Slowly the River Flows

Jiang and his friends explore life beyond their beloved mountainside village as they prepare for adulthood.

Along the banks of the Bachi River, a group of teenagers from China’s Zhuang ethnic minority walk the ten-li mountain road to and from school every day. They overcome many obstacles to do well with their studies and grow into dependable members of their families and village as they help each other through hardship.

Along the banks of the Bachi River, a group of young people overcome many obstacles, one after another. Like a boat fighting against rapids, they bravely walk the long mountain road to school. The serenity of the flowing river, the beauty of the landscape, the ways of the world, human nature and life itself fill the hearts of Jiang, his family, his friends and his neighbours.

Huang Zheng's moving portrait of a rural village in the Zhuang community of southern China documents a world that has long been swept away by modern life.