Steppe herders open hearts to city orphans
An unmarried 19-year-old herdswoman on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia raised 28 orphans from Shanghai in the early 1960s until adoptive parents could eventually be found.
The woman, named Duguimaa, is now 77. The story of her compassion more than a half century ago came to light when the long-forgotten history of more than 3,000 Shanghai orphans was unearthed. The story has now been made into a movie called 鈥淪ong of Love.鈥
The film, which premiered on Thursday around China, recounts the touching relationship between city children and nomadic mothers in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 鈥 their experiences living in a yurt, traveling on horseback and adapting to what was an alien culture to them.
The movie is in Chinese and Mongolian languages, with Chinese and English subtitles.
Earlier this year, Duguimaa was nominated for one of China鈥檚 top national titles of honor.
鈥淚 had no idea about this history before Duguimaa was awarded the honor,鈥 Hu Shaoxiang, the movie鈥檚 screenwriter, told Shanghai Daily at its pre-screening in the city. 鈥淎nd I had never been to Inner Mongolia before.鈥
His subsequent trip there was an eye-opener.
鈥淚 was entranced by the unique culture, music and lifestyle when I went to interview the mothers and orphans for the movie,鈥 he explained. 鈥淒uguimaa did something extraordinary. It reflected the 鈥榓typical love鈥 of women there in general. They care for sheep and cattle like their own kids every day, and show natural maternal affection for children even when meeting them for the first time.鈥
In the early 1960s, China was suffering from natural disasters and food shortages. Many parents from the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu deposited children they couldn鈥檛 feed at the gates of orphanages in Shanghai, hoping they would be cared for.
The burden was heavy for a city that also was suffering food shortages. Then Premier Zhou Enlai sought assistance from Ulanhu, chairman of Inner Mongolia, to get more milk powder for the orphans. Instead, Ulanhu offered to take the children themselves. By 1963, some 3,000 orphans were sent to Inner Mongolia.
Hu interviewed dozens of Mongolian mothers, including Duguimaa, and Shanghai orphans to get a first-hand account of what happened. The majority of the orphans, were later adopted by local Mongolian families and still live there. Now in their 50s and 60s, they show little trace of their origins. Hu turned their stories into the screenplay for 鈥淪ong of Love.鈥
The movie follows two orphans 鈥 Nanfang and Tongya 鈥 who are abandoned by their natural parents and suffer from malnutrition. Transported to such a totally different environment, they gradually adapt to the vast grasslands and come to love the music, culture and people.
Their new 鈥渕others鈥 include Arruna, a young single woman, and an old granny who has never lost her maternal instincts.
鈥淭he character of Arruna is based on Duguimaa 鈥 a young unmarried girl suddenly caring for very young children,鈥 Hu said. 鈥淢any other characters and details in the movie are based on true accounts, too.鈥
Hu said he was particularly impressed by the story of a music-loving local teacher who was severely criticized during the 鈥渃ultural revolution鈥 (1966-76). The teacher became seriously ill and committed suicide so that his adopted son wouldn鈥檛 have to bear the burden of caring for him.
The music in the film and its many horseback scenes were a highlight for audiences.
鈥淭he story and the theme are somewhat mainstream, but the opening sequence of the vast grassland and horses captured me right away,鈥 said Wang Suhan, after watching the film with friends from Inner Mongolia. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit like watching a Chinese version of an American Western, with the connections between human beings, between human and animals, and between humans and nature.鈥
He added: 鈥淚t also helped me to know my friends better. They grew up in a very different lifestyle, and seeing that in detail on the silver screen was impressive.鈥
Hu recreates his story with a key character in the movie. A music-loving doctor teaches Nanfang how to play the morin khuur, or horsehead fiddle, which figures prominently in Mongolian indigenous music.
In the movie, the doctor commits suicide, leaving a note that expresses his faith in music.
鈥淩emember, we Mongolians cannot go without music,鈥 Hu sums up the farewell note. 鈥淭he soul of music lies in the sea of flowers on the grassy plains, in the pure white sheep herds and in mothers鈥 fragrant milk tea. Music helps you get through the sufferings of life and learn to forgive. Rainy days fade away, and the sun also rises.鈥
Music in the movie complements the unique customs of local people. It is embodied in the shape of the horsehead fiddle and in a performing troupe that Arruna and her young lover belong to. The troupe of about 10 travels around the steppes with songs and dances.
The group is patterned on Wulan Muqi, or Red Buds 鈥 which was the first 鈥渁rt troupe on horseback,鈥 founded in 1957. It was intended to entertain and to deliver messages through music to nomadic Inner Mongolian residents who often lived far from neighbors.
鈥淟ife there is very different now,鈥 Hu said. 鈥淔ew really live in yurts anymore. Many herd animal stock on motorbikes and spend their weekends in the city. But artistic troupes are still there and going strong. They perform at festivals and travel to passionate fans in remote places.鈥
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