Farmer turned filmmaker adds drama to her life
Print Edition
LIU Yunxia owes a debt almost equal to her family’s annual income. Yet after publishing a novel which she hopes will be made into a TV drama, she believes her dream is closer to coming true.
Liu, 38, a farmer in a remote mountain village in northwest China’s Gansu Province, borrowed 30,000 yuan (US$4,870) to publish “30 Years Is Not a Dream,” which tells the story of a rural arranged marriage and is based on her own experiences.
Despite only having a primary school education, Liu is known in her hometown and online for pursuing her ambitions of writing dramas and producing a TV series.
Liu loved writing as a child and dreamed of becoming a doctor. But she was engaged when only 9 by her parents and forced to marry at the age of 19.
At first, her marriage to Chen Yanhai was troubled, due to poverty, a lack of communication and her husband’s gambling.
No meaning
But after five years, Liu grew to love Chen, who cared for her in hospital when she fell ill.
In 2008, Liu was inspired to shoot a TV drama after she saw a documentary shot by a woman about rural children left at home with family in the countryside while their parents went to work as migrant workers in cities.
“My TV drama dream is to enrich our spiritual lives and change our own lives,” said Liu. “I’d feel no meaning if I did farming work all my life.”
Liu made the decision despite her husband’s opposition. She finally completed the first script of the drama, “Yezi’s Arranged Marriage,” in autumn 2010.
Liu then planned the shoot and persuaded her husband to support her.
They spent all their savings of 100,000 yuan buying a camera, computers and other equipment. Fellow villagers were invited to volunteer as cast members.
Actors quit
But filming of the series stopped halfway after the villager actors quit due to the lack of pay and busy farming schedules.
She did not give up and worked to improve the script. With the guidance of the president of the Lanzhou Film Studio, the story was published as a novel in February.
Liu said she is grateful to her husband for supporting her dream. The couple raise 24 dairy cows, which bring them an income of 3,000 to 4000 yuan a month.
Liu told Xinhua yesterday that she has just finished a movie script, “The Story of Liu Xuemei’s Dream,” which is also based on her own experience.
“I hope famous directors will come to discuss with me about shooting the TV drama or movie soon,” said Liu.
She said a Shanghai photographer has offered to help find directors and investors.
“I believe her dream will come true in the end,” said Niu Gonghe, a villager who had a role in the unfinished drama.
“To shoot a TV drama is not only a dream of Liu’s, but also mine and a dream of my fellow villagers,” said Niu.
“We look forward to realizing the dream.”
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