In the high mountains and deep valleys of northwestern Yunnan, flows the Dulong River, originating in Tibet and flowing through China, Myanmar, and India. Within this river basin lies a long, narrow, extremely remote, and isolated area. From December to June each year, heavy snow blankets the mountains for half a year, isolating this area from all contact with the outside world except for communication. This is the Dulong River Valley, known as the “Valley of Death.”

In this “Valley of Death,” lived over four thousand members of the Dulong ethnic group, who in the late 1950s were still in the late patriarchal clan commune stage of primitive society. Their survival and development over thousands of years is a miracle in itself, as they possess their own unique way of life, inextricably linked to their natural environment, from which they derive their material and cultural necessities.

Beginning in the late 1950s, the state invested significant resources to ensure their basic livelihood. At its peak, a state-run “state caravan” of over five hundred mules transported approximately 600 tons of grain and other production and living supplies into the Dulong River basin annually to aid the Dulong people.

Every June, as the snow thaws, a magnificent grain transport team, comprised of the “National Horse Caravan” and caravans from Chawaluo, Tibet, sets off. A month later, the caravans enter the rainy season, the most brutal and arduous time of year, a season when many horses fall ill or die from exhaustion. Only in December, when heavy snow completely blocks the post road, can the caravans rest. On average, 80 extremely hardy high-altitude mountain horses die from exhaustion on this mountain road, a journey that takes six days…

In April 1997, with a series of deafening explosions, the pristine mountain vegetation and precious tree species, dormant for thousands of years, were felled one by one. Previously unseen rocks were blasted up by the immense power of explosives, raining down on the caravans and travelers below…

Watching the road stretch ever forward, the caravan workers, seeing their horses worn out from exhaustion, felt an indescribable pang of sorrow. The mule caravan was once everything to them, an integral part of their lives…

A folk song sung by mule drivers for generations echoes again in the valley, but people are busy fulfilling the directive from higher authorities: “to end the history of the last ethnic minority settlement in China without a road before the end of this century.” They are relentlessly blasting and breaking ground, and no one has time to listen to the song’s story…

The producer spent six months following this “national mule caravan,” documenting their arduous journey from the rainy season to the eve of winter. The film records the ordinary, moving, yet little-known lives of the mule drivers in this special region before the road was built; including harrowing scenes such as being trapped by heavy snow while rushing to transport grain.

This is a true documentary about “history that is disappearing.” A joint production of CCTV, Yunnan TV, and Yunnan Hongta Film and Television Center, the film consists of four parts, each 40 minutes long, for a total of 160 minutes.

Postscript:

In September 1999, the highway connecting Gongshan to Dulongjiang, a key poverty alleviation project of the Ministry of Transport of China, was fully opened to traffic, and a grand opening ceremony was held. At the end of that year, the state-run mule caravan, which had been established for forty years and managed by the Gongshan County Transportation Bureau, was officially disbanded, and the remaining 150-odd mules and horses were all auctioned off. That last national caravan is forever etched in the images of this film…

Part 1: Crossing the Gaoligong Mountains

Part 2: The Unlucky Rainy Season

Part 3: The Early Snowfall

Part 4: Breaking Out of the Death Encirclement

This film has won:

Göttingen International Ethnological Film Festival 2000 (Germany)

Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival 2001 (Germany)

BEELD VOOR BEELD Film Festival 2002 (Netherlands)

18th China TV Golden Eagle Awards: Outstanding Documentary, Best Cinematography in Documentary

8th “Golden Horse Award”: First Prize for Documentary, Best Cinematography

6th China TV Documentary Academic Award: Second Prize for Feature Film, Best Sound Recording

6th “Golden Panda” Awards: Special Jury Prize in Humanities and Society, Nomination for Best Feature Documentary, Nomination for Best Creative Award in International Documentary Selection

Tea Horse Road

China’s Last Caravan