name many times, finally settling on Dachuan, which is what it is called today. This video is about a group of students studying in the railway school, which is near the train station. Their class is the best of the entire grade. Chen Tingting is the discipline commissioner of the class and also my lead actor. She is cute and outgoing. In Daxian, where surrounding villages are quickly becoming expanding city, the students' parents are preoccupied with life's distractions, and the teachers are unable to do as much for the students as they would like. So the children bounce and drift towards their futures.
Director's Words:
I think this is a documentary about youth. It is about a class of 7th graders in Daxian. I don't like to go back to this city although it is where I spent nearly all of my childhood. When I went back, I saw that many things were happening there that I could not ignore. Sometimes I think the city is awful, but sometimes I remember many beautiful things about it. In the country, during the winter, the soil under the green plants is a deep purple color. This is the color of the people there, vivid and powerful. All the days I spent there were happy ones, not only during my childhood but also the days with Ting Ting and her classmates. Through these people I find new meaning in daily life.
Director’s Bio
Liu Heng, born in Chongqing, 1982, graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. She is studying in China Academy of Art now. Back to Daxian is her first feature-length documentary film.