Nostalgia

There was once an unusual town in Hunan, China. In the 1980s, when many rural areas across the country had scarcely encountered a private automobile, this town already maintained its own fleet of vehicles. It was considered "fashionable": its cinema screened new releases almost as soon as they appeared, and despite its remote, mountainous setting, young people dressed with striking modernity.

The town was called Meitian. In the early 1990s, however, most of its inhabitants seemed to vanish almost overnight, leaving behind little explanation of where they had gone. Nostalgia traces the story of this southern Chinese town and explores the complexities of urban development, migration, and collective memory in contemporary China.

Through intimate interviews and archival footage, the film captures the nostalgic longing of former residents and reflects on what prosperity means in the context of rapid industrialization.

在中国湖南曾经存在着一个奇怪的小镇，上个世纪八十年代，中国绝大部分农村甚至不知道汽车是何物，而小镇上早就有了自己的车队。它曾经是一个"时尚"小镇，这里的电影院会第一时间放映最新上映的电影; 这里偏居一隅，山路十八弯，年轻人却穿着时尚; 小镇坐落在贫困县，但是这里的居民即便去到广东也受人尊敬，并被认为是"有钱人"，这个小镇叫做"梅田"。然而，在九十年代初期，似乎在一夜之间，大部分居民搬离了小镇，不知道他们去了哪里。

《他乡》展示的是一个经历过产业转型的中国南方小镇的众生相，前前后后有近十万来自全国各地的人来到这个煤矿小镇，为矿业劳碌，最终又散落在世界各地的故事。

Directed by LI Jie

Li Jie is a university lecturer and a documentary director. Her feature-length documentary Nostalgia received the 2021 Annual Work Award at the 18th Beijing International College Student Film and Video Festival. It was also selected for several renowned film festivals, including the Beijing College Student Film Festival, the Chinese Young Generation Film Forum, CCDF-8, Fresh-Pitch, and the South Europe International Film Festival. Nostalgia has been invited for academic screenings multiple times in London and Cambridge.

Her narrative short film Survivor won Best Narrative Film at the Chongqing Film Festival and was shortlisted for the Beijing College Student Film Festival and the Shanghai International College Student TV Festival.

导演与创作
李婕，大学教师，青年导演; 纪录长片《他乡》获"半夏的纪念"第十八届北京(国际)大学生影像展2021年度作品，入围 2021年北京大学生电影节、华语青年电影展、CCDF-8、 Fresh-Pitch、南欧国际电影节等国际知名电影节。《他乡》多次在伦敦与剑桥受邀进行学术展映。剧情短片《幸存者》获 重庆电影展最佳剧情片，入围北京大学生电影节、上海大学生电视节。

Discussants

Dr Fengjiang Jiazhi
Lecturer in Social Anthropology, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh

Dr Yu Sun
Lecturer in Media, Culture & Society, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow