Old Men

Filmmaker Yang Li Na is a soldier and actress in the theatre group of the Chinese Liberation Army and one of the few independent filmmakers in China. About making this film, she writes: 'In 1996, I moved to Quing Ta district in Beijing. One day, I saw some people. There was a certain beauty in their appearance, so I started to document them with my video camera. They were a group of retired old men. I referred to them as Da Ye, a respectful term of endearment in Mandarin. Every morning, they come promptly out of their homes to gather by the roadside. Sitting under the sun, they chat amongst themselves. At noon, they go home for lunch and return outside right afterwards. At about 5 p.m. they retire to eat dinner and to go to sleep. In the summer, they like to move to another place under the shadow of trees. Year after year, they abide by this routine as if it was their job. After more than two years, I finished my documentation. Now when I pass the same spot, I see many faces that I don´t recognize. The old men who had first caught my attention are now either bedridden or have moved away to live with their children´s families. A few, who have remained, often call themselves old and useless. They feel it is their time to go. I watch each leave the mortal world and trust that each walks the path to heaven.'