Remote Mountain (2003)

This documentary follows coal miners in the Qilian Mountains of Qinghai Province, where they work in small mines at altitudes exceeding 3,600 meters. Around 200 miners, aged 17 to 50, labor daily, crawling through 60 to 70-meter deep pits to haul 30 loads of 50-kilogram coal. Earning only 500 yuan a month with no insurance, these miners often develop pneumoconiosis after four or five years and become unable to work. Their wages typically fund housing, weddings, and their children's education. In the event of a fatal accident, their families receive a 5,000 yuan pension. Filmed in June 1995, this film documents these harsh working conditions and the realities of human labor.