Ren jian tong hua

Ren jian tong hua (“school”) opens with a sagacious greeting from the teachers as the pupils arrive and a pioneers’ meeting to set the example—a picture of daily life in the Huangshi primary school, in Hubei Province. Faced with group truancy, ighting in the corridors, boy-girl rivalries, quarrels during the election of the best pupil, a run-down school building, the scant consideration they receive from the community and their low wages, the teachers have a hard time of it and sometimes let discouragement get the upper hand. While it is true that life’s irst chapter is written in primary school, actually writing it demands a great deal of patience and perseverance. (Yann Lardeau)