by+Wen+Tianyi

French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon wrote in one of his essays that we [Westerners] can understand what is happening in China because the country has a narrator like Jia Zhangke.

On October 30， 2015， Mountains May Depart， a film by director Jia Zhangke， hit theaters in China. Before that， only two of Jias productions – The World （2005） and Still Life （2006） – were screened in Chi- nese cinemas.

Mountains May Depart is set in Fenyang City， northern Chinas Shanxi Province， which is the hometown of director Jia. The story is in three parts. The first part takes place in 1999： Shen Tao， a local young woman， has two suitors – coalmine owner Zhang Jinsheng and coalminer Liang Jianjun； and， she chooses to marry Zhang. Liang leaves his hometown after his romantic rejection. The second part happens in 2014， when Liang develops a severe respiratory disease and returns to Fenyang for treatment. By now， he is married and has a child. Shen is divorced and runs a gas station all by herself. Her ex-husband Zhang is a rich tycoon， who is remarried and settled in Shanghai with their son named “Dollar.” The last part of the film is set in 2025， when Dollar has migrated to Australia， where he fells in love with his college professor and appears to forget his mother.

Some critics believe that Jia tries to chronicle two generations of Chinese people with his Mountains May Depart. Zhang and Liang represent the ‘new richand the ‘grassroots of Chinese society in the 1990s， while Dollar is an embodiment of the next-generation immigrants of Chinese origin. In the third part of the film， Jia gives a bold but rational imagination of the lives led by the new-generation overseas Chinese in 2025. Some comment that this part adds “contemporary appeal and profundity” to the entire film.

Recently， Jia sat down with China Newsweek to talk about his Mountains May Depart， as well as his understandings of film and life.

What motivated you to film Mountains May Depart？

Jia： After finishing A Touch of Sin（filmed in 2013， which won the award for Best Screenplay at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival）， I decided to make a film about peoples affections.

A Touch of Sin focuses on depicting existential crises of common people. Faced with violence， a weak victim may change into an instrument of violence. Such a change is thrilling and impressive. In Mountains May Depart， I tried to express that Chinese people have many options， but new values， technologies and lifestyles can cause big changes in peoples feelings. When we were in our twenties， all we cared for may have been romantic love. At that time， we hardly thought over the meaning of life； but felt that time would provide us the answer. With the passage of time， we got married， and suddenly realized that our parents were aging. Especially after we crossed 40， many previously-hidden questions popped out.

Love is something that lasts in any persons life – from birth to death. In my opinion， love is like self-cultivation. Both require the practitioner to devote long time to understanding. Mountains May Depart involves an extended span of time， with which I express my understanding of affection and love.

Why did you split the film into three parts？ Based on what kind of reality did you imagine the near future as depicted in the final part of the film？

Jia： I didnt want to extend its storyline into the future when I first created its screenplay. Gradually， I began to wonder what would happen to Dollar （the son of Zhang and Shen） in the future. To some extent， we can boldly imagine the future， instead of basing it on realities.

In the film， Dollar is passive， and his life is determined by his parents choices. His mother faces two opportunities for choosing her life. At the first opportunity， she chooses to marry a wealthy man. At the second time， she chooses to let her ex-husband， who is a rich venture capitalist at that stage， raise their son because she believes wealth can bring the child better education and a brighter future. In fact， she sacrifices something when she makes the choice.

I dont see Mountains May Depart as a three-part film； it merely recounts three stages of life， which are demonstrated by stories about two generations in the movie.

I think it is amazing to integrate affection with time in a film.

With this film， are you trying to convey your thinking about Chinese society？

Jia： In todays China， some may have plenty of wealth， but everyone has destiny. As I said before， I dont like it when some describe most characters in my films as‘grassroots. I prefer to call them ‘non-power-owners. They comprise a huge section of humanity. Wealth doesnt mean power. Besides those who have power， all the rest actually lead the same type of life.

French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon commented in one of his essays that we [Westerners] can understand what is happening in China because the country has a narrator like Jia Zhangke. What do you think about this comment？

Jia： When I shoot a film， I never intentionally try to ‘narrate the destiny of the nation. It is almost impossible to give a complete picture of a country with a single movie. In fact， this isnt what an artist needs to do. China changes fast. What I am interested in are the emotional and existential crises that everyone in a rapidly-changing society suffers. This is what I would like to record and express in my films.

Moreover， all my films are set in contemporary times because I think I must be loyal to my feelings for contemporary China. Im willing to shoot anything that impresses me in daily life.

Mountains May Depart conveys your understanding and interpretation of topics like choices in life， affection， and communication. What do you think is the one thing inescapable in life？

Jia： Solitude. I cannot stop wondering what will happen to Shen Tao in the future， which the film doesnt tell spectators. Will she start another relationship？ My curiosity about her destiny comes from my thinking of my parents lives.

My parents loved each other very much. Since 2006， when my father died， my mother has been obsessed with loneliness. My mother now lives with me， and can see me twice a day – before I leave for work early in the morning and after I return at night. But， she is alone at home the whole day. I dont even know what she does to kill time at home. She has no company.

Then， I realize that everyone cannot escape from solitude. For a couple of lovers， it is destined that they will depart from each other one day since no one can escape from the jaws of death. For me， the day seems far off at present. But， I feel sad every time I think about it.