One Day in Ping Wei

Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with English subtitles), One Day in Ping Wei follows 'tween Liu Yen Twin--who lives in a rural Chinese village with her parents, brother, and sister--as she goes about her day: walking to school, receiving a math lesson, helping with the family business of processing soybeans into dried tofu, assisting in the kitchen as her adult relatives prepare for a dinner gathering, etc. Without running water, refrigeration, central heat, and other amenities (except for the rather incongruous electric-powered TV), the rural Chinese live much like their ancestors, including washing clothes via the river-and-rock method, using a sickle to cut large fields of wheat, and living in “compounds” comprised of extended family. Partially aimed at parents of children adopted from China--who would naturally be quite interested in seeing what daily life is like for a large percentage of the Chinese population--this unique production is beautifully-filmed, though a bit awkwardly arranged, with a somewhat unexpected section on urban Chinese life at the beginning, and several stretches without any accompanying narration. Suitable for older children who can read fairly well and have longer attention spans, this is recommended, overall. Aud: E, I, J, P. (K. Glaser)