Across China: One man's mobile cinema on China's western plateau

XINING, May 14 (Xinhua) - A projector, two sound boxes and three pieces of cloth are all Ye Shengchun needs for his "mobile cinema". When the sun goes down, he plugs a flash disk into a USB port at whatever village square he happens to be in and the show begins.

Ye, 47, is a film projectionist in the rural Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in west China's Qinghai province. He is one of thousands of others across China's vast countryside bringing movies to those in rural areas, who would otherwise have little access to films.

"It is an enjoyable job," he said. "I sit down side by side with the farmers, workers and students, listening to different dialects as they talk about the film and their different lives."

Ye can't quite recall what sparked his interest in movies.

"It was very early. I remember watching Shang Gan Ling, a film about the Korean War, at the age of seven or eight," he said, remembering the film being too complex for him to understand.

"They were watching the movie, while my eyes were focused on the projector. I found it more interesting than the film."

In 1984, a 16-year-old Ye took part in training to become a film projectionist. After he acquired a license, he borrowed 200 yuan and bought a projector.

Ye's career started out with him visiting all the 294 villages in Huzhu county by bicycle. "I took 0.5, and later 1 yuan, from each person watching the film."

The meager income was not enough for him to support his family. So Ye also mended electrical appliances to help supplement his income.

Things got better for Ye in the 1990s, so he stopped charging villagers in 1997.

The following year, China started the "2131 project" which aimed to provide one movie a month for people living in villages. It became easier for Ye to get film copies.

"Copies of old films cost five or ten yuan, while the new films are more expensive, about 100 yuan," he said.

During the past three decades, he saw the changes in people's taste of films.

"In the 1980s, they liked movies about the War of Resistance Against Japan," he said. Villagers, especially the seniors, felt excited seeing the Japanese being defeated, although they might have watched it several times.

In the 1990s, more and more Hong Kong films flooded into mainland market and villagers began watching action comedies. "They have their own favorite stars, like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat."

The first foreign movie Ye brought to villagers was an Indian musical. Actors and actresses spoke English in the movie. Despite Chinese subtitles, villagers complained that they couldn't understand.

The foreign movies they watch now are dubbed, with the most recent one being "The Expendables".

"As China's exchange with foreign countries increases, I tried to introduce more foreign movies to them, but some movies are not well received," Ye said.

Once an old man asked him "why are the actresses so scantily clad? So many scenes of kissing and even sex. This is not good for the youth."

He also screens science and educational movies, such as Water Safety in the Countryside, and Safety of Children.

Ye said he had screened a total of 8,000 movies since 1984. He now has a minivan, with which he travels about 15,000 kilometers a year to bring his "mobile cinema" to villagers.

"I am a minor celebrity now," he was proud. Indeed, the man has his fans in each village.

Once in the Gaoqiang village, he played martial arts film "The Karate Kid".

"Two students asked me for signature after watching the movie," he said.

In the Xiamen village, it rained when he screened a film, but villagers finished watching it anyway.

In general, however, Ye noticed that the number of audiences decreased greatly. Many young people left their hometown to work outside, and villagers' living condition improved, so that they could watch TV at home.

"Sometimes, I have only one or two audience members. Sometimes, none. I play the movie for myself," he said with a sigh.

But the man loves his job. He kept the 30 projectors he used, with which he wanted to find a place to hold an exhibition after retirement. His son also became a film projectionist in 2007.

"I know there is still someone who needs us," he said. "I will not stop screening for villagers, even if there is only one person watching." Endi