Poster of the film Beyond the Clouds Photo: Sina Weibo

Chinese feature film Beyond the Clouds has touched a lot of moviegoers with its inspirational story of heroic rural school teacher Zhang Guimei. The production team of the movie told the Global Times that they hope the film can convey Zhang's noble spirit and faith in education to the world.

Beyond the Clouds was adapted from the remarkable life of Zhang, who founded China's first free all-girls high school in Huaping county, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, helping more than 1,800 poor girls head out of the mountains and realize their dreams of going to college. 

As head of the school, Zhang has traveled more than 100,000 kilometers to visit more than 1,300 impoverished families, earning her the title of "Outstanding Chinese principal."

"Principal Zhang has devoted all her energy to the students. She is genuinely selfless and a great warrior," Yang Jin, one of the film's directors, told the Global Times. 

Premiered in late November, the film has grossed 75.96 million yuan ($10.7 million) as of Wednesday, according to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan. 

The film's title is derived from the pledge of the high school: "I was born beyond the clouds, not underneath a stream, and I aspire to gaze down upon the mediocrity of ravines from the summit of the peaks."

"This is the theme of the film, telling each child that they need to overcome obstacles to climb up to the summit of the high mountain," Yang said.

Hai Qing, who plays the 66-year-old Zhang in the film, told the Global Times that many of the people who worked on the film were moved by the principal's great qualities.  

"It' a very serious and respectful creation. We want to spread teacher Zhang's spirit through the film, encouraging and enlightening more people," she said.

Yang said that Zhang herself is an emblematic figure for the nation, and her experiences are already deeply moving, thus filming a movie about a real person was not easy. The most challenging part was how to make the story appealing. Yang said after conducting in-depth research in Yunnan, they overturned the original script and ultimately decided to tell the story of the first three years of the all-girls high school in a realistic style.

Yang said the movie was based on the real cases that happened in Yunnan. 

He recalled that during a local visit with Zhang, they encountered two sisters from a divorced family. The elder sister was studying at the high school, and the younger one, initially supposed to be taken away and raised by her remarried mother, was persuaded by Zhang to stay with her elder sister. She told her, "You stay here with your sister, attend the all-girls high school, and I will cover your monthly expenses." 

"Principal Zhang always thinks long-term, cares about protecting girls' privacy and dignity and fears they might face difficulties in a new family, and that's why she is highly respected," Yang said.

A significant highlight of this movie is that actors in the film are real students studying in Yunnan, not professional actors. This, to some extent, has enhanced the film's credibility. The cast underwent nearly two months of rigorous training to help them adjust to the camera.

The requirement for all actors was naturalness and authenticity. They could change their actions without prior notice, and there was no need for precise movements or accurate lines, as the aim was to create a sense of realism.

"During filming, we only informed them of the current scene and each role in the family dynamic, they would then improvise the dialogue. Some children were especially good at improvisation, achieving emotional transitions, progressions, extensions, or even outbursts, which was very surprising," Yang said. 

Hai also talked a great deal with Zhang before filming, and she told the Global Times that Zhang is a great woman that has achieved the status of "no ego."

"She completely disregards what she eats or wears, does not care if she is comfortable. She only cares about the children. Her selflessness has shaped the future of countless children," she said.

After filming, Hai said she now has a down-to-earth understanding of the school's motto that it exudes a spirit of resilience and determination to dominate one's own life. 

"Loving oneself truly means creating every opportunity and living up to this life. The impact that playing this role has had on me will stay with me for a lifetime," Hai said.