Cinematic exploration of distinctive Tajik life

When director Lin Tao was auditioning a group of ethnic Tajik children for his movie The Sun Shines on Tashkurgan, his attention was unintentionally seized by Gulimire Duoerbing, a 24-year-old teacher.

With her high nose bridge, deep-set eyes and skin tone that shape the typical appearance of an ethnic Tajik, the young woman's temperament quite matches Lin's original picturing of the movie's female character, also an elementary school teacher.

After convincing her to take a 2.5-hour audition, her first, the director was happy to discover that one of his biggest "troubles "was solved: He signed Gulimire as the lead actress merely a few days before the start of shooting for the movie in the summer of 2020.

As the latest cinematic outing that features ethnic Tajiks, the film tells the story of two generations of Party cadres who helped locals get rid of poverty in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The 96-minute feature was released across China on July 23.

With all the scenes shot in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, which sits on the Pamirs Plateau, with an average altitude of around 4,000 meters, the shooting was quite challenging, recalls Lin.

"We felt lucky to have Gulimire join us. Aside from acting in her role, she also helped us to review if the script dialogue spoken by locals in the movie was written accurately," he says.

The population of ethnic Tajiks is around 50,000, with most residing in Tashkurgan. Considering it would be hard to find professionals who possess looks similar to ethnic Tajiks, the crew recruited many locals－with the biggest-scale scene featuring around 500 villagers－despite few having ever played roles in a movie or TV series, says Lin.

"They performed naturally in the movie. I believe the audience will see how sincere the locals are through this movie," Lin adds.

In an effort to panoramically depict locals' lives, the crew also went to Piri village, situated deep in Kunlun Mountains, a remote place where children previously needed to trek a harsh route of over 70 kilometers－namely, passing a steep cliff and wading through icy waters－before reaching a road accessible for vehicles to take a ride to their school in the county.

Lin, who is also an associate professor with the photography department at Beijing Film Academy, has paid particular attention to the natural scenery, ranging from snowcapped peaks towering in the sky to camel herds grazing on the grasslands.

Despite traveling for more than one and a half hours from the hotel to the filming set most of the time, Lin says he never felt bored on the journey, as it was always a pleasant trip admiring the scenery, which also evoked some inspiration for him.

Niu Song, director of China Ethnic Groups Film and TV Research Center, says the country has produced around 200 feature-length films about ethnic minority groups since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, but there are few movies about ethnic Tajiks, such as the 1963 classic Visitors on the Icy Mountain.

"The movie is a panoramic retelling of the distinctive culture and lifestyle of the 'mysterious' ethnic Tajiks, also reflecting its tradition of guarding the country's border over generations," comments Niu.

With Tashkurgan county located along China's borders with Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, some of the locals have volunteered to serve as guides for the People's Liberation Army during border-patrol missions, forming a tradition in some families, according to national media.

Li Daoxin, deputy dean of the School of Arts at Peking University, says the new movie has adopted a realistic tone to showcase local life, avoiding shooting stereotypical scenes that intentionally try to create an effect for the audience.