永远不要回来，孩子

About the stories that have happened and may happen on this land, I originally wanted to write them as a novel (which I eventually did), and also thought about writing them as a script, but in the end, I wanted to capture them on film. This is an era composed of people living in images and those obsessed with images. However, shooting a feature film requires a lot of manpower and resources, far beyond what an ordinary college student like me can manage. Therefore, I chose to make a short film, as long as the story takes place on this land. So, I wrote this short film script:

It is said that Zhang Chunlin, a famous stone carver, lost his beloved apprentice to silicosis. After receiving the obituary, he wanted to stay at the apprentice's house in the city for a few days, but he refused to attend the funeral. However, when he called the apprentice's daughter Zhang Bin to ask about her well-being and suggested staying for a few days, Zhang Bin suddenly said that she had time recently and wanted to return home.

Zhang Bin graduated from a technical school with a major in automotive repair and worked at a repair shop for six months before becoming a courier for a few months, but neither job went well. So, she decided to return to her village and inherit her father's craft. After Zhang Bin returned home, she shared her thoughts with Zhang Chunlin. Instead of being excited, Zhang Chunlin fell into silence and refused his daughter's request. Perplexed, Zhang Bin started arguing with her father, but Zhang Chunlin remained silent, sitting on the stone steps, looking at the collapsed courtyard wall and the weeds in the yard next door, silently smoking a dried cigarette. In the distance, the buzzing sound of electric stone carving tools could occasionally be heard. Zhang Bin found many videos of popular stone carvers online to show her father and talked about their success. Zhang Chunlin watched each one silently, occasionally showing a hint of excitement in his cloudy eyes, but he remained silent. Until the setting sun turned into a red pool by the roadside, Zhang Chunlin brought two bowls of noodles from the kitchen and squatted in the yard, eating and then falling asleep.

Early the next morning, Zhang Chunlin woke Zhang Bin up while it was still dark and took her over two hills to another village to attend the apprentice's funeral. Zhang Chunlin's presence surprised the host family. During the funeral, Zhang Bin learned from the conversation of the crowd that before the deceased was diagnosed with the disease, the factory owner closed the factory and moved abroad to retire. Shortly after the factory closed, the workers started falling ill one after another, but they had no way to seek compensation. At the funeral, a few of the deceased's fellow workers overturned the table and wanted to sue the boss in court. Zhang Chunlin stopped them and suggested that Zhang Bin make a short video of stone carving for them. Several apprentices were quite skeptical about it. On the way back, they hitched a ride on a three-wheeler driven by an old Yu Opera actor, who happened to be going to the funeral to perform. The tire burst when they were on the road due to the jade stones from the bracelet rubbing against it. While pushing the cart from behind, Zhang Chunlin suddenly started coughing violently. When Zhang Bin helped Zhang Chunlin to the side to rest, he told his father that he no longer planned to learn stone carving and wanted to focus on work. Zhang Chunlin didn't say much, he just asked Zhang Bin to take a jar of freshly pickled vegetables with him and reminded Zhang Bin to seek help from their aunt in the city if he encountered any difficulties. At that moment, the sound of stone hitting stone came from a distance, and the old Yu Opera actor started singing along with the tapping sound.

When they arrived home, Zhang Chunlin suddenly said he wanted to try live streaming. The next morning, Zhang Bin set up a live streaming account. Zhang Chunlin sat alone at the door, watching his son busy with the phone and props. After watching for a while, he went back into the house, pulled out a large wooden box from under the bed, took out the hand tools inside, and started carving in front of the camera as his son requested. Zhang Bin recorded his father's carving on the phone screen, but there were no viewers. Zhang Chunlin's hands were carving slowly on the stone block, and stone dust fell on the table, stirred up by the wind, making the stone dust float in the air and causing the phone camera to shake...

Before writing this, I first wrote a long novel, which included several stories that took place in Nanyang, Henan. I was born in Nanyang and later returned here several times. When I had the idea of writing a story that happened here, I came to stay here for two summers. I heard many stories here, had many meals, and met many people. In the summer of 2017, I left with a thick notebook, and in the spring of 2018, I completed the initial draft of the novel. I didn't write it directly as a script because a novel can more smoothly capture the emotions that come from deep within, which is important to me.

This short film script is derived from a segment in the novel. In the novel, the story takes place twenty years ago, when a village troublemaker, who had watched too many Hong Kong films, had a piece of flesh cut off his leg by the real "big brother" in the city, who was not a genuine gangster but rather the owner of a jade carving workshop with a few idle youngsters. After recovering from the injury, he became obedient, and the act of cutting off his flesh seemed like a castration ritual for domesticated animals. The girl he loved married the "big brother" from the city, and he didn't struggle anymore. He married a girl introduced by a matchmaker and wanted to learn jade carving, but his father rejected him due to the existing cases of silicosis. He didn't insist and only relied on the little techniques he learned from his father since childhood to open a small jade shop in another city. His father supplied him with goods, and he occasionally did some simple repair work.

This is a story that belongs to that era, with the scent and pulse of that time. No matter how shocking it was to see the scar on his leg when he rolled up his pants, it would no longer bleed. The abrupt and ugly new skin, like ivy covering the wall, concealed many old details (while adding new ones), which cannot be fully restored no matter how much research and imagination I put into it. The memories of the people involved have also undergone numerous embellishments before becoming the stories they tell. In the end, what they tell is simply a brawl that could be seen anywhere in the county town of that era.

The fireworks of that era have long burned out, and the remnants of firecrackers have been swept away, leaving only the ancient brick road and the thin, bright sunlight squeezing through the clouds. Most of my memories of that era come from the accounts of my parents' generation, literature, and the films of the sixth generation of directors. These have become a set of symbols that are difficult to decipher. In contrast, I can say more about the present. So, I moved the story to the present, to the year 2020 that has just passed and the year 2021 that has not truly arrived.

In this story, I wanted to explore the struggles and aspirations of the characters in the context of modern society. Zhang Chunlin represents the older generation, deeply rooted in traditional values and craftsmanship, but struggling to adapt to the rapidly changing world. His hesitation and resistance to embracing new opportunities reflect the challenges faced by many older individuals in the face of technological advancements and societal transformations.

On the other hand, Zhang Bin symbolizes the younger generation, filled with dreams and ambitions, yet constantly confronted with the harsh realities of life. He is torn between pursuing his passion for jade carving and succumbing to the pressures of practicality and financial stability. His desire to explore new avenues, such as live streaming, is an attempt to find a breakthrough and prove himself in a society that often values popularity and visibility over traditional skills and craftsmanship.

The theme of the short film revolves around the clash between tradition and modernity, as well as the intergenerational conflicts and sacrifices that arise from it. It raises questions about the preservation of traditional crafts, the value of heritage, and the pursuit of personal dreams in a rapidly changing world.

By setting the story in the present day and incorporating elements such as live streaming and internet celebrities, I aimed to highlight the influence of technology and social media on our lives, as well as the challenges and opportunities they present. The character of Zhang Chunlin's decision to try live streaming, despite its unfamiliarity and potential for failure, represents a leap of faith and a willingness to adapt in the face of adversity.

Overall, this short film script delves into the complexities of human relationships, the changing dynamics of society, and the eternal struggle between tradition and progress. Through the characters of Zhang Chunlin and Zhang Bin, it explores themes of identity, dreams, and the pursuit of happiness in a world that constantly demands adaptation and compromises.