The Spokesperson

The village barber and poor migrant, Cuizhen, her life took a dramatic turn when she was allegedly possessed by Chairman Mao’s departed spirit. She gained success she never had as Mao’s oracle. However, Mao was not the only “new god” there. The battle reached a climax during the memorial ceremony. China, the second largest economy in the world, however, people here is becoming spiritually barren and losing their belief. As official ideology failed to become people’s self-conscious faith, other replacements began to be sought. The film focuses on the relationship between man and the new gods. When I was a child, my mother took me to a woman named Cuizhen for haircuts. Two years ago, my mother consulted a local fortune-teller for guidance, this fortune-teller was an ‘oracle’ of sorts, someone allegedly possessed by the spirit of, Chairman Mao. As it turns out, this so-called ‘oracle’ was that woman who used to cut my hair. I was interested in her story and wanted to document this aspect of her life.