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Interview with Kang Jiaxiang, the director of "Corner With Hope"

 

Profile of Kang Jiaxiang:

Kang Jiaxiang is a Mongolian Chinese director.

In 2007, his film “The Funeral of Grandpa Xia” was selected in the Short Film section of the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

In 2012, his film “White Sheets” was selected for the Chinesisches Film Festival in Frankfurt.

In 2020, his feature film Mother Chrysanthemuml was selected for the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival. 

In 2020, his film was nominated as Best Asian Feature Film  and the Best Asian Actress and the Best Producer, and the Best Director of NVIFF as well.

In 2020, his film was selected for the Filmarte Festival - 5th Edition.  

In 2021, his short film “The Smell of Memory” was nominated as the Best Original Screenplay and the Best Cinematography in the East Europe International Film Festival 2020;

His documentary Dragon Boat Drifting was screened on CCTV.  

In 2021, his documentary film Shepherd and His Apricot Tree was nominated as the Best Asian Documentary of the 17th Asian Film Festival. 

It also wins Honorable Mention in Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes 2020.

Question 1: “Corner with Hope” is your new feature film. It focuses on a remote horse ranching society in Gansu, an ancient yet remote part of China. Can you tell us why you wanted to tell this story about these people and their community?

Answer: With the historical changes and the quick development of modern technology, war horses, one of the old and sacred creeds are gradually replaced by modern technology.  The life of horse ranchers has experienced great changes, too. Horse ranchers are no more a sacred profession as in the past. Now, they have to make a living on horse ranching. Both horses and horse ranchers are experiencing the changes in living and psychology.

 

Question 2: Why are horses such a huge part of the culture and history of the Gansu Corridor region?

Answer: Damaying Grassland is on the “old Silk Road” in Hexi Corridor of Gansu. It is one of the old and famous horse ranches in Chinese history. Since 121 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, people have been raising horses here. Royal horse ranches were established here in many dynasties. Damaying Grassland is taken as the horse ranching base all the time.


After the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949, by the order of Chairman Mao Zedong, People’s Liberation Army took over Shandan Horse Ranch. The main task of the station troops is to provide light duty troop horses for the army.

Shandan Horse Ranch is located in Shandan County, Zhangye in the middle of Hexi Corridor Region of Gansu Province. Its total area is 220,000 hectares. Its  altitude is 2420 to 4933 meters. It is the largest war horse ranch in the world.

Since Han Dynasty, Shandan horses are closely connected to the soil of Hexi Corridor and the lifestyle of the people living here.

 

Question 3: Folk music is prominently featured in this film. Who were the musicians and singers? Were they locals? 

Answer: Shandan Baojuan (or, Holy Scrolls of Shandan) is a form of folk literature which combines story-telling and singing. It is developed from Dunhuang narrative literature in Tang Dynasty and the Buddhist chant in Song Dynasty.

Shandan Baojuan has a long history in Shandan. It is sung from generation to generation. It was very popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Its main contents are folk mythology and legend, Buddhist and Taoist activities, fables and fairy tales, stories of legendary figures in the history and the life of common people. The main theme of its chants and stories is Karma or the law of cause and effect. It is for teaching the people to be kind and obedient to their elders. People need to follow a certain ceremony to chant. The spoken parts sound rhythmic. The chants are easy to sing. The stories are very lively. The plots are dramatic. The suspense is thrilling. The audience is often amused.  


In the past, peasants had less cultural activities and are far away from noisy cities. During the slack seasons and festivals, they would get together and sing the chants. Sing the chants has become an important activity of spiritual ballast and entertainment for the people in Hexi Corridor.

 

Question 4: Kang Jiaxiang, the director of “Corner with Hope”, has now received awards and praise from around the world. You’ve made so many films before “Corner with Hope”: which films are you particularly proud of?

Answer: In terms of all the films,  they cannot be judged as good or bad. Each of the films is respecting nature and life. It is from the heart. The more natural it is, the more it approaches the truth.

 

Question 5: What will you be doing next? Are there any projects you are currently working on which you can tell us about?

Answer: We will continue to focus on the natural life and the power of life on Hexi Corridor, the land along the Silk Road.

This is a wonderful land. It will foster and bring out wonderful film works for sure.


Interviewed by: David James Bell    Editted by: Li Yingdeng

 


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