Some time ago, the online drama "My Altay" was shortlisted for the Best Long Drama Competition Unit at the 7th Cannes TV Drama Festival, becoming the first Chinese drama series to be selected.
In the promotional photos, the grassland stretches for thousands of miles, and the blue sky is like a wash. The herdsmen rode their horses and galloped through the wilderness, and the air was filled with the smell of freedom.
Altay has become synonymous with poetry and distance in people's hearts.
The play is adapted from a collection of essays of the same name by writer Li Juan. Because she is good at describing the unique natural scenery and customs of northern Xinjiang, she is known as the "elf of Altay".
In 2010, Li Juan and her herdsman Juma family lived together for three months in the winter grazing area. She used words that are both spiritual and warm, and gathered them into a collection of essays "Winter Pasture".
Li Juan wrote in the preface to the book: "If you want to choose a book as a masterpiece, I think it must be at present. ”
The winter pastures are long with yellow sand, mottled with snow, and the cold and loneliness destroy people's will at the same time. But with their tenacious vitality, the herdsmen live optimistically and heal each other, adding a touch of warmth to the winter.
Nature has four seasons, and life has ups and downs.
Although we can't control the environment, we can learn to be a warm person and live a hot and romantic life.
People who revere nature tend to be more resilient in life
Every November, Kazakh herders drive their livestock along winding pastoral roads.
The procession of migration stretched for several kilometers. The transition kicked off the Altay winter.
With a sense of reverence for nature, herders move from north to south year after year. This traditional way of life allows cattle and sheep to grow and the grass to breathe, but it also makes them suffer.
Especially in winter, the cold wind carries the yellow sand, and the sky is full of wind and snow. Herders walk in the endless Gobi Desert with nothing to rely on. The vast and desolate land has left their footprints of perseverance.
In order to experience the quiet and dark winter life of the nomads, Li Juan decided to follow the Juma family to change.
She was dressed in a heavy winter coat and had stiff limbs, but she had to run around to manage the caravan. In the evening, everyone had less than four hours of rest, and then they had to start again.
Although the itinerary of Juma's family is only three days. But for days and days, greedy for darkness and sleeping in the open, Li Juan was still exhausted.
However, this kind of homeless life has become the norm for herders. They migrate thousands of miles every year, quietly burying the joys and sorrows of their lives in the folds of the earth.
When the news of "arrival" came, Li Juan deeply experienced the happiness of "stopping" for the first time.
In front of me was a black piece of land, the color of sheep dung that had been accumulated for many years. The surrounding area is an empty desert, boundless. This is the destination of their trip, Winter Nest.
Herders dig deep pits in the ground, build the walls of the pits with sheep dung, and cover the top with hay. After a simple construction, the family had a shelter from the wind and cold, a nest.
In the wilderness of tens of degrees below zero, the combination of earth and sheep manure gives the herders the safest and warmest shelter.
There was no water, so Li Juan and her sister-in-law picked snow together.
The snow covered in sand and dust melts and is so muddy that it's hard to swallow. But in order to survive, there is no difficulty in the wilderness that cannot be overcome.
Even on the coldest days, Juma still has to go out to herd sheep. Every hour, he lit a fire in the snow. The firelight warmed Juma's frozen body and ignited the hope in his heart.
Li Juan wrote in the book: "The cold is painful, but the cold is taken for granted, and the cold can be tolerated. ”
In life, everyone has moments when they can't get through. Maybe it's because of the loss of a loved one, emotional love, or maybe it's because of the huge pressure of life and frustration at work.
We always think that if everything goes well, we can have a happy life. Impermanence is the law of nature, such as the change of seasons and the alternation of day and night.
Only by constantly tempering themselves in the wind and snow can people have a more tenacious vitality.
Even in a city made of steel and concrete, we must always have a sense of awe, drive ourselves to hold on to our dreams, endure the darkness, and wait for the dawn.
People with a warm heart are full of flowers
The winter pastures are silent and inaccessible. The herders are busy with their work all day and have no other pastime.
However, they were unwilling to endure the monotonous and boring life, and cultivated a simple and optimistic attitude in the years of hardship.
Every time Juma goes out to graze, he has to bother to dress up. He patiently wiped his boots to make them shiny, and then changed into clean clothes, as if he were going to meet some important friend.
In fact, there are no people on the grazing route. Clothes with a sense of ritual are just Juma's way of pleasing himself.
Seeing the image in the mirror that satisfies him, Juma will hum happily all day, as if the cattle and sheep will be impressed by him.
Considering that it is not easy to turn snow into water, Li Juan would rather be unkempt and unkempt all day long. Because of this, he was ridiculed by Juma.
In the eyes of herders, no matter how bad the environment is, they cannot live in a perfunctory way. Only by living seriously can we be treated gently by the years and get the gift of fate.
In the days when he doesn't herd sheep, Juma is not idle for a moment.
Sometimes, he patiently picks up the waste items in the house.
Sometimes, he likes to joke with people, bragging that he and a certain celebrity are old acquaintances from the sheep herding, which causes everyone to laugh.
Juma can always find a way to pass the time of boredom. With a warm heart, carefully carve every moment.
Juma's daughter, Gama, dropped out of junior high school because of her poor family background.
Poverty trapped her in the pasture, trying to annihilate the brilliance of her youth. But Gama was unwilling to be at the mercy of fate and learned to create beauty with her hands.
On the way south, she carefully packed the belongings in the tent, and placed the bedding and kitchen utensils neatly. Trying to soothe the fatigue of people in a hurry with a comfortable environment.
The simple nest is also thanks to Gama's arrangement. She used waste paper and embroidered felt to decorate the shabby dung walls, and embroidered hijabs to cover the old and new objects, and the interior instantly looked warm and generous.
Dong Yuhui once said when introducing "Winter Pasture": "Being poor and feeling poor are two different things. ”
At present, although many people live a life of abundant food and clothing, they are often full of sorrow because of the sense of lack in their hearts.
They are exhausted by the desire to have more fame and fortune and a more decent life, and gradually lose the patience to savor life.
In fact, instead of pursuing material comfort, it is better to feel life with your heart. Because happiness is hidden all around us:
Maybe it's the lamp left for you when you come home tired, or the umbrella that is handed to you when you go out on a rainy day;
Or a kind smile from a stranger, or a kind help from a well-wisher without leaving a name.
Contentment and happiness can see the abundance of heart.
People with warmth in their hearts are often able to live towards the sun and walk after the light.
When people's hearts are hot, they are not afraid of the vicissitudes of the world
On the desolate and empty Gobi Desert, the days are silent and monotonous.
Whenever she heard the sound of a car engine, Li Juan would excitedly run to the sand dunes and look around for a long time.
Until the car disappeared in the distance, the roar continued to echo in her ears, and the feeling of loneliness became more and more intense.
This feeling is not new to herders. They live in isolation for many years and look forward to contact with the outside world.
In the winter pastures, going out to find camels and hitchhiking have become extremely important social activities. Even if life is uneventful, people crave to communicate with others, get some solace, and heal their inner loneliness.
Most of the visitors who come to Juma's house go to bed as soon as they enter the door. They tease cats, read newspapers, and are laid-back.
The sister-in-law hurriedly spread the tablecloth, made tea, and cut new naan to entertain the guests. Everyone talked happily and asked for warmth.
The steaming milk tea made the guests forget the cold and embarrassment, and the noise in the nest also soothed the owner's long-lonely heart.
Even if we have never met before, we will not feel inhibited. With similar life experiences and lonely feelings, the two sides quickly became warm.
In the wilderness, he met a merchant who collected livestock, and Juma would also take them home with great hospitality.
My sister-in-law specially cooked a big pot of mutton and wheat porridge. Juma enthusiastically accompanied the guests to drink tea and chat, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.
However, when the merchant was ready to leave, the price of the horses offered was a hundred dollars less than Juma had expected. The two sides were at a stalemate, and the deal fell through.
Looking at the back of the businessman driving away and refusing to leave, Juma did not complain.
Li Juan said that in the wilderness, the number of courtesies is always greater than the benefits.
Herders have lived in the silence of nature for a long time, and the wind and rain have washed the dust and mud in their hearts, giving them a simpler and purer soul.
Therefore, they often treat others with warmth, are grateful for all encounters, and refuse to be puppets of fame and fortune.
However, when Li Juan left the winter nest, she was nervous because she wanted to harass other herdsmen. Even if you are already hungry, you don't dare to eat it.
Later, she came to realize that receiving help and hospitality from others was actually just as important as helping others. Let love and warmth flow in order to continue.
It is often said that when the heart is cold, there is no longer love. Because he has been hurt and deceived, he has fallen into it and has been stingy in giving.
In fact, to forgive others is to save yourself.
Lingering on the past will only make you more and more tired, and weeping for the unworthy will hurt more and more.
Learn to loosen your soul, so that you can always have a sincere heart, not afraid of the heat and cold of the world, and live freely and openly.
Write at the end
In the book, the author wrote: "Fortunately, no matter how cold and boundless the winter is, there is also a warm and quiet core. ”
Those tenacious and upward lives, warm daily bits and pieces, and all kinds of unexpected kindness are all collected by Li Juan in the bottom of her heart as treasures.
People who are dedicated to warmth often know how to build a rainbow in the wind and rain and pick up the beauty in the ordinary.
Even in the dead of winter, you can water your heart with love and wait for spring.