An epic portrait of rural life in China’s Henan province, Living the Land immerses us in the lives of four generations of a wheat harvesting family, paying closest attention to ten-year-old Chuang. Though it is set in 1991, it might as well be 1891, as the old ways still hold fast in this remote village, even as politics, technology, and industrialization slowly march in. Through Chuang’s eyes, we observe the quotidian rhythms of bucolic customs in scenes both momentous and routine as well as the dynamics within the family centered on its matriarch, his beloved great-grandmother. Even in a place where time seems to stand still, change does come, and we watch its slow creep unfold through vivid cinematography and an impressive visual style. Featuring a tapestry of characters and with the land as a focal element, Meng Huo’s drama resonates with its masterful depiction of the everyday.