To Cross a River

Shechuan grew up in Shanghai, graduated from one of China’s top universities, and chose to become a Buddhist monk a decision that shattered his father’s expectations and quietly broke their bond.

The film opens in Dali, a small town in southwest China, where Shechuan drifts through long nights with a group of young wanderers – drinking, talking, living freely on the margins. He wears red hair and carries a punk spirit, yet speaks of Buddhism with a calm conviction that sets him apart.

Then he leaves. What follows is a journey across China – Tibet, Xinjiang, Beijing, Inner Mongolia – filmed by director Jin Jiang, who travels alongside him as companion and witness. To survive, Shechuan takes odd jobs along the way. Beneath the movement runs a quieter struggle: his attempts to make his father understand, and the slow realization that understanding may never come.

By the time he reaches the monastery gates, he has let go of that hope.

Two years later, Jin Jiang finds him again. follow him through of monastic life: morning prayers, meals, cleaning, chanting. Then he returns home to Shanghai. Around the family table, no words are spoken. Only silence holding both distance and peace.