Dead Souls 2018
死灵魂
In Gansu Province, northwest China, lie the remains of countless prisoners abandoned in the Gobi Desert sixty years ago. Designated as ultra-rightists in the Communist Party’s Anti-Rightist campaign of 1957, they starved to death in the reeducation camps. The film invites us to meet the survivors of the camps to find out firsthand who these persons were, the hardships they were forced to endure and what became their destiny.
Vocabulary
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| 西固 西固 | Xigu District of Lanzhou City, Gansu | Proper Noun |
| 马列主义 馬列主義 | Marxism-Leninism | Proper Noun |
| 延安 延安 | Yan'an, prefecture-level city in Shaanxi Province | Proper Noun |
| 河西走廊 河西走廊 | Hexi Corridor (or Gansu Corridor), a string of oases running the length of Gansu, forming part of the Northern Silk Road | Proper Noun |
| 仁爱 仁愛 | Ren'ai or Jenai District of Keelung City, Taiwan; Ren'ai or Jenai Township in Nantou County, central Taiwan | Proper Noun |
| 南华 南華 | South China; Nanhua County in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan | Proper Noun |
| 税务局 稅務局 | Tax Bureau; Inland Revenue Department (Hong Kong) | Proper Noun |
| 党中央 黨中央 | Central Committee of the CCP | Proper Noun |
| 孙 孫 | Sun (surname) | Proper Noun |
| 霞山 霞山 | Xiashan District of Zhanjiang City, Guangdong | Proper Noun |
| 皋兰 皋蘭 | Gaolan county in Lanzhou, Gansu | Proper Noun |
| 反右运动 反右運動 | Anti-Rightist Movement, Mao's purge of "rightists" after the Hundred Flowers Campaign ended in 1957 | Proper Noun |
| 三反 三反 | "Three Anti" campaign (anti-corruption, anti-waste, anti-bureaucracy), early PRC purge of 1951-52 | Proper Noun |
| 解放区 解放區 | Liberation city district; Jiefang district of Jiaozuo city, Henan | Proper Noun |
| 通渭县 通渭縣 | Tongwei county in Dingxi, Gansu | Proper Noun |
| 子洲县 子洲縣 | Zishou County in Yulin, Shaanxi | Proper Noun |
| 文革 文革 | Cultural Revolution (1966-76) | Proper Noun |
| 兰州市 蘭州市 | Lanzhou, prefecture-level city and capital of Gansu Province | Proper Noun |
| 乡里 鄉里 | one's home town or village | Proper Noun |
| 安西县 安西縣 | Anxi county, former name of Guazhou county in Jiuquan, Gansu | Proper Noun |
| 工农 工農 | Gongnong district of Hegang city, Heilongjiang | Proper Noun |
| 镇长 鎮長 | town headman; mayor (of small town or village); bailiff | Proper Noun |
| 定安 定安 | Ding'an county, Hainan | Proper Noun |
| 共青团 共青團 | the Communist Youth League, abbr. for | Proper Noun |
| 宣化 宣化 | Xuanhua district of Zhangjiakou city, Hebei; Xuanhua county in Zhangjiakou | Proper Noun |
| 县城 縣城 | county seat; county town | Proper Noun |
| 嘉峪关市 嘉峪關市 | Jiayuguan, prefecture-level city in Gansu Province | Proper Noun |
| 民政局 民政局 | Bureau of Civil Affairs | Proper Noun |
| 人民日报 人民日報 | People's Daily (PRC newspaper) | Proper Noun |
| 中农 中農 | Chinese agriculture | Proper Noun |
| 临洮 臨洮 | Lintao county in Dingxi, Gansu | Proper Noun |
| 张王李赵 張王李趙 | any Tom, Dick or Harry; anyone | Proper Noun |
| 文化大革命 文化大革命 | Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) | Proper Noun |
| 粮 糧 | food, grain, provisions | |
| 那阵 那陣 | at that time; then | |
| 袋子 袋子 | bag | |
| 反右 反右 | anti-rightist; abbr. for | |
| 意 意 | meaning, intent | |
| 没办法 沒辦法 | there is nothing to be done; one can't do anything about it | |
| 民政 民政 | civil administration | |
| 极右分子 極右份子 | an extreme right-winger | |
| 反革命 反革命 | counterrevolutionary | |
| 这样子 這樣子 | so; such; this way; like this | |
| 不清楚 不清楚 | unclear; not understood; currently unknown | |
| 定案 定案 | to reach a verdict; to conclude a judgment | |
| 基建 基建 | capital construction (project); infrastructure | |
| 各处 各處 | every place | |
| 民族主义 民族主義 | nationalism; national self-determination; principle of nationalism, the first of Dr Sun Yat-sen's 孫中山|孙中山 Three Principles of the People 三民主義|三民主义 (at the time, meaning parity between China and the great powers); racism | |
| 为啥 為啥 | dialectal equivalent of | |
| 蔡 蔡 | surname; species of tortoise |