May the Soil Be Everywhere

Synopsis

Yehui Zhao films her grandmother in the Loess Plateau, a region marked by its vast mountain range and rich history. As she searches for the story of her great-grandfather, Zhao uncovers the ancestral village where her family cultivated the land and lived in cave dwellings. The 96-minute documentary weaves together performance, poetry, and animation, creating a living archive of oral history. It reflects on China’s past, including war, famine, and urbanization, through the experiences of four generations.