During a trip to China in May 2023, I wanted to create a short film showing a small window into the life of an individual living in Qingdao. With my wife, Tsan, as interviewer and translator; the person we found was 67 year old Liu Peilin, otherwise known by the local community as ‘Brother Daxi’.

Liu is both a celebrity and social outcast. They first became famous after appearing on the news in 2011 when a fire destroyed their apartment and all their belongings. Sadly the recognition came from a sense of public ridicule at their appearance, rather than being a victim of the fire. Despite all the other challenges life threw at them - childhood trauma, bereavements, career difficulty, poverty and social alienation, Liu never lost their sense of humour, resilience and a firm confirmation of who they are. However, despite their positivity, throughout the interview, we couldn’t help but sense some bitterness at the way their life had turned out and a neglect of their living conditions further highlighted this. At 67, Liu’s biggest regret was not being able to change their sex. No layer of makeup could cover this sadness.

This short film serves only as a small glimpse into their life and character, which was clearly complicated far beyond what I was able to show. If we learned one thing from our time with Liu, it was an affirmation that the key to finding peace in one’s life is to be yourself and approve of who you are.

Translation and interview: Tsan Wu

Filmed, directed and edited by myself.

Music: Give and Take - Michael Vignola

Filmed on Fujifilm X100v