Private Project

XIAN - String

Years after losing his mother in an earthquake in Xihan City, music-loving teenager Xiaojun seeks solace in his musical dreams, nurtured by his late mother’s artistic influence. His father, Lao Lu, drowns his grief in alcohol and neglect, barely supporting them through odd jobs. When Xiaojun discovers his mother’s forgotten belongings—old clothes and a set of strings—he endures a scolding from Lao Lu after a fall while retrieving them. Undeterred, he builds a wooden guitar using the strings. A blind boy from Xiaojun’s sports school, who shares a similar tragedy (orphaned by the same earthquake and raised by a music teacher who supports his dreams), quietly reaches out. Respecting Xiaojun’s pride, he proposes a musical collaboration. During their heartfelt performance, Xiaojun’s music stuns the audience. As the song ends, Lao Lu rushes into the venue—a moment of unspoken reckoning.

  • Mubai Shen
    Director
  • Xingtong Zhang
    Producer
  • Shiming Deng
    Executive Director
  • Nayi Jiang
    Executive Producer
  • Rui Zhuo
    Writer
  • Yiquan Li
    Cinematographer
  • Jun Su
    Cinematographer
  • Quanxi Guo
    Gaffer
  • Shiyu Ye
    Production Designer
  • Zhifu Liang
    Recorder
  • Ximing Liu
    Key Cast
  • Zihao Wu
    Key Cast
  • Yang Liu
    Key Cast
  • Zhanjie Ling
    Key Cast
  • Haoran Chen
    Key Cast
  • Likai Huang
    Key Cast
  • Zijing Deng
    Key Cast
  • Nayi Jiang
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 25 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Production company/Shanghai Fengyou Culture and Entertainment Co., Ltd
    Distributor
    Country: China
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Mubai Shen

Shen Mubai is an award-winning Chinese director and screenwriter renowned for his work in commercial suspense films and urban inspirational dramas . He is the founder of Mubai Films based in Shenzhen. His breakthrough came with 'Dreaming Golden City', a modern entrepreneurial thriller set against Shenzhen’s economic reforms, which earned him the Golden Lotus New Director Award at the 12th Macau International Film Festival in 2020.

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Director Statement

Strings (XIAN) is a realist drama about healing through art, resilience, and fractured familial bonds. Centered on Xiaojun, a teenager orphaned by an earthquake, the film explores how music becomes his lifeline to process grief and reconnect with his alcoholic father, Lao Lu. Using delicate cinematography and raw soundscapes, it juxtaposes life’s harshness with moments of quiet tenderness—a blind boy’s empathetic collaboration, a handmade guitar forged from loss, and a climactic performance that bridges silence and catharsis. While grounded in hardship, the narrative ultimately leans into hope, emphasizing music’s universal power to heal trauma and the quiet redemption found in shared humanity.