Original subtitles

When I was seventeen,

my father was sent to village, leaving me and my mother behind.

Then, it was my turn to go to the village.

The train left the noisy City behind.

Then we traveled on a truck,

through the hills, for several days.

At last, I parted others and headed for the village I was assigned.

A feeling of being lost grew stronger in me.

I still remember that feeling.

This is the first time I see an apricot tree.

I'm a little bit scared.

They call it the dragon tree,

Folklore say, it will transform in to a dragon. Fly into the sky,

to bring violent storm and flood.

Whenever it bleeds, they tied red ribbons around it

so it cannot transform in to a dragon and people could have peace.

The head of the family I stayed with, is the president of a cooperative society.

He didn't talk much.

But later, I knew he spoke Han perfectly.

You can stay here.

This is Ya.

'Ya' means 'Grandma' in Dai.

She's Dadie's 90 yrs old mother.

She reminded me of a witch in the fairy tales.

Latter, I dream several times,

that she's riding a broom in the sky.

There was just the three of us.

Dadie's wife died of malaria long ago.

His only son worked in a brick kiln.

The swords on the bamboo wall told me, he must be a hunter.

There must be a tiger-skin around his waist,

just like the ancient warriors.

Dadie! From now on, I'm a member of Dai village.

I am determined to work and learn...

Here, take it.

You are too tired. You need a good sleep.

Yi Bo is the most beautiful girl in the village.

She's so pretty, and proud, just like a Princess.

I don't know why, I always feel uneasy in her presence.

In Dai, It's a woman's job to fetch the water.

If a man goes to carry water, he will be laughed up on.

Before I come, Dadie had to do it.

People says, he always do it before the day break.

Should a women come by, he'll hide behind the tree till it was all cleared.

You are assigned with pushao (girl, in Dai). Go along with them.

Every time I go work, Ya would fill my lunch box

with rice wrapped in leaves

and stuffed hot honey dumplings into my hands.

Ya always stood on the doorway, watching me.

Her tender care and dim gaze,

reminded me of my childhood days.

I don't understand what they are singing,

but I know, they are flirting with each other.

Girls from city also want to flirt but they dare not.

Dai girls compete each other in a big way, to see who's most attractive.

Watching them, I feel so depressed and dejected.

I was no good at work and had no social life. I'm lethargic.

After a day's work, Dai girls always swim naked in the river.

I stood there watching them because I didn't take my swimsuit.

Latter, I learned to swimming naked like them,

and never wear those sticky swimsuits anymore.

Ai La - 8 points.

Ai Shuan - 8 points.

Yi Xiang - 9.

Yi Tan - 8 points.

Yan Bo - 8 points.

Yan La - 9 Points.

Yan Gao - 8 points.

Li Chun, 7 points!

Who is she?

She is the student from Beijing

7 points for her? - She can't even walk barefoot. I'd give a 4.

Li Chun is from the city, she's educated, but she never did our labors.

I will deduce 1 point and give her 6 points.

Yi Bo, 10 points!

Duolinuo.

Other girls are all rated 8 points, but Yi Bo is rated 10 points.

Boys say she's 'Duolinuo'.

'Duolinuo' means "Pretty" in Dai.

2 points for being pretty? It's so unfair.

Ya is the oldest lady in the village. She is the grandma of the family

Once, I saw Ya come downstairs and touch my floral skirt.

She felt it and adored it.

The golden twilight fell on the quiet courtyard.

After your arrival, Ya is much better than before.

What does she like the most?

What can an old woman ask for?

Ya wants you to stay at home.

There's been a long absence of a young girl at home.

Spent more time at home.

If you need company, invite your friends to come over.

Yes.

Jierou (Li Chun's Dai nickname)

- Jierou. - Yi Bo! I'm here.

Come here.

Dadie build this shed for me.

Come inside.

- Ah! So many books. - Help yourself.

This is Tienanmen

This is Behai.

Look, this is my hometown.

It is beautiful!

Jierou. Tomorrow, we will collect firewood from the hill.

It will be a heavy task for you.

Stay with the old in the field.

Dadie. Tomorrow, I am not staying with the old.

Why doesn't she let me join her?

They feel, it is a heavy job for you.

Come on,

did I ever fail my assignment?

The girls look down upon me.

They never look down upon you.

They just don't like your cloths.

They say, in this cloths, you look odd among them.

A young girl,

should dress in something lively.

Dai girls would love to dress up.

So, being pretty means a lot here.

I had been taught,

the inward reflection is important than outward beauty.

I used to wash a new cloth repeatedly,

to make it look old.

It never occurred to me that,

a girl should beautifully dress up.

Ya would like to gift you a silver girdle.

It is said, 'Birds of a feather flock together'.

In the Dai skirt, you become one of us.

It is beautiful.

Hey! That is a Dai skirt.

You are really beautiful. - Yi Bo is here.

You should wear our green earring.

Your hairdo is wrong too.

Yi Bo will help you with that.

Duolinuo. Jierou Duolinuo.

Jierou. Jierou Duolinuo.

Come on! Look at the mirror!

Slow down! Don't crowd!

Line up. 10 cents each.

Next.

Nobody can forget that small post-office in the strange land.

In that times of turbulence,

The exiled youths from the cities,

gather here to mail their yearns to faraway folks.

Mothers letter always said,

Father is still at the cadre school with no hope of return

So, be careful. Don't make any mistakes.

My teacher would ask me not to forget the study, review the lesson regularly.

Though distant, these letters gave me the hopes.

Once cent short.

Please give me two 8-cent stamps.

Here. Take it.

I cannot.

I am also from the city

Can't you tell?

Where do you live?

I'll pay you back the next time.

Next time?

Next time you cannot afford the interest.

Or, you could bring something to eat. Peanuts, bananas.

It's you. Why are you dressed like this?

You are wearing the skirt, and earrings.

You looks really beautiful.

Come on, join us

Where to? To that bookstall.

Don't crowd. Don't crowd.

Have you got a new one?

No, that is the only copy.

I will take it if you don't

Don't snatch. It's mine! I'll buy it.

Ah! Medical books.

Do you want to be a Doctor?

There's no doctor in our village, so a little medical knowledge helps.

Hey! You are so pretty.

Where do you live?

I'll take you home. - No thanks. I'm with friends.

My first day in a Dai skirt,

is the most magical day in my whole life.

On the way home, I had such a strange encounter.

Just like Cinderella wore the crystal shoes.

I never thought this skirt has a magic in it.

Come on, I take you there.

You again!

Help me a hand!

Is this cart easy to drive?

See for yourself.

You are expert.

The Ox don't want to follow my orders.

I was really puzzled to see you in dress at the post office.

Many classmates laughed at my Dai outfit.

Don't let them bother you.

Doesn't gossips bother you at all?

I have my own way. Forget about others word.

Are you from the 20th high school? - Yes.

I heard about a girl who turned-in all her love letters to the Principal.

She wasn't afraid. It was her duty to report.

Her boyfriend must have a hard time.

I will get off here.

- Good bye. - Good bye

It is beautiful.

- My son, Dage is home. - Really?

Dage!

Where is Ya.

Yi Xiang - Here!

Jierou. For you.

- Edible? - Ofcourse.

- How is it? - Delicious

Wa Bao. Get on with your work.

Jierou. Who drove you back at that day? - A school mate.

Schoolmate? - Never heard of him before.

Jierou, do you like him?

No. Stop this nonsense.

Don't shy. This is a good thing. - There is nothing between us.

We Hans, would never start love affair this young.

Once, I was split from the group.

Dage's stories about a fierce bear came into my mind.

For the first time, I felt the terror of being lost in the forest.

Chun. Chun

Chun.

Chun.

Chun. Where are you?

Dage!

Dage, I am here.

- Chun. - Dage.

Dage. Dage!

You scared the whole village.

There are bears and leopards in the forest.

I told you not to come.

- You didn't listen. - Leave it.

That night, the villagers didn't sleep. They were out looking for me.

I cannot recall, Dage being so upset before.

I tried to ignore, a certain tenderness in him

that was beyond a man's love for his sister.

Let me cut it.

Let me see.

Why is it so dull?

You don't know. It is made of best steel.

Grind it. The luster will come back in no time.

You like it? You can borrow it for a few days.

Borrow? Can I keep it?

No, I walked miles to get it.

For this piece of junk?

Dage has swords. It can even cut trees off this thick.

Then, give that junk back.

Pussy. Little beast.

Rainy season is the worst. A season of hard work and sickness.

After the months waiting, we planted seedling.

My fingernail keep falling off.

Ya, not now.

Ya. Ya.

Ya,

let her sleep.

Chun. An Hu is sick.

Chun. Chun.

We can't get a doctor.

Chun. An Hu is dying.

Quick, go see him.

An Hu is dying.

Dada. Please,

Let me kill an Ox,

to sacrifice to the Devil.

You can't go in. She is exorcising for the boy.

An Hu cannot wait.

Yi Bo, give me some water.

Help him up and hold.

Here, drink.

My medical knowledge is limited to the first-aid book I brought,

but actually I saved An Hu's life.

It was just food poison from the wild mushrooms he picked.

I really want to buy some candies to him,

but, at that time, I have no money. Even can't buy a stamp.

Hey!

Let us go.

More books? - Yes, on medical care and acupuncture.

You are serious about being a doctor.

Let me tell you, I am a good one.

I have patients from other villages.

Really?

Sure. I saved a boy's life a few days ago.

Believe it or now.

Look what I have got.

Jean Jacques Rousseau's ' Confessions'

That is heavy stuff.

I have no interest in those.

So what's you interest?

Colorful clothing? Floral skirts?

Doesn't my floral skirt appeal to you?

Do you think a peacock is beautiful?

Of course.

When it spread its tail, what appears behind it?

That is cheeky of you.

- I didn't make it up. - Who said this?

These are Lu Xun's words. - You invented it, you invented it.

The villagers were proud of their joyful youth.

Every night, young boys and girls gathered under the dragon tree,

singing, looking for their lover.

In Dail village,

boys who can get his girl and girls who have many wooers,

were acclaimed of.

What are they singing?

Can't you say?

He's singing: My love's hands are so cute,

soft and tender like bananas.

Don't they find it embarrassing?

Why should they?

Isn't it better,

to speak out ones feelings?

Unlike we Hans,

roundabout and bashful.

Speak out yourself then. Nobody tries to stop you.

Sure I can, but can you?

Why not?

OK, now I ask you,

what is in your mind now?

I...

I'm thinking, it's getting cold. Let us go home.

You... you really thinking that now?

Yes.

You are a Han. From head to toe.

Ever since my school days,

I'd never been this close to a boy.

I took him as my best friend.

Every time I say goodbye, I always feel sad.

I like to sit on the bamboo terrace to read before the sunset.

Bubi always passes by the house, driving his cattle.

I have no fear of him anymore.

Like any other Dai village men,

he has a heart of Gold.

Children sometimes bullied him. Splash him and chased his cattle around.

He never got angry with them. When he find fruits, he'd give it to them.

He have no home, no family,

whether celebrations or convocations,

he's always a lone herdsman.

Dage

I like to watch him work. He's so talented.

After his return, he mended the broken stairs and doors.

After work, I would wash the fish that Dage caught during the day.

Sometimes, he caught rabbits and ducks.

He never went out in the evening.

He sat near the fireplace and worked quietly.

Ya,

Ya,

Supper.

The days seemed to stand still.

In fact, they slipped away swiftly.

Ya became too old to do anything.

I cooked for her.

At that time, we all thought,

we'd stay the way we are. Forever.

Grapes are green

moon light mellow.

Mother worries about her marmalade.

I say, Mother, don't worry.

The sun will shine,

over the fence.

In the misty morning.

The sweet sun...

The sweet sun.

Are you yearning for your home, Jierou?

Soon after I left Beijing, Mother was sent to the village.

All because of our family background.

The field work was repeated year after year.

The hope for returning to Beijing faded.

Bitter memories flowed back in our hearts again.

This temple is so quiet.

Wasn't it,

very foolish of us

to believe in those political doctrines?

I don't know,

when these dreadful days come to an end.

Some how I feel, we can't be better elsewhere.

However poor the life is here, there is something to hold on to.

Do you want to live like this forever?

You are contented with this, aren't you?

Alright,

The Dai girls are charming in their prime years.

But it doesn't last long.

They lose their charm.

After marriage, they soon become old.

Teeth blackened from chewing areca nut.

Do you really want to be one of them?

Grains are golden. Days are warm.

Harvest season is the season of joy.

Jierou, join the dance.

Jierou,

- Someone is looking for you. - Who?

- Your boyfriend. - Where?

Over there...

Wait me a moment.

Ren Jiang,

let's dance.

Come on.

What's the matter?

Nothing,

I miss you.

What happened?

The Oxcart toppled over.

It's OK. Now, I get two days off.

Did you hear about the girl who was denounced?

Yes, I heard.

Bad news travel fast.

She's one of our classmates.

No one knows who the boy is.

She won't tell.

I think,

she is fool.

- Why? - Isn't she?

She did that for the love of her boyfriend,

but, he is a coward.

He dares not to come out in open and receive punishments.

It's easier said that done.

Can you face it, if it were you?

If given the opportunity,

this accusation,

would make the best wedding for me.

It's late. I must go.

It's too dark and your legs.

It's alright.

You sleep in my room tonight. I'll go to An Hu's house.

Jierou, Jierou.

There is a fight in your home.

Dage is fighting with that city boy.

Jierou, don't go in. Dage is drunk.

Where is my school friend?

Dage hit him.

He didn't fight back. He rushed out.

I thought you left with him.

Don't. Dage is real mad.

They say, he has a temper worst than any Dai.

Jierou.

Can't you see?

Dage loves you.

A Dai,

once fallen in love,

would rather die, than leave her lover.

Yi Bo, are you...?

You're not one of us.

You'll leave sooner of latter.

Jierou, why are you staying here?

You should go, go now,

leave us.

The world's a home to the homeless.

I settled down in a school.

I tried to suppress my grief,

tried to forget, the village once I called home.

A letter from Beijing.

My mother has returned to city! - Really? - Yes.

Did you apply for the matriculation?

- No, I did not. - Why?

Let's go.

Why didn't you apply?

That... My family background.

But, can't you see?

That's the only way out,

for people like us,

to enter the college.

But... I...

We're over 20 now,

where's our future?

We can't stay here till the end of our lives.

Leave me alone. You go to college.

Dadie...

My son, he really loves you.

It doesn't matter if you don't love him.

You can say that, but you shouldn't run away.

I've been looking for you, for several years.

The water here is not as sweet as our village's.

And the forests are so far away.

Ya...

- is dying. - What?

Ya doesn't understand, why you run away.

My Son has to fetch water.

Ya took you as her grand daughter-in-law.

Once, Ya walked out the yard,

went across the bridge alone,

afterward,

she fell ill.

Dadie, I...

I'll will see Ya.

When I came back home, Ya has passed away.

In her final moments, she was still grasping that floral skirt I left.

And kept saying, don't go, don't go.

Dadie comforted me...

by saying, she was too old.

But until this day, I feel guilty for her death.

Years latter, I returned to the city, go to a University in Beijing.

Ren Jiang remained there forever.

In one rainy season, the flood burst,

swept the whole village away in a night.

Ren Jiang, Dadie, Dage, Yi Bo

and other Dai villagers are all dead.

These years, I often dream about the village,

the little pond,

the banana forest,

and those Apricot trees.

As time goes by, the world has changed.

But not my Dai village.

It's always green grass and clear water there.