In a village in a remote valley on the northern border of Xinjiang, China, a lonely Kazakh boy named Arsin nurses fading memories of his family. He finds solace in the company of plants. The arrival of Meiyu, a spirited Han girl, is like the discovery of a rare, otherworldly plant he has never seen before, bringing him comfort and a strange sense of wonder. Together, they grow like two distinct species, rooted in a shared corner of the world, imagining the valley as an endless ocean. But one day, Arsin learns that Meiyu will be moving to Shanghai, which is 4,792 kilometres away. Arsin is left alone to grapple with the quiet shifts in their small, fragile world.
“Li’s debut feature is simple and profound. Arsin and Meiyu are not just characters but coordinates of expression, their faces carrying both memory and distance. Yet, Li’s true protagonist is something greater: the layered distances of Xinjiang. His work subtly unfolds the temporal gap between tradition and modernity, the spatial divide between inland and coast, and the dreamlike spiritual space between reality and illusion.” (Bi Gan, Chinese filmmaker)
Jing Yi
Born in Xinjiang, China, in 1994, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. He set out on his filmmaking career with several shorts, often exploring the inner worlds of minority groups in contemporary China. The Botanist is his debut feature film.