Ancient tales of the unexpected

Lili Daha, 25, who worked for a local intangible cultural heritage conservation center, was captured, at first sight, by the infectious enthusiasm of the young boy and immediately decided to film his story.

"I was so impressed to see the 7-year-old do it so well. Usually, it is middle-aged Yi people who, having a wide knowledge of literature and history, would be adept at practicing kezhi," says the director. He drove more than six hours with a production team from Liangshan's Xichang city to the remote village where the family of the talented boy, Jize Erqu, reside. The documentary was premiered in a recent exhibition on intangible cultural heritage held in Xiangshan, East China's Zhejiang province.

As shown in the documentary, Erqu's interest in the traditional literary style was ignited when he witnessed Yi people speaking kezhi at various events, including a spectacular wedding party.

However, concerned that learning kezhi would interfere with his schoolwork, his mother tried to stop him.

The documentary shows how the parents gradually realized the importance of passing down the tradition and they soon started to fully support Erqu in his quest.

"The contradiction between Erqu and his mother is common among Yi communities, as parents today give priority to school grades," says Lili. "I hope these parents could also pay more attention to cultural heritage."