


Season 1 • Episode 25
LatestThe story took place in the Aba area of Sichuan before liberation. Old Chieftain Maiqi, backed by the Kuomintang, is a well-known local bully. He survives by growing poppies, producing and selling opium, and owns his own arms. The surrounding chieftains dare not compete with him. He has two sons, the handsome young master is his successor, and the second young master who is naturally dull has long been excluded from his successors
Cinematography
Stunning Tibetan highlands shot like fever dream paintings.
Writing
The 'idiot' protagonist delivers devastating philosophical observations.
Production
Authentic 1930s-40s Tibetan aristocracy recreated in obsessive detail.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Alai's novel, the first Tibetan-language work to win China's Mao Dun Literature Prize. The series was controversial for casting Han actors in Tibetan roles.
The 'fool' narrator device mirrors Faulkner's Benjy from The Sound and the Fury—unreliable yet revealing truths the 'sane' characters miss.