When Ruoma Was Seventeen

Ruoma, a member of the Hani tribe (one of China's minority ethnic groups), lives with her grandmother amid the terraced rice paddies of southern China's Yunnan province. A friendly and attractive teenager, she sells roasted corn by the roadside while attired in her native costume. Her exotic looks attract the attention of photographer Aming, who gets her to pose against the scenic background for tourist photographs which he sells for 10 yuan. Together, they start making a little money. Aming's knowledge and experience excite Ruoma who longs to leave her village and visit a big city where she can ride ‘up to the sky’ in a glass elevator, as her girlfriend once did. When Aming has to leave for the city, Ruoma, who has fallen in love with him, develops a plan to follow him.