Minning Town (2021)

Brilliant

Apparently this was shot on location in the far Northwest, in 90 days, last autumn while the pandemic was still going strong. We already know how much magic a terrific cast can infuse a crappy script with power (I'm looking at you, Guardian), but when the script is as brilliant as the actors, you get sheer magic.

The production company is known for some outstanding shows, Nirvana in Fire being one. They seem drawn to stories of heroism in increasingly realistic settings, a combination I find bewitching. The story concerns a dirt-poor village being resettled in the Gobi desert, which is in the process of being converted to arable land.

For me, the best part of Like a Flowing River, which I also loved, was the story of a small town as they went from virtual medieval backwardness, imposed by the Cultural Revolution, into the modernity of the eighties. In a way it seems to have been practice for this series, which nominally centers around the Ma family, but everyone is important. We get the lives of teens, and middle-aged people, and elderly. Men and women.

It's clear that this series was produced for the upcoming political celebration, with its uplifting message extolling hard work and integrity, but the substrate is a reminder of the inimical aftereffects of corrupt government officials. It is all demonstrated through small, entirely human stories, filled with tragic and triumph, love and sacrifice, joy and celebration, with a steadying thread of irony.

If I had any complaints it would be the very tightness of the story, that leaves certain emotional changes to the imagination. There is a lot of story conveyed in 23 episodes, over twenty years of time. I think--I wish--that it had been 25, or even 30 episodes. But we have what we have, containing many exquisite moments of perfect characterization begging rewatch. I can't say enough about every single performance, even people with no more than half a dozen lines (like a certain person's disabled husband). Sandwiched between two really lovely pieces of music.

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If you build it they will come.

This is a story about the Chinese dream. It is vivid, it is visceral, it is unflinching, it is moving; it is about community, sacrifice and bold dreams. It is not a fairytale.

As part of the government's fupin 扶贫 or poverty alleviation program, an impoverished village in Xihaigu, one of the least inhabitable regions of the land-locked Ningxia province, is to be resettled in Minning Town, a brand new settlement several hundred kilometers away on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Young Ma Defu, a fresh graduate and junior cadre member is tasked to convince the stroppy, irascible and rightly skeptical inhabitants of his home town to abandon their ancestral homes for the freaking Gobi desert!!! The hostile, savage and utterly desolate beauty of the terrain is stunningly captured in an arid, sun soaked and brilliant palette that immediately conveys the daunting enormity of the task ahead. The drama chronicles the immeasurable trials and hard won triumphs of Ma Defu and his team of dedicated experts who together with the intrepid, early settlers, had conviction that if you build it, they will come.

For a flag waving fupinju, this drama does not shy away from criticism - the sheer boldness and absurdity of the effort to tame the Gobi and how poorly planned and under resourced the initial effort was, the bureaucratic impediments, numerous setbacks and mis-steps, misguided policies, self serving and corrupt politicians are all scathingly laid bare while remaining focused on the main characters. Because first and foremost this story is about real people, mostly peasants who even when they are stupid and myopic, they are compellingly relatable - everybody has an aunt or an uncle or a neighbor or knows someone who is just like that. They are true backbone of resilience and endurance upon which the Chinese dream is built upon. This is the kind of drama that usually has me rolling my eyes, but in this case, practically every episode managed to move me to tears.

The standout character among the all-star cast of rivetingly portrayed characters is Rayzha Alimjan's haunting and inspiring depiction of Li Shui Hua, an ordinary peasant for whom the poverty alleviation program didn't come soon enough. Like many of the villagers, her name contains the character shuǐ 水 because water is such a scarce commodity that any name containing 水must bestow luck on the owner. But alas, her dreams are worth less than the price of a donkey and misfortunes befall the young Shui Hua. But this woman just rolls with the punches and nobly soldiers on, retaining a kind of inner joy, optimism and dignity that radiates from her dusty, sun burnt skin and labor torn body. When her dreams elude her, she moves on and sets and works toward new, more realistic goals. It is most fitting that the man with small vision tries to build her a well while the man with great vision builds her a dam. This is by far, the strongest, bravest, best written female character I have seen in c-drama. As for the actor, she was pretty great in Longest Day in Changan but this is her memorable, hopefully award winning performance.

As much as I enjoyed every moment of this drama, it took me an incredibly long time to watch it. This drama is not over dubbed and the characters speak a local Northwestern dialect that I initially struggled to understand and I really dislike reading subtitles. But I got used to the dialect after the first 8 or 9 episodes and after that I embraced the lively and colorful proliferation of local dialects. There were many hilarious lost in translation moments where the villagers struggled to communicate with experts from Fujian (a southern province) who were sent to help create a mushroom industry in their non-existent local economy.

If I must criticize, I think the drama is a bit too short and some of the time jumps at the end skip important moments in some of the characters' lives that I cared about, especially Defu. And I admit that the ins and outs of mushroom farming was too vivid and a bit too much information for me - I will never quite be able to enjoy mushrooms with the same relish again. That said, if the Ningxia vines are as resilient as the people, we may one day see some vintages of Ningxia wines that give their Bordeaux and Burgundy peers a run for their money.

Like most, this kind of genre is not my usual cup of tea. But this one is different - as a product of Daylight Entertainment, it is as close to a masterpiece as something of genre can be. It is marvelously well written and gorgeously shot, not at all dry or heavily bogged down by propaganda. At the same time, it really brings to life not just how China lifted 750mm people out of poverty (as defined by the World Bank) since 1990 (the beginning of this drama) but WHY they absolutely had to do it. It is an unprecedented achievement in the history of the world and this drama truly tells the story in a way that does it justice - from the perspective of ordinary people. Even though overall I rate this a 9.0, in many places and moments, it feels like a 10.0.

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The best C-drama of 2021 so far

STORY/THEMES:
Min Ning Town is one of the most touching, hopeful, and realistic c-dramas I've ever had the chance of watching. Watching the drama felt like watching real life unfold in front of me - it was more of an experience, rather than pure entertainment. The story is quite straight forward - the government wants to build rural housing land and help promote poverty alleviation in Ningxia. From the 90s to the 2000s, it shows the ins and outs of the peasant life in rural Ningxia and the everyday challenges that they face - for example, growing mushrooms to sell, leaving town to work in a factory, younger vs older generation clashing, etc. There are also important themes that the drama addresses, such as the value of education, family/sibling sacrifice, etc. To me, I felt like this drama goes beyond simply a 'cdrama', it's one of those dramas that makes you think about the lessons in life (and luckily, the drama does so in a way that feels natural and not overbearingly preachy).

ACTING:
As as an ensemble drama, I can say confidently that every actor and actress brought their A game. Each character was beautifully acted, especially Shui Hua (acted by Rayzha Alimjan). She embodies warmth, tenacity, and resilience and you can't help but root for her in every scene you see her in. I also enjoyed the acting by Huang Xuan and Bai Yu Fan, who both acted as brothers in this drama, as well as Huang Yao as the hardworking and strong Bai Mai Miao. Finally, one of my favourite characters was Miao Miao's father, who was played by Zu Feng. His silent, unwavering support for his daughter was so beautiful to see, and I was inspired by how much he genuinely cared for his students as a teacher. Best Father/Teacher of the Year award goes to him!

DIRECTING/CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Absolutely stunning. The production crew went to Northwest China to film the drama and I love how realistic and raw the scenes are. There is none of the overly done CGI or pretty idol faces with perfect make up - it's just the actors, with dust covered on their faces, each who embody the roles they are given. The wide shots of the landscapes were gorgeous to watch, especially in the final scene.

OVERALL:
This is one of China's best dramas to date - excellent all around when it comes to directing, acting, script, cinematography, and production. While the story may not be for everyone, I encourage everyone to watch it, especially those of you who appreciate good TV. No nonsense, no cliches, no dragging - just a production with a lot of heart and soul, one where you can tell that they've done their best to perfect this drama. It's no wonder this has a 9.3 on Douban (China's IMBD).

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It's a whopping 200/100 for me.

I haven't been this satisfied with a drama in a long long time.
I was initially held back after seeing trailers of the dramas, for months. Because I really hate dust and even hate watching dust because it makes me feel second hand dusty. But I'm glad I made the exception.
I rarely go around heavy-reccing dramas like this, but if you've got time and mood, even if it's years after, do check out Minning Town. It's a rare excellent piece of work. Well researched, detailed, grounded, relatable and extremely REALISTIC. A well paced plot, great acting, characters and interpersonal relationships, and also quite inspiring and humbling.

I see some people thinking China making a drama about their hardworking people=propaganda which makes me sigh because if someone thinks this is Propagandaic, it's highly likely they haven't lived even close to or even seen what the most lower level of commoners like farmers live like.
Unless you REALLY look into it with a microscope, there's no propaganda.
If anything, Minning Town is about how common people worked hard to have a better life for themselves and also because the government ordered them to do stuff while sitting inside their glass houses so the poor farmers were beaten from all sides while the politicians had little clue about what the real situation is.
If anything, it's probably anti-propagandaic.
I've heard and seen some things that those people experience in the drama happen and it's ? perfection.
Sometimes I felt like Minning Town is like a Chinese Little House in The Prairie (which I also really loved).
The difficulties in mass relocation and very mundane and humane people, very realistic and moving acting, incredibly strong FL.....it might not be necessarily cute and fluffy but it's still very much heartwarming, and the joy lies in all those little daily mundane moments, you can't help but smile, laugh and cry with the characters. What more can you ask for?

PS: Oh and make sure to watch the dialect version! There are two versions on Youtube and the dialect version is super interesting to hear, it's a whole another viewing experience!

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Majestic. Simply.

All actors have played their role wonderfully, especially Rayzha Alimjan & Bai Yufan who are my discovery of 2022.
I look forward to watch their other dramas.

Added to that, good screenwriters, good casting, a good director, the opening & ending OST, the whole team.
《Minning Town》is the Chinese series, even the one in the world that touched me the most.

It's worth 10/10, and I saw that it's going to be released on TV all over West Asia, Central Asia & North Africa.
Well deserved !

Hope for all Continents, but I don't expected France, they never broadcast Asian series here - except Movies.

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