Poetic tribute to farmers

A Chinese movie, based on the stories of villagers striving to get out of poverty, is gaining support at the box office. Xu Fan reports.

When director Miao Yue arrived in Shibadong village, the home of the Miao ethnic people in the mountains of Central China's Hunan province, after a tiring journey, her fatigue was quickly forgotten thanks to the stunning views she encountered.

"It was dusk in August last year. The countryside was covered by fields of rice. The setting sun cast a tranquil and beautiful light that I have rarely seen," she says.