With the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Afghan Taliban returned to power.
The situation in this small country in the Middle East has once again attracted our attention.
Almost every day in the hot search can be seen.
Some people frantically fled, some people panicked and avoided.
There are also people who face it calmly and live as usual.
Fears about Afghanistan's future are largely due to the Taliban's infamous reputation for years.
It can often be seen in all kinds of literature, film and television works.
One of the most famous is probably the Afghan writer Khaled Al-Husseini's "The Kite Chaser."
In 2007, the novel was adapted to the big screen and also received good reputation.
For Uncle Fish, the deepest impression is the first half of the story.
It presents us with Afghanistan, before the war, a peaceful country that is somewhat romantic and somewhat free.
It was completely different from the current appearance, and the world was turned upside down.
Today, Uncle Fish will take you to review this film.
Maybe it will give you a different perspective on the country.
First of all, let me give you a cold knowledge:
The film was filmed not in Afghanistan, but in China.
Due to years of war, the situation in Afghanistan simply cannot guarantee the normal shooting of such a film.
It was a last resort to look around the world for places similar to the Afghan streetscape of that year.
Finally, the old city of Kashgar in Xinjiang, China, was identified.
At the end of the credits, we can also see:
The film specially thanks director Huang Jianxin, the China Film Bureau, Kashgar City and so on.
Although the filming location is not "authentic".
However, in terms of style, it still restores the city style of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
It satisfies our infinite reverie for this mysterious country.
The story begins in 1978.
The protagonist Amir is a rich young master in Kabul.
His father was a wealthy merchant of great renown and a well-to-do family.
As a result, he could spend a carefree childhood in a large, exquisite mansion surrounded by white walls.
Amir also had a servant who was only a year younger than him, Hassan.
Because of their similar ages, they naturally became playmates with very good relationships.
They read books together, play cards together, watch movies together.
And most importantly —
Fly a kite together.
Afghans have a strong kite complex.
For them, flying kites is not "flying" in our traditional sense, but more inclined to "fighting".
Kite fighting, in Afghanistan is a very old winter custom.
Generally speaking, the game starts early in the morning.
Contestants will cut the lines of other kites by controlling the kite line.
After a lot of fighting, it won't end until only the last kite in the air is flying.
And for the winner, the defeated kite is the best trophy.
In order to find the broken kite that floated in an unknown direction, it was necessary to "chase the kite" to move.
Although Amir is not very old, he has a lot of experience in manipulating kites.
A "sharp rise and fall" stunt can always make the spectators scream.
Hassan, on the other hand, was the best "kite chaser" among his peers.
He can always accurately determine where the kite is falling.
Even if you have to walk through crowds or downtown, you will definitely be able to chase the kite.
This proficiency stems from his keen observation.
It is also out of a sense of loyalty.
In order to be worthy of the young master's trust, he must chase the kite no matter what.
……
Such a paragraph is inevitably fascinating.
Our mysterious neighbor has such a jubilant and peaceful scene.
The blue sky, the white snow, the kites that soar freely everywhere, the kite chasers who run enthusiastically everywhere.
So simple, so pure, so happy.
This is the forgotten side of Afghanistan.
Sadly.
Those years are quiet, and they are already dream bubbles.
In the second half of The Kite Chaser, the story takes a sharp turn.
We watched as this fragile and short-lived good time quickly shattered and faded away.
In an official kite fighting competition, Amir and Hassan won the final competition with their intimate cooperation.
After the hugs were celebrated, Hassan volunteered to chase the kite.
"For you, a thousand times!"
But then, an accident happened.
Three bad boys who had long watched Hassan be upset blocked him.
One of them sexually assaulted Hassan in public in order to bring him extreme humiliation.
On the other side, Amir, who had found and witnessed everything along the way, could have come to his aid.
But in a panic, he chose to avoid it.
Amir's cowardice at the time was set aside.
Hassan's encounter was actually "seemingly accidental, but in fact inevitable."
This is a sharp manifestation of the long-standing ethnic contradictions within Afghanistan.
Although Hassan works in the homes of the rich, he is a Hazara of low status in Afghanistan.
The Amir family, and the three bad boys, were all Pashtuns of highest social status.
Because the sects of Islam are different.
The former has been persecuted by the latter since the 18th century.
And at the same time that Hassan was personally violated.
The country of Afghanistan is also facing a great change.
The second year of the story, 1979.
The Soviet Union officially began its decade-long invasion of Afghanistan.
In order to escape the war, Amir and his father fled to the overseas.
Afghanistan, a country that used to be full of kites.
Since then, it has been in turmoil, and it is still today.
Why is Afghanistan destined to suffer?
"Piaf is not guilty, but he is guilty."
In history, the tragedies of too many small countries have been involuntary.
The doom of Afghanistan stems from its unique geographical location.
Afghanistan, located in the heart of Asia, has been a hub connecting East, West, Central and South Asia since ancient times.
Therefore, for thousands of years, it has been the first line of the collision of major empires and civilizations.
Persian, Turkic, and Islamic civilizations have all influenced here.
Even the Central Plains civilization was once involved.
The Beiting Capital Protectorate, established in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, controlled this area for more than two hundred years.
In modern times, the situation has been even worse.
In order to further increase its influence in Asia.
Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States all sent troops to Afghanistan.
But because much of the terrain in Afghanistan is continuous mountainous, it is very suitable for guerrilla warfare.
Therefore, these countries have not formed a long-term and effective control over this place, and have suffered one "dumb loss" after another.
Afghanistan has thus earned the title of "Graveyard of Empire".
However, this is definitely not a compliment.
Forces from all sides are constantly attacking here for their own interests.
The only people who really suffer are the large numbers of innocent civilians.
If they had the option, they wouldn't want the place where they live to have such a reputation.
In the decade of the Soviet invasion alone, 1 million people died in The War and 6 million were displaced in Afghanistan.
Since U.S. military operations in Afghanistan in 2001, more than 300,000 civilians have been killed or injured.
This is Afghanistan today.
In stark contrast to the first half, it is the harsh reality of the second half.
It's like a kite that suddenly breaks its line and doesn't know where to go.
Although the line of the country is broken, the people still have to continue to live.
The climactic passage of "The Kite Chaser" is years after Amir left home.
Long after a family, he learned the sad news that Hassan had been killed by the Taliban.
But he also got a chance to make up for the guilt of that year.
Hassan's son is still alive and in desperate need of help.
In order to find him, Amir traveled to Kabul alone.
On the streets of Kabul, he lamented the changes.
Not by showing the ruins of the broken walls here.
Instead, it emphasizes the sense of smell.
Due to frequent power outages and the use of generators, the streets are now filled with the unpleasant smell of diesel.
But in Amir's memory, there was always only the smell of roast lamb.
This humble idle pen inadvertently points out a great sadness:
Human beings are good at creating, but they are also good at destruction.
In the face of all irrationality, prosperity is so easy to fade, and civilization is so easy to regress.
But such sorrow can be repeated over and over again in the same land.
Under the governance of ultra-conservative forces, the already weak civilization may collapse further.
This fear is by no means unfounded.
In 1999, for example, the Taliban banned Afghans from flying kites.
For example, the small actor who plays Hassan has been criticized for shooting sexual assault scenes in the film.
He was even threatened with death and had to move out of Afghanistan.
For example, the destruction of various cultural relics and monuments is also the norm for them.
Another film, Buddha Collapses in Shame, focuses on an extremely incomprehensible thing the Taliban did.
Blow up the Bamiyan Buddha.
The Bamiyan Caves are one of only two World Heritage Sites in Afghanistan.
They were once admired by Xuanzang, who was traveling west.
He survived the iron horse of Genghis Khan.
After more than 1,500 years of wind and frost, rain and dew still stands.
The Giant Buddha restored by digital technology
But it was on February 26, 2001.
Ignoring international calls, the Taliban spent a month using anti-aircraft guns and then blowing them all up with explosives.
Today, we can no longer see these two majestic and exquisite grotto Buddhas.
Only a vague trace of the blown up remained.
The Taliban's persecution of women and children has long been notorious.
It is no wonder that most people are surprised and stunned by its return.
But we also need to know.
Afghanistan is a special country, although it has been at war in recent decades.
But it has never completely fallen apart.
Even if the line of the country is broken, the string in the heart of the people has always been tight.
After experiencing another upheaval, what is the way forward?
No one knows.
But as long as the roots are still there, and the spirit of being an Afghan is still there, there is still hope.
Let's finally return to The Kite Chaser.
Amir went through twists and turns and finally learned the news of Sohrab, hassan's son, whom he was looking for.
He has been taken away by the Taliban.
And the leader who took away was the perverted hooligan who violated Hassan.
Only this time, Amir was no longer as timid as when he was a child.
He knew clearly that he should always act.
In the confusion, he took Sohrab with him.
It's just that.
Sohrab, who was also violated, left a huge psychological shadow and remained silent all the time.
At this time, amir stood up again.
As the previous generation that has witnessed too much suffering, I don't want to see the younger generation go down like this.
He pulled out the symbol of Afghan customs that had not appeared for a long time.
kite.
While passing it on to Sohrab, he also transformed into the person who chased the kite for him.
And said the vow that Hassan had repeatedly promised himself:
Even after such a long time and space, that unbreakable trust and loyalty still returned to Amir's heart.
And continue to pass on to the next generation.
The story of "The Kite Chaser" ended perfectly.
But in reality, Afghanistan, the future is still uncertain.
I only hope that this country that has endured hardships can pick up the kite line that connects people's hearts as soon as possible.
Let the kite of freedom in people's hearts fly the sky again.