Films illuminate life in Nujiang Grand Canyon

Yang Mingjin shows films to villagers living around the Nujiang Grand Canyon. [Photo/Xinhua]

Yang Mingjin, 45, is a tire shop owner in west Yunnan's Lushui city, Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture. He has staged more than 4,500 films for free to over 500,000 villagers living around the Nujiang Grand Canyon in the past 24 years.

With the help of all walks of society, Yang Mingjin established the first film exhibition hall in Nujiang in 2020, which houses more than 100 sets of intact film equipment. “Films have illuminated my life. I hope they do the same to others,” Yang said.

An old man once told Yang that it would be great if the films could be dubbed in the Lisu language. Keeping that in mind, Yang consulted many experts and technicians to find solutions that meet the audience's expectation. The first film in the Lisu language was successfully premiered after more than three months of hundreds of debugging, and it was well received by the elder audience.

Over the last 24 years, traditional film projection has given way to digital projection, making more genres of films available to local audiences. Furthermore, the development of transportation and economy in Nujiang Grand Canyon has lifted the local villagers out of poverty and provided them with a more enriched recreational life. Yang is, in some ways, more than just a film projector. He is also a witness and participant of these dramatic changes.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Guo Yao