A Son, The Sun

當太陽昇起/当太阳升起

OUT OF COMPETITION

In China around 2000, Lu Risheng, a superstitious man with feudal beliefs, prayed for Buddha’s blessing to have a son and continue his lineage. But with China’s strict family planning policies and an older daughter already, Risheng and his wife Jiu Ru had to conceive their second child in secret. Unsure of the baby’s gender, Risheng takes a risky gamble, facing immense challenges in an already difficult environment…

The costly Chinese medicine was nothing but futile hope, draining their already meagre meals from fried rice to the point where even oil and rice ran out. After selling their furniture to pay the family planning fines, they were left to eat flatbread with scallions on cardboard boxes. In this cramped, oppressive space, food serves as a hidden thread, a detail that traces the story’s progression. The daughter who fled far away is the only hope for the mother longing to escape, while the father, burdened by despair, ultimately takes a tragic path. This distortion is but a speck of dust in the era, yet it has crushed an entire family. -Qi Wu. Co-lead Curator of Odyssey 2024