The great Chairman Mao taught us...
to develop sport, to strengthen our physique
and to stay on our toes to safeguard our country.
Now we start the exercises
One, two, three, four
five, six, seven, eight
two, two, three, four
five, six, seven, eight
three, two, three, four
five, six, seven, eight
four, two, three, four
five, six, seven, eight
Stretch...
As I look back, I realize that this was the moment...
...Wen Xiu and left our childhood behind.
From that day on,
the girl whom everyone nicknamed Xiu Xiu
occupied my entire being.
Once you're away
you'll be on you own.
I won't be able to look after you.
Dry your hands before grabbing the soap!
It lasts longer that way.
We just a family only four members.
We only get two bars of soap each month.
The toilet paper out there is very coarse,
so I exchanged sugar coupons
for extra toilet paper.
Use this when period come, uh?
Use that kind of paper.
Be sure that
to dry this under the sun
That kills the germs
Here, let Mom help you.
This is so heavy!
You've mixed in too much cold water!
It shouldn't be too hot!
Xiu Xiu! Xiu Xiu!
Wen Xiu!
Just sit still!
Tell him I'm coming!
Is he crazy about you? You are crazy!
Get out! Crazy kid!
Are you need some warm water.
Don't say things like that!
Close your eyes!
Everyone is signing up, so I signed up, too.
It's like being in the army.
We even get military uniforms!
I don't have much to give you.
That is for you.
What is it?
You'll see.
Let's write, then!
I've got to go now.
Let me help you? OK
Is it done, yet?
Take a break, have some tea.
Let me see.
Isn't it too small? Our daughter's a big girl now.
It's fine.
Make a few more.
Who knows when we'll see her again.
I know. I know.
What's happen today?
"I know, I know!" Is that all you can say today?
Well, our baby's leaving. I'm feeling sad.
Come on, drink it.
I'll try it on!
Dad, you're so talented!
Look at how smug he is!
That night,
I just like a tree,
I stood outside Wen Xiu's window for a long time.
Since that night
Later I often waited there,
...just like that night,
as if in a trance...
Beyond the land people living together.
We are going to a place,
we might be as a community with natives
Like plants breeding and growing up over there.
Going to farm or boundary sides,
anywhere in our nation is need us.
That dress is yours?
It's so big, it's mine...
Sister!
Come up quickly!
Your sister is calling you!
Keep in queue, in queue
Wen Xiu
Follow in here to getting to the truck.
Keep in queue!
I wanted to leap on the truck
and leave with her,
but courage failed me.
Like a small group of my friends,
I couldn't help thinking this
might have been the moment...
when I lost Wen Xiu forever...
Goodbye...
I can't see her, where?
Goodbye
Which one is?
Goodbye! Don't cry, don't cry!
Goodbye!
The movie's starting!
We're taking a short cut! Anyone want to race us there?...
Xiu Xiu, I'll wait for you at Headquarters!
Who's that man with Chen Li?
I don't recognize him.
She knows too many people!
Let's get going. The movie's starting!
We better follow her to make sure...
Let's go, let's go! We'll miss the movie.
Bastard!
Fuck your ancestors! Go feel up your own grandma!
Dare to leave your claws where they were?
I did it, so what?
Your filthy scum!
What wants to feel you up?
That's you!
You dirty bastard!
Take a look at my wife's photo!
Why would I bother with someone as ugly as you!
Keep your hands to yourself, jerk!
Chen Li was never found.
I endlessly worried about Wen Xiu.
And chased down any scrap of news I could get of her.
There were long periods without any news of her.
But I conjured up
the most vivid scenes of her life on the grasslands...
based on stories from those who had returned.
Come on in, Comrade!
We've read your files,
and all your informations
You've been an exemplary worker.
Very impressive!
We're sending you to learn horse herding.
When you return,
you'll organize the Educated Youth girls...
to form an all girl cavalry
competing with the Iron Girls Cavalry!
Lao Jin! Come in for a second!
Lao Jin is a good comrade.
Not a single bad mark in his file in twenty years.
And something in the record
He's even been awarded two honors!
Nothing to worry about!
Lao Jin's just a little different...
Over twenty years ago...
Accountant Cao!
Mind your own business.
How come everyone says
Lao Jin's different?
At that moment, Tibetan was fighting,
and caught up Lao Jin
Rumor had it that
at the age of eighteen
Lao Jin was already hailed as the best rider and rifleman...
across the grasslands.
During a brutal Tibetan tribal war,
Lao Jin was taken prisoner.
And lost his manhood...
with one slice of a sharp knife.
Can't marry or have kids, that all.
Everyone here knows about it.
There's only one tent?
Just one tent? How the hell are we supposed to live!
What's in it?
Try it.
What is it?
Won't poison you.
Wild Onions.
All you Chengdu girls like to wash!
Go back!
I don't know the way back!
I was just fine at the factory.
What the hell
did they want me out here for?
Now I'm as useful as dog shit!
What?
Dog shit!
Lice!
You know, fleas, lice?
We don't have lice out here. Even the horses don't have lice.
But my whole body itches.
Isn't this for scratching horses?
I bet...
...you've never bathed in your entire life.
I don't like bathhouses.
See? You've never taken a bath!
I just took one when it rained.
With the horses?
Lao Jin!
Do you know the difference between humans and apes?
When they scratch themselves,
watch,
human scratch in this direction;
and apes, going up in the direction of their hair!
My dad does the best imitation!
Why'd you stop?
No more singing, gotta work.
But you sing so well,
much better than the loudspeaker at Headquarters!
What is it?
A Kangba love song.
I mean, what are you digging?
What does it look like?
It's almost long enough for a coffin!
What is it?
You'll see
The sun is too much!
Lao Jin!
Have a look, I bet
you've never seen anything this beautiful!
Now you've ruined it!
The pattern's gone!
Serves you right!
Wind's too strong.
Lao Jin, is that gold tooth of yours real?
Of course.
You're bluffing me.
My mother left me her gold earrings.
I was afraid of losing it, so I had it made into a tooth.
Earrings?
You'd look much better without it.
At your age and...
you don't have anything?
Other herders your age all have
at least a watch or a radio
I've got one.
Here.
You don't have anything!
Should be warm now.
What's warm?
Go take a look.
Lao Jin, you're so kind!
Lao Jin, I'm taking my clothes off now.
How can I do that with you around?
Go tend the horses.
Those few have been
bothering my horse Da Ching.
I can't see you.
I'm not washing then!
The clouds are coming this way.
Don't turn around.
Your eyes will rot if you peek!
Lao Jin, sing me another song!
Here come the clouds.
You're peeking!
I didn't see a thing!
Your eyes will rot!
Lao Jin, we're taking these yaks to the slaughterhouse.
Don't come up here!
Do you want ribs or legs?
Lao Jin, why the hell were you squatting like that?
Taking a piss?
Lao Jin, they say you pee like a woman!
Go away!
Lao Jin,
they're coming up from that side!
You dare shoot at
retired PLA soldiers!
Just wait
Just wait, you old gelding
Wait for what?
For you to come bite off my balls? Come on then
Let's test your teeth!
I left my shoes out to dry.
Now there's only one left!
Maybe the wind blew it away
Silly, what wind?
Must've been stolen.
Not single soul around. Who could have stolen it?
And who steals just one shoe?
They were my favorite. I hardly wore them.
It must have been stolen.
Nonsense. I've never seen a single person out here!
You don't see him, but he sees you.
Maybe someday he'll come
claim you with that shoe.
That's the custom here.
If you like a particular girl, you steal one of her shoes.
Which bastard's taken a liking to me?
Chen Li...
I heard from other people that... Chen Li was taken to Gansu.
She's married off and has a child already!
She'll never be able to go back to Chengdu now.
If it were me
I'd rather die.
Spending a lifetime in a place. Like this!
At this hour in Chengdu,
the streets are still busting.
Al the diners are open.
Have you ever had Dongzi noodles?
Dozens of different ingredients!
You have to wait in line.
The line goes all the way to People's Park!
The chrysanthemum exhibit at People's Park...
...has hundreds of varieties!
A tian An Men made entirely from chrysanthemums,
and even an enormous ship!
Dad would put us up on his shoulders so we could see.
Dad is the funniest!
Mom never once had to pay for fabric
in twenty years.
Dad works at a clothing factory.
He would save spare fabric from work.
At night, he would sew for us.
He could make
whole outfits from scraps!
When Mom scolded him, he'd say:
"Night won't turn into day if a tailor doesn't steal cloth away!"
Xiu Xiu
Leo Jin
you think they're coming to get me today?
They promised...
...I could go back after six months.
It's been exactly 180 days.
I won't be able to see Da Ching have her baby
Can't we have breakfast now?
Still cooking.
There are still two pieces of candy left from Chengdu.
Feed them to my horse Da Ching when she has her foal.
Goodbye, Lao Jin!
They still haven't come?
I've been waiting for so long! The people at Headquarters must've all died!
Your horse Da Ching just gave birth.
It's pretty little foal.
Why the hell should I care?
It rained heavily last night.
It changed the course of the stream.
And the horses have eaten all the grass here.
Tomorrow, we should strike out tent and...
Move again!
They will never find me!
There's no water left for the horses, nor for us.
You move.
I'm not moving
Will they come get me tomorrow?
What if they don't?
Then they'll come the day after.
Lao Jin.
Are you really going to spend your entire life raising horses?
They raise me, too.
An entire life in a place like this?
Every place is the same.
Lao Jin
someone's following me!
Who?
There's someone hiding out there.
He's gotta be the one who stole my shoe!
What shoe?
You said...
...if a guy likes a girl
he would steal one of her shoes...
Did you make it up? Did you?
You made it up!
You fooled me!
How come I've never seen you before?
I'm learning horse herding with Lao Jin.
That Tibetan Lao Jin?
You know him?
Everybody knows him.
He's the one
who got it chopped off...
Headquarters sent me here first.
Later I'll lead a team of ten female Educated Youth.
Have you heard of the White River Iron Girls Cavalry?
The best in the province...
What "Iron Girls"?
They've long been disbanded.
They've been fighting
to go home for months now.
Headquarters in swamped
with Educated Youth...
...grabbing the precious few return permits.
Look,
those whose parents have connections...
...or money...
...have found their way back.
They are went back earlier.
Certainly pretty girls
like you...
...are mostly gone, too.
You must be quite popular at Headquarters?
I really don't know anyone.
Well, now you know me.
If we had met sooner,
you'd be back in Chengdu by know.
With a job and everything!
You...
You know people at Headquarters well?
Hell, everyone knows me! Even the chief's dog!
They're always begging me for bicycle coupons.
Laundry detergent coupons,
and leather shoes from Shanghai...
They've got the power, and I've got the goods.
Everyone's happy.
So are there really only a few permits left?
It's real tight.
Chief Yuan's son had one.
But then all the Educated Youth were about to riot.
So he didn't dare use it.
Don't move...
a tiny leaf
In fact,
you're a real honest girl.
Anyone else with your looks...
...would have visited the ranch chiefs,
the committee members,
and called them "uncles!"
I dislike girls who go through the back door.
Okay,
come look me up at Headquarters!
I'll get you
what you need!
Then I really will come look for you
Lao Jin!
You're quite the leisurely one! Roaming all the way out here.
No wonder I haven't run into you!
Who are you?
Don't you remember me?
Lao Jin,
aren't you going to say hello?
A storm is coming.
I raced to get back here ahead of it.
Storm coming?
Then I'd better get going...
Your promise you'll come...
...and see me at Headquarters.
Lao Jin,
come along too.
I've got a case of Jianzhunag Liquor for you.
Lao Jin, he's talking to you!
The storm is coming!
I waited for you all night
at the Saturday movie...
We almost moved out tent today...
No... no...
Don't be afraid.
Haven't you been waiting for me?
No... it's not that...
Give it to me,
we'll go back to Chengdu together...
Let's go back to Chengdu...
Want to buy some honey?
It's... it's as beautiful as People's Boulevard back home!
Lao Jin, what day is today?
Saturday!
It's definitely Saturday!
There's a movie at Headquarters. Let's go!
It's more than thirty Li away.
If we ride fast, we could be there in two hours.
It's been so long since I've seen a movie!
I'll go by myself.
Blackie!
Lao Jin Wen Xiu,
are you alright?
I stopped to pee... Blackie just ran off!
You...
See that? There's a swamp ahead!
How did you end up here?
Your could've drowned, if it weren't for Blackie.
Come on, we've go back.
You said you'd be here last Thursday, It's Monday already.
Look, I knitted this for you!
That damned peddler!
He gave me the wrong directions!
The girl from the powdered milk factory...
Strange, I've never seen you before.
I just sent two girls back to Chengdu.
One word from me, and they're home.
This tent is so worn out!
Shame!
The peddler never mentioned this to me
I'll have a brand-new tent
delivered this afternoon.
Come on, let's have a look inside...
In fact, the peddler...
...he misses you. It's just that he's too busy.
There are things he can't do, so he asked me to help.
Don't get me wrong.
He and I are close pals...
I'm not close to him!
Who the hell is he?
Tough cookie!
There you are!
You're as soft as dough...
I'll pound you!
I'll bound the hell out of you!
Lao Jin
Lao Jin, is that you?
Is there any water?
I water water
Water's here!
I brought this for you to drink.
It was a ten-Li ride.
There's still some water left.
You want some?
You drink it.
Hey, give me my belt!
I need to get back.
Just hold up your pants!
How would I explain it?
Stop fooling around!
I wouldn't be able to explain!
Out of water again?
The people who visit me...
...are all very important.
How important?
Just very important.
If you want to get back to Chengdu,
you need these people on your side, stamping documents, writing permits.
I'm too late.
All the other Educated Youth girls
found their way back a year ago.
In Chengdu.
They've probably been assigned to work units.
Think about it.
What's a girl to do
No money,
no connections,
no powerful parents,
what have I got but myself?
And you can't just sleep with this person and not with that person.
The ones you don't sleep with will hold you back.
A bowl of water's got to be carried evenly, right?
If you want to go back to Chengdu,
I can take you to Hong Yuan Country.
You can catch the bus from there...
What are you talking about?
You've been around for so many years.
Don't you know anything?
What could I do in Chengdu?
Without the
proper documents,
you won't get a residence permit or a job.
Even the neighborhood committees could send me back!
You just live with your horses.
Nothing can possibly bother you...
Dammit! Where's my shoe?
Where's my shoe?
Lao Jin,
have you seen a shoe?
Whose shoe?
None of your business! Have you seen it or not?
I'm asking you!
I'm talking to you!
Are you a animal?
Can't you understand human language?
There hasn't been any water for days!
What's taking you so long?
You're selling yourself, you know that?
But it won't do you any damn good!
What did you say?
I said... you are a whore!
Not that you're getting any.
Lao Jin!
I don't want to go.
Don't be afraid, it's doesn't matter.
Nothing to be afraid of.
Forget it. Let's go!
Open the Door
Where is everyone?
Who're you looking for?
Doesn't matter!
Just find them!
They're at a meeting.
What's meeting?
The Educated Youth are rioting.
She is...
I beg you, Lao Jin!
Please, let's go...
Open up!
Let's go, I beg you!
Open up!
Who're you looking for?
You've bee raising hell since this morning!
Don't you recognize her?
Recognize her?
You really don't recognize her?
Really don't recognize her?
Lao Jin, what's matter...
The hell with it! I'll kill all of you
Lao Jin
Take it easy now, Lao Jin!
Lao Jin...
Please, I beg you...
Wen Xiu
Maternity Ward
Not a sound from her, huh?
I'm sure she made plenty sounds...
when she was screwing around...
Just know how to do what she wants.
How could she do that to herself?
A dead pig feels no pain.
She's the fifth girl this week...
Hey Three Toes, don't be messing around in other people's rooms!
Yes, yes.
Six
Seven
Three toes, tell the truth
You shot yourself in the foot, didn't you?
Let's not slander a Third-Ranking Handicapped Person.
What do you think so?
You traded those three toes for a Chengdu residence permit.
I think it's still a better deal than that poor girl in the other room.
Shut up!
He's right about that.
Let's go.
Take a look!
See this?
With this foot,
standing in line to buy meat?
Hell, I won't even have to stay in line to get into the bathhouse!
Open up!
Lao Jin
Open up!
Open up, bastard!
What's matter? Lao Jin...
Open the door! You animal!
Wouldn't matter if it were a horse,
She'd still want it.
She's bleeding to death. How could she still want it?
Bastard!
Hey, what's going on?
What's going on?
We were having an intellectual exchange!
Anyone else want some?
Wait your turn!
Look! Please calm down, Lao Jin.
Lao Jin's first in line,
I'll touch for it.
Who said Lao Jin was a teapot
without a spout?
Take it easy...
Lao Jin
Wen Xiu,
No water...
Three Toes said it won't hurt too much.
If I don't aim right, I might lose all five toes.
You'll take me straight to the hospital, right?
Will you swear it was an accident?
Lao Jin, I beg you!
I can't bear to shoot at myself!
Lao Jin, I'm begging you!
If you just get one good shot off,
I can go back home to Chengdu!
None of them would help me!
You're the only one who can help me now!
I want to go home, Lao Jin!
Lao Jin, I'm begging you!
Wait!
Her life was brief.
But in the story
I keep writing of her,
she lives on.