A Hostel in a Small Village

Ah Geng goes back to his native village in order to set up an arts-focused hostel named Mountain Beyond Mountain. Through his conversations with the villagers, his family and visiting artists, he tries to build an ideal haven, helped along by his former classmate, Shumi, who acts as the manager. The guests each arrive with different preoccupations: Qin Nan, a poet obsessed with writing a suicide note; Zhang Xuan, a teacher eager to discover a mysterious plant; Liao Hong, a scriptwriter who is trying to get over an unhappy love affair; Su Mu, a planner banking on his next great project; and finally a 'ghost guest' who pays for his room but never shows up. Each of them tries to find a new place in this small village… - A Hostel in The Small Village explores the links between modernity and tradition through Ah Geng going back to his native village that he dreams of revitalizing through art and culture. Combining an authentic rural portrait and flights of imagination, the film questions the place of contemporary individuals in relation to the heritage of tradition.