Film is not a replacement of real life. Sometimes it is more meaningful to encounter stories in person instead of behind the lens. –Braulio Lin One of my favorite parts about working in the film industry is that I get to travel and meet people who live very different lives from mine. This October, I encountered an interesting cow herder while I was working on documentary in south Henan in China. His name was Fang Chen, a short and skinny man in his mid-forties. His healthy diet and active lifestyle made him look ten years younger than his actual age. "I used to be a bright student at school," he told us, "Every day after class I would come up to the mountains to watch the cows. They have always fascinated me." A brown cow walked near us and started grazing on a rich patch of grass. The tinkling of its bell accompanied Mr. Chen's high pitched voice. "Once, I broke my leg and had to walk with crutches, yet I would still make my way up here to be with the cows. My brothers would try to stop me, but I would come anyway." Mr. Chen's passion for cow herding dominated every second of the half-hour interview we shot with him. When our interviewer asked him if there had been any happy events recently, Mr. Chen told him, "Are you talking about the cows or me?" I started wondering if this man really had anything in his mind besides cows. Perhaps his family and friends were sick and tired of listening to him talking about cows all his life. Perhaps he had found in us an audience that would finally be interested in listening to him talk about his vocation. Mr. Chen seemed like a happy person, living his peaceful life in his remote village with his wife and his cows. His grownup children had moved to the city years ago, coming back once a year during the spring festival. "They think the countryside is dirty," Chen said, "If they don't have the passion for cow herding, I cannot force them to come back and help out. Kids these days can't even climb trees like we used to!" I looked around and thought, "Why would anyone not want to come back to a place like this! The air is so clean, the weather is so nice, and the home cooked dishes–fresh out of the hearth–taste amazing and healthy." But as we made our way through a small clearing with our film equipment, sinking our boots into spongy cow dung, I thought, "Maybe I too would become sick of the countryside after a month. There is nothing much to do here other than playing cards with your neighbors and participate in exercise drills with old people." As someone who lives in the city, I found Mr. Chen's village beautiful and perfect. Unaware of my lack of first-hand experience with country labor, I fell victim to idealistic romanticization of countryside. The majority of locals we spoke to shared similar life stories and hardships. Most of them grew up in the same village they were currently living in, with their grown-up children long gone to the cities for work. There is bleaker chance for upward mobility for those who stay behind. The locals we encountered are probably one of the last generation of farmers committed to living the rest of their entire lives in the village they were born in. Across China, the pattern is the the same. Villages like Mr. Chen's are being deserted as newer generations migrate to the cities seeking better job opportunities. It's somewhat bittersweet to witness generational homes fall into decadence. Some of the houses that once bore extended families of seventy plus members now crumb into ruins of sunken roofs and broken glass. They become monuments to the passage of time, begging us to contemplate our own mortality. Visiting rural Henan turned out to be a way to remind myself of why I chose to pursue my ambitions in a metropolis. To have access to the film network, equipment superstores, and international films is a luxury I am fortunate to have. On the downside, I am too often tempted to get completely sucked up in work and to forget that cinema is merely a reproduction of sounds and images from the real world. Film is not a replacement of real life. Sometimes it is more meaningful to encounter stories in person instead of behind the lens. When this documentary is finished, I will watch it and recall the sounds and landscapes of my travels. I might even miss the smell fresh cow dung.
Braulio is a sound mixer, video shooter, photographer, and editor living in New York City. brauliolin.com
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AboutThis blog was launched in August, 2015 during my 8th year of studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I decided to start this blog and record some of my thoughts and moments. This blog is also dedicate to Richard Fu, a good friend of mine who is now guarding me from above. He inspired me to get out of the comfort zone and be curious about the world. Amig@'s blogs
Check out my brother Will's blog (in Mandarin) to see what he's up to these days (Design, fashion, food, technology, music, film...etc) Check out Kris' website for some high quality photos around the world Archives
September 2023
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