An outstanding debut feature by Chinese writer-director Wang Lina, “A First Farewell” centers on three Uygur children and their farming families. Beautifully photographed and performed by talented nonprofessional child actors, Wang’s film is an emotionally rewarding glimpse into challenges faced by people living a traditional life in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Having already won the Crystal Bear of the Generation Kplus section at Berlin and the Asian Future best film award at Tokyo, “Farewell” is among the first batch of films showing in Chinese theaters after they reopen this week.

The pattern of life in a village on the edge of a desert in Xinjiang is established in graceful, unhurried sequences. Isa (Isa Yasan) is the youngest son of a goat-herding family. In a heart-melting early moment, the bright-eyed boy feeds one of his beloved animals with a baby’s bottle. He’s also required to look after his mother (Ugulem Sugur), who’s now deaf after contracting meningitis and frequently wanders away from home. With older brother Moosa (Moosa Yasan) about to leave to further his education, Isa’s the only one left to help his father (Yasan Kasimu) with the hefty work burden.

The film’s glowing heart is Isa’s friendship with neighbor Kalbinur (Kalbinur Rahmati) and her little brother Alinaz (Alinaz Rahmati), the children of an unnamed, cotton-farming couple (Tajigul Heilmeier and Rahmati Kranmu). In joyful scenes, the inseparable trio play in a poplar tree forest and construct a special house for a sick young animal. But before viewers can get too comfortable with such innocent charms, Wang brings a gritty edge to things with Isa’s mother disappearing and Kalbinur describing how her parents’ arguing makes her think they’ll soon get divorced.

While at school, the children also face difficulties with their learning in Mandarin. As stern teachers explain, learning Mandarin is the only way to get ahead in adult life.

For Kalbinur’s mother, it’s personal. After berating her husband for not taking the kids’ language studies seriously, she’s publicly humiliated at a parent-teacher meeting for her daughter’s poor grades.

At the end of the film, Kalbinur’s family is leaving their hometown for the city so that she can get a better education, which means the three good friends have to part ways.

Shot over the course of a year by director of photography Li Yong and dedicated by Wang to her hometown of Shaya in Xinjiang, “Farewell” treats viewers to memorable views of lush greenery, winter snowfalls, and lonely trees somehow surviving in otherwise barren stretches of desert. Wang’s top-notch team includes composer Xi Wen (“Black Coal Thin Ice”) and editor Matthieu Laclau (“Ash Is Purest White”), who expertly assembles a great deal of plot and character information into 86 minutes.

(SD-Agencies)