Four Sisters from Baima (白马四姐妹) & Guarding Shangri-La (守护香格里拉)

Four Sisters from Baima (白马四姐妹) & Guarding Shangri-La (守护香格里拉)

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Auditorium (Room 101), Henry R. Luce Hall See map
34 Hillhouse Avenue
New Haven, CT 6511

Both films have English subtitles. Free and open to the public.

Four Sisters from Baima
Directed by Zhang Tongdao, 2003 (68 min.)

The Baima tribe is a Tibetan branch that still maintains a matriarchal system. The tribe had lived off the land by hunting and developing a lumber industry. In 1999, as a protective measure against disastrous flooding in the area where the Baima live, the government decided to blockade the mountain area and hunting was no longer allowed. This forced the tribe to change its traditional lifestyle. The four sisters in the documentary are blessed with talents like singing and dancing, and are among the first to explore the local tourist business. They make money through performing for tourists and this has caused controversy among the villagers. However, some of the villagers follow the four sisters’ example and join the tourism business. This once quiet village is getting restless.

张同道《白马四姐妹》 68 minutes, 2003

白马藏族是藏族的一支,散布在四川甘肃交界的白马沟。原来靠伐木、打猎为生,1998年长江洪水之后,中国政府施行天然林保护工程,他们赖以生存的山林被封,白马人被迫寻找新的生活方式。四姐妹一家住在厄里寨,率先搞起家庭旅游,居然引来不少游客,也在村民间引发争论。然而, 不管同意还是反对,寨子上的游客越来越多,不少村民效法四姐妹盖起新房,开展家庭旅游。昔日平静的山村突然变得喧闹。

Guarding Shangri-La
Directed by Xie Qin, Li Xiaoming, and An Tongqing, 2005 (40 min., English subtitles)

The place with the legendary name Shangri-la is situated in Jinjiang, Deqing Tibetan Minority Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The most spectacular site in this area is the Tiger Leap Gorge, where three spectacular rivers meet (The Jinsha River, the Lancang River, and the Nu River), a site that is listed in the UNESCO Directory of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The culture, the wildlife, and the lives of the residents of the area are, however, about to be transformed by a new dam. The villagers living on both banks of the Jinsha River are worried about what will happen to the land they have lived on for generations. Protecting the natural environment of their home has now become a key issue. The people decide to oppose the planned changes and search for ways to express their concern and opposition.

谢钦, 李晓明, 安同庆 《守护香格里拉》 40 minutes, 2005

云南迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉县金江镇,就是传说中的香格里拉。“香格里拉、虎跳峡—长江第一湾流域世界上最壮丽的自然景观之一、三江并流世界自然遗产保护地”—这些字眼都是人们给予这片土地的美称! 然而,就是这样一块美丽的多民族聚集的河谷地带,因为一个计划要修建的大坝,这里居民的命运和这里文化生态都将发生改变!于是金沙江两岸的村民忧心忡忡,除了依恋这片世代生活的土地,还有一个更重要的原因就是,村民们家门口的金沙江和山那边奔流南下的澜沧江、怒江,共同形成了世界著名的三江并流自然奇观,被联合国教科文组织列入了世界遗产名录,这让他们十分自豪,也使他们对家乡自然环境的保护更加重视。面对改变的可能,一群世代居住在这片土地上的村民站了出来,他们要求获得知情权、参与权,希望通过他们的呼吁,保护原著民的利益,保护这里的文化生态,挽救这片土地以及这条河流的命运.

Fall 2006 Chinese Documentary Film Series – Showcasing Films from REC Foundation’s REEL CHINA Biennial Film Festival

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China, Hong Kong, Taiwan