Tibetannet

“Although the journey is difficult, as long as I am able to watch movies and talk with local herders, no matter how tough or how tiring it is, it’s worth it,” Namla Tsering says.

At the foot of Mt. A-nye Machen lies Machen County in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the “source of three rivers” ecological preservation site. The county is filled with mountains, forests, and rivers, a harsh climate with an average elevation of over 4,100 meters, high and cold.

48-year-old Namla Tsering is one of the oldest projectionists on the film projection team in Machen County. He visits different households in the villages, walking along the country road, persisting in providing films for the herding community in Machen.

For 27 years his footprints have been found all over the county’s six townships and 35 villages, projecting more than 400 films and traveling more than 40,000 kilometers each year. He has become Mt. A-nye Machen’s mobile film projectionist.

A tent, a yak, a film projector, and a screen; these four simple pieces of equipment form the entirety of the mobile cinema.

In 2007, Namla Tsering finally switched to a digital film projector, and the yak that carried the film projector on its back was replaced by a pickup truck.

“At that time, the mountain roads were rugged, and a single person traveling alone on the pitch-black road, though a guy in his twenties, it was still very scary listening for the howling wolves. I still had to guard the yak closely, as I was afraid the yak would be attacked by wolves. It was not easy to travel to different villages, but when the herdsmen see me, they would quickly invite me into their homes.” Namla Tsering remembers sometimes not being able to travel due to heavy snow on the mountains, so herders would let him stay longer in their homes.

Because Machen County is remotely located and the herders there live alone, watching movies has become the main way to learn about the outside world.

Namla Tsering said that each time he sees village grasslands filled with herders, his heart is instantly warmed. He projects films that the herders like to watch, and most are films on Anti-Japanese War. Even if there is a language barrier the herders always enjoy watching the picture.

“Even if I only have one person come to watch, I will still play the movie!” Namla Tsering said happily.

In recent years, many films have been dubbed into Tibetan language via a Tibetan language dubbing company, and even more herdsmen come to watch the films. Although the lives of the people have improved and each family has a TV, herdsmen still need movies. Namla Tsering says he is more than happy to be this “transmitter”.