A portion of the film takes place in a village of the Dong people, including an evening festival featuring a lusheng dance.

At the film's start, a young man (Liu Ye) begins his first journey as a postman at the mountainous rural areas of the aforesaid regions.

His father (Teng Rujun), a veteran postman forced to retire due to a bad knee, decides to accompany him together with the family's faithful dog, Buddy.

He witnesses his father's deep friendship with the villagers, and participates in a wedding celebration with the Dong people.

Postmen was well received both abroad and at home in China where it won both Best Film and Best Actor (for Teng Rujun) at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1999.