Little Phoenix Drops Handkerchief: Inquiring About 26 Contemporary Pioneers (Volumes A and B)

Author: Jin Xiaofeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Every individual is the sum of their entire history. All those who converse with Xiaofeng must carry a book, a movie, and an album, reflecting on their own spiritual growth journey through these cultural mirrors. Xiaofeng used this creative approach to showcase 26 of the most dynamic avant-garde figures in contemporary China in a brand-new light. The content they discuss is deeply personal, serving as both a re-examination of traditional culture and an exploration and elaboration on the meaning of new culture.
Excerpt:
Agricultural Background Feng: Yesterday Liu Donghong asked me, "Where is Jia Zhangke from?" I said, "You're from Fenyang, Shanxi, and have been living there all along. You only came to Beijing after going to university." Liu Donghong was deeply moved: "Oh, now I understand why he can make Xiao Wu! Such films—no Beijing person could ever make them."
Jia: Another thing I find particularly admirable about Jia Zhangke is that when I meet many artists from other places working in Beijing, they often tend to lean toward a more avant-garde or detached lifestyle, as if the further they are from their past, the better. But what's truly valuable is that watching his films, I, as someone outside the story's setting, feel a sense of connection and even fondness for the story itself and the many things that happen there. You know?
Feng: To put it more bluntly, even though you've left Fenyang, your heart still remains rooted in that land.
Jia: By the time I came to Beijing, I was already 23, and I think a person's identity is pretty much set by then. For example, if you asked me to make my first few films, I couldn't help but think of my hometown. I'm also very sensitive to the lifestyle and creative directions of many artists. I feel there's something common among them: many people try to escape the path they came from, cutting themselves off from their past as much as possible. I don't like that at all. I'd describe myself as a director with an "agricultural background," and I believe many artists share this. Moreover, China as a whole has a massive agricultural background. Why should we abandon it? If you ask me who I know best, it's the people in small towns or at the intersection of urban and rural areas, because I grew up in such an environment myself. I am one of them. On the other hand, there are farmers—I have aunts and cousins who are farmers. I know them well. Why wouldn't I want to film things I'm familiar with and understand? And these things move me deeply. So, I have a personal belief: I refuse to sever my connection with the land.
Feng: Even for farmers, say, a farmer from Fenyang, the human qualities they display are something that everyone shares.
Jia: What truly angers me is that after I entered the film academy in 1993, I realized the word "farmer" is a derogatory term, an insult. It made me deeply uncomfortable because I know farmers possess a lot of dignity. For example, I've personally experienced this—I used to help with farm work too, as many of my relatives live in the countryside. During the busy farming season, I'd go to help them harvest wheat or plow fields. Once, I saw an old man after finishing his work, meticulously cleaning his iron hoe with a stone, making sure it was spotless and shiny before going home. He showed great respect for the tools he used to survive. It deeply moved me. And when you go to the village, you see many elderly people who are incredibly clean, dignified, and respectable—using Shanxi dialect, these qualities are all very good.