The theme behind this movie is the same as that of Ben Ming Nian (1990) directed by Mr. Fei Xie: criminals trying to go straight but are forced to go back to the old ways for survival due to lack of opportunities.
The theme reflected the problem of current society, and the problem started in the 1980's. As one of his early works and the political climates of China back then, it is understandable that the director adopted the cautious approach by using remote region such as Tibet and time setting that is more than half a century ago. One really needs to acknowledge the problem of current China (and in fact, the problem of many countries), in order to discover the link between the movie and its subtle attempt to criticize the contemporary society.
The theme reflected the problem of current society, and the problem started in the 1980's. As one of his early works and the political climates of China back then, it is understandable that the director adopted the cautious approach by using remote region such as Tibet and time setting that is more than half a century ago. One really needs to acknowledge the problem of current China (and in fact, the problem of many countries), in order to discover the link between the movie and its subtle attempt to criticize the contemporary society.