When I was a child, I lived with my father's brother and his wife, who I call 'da ma' and who is the first person in my life that I loved so much, in the cave house in Shanbei. If you are interested to know what the cave house is, you can rent Zhang Yimou's movie " The Yellow Earth". The marriage scene was shot right in front this cave house, in the yard.

When I saw the movie for the first time, I was in Peking University. Without knowing that it was shot in my yard, I sensed that it was my house! After I came to States, I rented the movie and watched several times, couldn't identify what made me think it is my house at the first time I saw the movie. It actullay didn't show the house. This house, is situated in the back yard. In the front, there used to have a stone mill. When the movie was shot, someone broke the mill and it got never repaired.

Zhang Yimou, the famous director, who directed Raise the Red Lattern, Red Sorhghum, and To Live, was a photographer at the time when the Yellow Earth was made. Zhang Yimou's mother used to be my mother's colleage. We used to live next door. One day, this happened when Zhang had been already worldly known, my father went to look for his mother.

In their conversation my father said to his mother: "so, your son is famous now, huh?" His mother tried to be modest for him. Then my father asked: "do you know that someone broke my brother's mill when they made the Yellow Earth, and they never paid my brother for the damage." Zhang's mother laughed and said: "my son was just a photogrpher at the time, so you can't look for him to redeem the lost." My father realized that he couldn't get anything back, and said : " Ok, so just let your son know it when you see him." Zhang's mother said: " Now that he is so busy, I don't even get a chance to see him. He is in Hong Kong today, then France tomorrow. But if I see him, I will tell him."

When I was about three or four, I made a little shoe for myself. Right at the time, there was a male relative visiting. As most of the kids, I am always happy when we had guests at home. I loved my little toy shoe so much that I played with it all the time. He once joked: 'why don't you put it on your foot?" One afternoon, I still clear remember, I was alone sitting on the mill, with my back toward the door. I was so curious that I tried to see if I could put one foot finger in the shoe. When I just managed to screez my big toe in it, I heard a voice behind me: "oh, so you did try to put it on your foot." It was him, the relative, who I may call uncle. I felt so emarrised, even at that young age. In my memory, that was the first time I felt embarriesed. He must think that I am stupid, I thought at the time. Of course I know I can't wear it on. I am just curious, you know. It is not that I am stupid that I don't know my foot is mucher bigger than this toy shoe I made. However, I said nothing, just blashed.