Chronicle of the Minorities Institute

Overview

Filmmaker Liu Xiaojin spent 7 years shooting this film documenting the birth and demise of a unique educational venture, the Yunnan Ethnic Minority Institute. Founded by classical composer Tian Feng in 1994, the school was set up to help preserve the traditional music and dance of the Yi, Hani, Naxi, and Tibetan minority groups in Yunnan Province. Although the school ran into legal and financial problems and had to be shut down in 2000, it has had a lasting influence on the preservation and expression of traditional culture in Yunnan.