The movie was initially censored and has since been reedited. It is a simple love story set in the summer of 1974 during the "cultural revolution'' (1966-1976).
Ye Xingyu (played by Hsu Chi) encounters the handsome Beijing native Liu Simeng (Liu Ye) on the way to army labor camps in southwest Yunnan Province, where they have been sent to support local construction projects. Ye, coincidentally, is assigned to a camp led by her boyfriend, Yuan Dingguo (Fang Bin).
The action begins when the cook from Yuan's camp loses his team's food money to a teenage pickpocket. Yuan and Liu then fight over the thief, whom is Liu's friend and whom Yuan wants to throttle. To pacify the resulting feud, Ye tries to negotiate with the rebellious Liu, and ends up falling in love with him. Ye and Liu are forced to separate, pine away for each other and eventually give up their hopes of reuniting. Ye and Yuan marry, and Ye only encounters her true love, Liu, again many years later after their lives have drastically changed.
"The film has been censored in five places. Removed were a sex scene and four sensitive instances regarding the `cultural revolution' and the idea of `educated youth','' says Lu Le, director of the film.
"Educated youth'' refers to those Chinese who were sent away to rural areas to receive reeducation through labor. The program was designed to teach the virtues of simple peasant life. From 1955 to 1981, there were nearly 18 million "educated youth'' who spent their prime toiling in rural regions.
"Everyone has a certain understanding of the `cultural revolution','' says Lu. "I was born in 1957, and I experienced the period. In my opinion this was a blind period, full of different ideas. The `educated youth' program involved transferring labor and resources. But the film focuses on the relationship among three persons and tries to introduce history through a small story, not in an epic style with broad strokes.''
Perhaps that's why this film is as fresh as the green foliage of the Yunnan mountains -- lush greens, in which young people dressed in green army uniforms work hard and love hard.
The film was shot in the hot, humid mountains of southwestern Yunnan, near the border of Vietnam, where some former "educated youth'' still live.
"I chose the army's `educated youth' because of their uniforms, which are indicative of the period,'' says Lu. "It's this regularity that makes Liu Simeng stand out.''
Liu does stand out, dressed in a sailor's T-shirt and a self-made necklace. He steals delicious food to please Ye, makes a wooden treehouse, collects fossils in the forest and even carves a sexy mouth from a wood.
The film has not only fresh visuals, but also crisp sound effects, such as the natural sound of rain, wind or tall bamboo falling down, that don't get lost in too much background music. The absence of overwhelmingly emotional music makes the film comforting and familiar.
"I think many film soundtracks push the audience. I don't think that is necessary. I only use a few old popular songs from the 1960s and 1980s. That's enough,'' says Lu.
Probably it's Lu's former profession that has made him pay more attention to cinematography. As a classmate and partner of the internationally acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, Lu has shot many of Zhang's films, including "Shanghai Triad,'' which was nominated for an Oscar for best cinematography in 1996. Lu was the first, and remains the only cinematographer from the Chinese mainland to receive this honor.
"In my opinion, anyone can be a director. If cinematography requires professional skill, directing is a job that only requires one to tell stories,'' says Lu, chuckling. Lu refuses to join Zhang as a fifth-generation director, saying that it is a term solely used by film historians, and directors should more focus on making good films.
"In the 1980s, Chinese film amazed the world by showing folk customs, with films such as `Raise the Red Lantern','' he says. "In the 1990s independent directors began to win international film awards by reflecting ordinary Chinese life. Today I think maybe we should show some new things.''
He says the literal translation of his film, "beauty grass,'' refers to a plant in the Yunnan Province. In folk legend this grass conveys different meanings on different sides of the mountain. On one side it means "I love you'' while on the other side it implies "I refuse you,'' which causes misunderstanding between men and women.
"I abandoned the folk legend since we have made too many films about folk customs. I want to show something new,'' Lu says.
Having successfully acted in the role of a gay student in the film "Lan Yu'' and once before as an "educated youth'' in "The Little Chinese Seamstress,'' actor Liu Ye successfully portrays an "educated youth'' in Lu's film.
Before the shooting began, many film fans were strongly against the choice of Taiwanese actress Hsu Chi for the role. Hsu began her career by performing in many soft porn films. Later she starred in the international hit "So Close,'' and her first English-language film, "The Transporter,'' shot her to global stardom.
Although her Mandarin is odd, Hsu looks pure and fresh dressed in white shirt and green army trousers, hair combed into two pigtails.
"In fact make-up is very tiring,'' Hsu says. "I'm glad to be natural, be myself. It was strangely comfortable making the film in Yunnan. I love to be far away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and do not have to face many people.''
She admits it was a great challenge for her to act in the unorthodox role in such a hot place. "Ye is a poor girl, with a seriously ill father and two boyfriends. She is so hesitant and doesn't know who to choose,'' Hsu comments. "It's hard to know if the good will stay good in the future. At least she has a caring husband in the end. I have acted in many dumb and funny roles. Now I have passed the hard part of being a fresh face. I now have a choice of excellent films.''
After watching the film, many audience members may feel the movie's opening sequences are a feast for the eyes. But the latter half, after Ye returns to city and becomes wife and mother, is somewhat slow and sluggish.
"I admit that traditionally the latter part of a film should be the dramatic climax,'' explains Lu. "But I believe life flows like water. When you are young, you have ideas, goals and desires. But when you are older, these will gradually decrease. Mostly nothing happens in the latter part of life. I have interviewed many former `educated youths,' and they made me feel so, too.''
The film has a unique, lovely ending, that coincides with the beginning, which depicts a sweaty Ye running to catch the crowded bus to her army camp. In a grand gesture, Liu tosses some of the bags from the top of the bus to give them room to sit. At the end, the scene echoes the earlier one, but the sweating, running beauty fails to catch the bus.
"Life is dramatic and leaves no choices for us,'' Lu says. "Some quick decisions might influence or change our lives.''
(People's Daily March 10, 2004)
