Remember the British book 56UP, which tracks the lives of 14 different classes of children over the past 56 years and presents a half-century of historical changes in British society-the poorer the rich and the poorer, the poorer the rich and the poor, and the only way to educate the fate of change is to keep track of the lives of 14 different classes of children over the past 56 years.
What is it like in China?
In China, director Zheng Qiong also made a similar documentary called "the way out." she tracked and photographed the lives of rural children, young people in small towns, and young girls in international metropolis for ten years, so that you can see the children of three classes. How "reading" affects fate.
(from left to right) Yuan Han, Xu Jia, Ma Baijuan
Now let's expand the timeline from the very beginning of 2009.
1. Ma Baijuan, a rural girl in 2009
Baiyin City, Gansu Province, Huining County, Yegucigou Primary School.
Ma Baijuan walked down the dirt road to the school.
The teacher was a farmer, so he took time to teach because he could read some words. The school is only a first grade and a second grade, and it is not too hard to teach. Although there are few students, the teacher is also very serious.
"if you want to work at school, you have to work if you don't go to school. Why should you go to school?" That is Ma Baijuan's father's opinion. As a result, Ma Baijuan stayed at home until she was 10 years old, until the headmaster lobbied, she did not carry her schoolbag.
A well, a road, a store, a school, made up the Nommagpie ditch, a place where only one place name exists, just like the people who live here, no one cares at all.
Small as a chessboard class, a blackboard, four white walls, the wall of eyesight watch, school motto.
The teacher used a dialect mixed with the smell of northwest yellow sand: "Ma Baijuan, read it." Ma Baijuan read the textbook, eyes bright, can not hide the smile. It's like singing a poem in a church.
Play time, two rows of tile room surrounded by concrete floor, the children around a basketball, like four or five dough gently bumped around.
Without going to school, Ma Baijuan is already an important part of family labor.
Though she did not have enough strength, she could only pull the donkey with the center of her foot, pressing all the weight of her body forward on the rope.
Ma Baijuan like a donkey, donkey also like Ma Baijuan, they fight against each other.
Pull the hemp rope, unbuckle, pick up the bucket, the body rocked and stabilized, Ma Baijuan hit up a bucket of water. The man in the wild magpie ditch showers only twice in his life, and the water is precious.
Ma Baijuan's father is 60 years old, his face is like a map of wild magpie gully, mother is wise. My brother went out to work at the age of 14. A few people around a small square table, just a plate of salted vegetables, silently chewed.
Eggs, stationery, toothpaste, groceries in Yakugou sell everything. Ma Baijuan held a pile of crumpled banknotes, just like her boss said what she wanted-an automatic pen pencil core, a fifty cents, two big math books, a total of three twenty cents. On her way back, she was as satisfied as a candy-eating child.
Put on the newly bought automatic pen core, Ma Baijuan and classmates, squatting on the mountain painting, draw everything they dream of.
The teacher said in a dialect with yellow sand, "Let's study my hometown today."
Ma Baijuan will not question the textbooks printed in black and white, although the hometown described here is not the same as the wild magpie ditch.
Still on the earth slope, Ma Baijuan read her composition, saying, "when you grow up, you go to Beijing to go to college, then go to work, earn 1000 yuan a month, buy noodles for your family, because the noodles are not enough to eat, you have to dig a water cellar because there is no water to eat."
2. Yuan Han, a young girl in Beijing in 2009
Ma Baijuan dream to go to Beijing college, 17-year-old girl Yuan Han gave up easily.
She swung on the swing at her home in Beijing. She still flunked a few classes a year after she was relegated to the Central School attached to the Central Committee of the people's Republic of China.
One day her mother told her that the school break had been completed.
You know, the Central School attached to the United States, is a national art children, the families of generations of efforts to break the head also want to enter.
She spent time with books and movies during the long summer days. In addition, in front of a half-finished work, Mom looked around and left, leaving her private space.
"the first generation is engaged in manufacturing, the second generation is engaged in finance, the third generation is engaged in art." Although not completely consistent, but rough lines outlined Yuan Han's family trajectory.
Father engaged in real estate, mother felt that she had artistic talent, piano, dance, art liner on a circle, Yuan Han finally chose art.
"it's not that I have nothing to do with my panic, but whether I won't have anything to do with it all the time."
The 17-year-old, who dropped out of school, was logical and quickly broke it herself. Riding her bike, she wandered to South Causeway and Drum Lane, and took a fancy to a shop for a rent of 20,000. She rented the shop.
Ask your mother why she wants to give 20, 000, and ask her to do something like that, "just pay the tuition fee." For parents, hobbies outweigh everything.
Run to the store, buy 38 yuan a barrel of jujube sprout gel, wear skirt brush wall.
Speaking of the future, she did not think of what kind of person she would become.
"just don't starve to death." After all, there was a family behind her.
And she, also showed the determination to undertake this destiny. On the opening day, Yuan Han carried a mountaineering bag full of half a person. The door had been painted like an elephant bus, turned on the JVC stereo, displayed the "open" brand, and set up the wind bell.
The special 18 pieces of grape milk, placed in a prominent position, opened in a small bar at 4 Hutong, a brick factory.
3. Xu Jia, a young person in a small town in 2009
Xu Jia, between Yuan Han and Ma Baijuan, is like the majority of the country.
Facing 497 points, exactly the same score as the first college entrance examination, he felt dizzy and suspected that it was a joke of fate. 497-7 points less than the score line of ordinary universities in Hubei at that time!
In 2007, relatives contracted a mountain, one afternoon, after dinner, the father drove a relative's truck, and people took the car down the mountain. Xu Jia now and mother, brother cramped in this more than a dozen square meters of rental, is because of the accident.
Going to college is his father's last wish. Xu Jia chose the third time to repeat high school, hoping to take the university notice to his father's grave.
Go to the grave with my mother.
At 5 o'clock in the morning, Xu Jia washed her face, dressed in the same orange sleeve baseball suit as yesterday, and his brother rode into Hubei Xianning Senior High School on his bike and into the auxiliary teaching materials on the desk of Zizipho Red, Hubei Province, before and after 5: 00 a.m., Xu Jia washed her face, dressed in the same orange sleeve as yesterday, and rode into Hubei Province Xianning Senior High School.
Twice college entrance examination's defeat gave him fear of failure, sweat and trembling pen. He still blinked reflexively in front of the camera, drooling, and, at worst, thought of life.
My parents worked in Guangdong in the early years. Farming or working is the two most common life choices in home villages. Out of a college student, is the family grave smoke, the great thing.
Mother's idea is very simple, "even if you work, you must be diploma high, not low."
The relatives comforted him with plain words. "just try your best now. Don't take your thoughts with you."
Xu Jia and her mother, my cousin are eating in the rental room for the exam.
Another round of simulation tests, Xu Jia's heart rocked in fear and hope, the teacher from three to the focus of the previous success stories to stimulate students to re-study the class.
Without a leader, Xu Jia had to adjust himself.
Xianning examination site, 6-8 7-8, college entrance examination is the most important thing in the city. There were some traffic police at the school gate, and the bus arrived at the examination point as promised.
The examinee looked anxiously at the watch, and the parents were fan-fanned to communicate with each other. For many people like Xu Jia, this is a fate test.
He entered the college entrance examination room for the third time.
4. Ma Baijuan, who dropped out of school in 2012
The girl, smiling shyly with her back to the camera, could hardly recognize it at the first sight, Ma Baijuan, whose eyes were always bright.
Transfer of water truck primary school, the students frolicking, Ma Baijuan in the door, looking inside feel out of place. In the face of the lens, also always evade.
The family bought a house in Ningxia Zhongwei with electricity, water, and enough to eat, depending on the low-security money saved and the money saved by the big brother who worked for the job. When it came to my hometown, my father said, "I don't want it. I'm afraid of it."
Although the "good life", Ma Baijuan can not go to school.
The water truck primary school teacher is making the final effort, said Ma Baijuan on time hand in the homework, the study is also working hard, by the elder brother a "pure do not miss" gently block back.
After primary school life, Ma Baijuan tried to find his own place in society.
She wandered the streets of the centre-back looking for information about migrant workers. A hotel almost gave her hope that "salary over 1000" was exactly what she had hoped for in her composition, and her eyes were shining again.
"Why don't you read a book when you are so young?"
"what can you do?" "I can sweep the floor."
"the floor here is a carpet. You don't have to sweep it. The front desk needs to be able to use a computer."
Several conversations kept her heart cold. Out of the hotel, the car to the car, Ma Baijuan did not stay too long, to a Dexes line of sight.
The results of the job search were not stated in the documentary. Looking at Ma Baijuan with his head bowed and speechless, we have guessed the answer.
5. Yuan Han, a girl studying abroad in 2012
Yuan who studied in Germany in 2012
The small bar in Nangong and Drum Lane closed before long. Yuan Han, in 2012, attended a master's degree in art in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The world's top scholars and artists come here to lecture, give lectures, many people dream of the resources, Yuan Han is not the same thing.
She said she was unstable, needed tobacco, wandered around to clear up, made her own cigarettes in the attic, and made video calls with her mother.
A lot of time, she would go to Weimar and play with friends, and speak endless words to Goethe and Schiller's sculptures.
6. Xu Jia, unemployed youth in 2012
Lucky, Xu Jiakao entered Hubei University of Technology.
Four years in college, students play Temple Run's, sleep, dazed, probably used to, the teacher does not feel embarrassed.
The school is a large-scale ripening agent, and everyone matures early. Just junior, the dormitory is discussing "the future". Wuhan to 3, 000 salary, Shenzhen 3, 5, definitely stay in Wuhan. "
Xu Jia entered the insurance company internship and became a telephone operator.
"when is it convenient for you to answer the phone, Mr. Wang?"
The word "square" had not yet been said, and the opposite side clattered and hung up.
Xu Jia put his resume on the Internet in Shanghai with little feedback. A "Shenma Electric Co., Ltd." informed him to go to the interview, he dared not slow down, heavy money invested in formal shirt, suit and leather shoes.
Xu Jia, who rested on the steps while looking for a jo
He and his classmates came out with a iphone in the digital market, where he had saved his face. He said, "I'll be rich, get mixed up, buy iPhone6."
After several turns, Xu Jia "sold" herself to CLP's technology-difficult to find a job. Xu Jia and his classmates did not have much choice.
Having fulfilled his mother's wish, he did not feel relieved, but some of his heart was empty. "the feeling of selling yourself at once."
A job is just the beginning of anxiety.
7. Ma Baijuan, a married girl in 2014
This year, Ma Baijuan's door to the film crew closed.
Ma Baijuan's father said to the camera, "the doll is someone else." Ma Baijuan was silent on one side.
Her father sealed her fate. "there is no other way out than to marry."
After several negotiations, the father said, "20,000 yuan, keep shooting."
A girl, like an aunt, talks about children, diapers and husbands, and discusses who has a big stomach. Ma Baijuan, 16, married a cousin.
Now, she works in the ceramic factory where her cousin works, sucking dust day after day, next door to the water truck primary school where she dropped out of school.
Ma Baijuan's life seems destined to have no other way out, she does not even choose the rights. Once yearning for the university, now more like childhood is not familiar with the things of the rave, has never been true.
8. 2015 company CEO Yuan Han
In 2015, back from Germany, Yuan Han went to Shanghai Yu Deyao Art Museum internship. At the company dinner, they discussed which vpn would work better.
Germany makes her feel like a growing live a retired life country. Although life is always casual, she still wants to go back to China.
In the same year, she registered her art investment company in Beijing. Like that bar, the family didn't expect her to succeed. She liked it herself.
For Yuan Han, starting a company, just like 20,000 shops rent a store, the trial and error cost is very low. She can choose to study, choose a career, or choose to change goals at any time.
9. New middle-class Xu Jia in 2018
Up to this moment, Xu Jia is still working in the original power company.
College, work, marriage, the migrant worker's child knew from the beginning that he had to walk more steadily than others.
Now, he has a house in Wuhan, has a car, finally stood firm in Wuhan, finally squeezed into the middle class of the city, enough to let his mother in front of the village straight waist.
Although the end of his struggle, although not yet reached Yuan Han's starting point, but he is really solid three people, the only one who has really been read change fate.
Asked about the class gap, Xu Jia said, "I now accept this unfair existence, but I will try to go to change."
10. Three China
In the village girls, we see closure, despair, loss of self.
In the small town youth, we see hard work, struggle, load forward.
In the city girls, we see personality, chic, unfettered.
Ma Baijuan, Xu Jia, Yuan Han, the epitome of three China.
Guo Degang told the story of his childhood: "when I was a child, my family was poor. At that time, as soon as it rained in school, other children stood in the classroom waiting for an umbrella, but I knew there was no umbrella in my house, ah, so I ran home with the rain." A child without an umbrella will have to run as hard as you can! "
In the film, Xu Jia and Ma Baijuan are "children without umbrellas," but compared with Ma Baijuan, Xu Jia is lucky because he can still run, and Ma Baijuan, even run rights.
Yuan Han is the "child with an umbrella," even though the wind and heavy rain outside, her youth is still leisurely and casual, because her parents have already held up an umbrella for her, and she can walk slowly in accordance with her favorite rhythm. Try different possibilities in life.
This Chinese version gives me more hope than the UK's < 56UP >. The children who have umbrellas at home, of course, are lucky, children without umbrellas, also do not have to sigh, after all, most of our families, although there is no umbrella for children, small umbrellas still have, try hard, but also to support an umbrella for the baby; Child, as long as he is not crazy not stupid, as long as willing to run hard, even if the starting point is low, always can lead a dignified life, step by step close to his ideal.
To conclude with a quote from Luo Zhenyu:
Today's China, social stratification has not finally formed, educational stratification is still far away, so this is a great time, is a heroic era, everyone can by raising their own cognition, and beyond their own class.
Raise your awareness and become a hero!
* Source: a "six-year follow-up, the flesh and flesh of three different classes of children" with a light "six years with a three-class child," this documentary slapped college entrance examination.