Planting for Life
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Country/Region:
Mainland China
Release Year: 2014
Release Year: 2014
Story:
Old Jia and his wife Shang Ying left the noisy city and settled down in the countryside, where they began to practice natural farming methods without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This novel idea attracted a group of admirers from the city, while being questioned by local farmers. Old Jia, who once had a wonderful fantasy about the idyllic life, gradually realized that he could not develop the business model of natural farming as he had originally planned. At the same time, his relationship with Shang Ying was in crisis. I first came into contact with Old Jia in October 2011. Our first encounter was at night, when he drove his wife Shang Ying to pick us up from the road. We followed them to the paddy field, where the rice harvest was in progress. A red harvester with its lights on was rumbling, and the rice that had been sun-dried during the day was spread out on the concrete next to the paddy field, now covered with a tarpaulin. This night, someone was needed to watch over the rice and set up tents on both sides of the concrete. My friend and I were excited to take up the task of watching over the rice, and Old Jia was also here. The night was so late that we could see layers of fog coming in, and it was so incredibly quiet. With a campfire burning and firewood crackling, we began to learn about Old Jia's past and why he came to this place. It has been three years since the shooting. Seeing me running around the fields with a machine, the aunties in the village always complained to me that to be a farmer is humble, and to be a farmer is bitter; young people here are usually good-for-nothing, so why do some young people still choose to come to the village? The things they used to mention were: city people try to escape to the rural areas, and rural people try to escape to the city; for the city people, it's taking a leisurely stroll of life, but for the rural people, it's fighting against their fate. I asked the aunties, "What if no one will be able to farm in the future?" The aunties didn't know what to answer, although some said, "It's best if no one farms anymore." I knew it was just some angry words. Many people like Old Jia are gradually reshaping the image of farmers in the past century, and I can't help but feel a little relieved. They have the knowledge, plenty of idealism, and no shortage of enthusiasm. Among them, there are some people who return to the countryside to farm with idyllic expectations, and Old Jia is the flag bearer of them. Because of Chongming Island's unique location in Shanghai, Old Jia's concept of planting and attitude of returning to the countryside has attracted a large number of urban admirers. There are often young volunteers who come here to experience farm life in exchange for food and lodging. In contrast, the local villagers strongly disagree with this planting method. Some villagers point out that this is a waste of food, and it is only available to the rich. Such a view is because the chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been applied here for decades, and the sudden return to the old planting methods makes them quite confused and feel that it is a regression. The rural areas and rural people, it seems, will always be a place where we exploit. The people, the soil, the water, the vegetables... decades ago, people in the city told them that they had to use pesticides to plant; decades later, however, people in the city told them that pesticides were bad and outdated (although the system hasn't been set up yet). I think they may never be able to figure it out. Although farmers work very hard, they only get very little in return, and they can't feed their families by just farming. Therefore, the emergence of new farmers like Old Jia will certainly bring some new views to the countryside. Shang Ying gives up her city life for love and establishes a new family in the countryside, which also adds to the influence of Old Jia as a role model in this farming circle. However, as the film reveals, the couple's life and work were intertwined. Shang Ying found that the life she envisioned at first had somehow become tasteless. They had gradually lost the togetherness of husband and wife and became more like colleagues in their division of responsibilities. In the past, they were prone to quarrels, which Shang Ying thought was due to their different temperaments. Now looking back, in fact, when Shang Ying met Old Jia, there had already been another woman in his life, but perhaps only Old Jia himself knew. Although Shang Ying is independent and strong and has her own ideas about her own life, she is quite idealistic about love, willing to hold back and wait, and ready to give herself to her partner completely. I’m impressed by an interview in which she said, "The aunties were growing vegetables in the field. I was quite depressed because I thought I had to work and cook at the same time. I asked those aunties how they lived their lives when they were young. Every one of them told me, ‘Oh, it was hard. I had to bring up children, cook, and work.’ When I heard them say that, I was at peace with myself. I thought maybe women are like that, so I'll just resign myself to my fate. I said to them, ‘Well, since you used to work so hard through your early and middle years, I'll do the same.’’’ At the end of the film, Old Jia left the farm. Some friends who have seen the dailies keep asking me what I think of Lao Jia. I said, life is unpredictable, even if we hope for more, fate has its own trajectory in its development, and we do not have the power to impose our own inner image on others. What makes me really sad is that Shang Ying's father passed away recently, before which we had just met once. When the two most important men in Shang Ying’s life both left her, I look back on the idyllic time of this couple. I feel somewhat relieved, when I think about the cultivation of seeds, the birth of life, the harvest of rice, the betrayal of love, and the non-stop pace of life.
Old Jia and his wife Shang Ying left the noisy city and settled down in the countryside, where they began to practice natural farming methods without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This novel idea attracted a group of admirers from the city, while being questioned by local farmers. Old Jia, who once had a wonderful fantasy about the idyllic life, gradually realized that he could not develop the business model of natural farming as he had originally planned. At the same time, his relationship with Shang Ying was in crisis. I first came into contact with Old Jia in October 2011. Our first encounter was at night, when he drove his wife Shang Ying to pick us up from the road. We followed them to the paddy field, where the rice harvest was in progress. A red harvester with its lights on was rumbling, and the rice that had been sun-dried during the day was spread out on the concrete next to the paddy field, now covered with a tarpaulin. This night, someone was needed to watch over the rice and set up tents on both sides of the concrete. My friend and I were excited to take up the task of watching over the rice, and Old Jia was also here. The night was so late that we could see layers of fog coming in, and it was so incredibly quiet. With a campfire burning and firewood crackling, we began to learn about Old Jia's past and why he came to this place. It has been three years since the shooting. Seeing me running around the fields with a machine, the aunties in the village always complained to me that to be a farmer is humble, and to be a farmer is bitter; young people here are usually good-for-nothing, so why do some young people still choose to come to the village? The things they used to mention were: city people try to escape to the rural areas, and rural people try to escape to the city; for the city people, it's taking a leisurely stroll of life, but for the rural people, it's fighting against their fate. I asked the aunties, "What if no one will be able to farm in the future?" The aunties didn't know what to answer, although some said, "It's best if no one farms anymore." I knew it was just some angry words. Many people like Old Jia are gradually reshaping the image of farmers in the past century, and I can't help but feel a little relieved. They have the knowledge, plenty of idealism, and no shortage of enthusiasm. Among them, there are some people who return to the countryside to farm with idyllic expectations, and Old Jia is the flag bearer of them. Because of Chongming Island's unique location in Shanghai, Old Jia's concept of planting and attitude of returning to the countryside has attracted a large number of urban admirers. There are often young volunteers who come here to experience farm life in exchange for food and lodging. In contrast, the local villagers strongly disagree with this planting method. Some villagers point out that this is a waste of food, and it is only available to the rich. Such a view is because the chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been applied here for decades, and the sudden return to the old planting methods makes them quite confused and feel that it is a regression. The rural areas and rural people, it seems, will always be a place where we exploit. The people, the soil, the water, the vegetables... decades ago, people in the city told them that they had to use pesticides to plant; decades later, however, people in the city told them that pesticides were bad and outdated (although the system hasn't been set up yet). I think they may never be able to figure it out. Although farmers work very hard, they only get very little in return, and they can't feed their families by just farming. Therefore, the emergence of new farmers like Old Jia will certainly bring some new views to the countryside. Shang Ying gives up her city life for love and establishes a new family in the countryside, which also adds to the influence of Old Jia as a role model in this farming circle. However, as the film reveals, the couple's life and work were intertwined. Shang Ying found that the life she envisioned at first had somehow become tasteless. They had gradually lost the togetherness of husband and wife and became more like colleagues in their division of responsibilities. In the past, they were prone to quarrels, which Shang Ying thought was due to their different temperaments. Now looking back, in fact, when Shang Ying met Old Jia, there had already been another woman in his life, but perhaps only Old Jia himself knew. Although Shang Ying is independent and strong and has her own ideas about her own life, she is quite idealistic about love, willing to hold back and wait, and ready to give herself to her partner completely. I’m impressed by an interview in which she said, "The aunties were growing vegetables in the field. I was quite depressed because I thought I had to work and cook at the same time. I asked those aunties how they lived their lives when they were young. Every one of them told me, ‘Oh, it was hard. I had to bring up children, cook, and work.’ When I heard them say that, I was at peace with myself. I thought maybe women are like that, so I'll just resign myself to my fate. I said to them, ‘Well, since you used to work so hard through your early and middle years, I'll do the same.’’’ At the end of the film, Old Jia left the farm. Some friends who have seen the dailies keep asking me what I think of Lao Jia. I said, life is unpredictable, even if we hope for more, fate has its own trajectory in its development, and we do not have the power to impose our own inner image on others. What makes me really sad is that Shang Ying's father passed away recently, before which we had just met once. When the two most important men in Shang Ying’s life both left her, I look back on the idyllic time of this couple. I feel somewhat relieved, when I think about the cultivation of seeds, the birth of life, the harvest of rice, the betrayal of love, and the non-stop pace of life.
Casts & Crews:
Gu Xiaogang
Directors
Runtime:
77
minutes
Language:
Subtitles:
Chinese, English
Festivals & Awards:
Best Documentary Feature, 2015 FIRST International Film Festival, China
Best Documentary Feature, 2015 FIRST International Film Festival, China
Tags:
#Family, #Rural Area, #Marriage
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Casts & Crews
Gu Xiaogang
Director
