Voices from the fields

On Sep 3, China's V-Day military parade day, a video featuring the stories of five veterans went viral. These heroes, who once risked their lives on the battlefield to defend the country, now live as ordinary farmers, continuing to serve as the backbone of rural China.

The video, which has garnered over 350,000 views on the Chinese social media platform Bilibili, was created by 30-year-old vlogger Zhao Yushun and his partner for their channel "Yuzhenjishi" (Encountering Reality).

With more than 700,000 followers, Zhao has spent the past five years traveling through villages and small towns across China, recording the lives of ordinary people under his motto: "Making the overlooked visible".

"Filming these village documentaries is my way of gradually reconnecting with my roots," Zhao said.

His journey began in 2021. Before that, Zhao worked for newspapers and media companies, driven by the ambition to "escape rural life and become a city dweller" — a dream shaped by his own experiences as a left-behind child in rural Hunan, like many others in China's countryside.

The turning point came when Zhao spent three years working in a small fishing village in Hainan, where he rediscovered the unique charm of life outside the city.

"Cities all feel the same. You see similar chain stores everywhere, and everything starts to blend together," he said. "But every village is unique, with different crops, dialects, and landscapes — whether by the sea, in the mountains, or on the plains."

Authentic countryside

Unlike traditional documentaries, Zhao intentionally avoids typical characters and locations. Instead, he adopts a more spontaneous approach — capturing moments as they unfold without a set plan.

"By moving away from conventional case studies, I get a more authentic, comprehensive, and expansive view of village life," Zhao explained.

In 2023, for example, he came across a mobile cinema van while driving through a village. Curious, he followed it and discovered the story of an elderly projectionist who had been screening public-service films in rural areas since 1978.

"This man would travel between villages at night to show films and work on his farm during the day — a routine he's kept for over 40 years," Zhao recalled.

He later learned that the projectionist was a military veteran who had enlisted in 1969.This discovery inspired Zhao to return in 2025 to produce a video about veterans living in rural areas.

After years of documenting everyday life in villages and towns across China, Zhao shifted his focus in April 2023 to broader, more systematic stories. One standout series examines China's economic crops, which has since expanded into 14 episodes.

"I wanted to give the audience a deeper, more nuanced look at rural life through specific perspectives," Zhao said. "Agriculture is the foundation of rural communities, and the crops grown in different regions offer a natural starting point for exploration."

Creating these thematic videos often requires at least a year of preparation and repeated visits. One episode on lychees, for example, spanned from 2022 to 2025, covering four lychee seasons.

These crops not only shape the countryside's landscape but also reveal the struggles farmers face, from low market prices to high production costs.

Zhao recalls a memorable moment while filming in a sugarcane field in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, when a local woman invited him to help cut the sugarcane.

"I was surprised," Zhao said. "When someone invites you to join their work, it's a genuine sign of recognition and acceptance."

It is this sense of connection that Zhao cherishes most in his work. Over the past five years, he has interviewed countless farmers, many of whom have become lasting friends. He keeps in touch by sending holiday greetings and visiting their villages whenever he passes through.

"In cities, forming these kinds of relationships with strangers is nearly impossible," Zhao said. "Concrete and steel don't just separate us physically — they create psychological barriers as well."

Zhao has also built a strong bond with his audience. For urban viewers, his videos offer a rare glimpse of life outside the city. For those who grew up in the countryside but now work in cities, his documentaries evoke a sense of nostalgia and a connection to home.

"I want young people working in cities to see what their hometowns are like now," Zhao said. "If my work can raise awareness of rural development and contribute, even in a small way, that would be truly meaningful."

Zhao's videos explore a range of issues affecting rural communities, including youth migration, the pension system in rural areas, and the education of left-behind children.

One of his most popular videos, released in July, has drawn over 973,000 views. It focuses on the condition of 70 Hope Schools across Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Guangxi.

The video highlights the challenges facing these schools, many of which have been closed or merged due to declining student numbers.

It also explores how abandoned school buildings are being repurposed and how children in these areas continue their education despite the difficulties.

"I went through similar changes in my own primary school years, which is why I've been closely following this issue," Zhao said.

Many viewers respond to these rural challenges with frustration, questioning the point of showcasing problems that seem so difficult to resolve.

Zhao, however, offers a different perspective. "If you see a problem and stay silent, that's true powerlessness," he said. "By shedding light on these issues, we make them visible. These challenges require collective effort. We simply need to do our part and trust that others will do theirs."

By the end of this year, Zhao's first book, which captures his conversations with farmers across the country, is set to be published.

"I plan to keep making rural-themed documentaries for at least 10 years," Zhao said. "Over time, these videos will provide a small yet meaningful window into the historical changes taking place in rural China."

Contact the writer at mengwenjie@i21st.cn