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Narration and voice
Chinese documentaries have traditionally used a great deal of narration, often in a formal written register read by a professional announcer — the 播音腔 of television news and educational films. Many independent documentaries since the 1990s have moved the other way, using little or no narration and letting subjects speak. Where narration remains, written Chinese still has a role: a few lines of formal prose at the opening can set time and place with dignity, much like an inscription. Plain everyday language tends to feel more personal, especially at the end. Having Alex read the lines in his own accented voice signals to viewers who is telling the story — an outsider who lived alongside the residents for a year.