Film classes leave imprint on rural pupils

University students take movie appreciation lectures to countryside to promote art, culture, Xu Fan reports.

In late August, in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, the signs of autumn appeared with a cool breeze permeating the air. Yet, inside a classroom at Qinghai Normal University's Affiliated Experimental School, a group of teenagers was feverish with excitement.

Under the guidance of a young teacher, the students were divided into two teams to discuss the contrasting views presented in The Wandering Earth, China's highest-grossing sci-fi blockbuster, a fictional account of life on the planet being imperiled by the sun burning out.

While some students advocated for the construction of massive thrusters to relocate Earth to a new solar system, others opposed this plan due to perceived risks. Instead, they proposed an alternative solution: that humanity should evacuate in spaceships and leave their home planet behind.