Today, I will introduce a Chinese film which called The Herdsman (牧马人mù mǎ rén). So let us have a brief introduction.

The Herdsman is a 1982 Chinese film about the life of a herdsman in western China from 1950s through the Cultural Revolution, and his reunion with his father from America. It was produced by the Shanghai Film Studio and directed by Xie Jin (谢晋Xiè Jìn), starring Zhu Shimao (朱时茂Zhū Shímào).

Plot

In autumn of 1980, an elderly Chinese American entrepreneur, Xu Jingyou ( Liu Qiong (刘琼Liú Qióng)), returns to China, and finds his son, Xu Lingjun ( Zhu Shimao), a herdsman working in Chilechuan Ranch in northwestern China. The father wants to take his son to the United States to inherit his assets. However, the junior Xu is very distant with his father. More than 30 years ago, the father had abandoned his wife and son to do business in America. His mother died of disease and Xu becomes an orphan. After graduating from high school, Xu became a teacher. In 1957, he was classified as a “rightist” and sent to work in a ranch in the underdeveloped northwest. In 1962, when the labor penalty was terminated, Xu stayed at the ranch as a herdsman. Due to despair, Xu even attempted to commit suicide. But his fellow ranchers, especially Grandpa and Grandma Dong and Guo Zi (郭子Guō Zǐ ), give him the courage and strength to carry on. During Cultural Revolution, Guo Zi and other ranchers protect him from political persecution. In 1972, Xu marries Li Xiuzhi (李修枝Lǐ Xiūzhī), a village girl who had fled the famine in Sichuan. They give bi rth to a son, Little Qingqing, and the family lived a carefree life. Xu was rehabilitated in 1979 and returned to his post as a teacher. In the evening when Xu meets his father at the Peking Restaurant, his heart is uneasy. He recalls his past at the ranch and his wife’s trust in his returning, which consolidates his decision to stay in China. The senior Xu finally understands his son, and the two resume their kinship. After sending his father home, Xu returns to the ranch and to his friends and family.

This is a very fabulous film.