| Kekexili: Mountain Patrol | |
|---|---|
 The Kekexili film poster | |
| Chinese | 可可西里 |
| Literal meaning | Hoh Xil |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Kěkěxīlǐ |
| Jyutping | ho2 ho2 sai1 lei5 |
| Directed by | Lu Chuan |
| Written by | Lu Chuan |
| Produced by | Du Yang Wang Zhonglei |
| Starring | Qi Liang Tobgyal (Duo Bujie) |
| Cinematography | Cao Yu |
| Music by | Zai Lao |
| Distributed by | Huayi Brothers |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Languages | Mandarin Tibetan |
| Budget | $1.2 million (est.) |
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (Chinese: 可可西里; Standard Tibetan: ཨ་ཆེན་གངས་རྒྱབ།) is a 2004 Chinese film directed by Lu Chuan that depicts the struggle between vigilante rangers and bands of poachers in the remote Tibetan region of Kekexili (Hoh Xil). It was inspired by the documentary Balance by Peng Hui.
Despite its realistic, detached style, the film evokes the dramatic Western genre in several ways. This includes the portrayal of a masculine, harsh way of life and culture of honour at the frontier of civilization; but also the depiction of a rugged, majestic landscape (captured to great effect by cinematographer Cao Yu) that becomes a star of the film. This characterization is made explicit when the characters profess their love for their homeland, whose very name evokes "beautiful mountains, beautiful maidens" to them.
The film was inspired by the Wild Yak Brigade, a real-life volunteer group that patrolled the Tibetan Plateau during the 1990s, and events that took place between 1993 and 1996.[1]
- ^ End credit citation from the film.