(The inscription is: Aerial photo of the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple at sunset.) ）
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, and on August 14, CCTV CGTN launched a special documentary to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, "Dawn on the Plateau: I Was a Female Serf", which tells the story of four female serfs in Shannan, Tibet (Tsering Ram, Deqing Dolma), Lhasa (Tsering Yuzhen and Jian'a couple), Nyingchi (Dequ) and their legendary lives, reflecting the differences in the lives of the Tibetan people in the past and the present Worlds apart. The artistic expression is exquisite, and the organic combination of documentary, historical material and artistry has been achieved.
(One of the four heroines, Deqing Dolma, walks in the barley fields of winter.) ）
I. Oral history, truthfully telling the miserable life of female serfs in old Tibet, and indicting the cruelty and darkness of serfdom.
Documentaries are the testimony of real life, the faithful portrayal of history, with its indisputable and convincing authenticity and direct observation of life, to influence, inspire and enlighten the audience, bringing the audience to think deeply.
First of all, the image of "Dawn on the Plateau: I Was a Female Serf" has the significance of a historical "living fossil" documentary, and the rescue interview of the film records four Tibetan old ladies who were female serfs in their infancy and are now old, in the form of oral history, showing the serfdom system in the context of that time, and the hopeless life of each individual serf under the system. Serfs are inferior to cattle and horses, and female serfs are even more miserable! Deqing Dolma was born in a cowshed, and the children of serfs were also serfs.
(Photo: Tsering Ram, 95, recalls being separated from his mother at the age of 12 and saying goodbye forever.) ）
Tsering Ram, 95, recalls, "I was taken back at the age of six to carry the children of serf owners, and my parents were sent to the mountains to herd cattle and sheep and I never saw them." "Whenever I fell with my back on my back, when the children cried, they (the serf masters) would prick me in the ear, beat me with sticks, kick me, slap me in the mouth. I've been beaten since I was a kid. Before, I was worse dressed than a beggar and couldn't eat enough, and at that time I envied beggars. Go beg for food during the day and find a place to sleep at night. And we work day and night, without time for rest! The serf-owned dogs ate better than we did, the dogs ate grain, and we ate leftovers. Tsering Yuzhen, 82, recalled the pain of being a female serf, being beaten, scolded, frozen, starved, and lived in terror every day. The 87-year-old Dequ recalled, "When I was a child, my family was relatively poor, my mother was sick for a long time, and at that time we didn't have medical conditions, and we poor people couldn't afford medicine, and we were poor, and then we died of illness alive." With grandma, I herd cattle and sheep for others. ”
(The 87-year-old Dequ and the old cadres of Nyingchilang County happily jumped into the pot village together.) ）
Second, speaking in facts, it forcefully indicted the social system of old Tibet that oppressed and brutalized serfs and female serfs. The film presents real facts, cruel and creepy, thrilling and terrifying. At that time, there was a widely circulated proverb in Tibet: "Strict taxes are like cattle feathers, from birth to death." The newborn little serfs had to pay the birth tax, and when they grew up, they had to pay the poll tax. At that time, the local government of Tibet alone formulated and collected more than 200 kinds of taxes. In old Tibet under the feudal serfdom of theocracy, serfs accounted for 95% of the total population and had no land. The remaining five percent were owned by the three major lords, including the officials, nobles and monks of the upper echelons of the monasteries. The Dalai Lama is the supreme ruler. The serfs were divided into three classes: Chaba, Heap Poor, and Langsheng, and they were "talking tools" in the eyes of the manor owners, and their lives were like grass, while the three lords were like gold. At that time, the Tibetan code of land code stipulated that if the serfs "violated" the interests of the three lords, they would goug out their eyes, cut off their legs, cut their tongues, amputate their hands, push them off cliffs, throw them into the water, or kill them according to their circumstances. Whoever rebels against his master, and the master is more seriously injured, cut off the servant's hands and feet. The film's historical footage shows a number of young female serfs naked, unkempt and dirty, sleeping on the streets, and the tragic scenes of male serfs working and being beaten with shackles.
Second, the hardcore presents the legendary story of the transformation of fate, and the peaceful liberation and the turning of the serfs have brought about a fundamental turn in the lives of female serfs.
Documentary documentary, pay attention to full details, the facts are conclusive, the film relies on the central news documentary film studio information film, let history speak, the relevant historical materials meticulous excavation, combing and activation. The film shows precious shots. In 1951, the plenipotentiary of the Central People's Government headed by Li Weihan and the plenipotentiaries of the local government of Tibet headed by Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme reached the "Agreement between the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" through negotiations, also known as the "Seventeen-Article Agreement." Apoque's retelling. The great historical outlook and the great sense of the great history of Tibet come to the fore.
On the one hand, the film makes evidentiary editing of valuable historical materials, forming a true, objective and credible historical narrative structure, and at the same time, it always focuses on the turning point in the fate of the four female serfs. The twist in the fate of the female serfs is the core of the story of the film, and it is also the value of the documentary's legendary color and artistic charm. At the time of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, Tibet still maintained its old system and did not carry out land reform. The serfs were not liberated either, but a large number of serfs saw hope. Some of the serfs began to flee. Dequ was 17 years old when he was peacefully liberated. Dequ, who escaped, did not dare to take the village road in the dark, afraid of dog bites, until he crossed the bridge and saw the People's Liberation Army, he was not afraid, knowing that he was safe. Not only did she receive an education, but she also joined the Chinese Communist Party and became a state cadre. In 1959 Tibet quelled the rebellion. March 28. Premier Zhou Enlai issued an order from the State Council announcing that the Preparatory Committee for the Tibet Autonomous Region would exercise the functions and powers of the local government of Tibet and lead the Tibetan people in carrying out democratic reforms. Since then, the feudal serfdom system that has lasted for thousands of years has collapsed, and the millions of serfs in Tibet have truly become the masters of the country and society. The Tibetan people set off a magnificent democratic reform movement, and the feudal serfdom that had lasted for hundreds of years in Tibet was completely abolished. Their safety of life and personal freedom have since been guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic of China, and they are no longer subjected to political oppression, forced labor and inhuman treatment by serf owners, and they are no longer subjected to heavy taxes and usury exploitation. Born in 1926, Tsering Ram was 25 years old when he was peacefully liberated and 33 when the serfs turned around. After the democratic reform in Tibet, Tsering Ram led 11 families of Langsheng to form an agricultural production mutual aid group called the "Poor Stick Langsheng Mutual Aid Group". Tsering Ram served successively as deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress, secretary of the party branch of Naidong County, and was awarded the title of National Model Worker in 1979, and was a deputy to the Fifth and Sixth National People's Congresses of the People's Republic of China. Together with Dequ, there were six or seven female serfs and seven male serfs who escaped from the home of the Luolong serf masters, and they were all arranged to enroll and study in Chengdu. After graduation, he returned to his hometown. Start a family, establish a career, and have a full house of children and grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Jian'a said, "Now I am free, now I earn my own money for my own use, now I don't have to suffer, I can use machines for farm work, my life is particularly comfortable, and the houses that I build are all the policies and support of the party and the state. Now liberated, not only the people but also the livestock. In the past, livestock had scars on their backs, and there was always work that could not be done. "Before the peaceful liberation, Tibet had a population of 1.228 million people and an average life expectancy of 35.3 years. In 2021, Tibet has a population of 3,648,100. Life expectancy has reached 71.3 years. Deqing Dolma said, "I didn't think there would be a better life than this, and now I am particularly happy!" ”
(Tsering Yuzhen, 82, and Jian'a, 92, were once serfs.) ）
Third, "moisturizing the fine and silent", abandoning preaching, following the international expression method, diversified aesthetic observation, and creating a breakthrough in external propaganda documentaries.
The film tells the true story of life, corrects historical deviations, reveals historical truths, shows the truth, goodness and beauty of human nature, structurally, with less wins more, with time clues, the complicated themes and contents are handled just right, and the grand theme of Tibet's vicissitudes and great changes is refracted from individual fate.
Completely abandoning preaching, not even a word of explanation, it is completely up to the children who are curious to ask grandma about their past family history, only to tell the female serfs in their past lives and this life, escaping from the devil's purgatory, and only then have today's good days, truly achieving "moisturizing and silent" and not showing traces.
In terms of aesthetic observation, general director Xiao Xiaowai, whose works have won many awards at home and abroad, with the delicacy and unique persistence of women, the aesthetic pursuit of diversified documentary expression, with the help of stories, historical materials and realistic lenses, constitute a dialogue across time, the snowy plateau is ancient and far away, the chaos and terror of old Tibet, the dirty ugliness and ugliness of old Tibet and the prosperity and peace and tranquility of New Tibet today, forming a strong contrast, so that the audience can have an immersive feeling in the specific environment where the story takes place. The film is well-made and well-pictured, and the music and editing give the film a soothing melodious or mournful atmosphere. Especially at the end of the film, four old people who were once female serfs are walking in the wilderness, or sitting and watching the younger generations play, or leisure near the temple palace, with no worries about food and clothing, and their children and grandchildren are on their knees, enjoying the happiness of the world. Aerial shots from near and far are both poetic lyricism and artistic freehand!
Zhang Yun, director of the Institute of History at the China Center for Tibetan Studies, said that this is the first documentary in China to tell the story of serfs from a female perspective, which has pioneering significance in the world.
The documentary "Dawn on the Plateau: I Was a Female Serf" strictly follows the mainstream narrative techniques of international documentaries, is close to the thinking and expression habits of international discourse, adopts an international, storytelling and humane way of expression, truly presents the legendary life of Tibetan female serfs, reflects that Tibet has created a miracle spanning thousands of years in just a few decades, and the Tibetan people have enjoyed an unprecedented sense of gain, happiness and security. Strive for excellence, create a good Chinese story, spread The Chinese values of the external propaganda force, for people of different cultures to accept and recognize.
(Deqing Dolma and her grandchildren at Yongburakang, Tibet's first palace.) ）