The Cold Mountains are in the south of Sichuan, the Liangshan, and its people are the Yi people, once called "The Lolos". I’ve been familiar with this name since early childhood: my grandparent’s trip into this area in 1913 became the adventure story in the family. The "Lolos" were presumed to be particularly dangerous and unapproachable, believed to capture strangers and take them into slavery. In western maps of the time their area was marked as "Independent Lolo country".
A few photographs and sound recordings are all that remain of the trip in 1913. During several research trips I was able to find the descendants of the very family my grand-parents stayed with. In the film we will meet some of these people, whilst also gaining an insight into some of their extraordinary history and culture.
Shooting planned 2010