Peasant movie projectionists who have never been to the cinema

Were it not for the popularity of movies, Luo Junmei might have spent her whole life on the farm and in the kitchen just like most rural women do. However, movies came into Luo’s life and changed it forever.

Luo Junmei was operating a 16 mm movie projector

Saying goodbye to the farming life of generations

After graduating from senior middle school in 1974, Luo Junmei went back home and became a peasant. Fortunately, around this time movies were beginning to become popular, and it was required that there must be two movie projectionists in every township or town so that “all the villagers can have access to movies.” In the following year after Luo’s graduation, the leaders of her village came to her house and looked through her textbooks and compositions from senior middle school. They found that Luo was a hardworking student. And considering that her father died young, the village leaders decided to recommend her for the job of a movie projectionist in Lianghu Township of Xiangtan County. After hearing of the decision, Luo was too excited to sleep for several nights. From then on, her farming life came to an end.

On December 5, 1975, Luo went to the county for the training on repairing the generator. At that time, electricity was unreliable in most villages, so the projectionist had to use a generator while projecting films. When the training was finished, Luo went back to Lianghu Township and began her career as a movie projectionist.