Country Teachers
Mandarin with English Subtitles
1993 Film
Director: He Qun (Strangers in Beijing)
Cast: Li Baotian, Ju Xue, Xiu Zongdi, Wang Xueqi
Awards: Best Feature Film, Best Actor at the 14th
Golden Rooster Awards 1994, Best Feature Film, Best Script, Best Actor Awards by
Chinese Film Bureau 1994
Like Zhang YiMou’s "Not One Less" (one of the Fuling
Parents’ recommended films), "Country Teachers" tells the story of individuals
working and studying in an impoverished elementary school in rural China.
However, unlike "Not One Less" which was told from the perspective of a teenage
substitute teacher and her pupils, this one concerns the full-time teachers and
their students in a mountain school called Ridge Primary School.
The story begins by introducing the central character,
Zhang Ying, a twenty year old girl from rural China who has just failed her
college entrance exams for the second time. Since her dream is to live in the
city, her only hope to leave her rural village is through her uncle who is the
director
of the Town Educational Committee. When he proposes that she become a
teacher at the Ridge Primary School, a rural school in the mountains, she,
behaving like a brat, at first refuses. However, after her father reminds her
that not going means she gets to help him cart dung and with some coaxing by her
uncle, she decides to go with him to begin her job at the school.
When they arrive, her uncle, Director Wan, introduces Ying
to the other teachers—Principle Yu Changming, Deputy Principle Deng Youmei and
Sun Sihai, director of studies. Within minutes of arriving, she learns that the
teachers have not been paid in nine months. She also learns that, like her, all
the teachers aspire for the day when they can become certified teachers and
leave this rural school behind.
While the movie covers a very serious topic, it does so
with some humor. There is a conversation not long after the film starts where
Yingzi’s father tells her mother that Yingzi has gotten lazy from studying for
the past year failing her test by 4 points instead of the 3 points that she
failed by the previous year. Her mother, trying to defend and comfort Yingzi,
asks why she hasn’t made any progress in a year of study, telling her that "even
1 point more would have been a comfort to your father."
There are many subplots in this story and there were times
when one may feel confused and lost. Some of these instances may be a result of
cultural differences that could not be communicated through language alone.
Also, the subtitles are sometimes difficult to read when the white letters are
in front of a light-colored background. Still, these few flaws don’t detract
much from this film and its touching story.
The story continues with the teachers doing what they
think is best for the school and, in some cases, themselves. However, through a
series of events, they learn the bigger meaning of their work, and demonstrate
their respect for each other in a final selfless gesture. Stories like the ones
here may be taking place in rural schools throughout China and give us insight
into challenges faced by teachers and students in areas such as those
surrounding the city of Fuling.
More information on education in China:
