The documentary “Father” from 2002 tells the story of Han Peiyin’s son, Shengli, who was admitted to a university in Xi’an, moving from the countryside to the city. To support Shengli’s education, the elderly Han sold all the valuable belongings of the family and went to work in Xi’an to cover his son’s living expenses and the next year’s tuition fees. Having been a farmer all his life, the old Han firmly believes that knowledge will change fate, and he optimistically looks forward to the day when his son, after attending university, will surely have a promising future.
As Shengli approaches graduation, the introverted young man faces immense job pressure and feels increasingly alienated from the city. Despite having attended university, he fears that he might end up earning less than his father.
There is a notebook that the old Han has carried with him for several years, filled with records of loans of ten and twenty yuan over the past three years, as well as his expectations for his son, Shengli.
