A scene from the documentary directed by Lili, which depicts the growth of a talented boy, Jize Erqu (far left), on the road pursuing the wisdom of kezhi, a raplike debate of the Yi tradition. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The documentary allows the audience to learn about the traditional lifestyle of the Yi people, who live among pristine countryside and grow up without mobile devices or other modern gizmos.

"I want to focus on the fact that, although they are poor in material possessions compared to city dwellers, they have a colorful spiritual world," says Lili.

To Lili, whose father is a Bimo, an intellectual who often practices medicine and organizes rituals within the community, some ancient customs of the ethnic group are close to disappearing.

"I didn't realize how precious these cultural treasures are. During my childhood I often attended religious ceremonies with my father and witnessed noisy weddings where people would loudly sing traditional songs and speak in kezhi," he recalls.

However, last year, at a relative's wedding, he found the guests were bashful and reluctant to sing and perform kezhi.

This showed him that heritage, without being consciously conserved, might gradually be forgotten as time goes on.