Paia 2019

Directed by Ji Dan

Paia means old grandmother in Duan dialect of Zhuang language. I know that the Paya in the film was at a lecture about left-behind children at Pudao Caotang Bookstore in Nanluogu Lane, Beijing. The small hall of the bookstore is full of people. I can only squeeze in a corner where I cannot see the presenter and the screen. After listening to the lecture and Q & A for nearly two hours. The presenter, Dr. Zhao Junchao, is an associate researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council. He conducted a survey in Duan, Guangxi for five years and published the book "A Survey of Left-behind Children in China." I was originally interested in "left-behind children", but in his story, an old lady attracted me: she lost six of her seven sons, and she supported the orphans left by the six or seven sons.