Down memory lane

In the 1950s, the central government set up a program to show films in rural areas. Wang recalls that, when he was a child, a projectionist would erect a large square cloth as the screen and show a film outdoors in the village free of charge. Villagers would bring their stools out when they heard, from a loudspeaker, that the film was about to start. The sense of excitement was palpable.

"It was my favorite entertainment. Our village began to bustle at night. People were everywhere (when the film was showing), and some were even sitting on top of a nearby wall (for better viewing)," he says.

To revive these vivid memories in a short video, he visited an elderly projectionist and invited him to show a movie outdoors with his vintage projector. Wang also invited over a dozen villagers to participate as the audience.

"For me, it's a 'big production' as I need more 'extras'," he says. Another "big production" is about farmers transporting their grain in handcarts and using it to pay agricultural tax. This practice was abolished in 2006.

About 30 people were in the video, but over a hundred, who were working the land nearby, came to watch out of curiosity.

In the past, it was not uncommon for rural dwellers to exchange daily necessities with each other, rather than paying for something with money.