Xiao Peng should be painting with oils. He graduated five years ago from the Central Art Institute and runs a six-person studio in a Beijing suburb. But oil paints cannot capture what is on his mind, and what he hopes to convey to a wider audience.
So Xiao, 33, bought a 22,000 yuan (HK$20,600) video camera and made a documentary about the people he knew as a child - coal miners in his native Datong, in Shanxi province.
His 90-minute film, Cistern, chronicles the lives of miners, homing in on their leisure time, centred mostly on poker and alcohol, and in work scenes such as the nude line-up in the outdoor showers at the mines.
His second film, Guirong Theatre, looks at public opera houses where retired people perform Shanxi opera, one of few outlets for people their age. The documentary is due out next year.
Xiao is among a growing number of independent documentary film-makers on the mainland.
'The goal is, if you like something you go film it,' he said. 'I hope I can make money, but I haven't thought about how to do it.'
