The heart of a commune corrupted by capitalism
Liven is a remote village in northern China, inhabited entirely by the disabled. Yet it is an idyllic place, the perfect commune, with each part working in perfect synch in order to benefit the greater good. And watching over this small corner of the world is the matriarchal Grandma Mao Zhi, a wise and benevolent elder whose only wish is to preserve harmony.
Into this scene arrives Liu Yingque, the local county politico. Having been greeted in the village with a special talent contest, his capitalist heart begins to pound. Glimpsing the opportunity to bring great wealth to the region — and to himself — he concocts a plan so fantastic that it may just border on the ingenious: Based on the huge tourist trap that Chairman Mao’s tomb in Beijing has become, he proposes to take advantage of Russia’s current financial travails by making a big cash offer for the embalmed remains of Vladimir Lenin, the father of Communism. A mausoleum is to be built in the mountains as a new Mecca, and the entire audacious enterprise will be funded by sending the inhabitants of Liven on the road under the guise of a spectacular special skills circus troupe, a stunning freak show.
