Film highlights struggles of rural children

Although China is the world's second-largest movie market with an annual output reaching over 1,000 movies, the quantity and quality of children's movies are relatively low, said an expert during a recent seminar held by China Film Association in Beijing.

Yan Shaofei, head of the children's film working committee with the association, said that, compared to other categories of Chinese cinema, children's movies are still comparatively weak.

He said most live-action children's films tend to be sports-themed, depicting rural children changing their life fate through participating in running or soccer games. This makes The Cattle, a story about a young boy searching for a missing ox, a unique and refreshing exception.

Set in the northern China, The Cattle tells the story of a young village boy named Haohao. Like many children in his village, Haohao's father has left to work in the city for better pay, leaving the child to grow up in a single-parent family with his grandfather. Despite his loneliness, Haohao finds solace in a crooked-horn ox, his best friend. However, when the ox goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Haohao sets out on a journey to uncover the truth.

The movie has been nominated for the 4th Beijing International Children's Film Festival earlier this year.

Zhou Jie, the deputy head of China Children's Film Studio, commented that the film sheds light on the challenges and loneliness faced by Chinese rural children, hoping that the movie will raise public awareness about the psychological needs of youngsters living in the countryside.