Huozhe (To Live)

"Countless Chinese families have endured and survived a turbulent half-century of extraordinary hardships, thanks to the resilience of their will to live and to a fundamentally optimistic attitude that underpins every aspect of their lives. In Lifetimes, I attempt something new in my work: I am trying to show the grass­roots lives of Chinese people from the point of view of an ordinary person. I see these grass-roots lives as the key to understanding the times we live in. Perenially hopeful in the face of difficulties and hard times. That is what living is all about." (Zhang Yimou)