Sand and Sea (shot in 1989) was a collaboration between filmmaker Kang Jianning and Liaoning Television producer Gao Guodong. That film depicted the lives of two families: one living in the Ningxia desert and another, a Northeastern fishing family, living on a remote island. For the 2003 broadcast version of Life — which aired as part of the 'The Weight of Time' series on Chinese TV — Gao did not participate, thus this film is only about the desert family, headed by father Liu Zeyuan. Since 1989, Kang has remained in contact with the family and returned to film them multiple times over the years. Kang's filmmaking largely consists of striking landscape shots of the desert and rather tortured interviews with reticent family members, who often provide one-word answers to Kang’s audible questions. Kang himself also appears, and is an important catalyst to drawing out responses. The filmmaker emphasizes a deep connection to place, as opposed to an eventful or dramatic narrative.

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