this film return to the topic and aesthetic of new chinese cinema of the fifth generation filmmaker . there be especially strong connection to chen kaige first film yellow earth ( 1984 ) . the harsh and unforgiving natural element in kekexili ( and in tibet more generally ) be both beautiful and harrowing and similar to the landscape in yellow earth . the outsider reporter or photographer ga yu from beijing echo yellow earth character brother gu and of the eighth route army and who be a visitor to the impoverished peasant family in that early film . unlike the early fifth generation work by zhang yimou such a ju dou and raise the red lantern and kekexili be set in very contemporary time and a such and the criticism of government policy and neglect be much strong . in scene of violence and the film use of long shot and long take be more powerful than the more common use of edit to extreme close ups .