Jia Zhangke partners with Apple on Chinese New Year short film

Spring Festival is no longer just a time for Chinese people to reunite with their families. Foreign companies are becoming increasingly involved in the traditional festival with their own products, services and celebrations.

Apple has partnered with renowned director and screenwriter Jia Zhangke to create a short film to mark Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 5 this year.

Titled The Bucket, the film was shot on iPhone XS. It tells the story of a son traveling from his rural hometown to a city apartment, riding on bikes, ferries and buses while carrying a heavy bucket

The bucket, filled with eggs, was given to him by his mother when he had to go to the city to work, his Chinese New Year at an end.

Jia said the film aims to show close family bonds. The bucket is filled with the mother's love and it is a taste of home.

"Nowadays, family members are spending far less time together than apart. But the taste of home will always bring us back," Jia added.

The Bucket is the second film in Apple's Shot on iPhone series. Last year it partnered with director Peter Chan to shoot short movie Three Minutes, which was warmly received by Chinese netizens.

The Bucket comes as Apple steps up efforts to encourage sales of iPhones during Chinese New Year, a major holiday and shopping period in the country.

Earlier this month, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone XR and other iPhones for its channel partners, allowing third-party vendors to purchase cheaper iPhones and pass those savings to customers