Memory Wall

Village 113 is slated to be submerged by a government dam project. The dam will reduce dangerous flooding downriver and provide an alternate energy source. Village residents will be given funds to move and compensated for lost property. Hearing about the comforts and opportunities available in resettlement locations, most people in the countryside village accept the situation. 

Unlike the others, Teacher Ke expresses anger and a sense of betrayal. In contrast, the seed keeper remains quiet, not sharing her opinion about the dam. Her son, 44-year-old Li Qing, lives 200 miles away in the city and works for the government. He comes home for a week, tasked with assessing the villagers’ response to the dam and their relocation. Ke tells the seed keeper that her son is “one of them” and is there to arrest or kill him for his objections to the project. In Li Qing, the seed keeper sees both the boy he once was and the man seemingly remade by the city and his government work.

The seed keeper observes as families begin moving, noting what possessions they take with them. She hears rumors about her son being sent there to kill anyone who doesn’t support the dam. At night, she dreams of drowning.