A Self-Portrait is the story of the art teacher Qiu Sha, told in photos and the words of Qiu Sha, about his youth, the changes in his family and in society. Director He Yi: 'What I remember now is the material that I came to mind of a man who has lived through the different eras in China. From all this material I not only read the history of a man and his family, I also learned something about the demands placed on life in a society over several decades.