“I can’t wait to replace this old house with something modern!” complains a young man. “No girl will marry me with a house like this!” “This house was built by our ancestors. You’re not tearing it down!” declares his father. Such disputes have become common among the villagers of China’s southern Anhui province, famous for its spectacular mountains and distinct local culture. The houses in question are magnificent 300-year-old structures with carved beams and lattice windows, legacies of a merchant culture from late imperial times. Using excerpts from her films, Hinton will take the audience into these houses and explore the customs related to home, family and clan. She will discuss issues of destruction, transformation and revival of traditional culture in the context of China’s 20th-century revolution and 21st-century economic boom.