The Circle of Life (2002)

Like many young women in the area, Xiaohua met Chunling, a man from a different village, through a matchmaker and they chose a wedding day. They began married life with Chunling's parents. The couple fell in love and had a son. However, due to national family planning policies, rural families with a son were restricted from having more children. Determined to have a daughter, the family defied the rules. A family planning team was sent by the township government, but Xiaohua became pregnant again, risking a fine. They delivered a baby girl. To avoid arrest, Chunling paid the required penalty. The couple then left their children with family and moved to Beijing for work. (Filmed between 1996 and 2007).