Chinese civilization is one of the oldest and longest-lasting civilizations in the world. As an ancient country with a brilliant civilization, countless legendary people and events have been a part of its long history, forming China's unique historical culture. This article will introduce you to a wonderful documentary series called “China”.
- Director: Li Dongshen / Zhou Yan / Fu Yongqiang
- Screenplay: Deng Jianyong
- Starring: He Jiong / Wang Han / Zhou Tao
- Release Date: 2020-12-07
“China” is a humanistic and historical documentary series produced by Hunan TV, Mango TV, and Beijing Bojing Culture. It portrays the people and stories of ancient Chinese civilization that have had the most profound impact on today's Chinese society, and is an absolute must-see for history enthusiasts. With a first-class audiovisual experience that surpasses movies, it took five years to produce and boasts a dream team of behind-the-scenes staff.
Director Li Dongshen's team has previously produced two highly acclaimed documentary series, “Hexi Corridor” and “Rebirth.” This time, he worked with the screenwriter of “The Rise of the Great Powers,” Zhou Yan, as co-directors. In addition, stars such as Wang Han, and He Jiong portray historical figures in the series.
Photography is done by Feng Xiaogang's designated photographer Luo Pan, famous for his works in “Youth”, “Mr. Six”, and “I Am Not Madame Bovary”. The post-production, including visual effects, is handled by Tian Gong Yi Cai, known for their works in “My People, My Country” and “Mojin: The Lost Legend.” The music is composed by Mei Linmao, famous for his works in “The Grandmaster” and “In the Mood for Love.”
With the dual assurance of visual and auditory effects, this documentary has a cinematic quality that boasts exquisite and refined colors, serene lighting, and blank spaces that resemble traditional Chinese landscape paintings.
Every frame embodies pure Chinese traditional aesthetics, pleasing to the eye. It breaks the traditional documentary filming techniques, restores historical scenarios, and is no longer just a mere supplement to the text, but rather an independent force. With exquisite cinematic visuals, it revives the significant historical stories of various Chinese dynasties.
However, the documentary “China” is different from dramas in that it has no noisy interpretation, only a slow and deep narration. The director, Li Dongshen, aims for something beyond cinema. “In fact, the aesthetic requirements of documentaries are higher than those of TV dramas and even higher than most movies. Now we need a brand new set of aesthetic support.”
“China” also boldly employs symbolic techniques, abandoning complex settings and conveying the historical information through concise shots, Chinese blank spaces allow for imagination. The combination of real and constructed scenery provides a romantic and surreal experience that is both real and illusory, leaving a lingering impression on the audience.
All shots slowed down by half speed. The set design and props follow a minimalist style of symbolism, where a high wall represents a city, and a gate symbolizes a palace. Li Dongshen said, “I have always believed that the aesthetic requirements for the reproduction of documentaries are higher than those for dramas, and even higher than for most films. We are talking about “China,” so using symbolic methods to tell a more realistic story, I think we have achieved something higher than TV dramas.”
At the beginning of each episode, as the wooden door with the word “China” slowly opens, a familiar yet unfamiliar China travels through time and presents itself before us, the long history of the Chinese nation slowly unfolds.
The first season consists of 12 episodes, with each episode focusing on a different theme.
- The birth of Confucianism and Daoism
- The era of vigorous debate among a hundred schools of thought
- The unification of China poised for takeoff
- The birth of a unified nation
- The Han Empire's everlasting legacy
- Ban Chao's mission to the Western Regions
- The deep integration of Northern and Southern cultures
- Emperor Xiaowen opening of the door to ethnic integration
- The localization of Buddhism
- The formation of the Guanlong Group
- The reunification of China under the Sui Dynasty
- The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty's golden age
The content spans thousands of years, from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Tang Dynasty, providing the audience with an excellent experience to understand the historical origins of China.
The first scene of the first episode is the most symbolic ideological collision in Chinese history: the meeting between Laozi (Li Er) and Confucius (Kong Qiu). Both the setting and the actor's performance are restrained and natural, just like a casual afternoon chat. The thoughts of these two individuals have shaped the character and values of the Chinese nation.
History often unfolds this way, seemingly ordinary at the moment, but quietly recorded in the annals of history, still remembered by people after thousands of years. The documentary “China” conveys this ordinary history without exaggeration or dramatization, silently shocking every viewer.
The opening of Confucius' section is very moving. “China” shows people that Confucius, a generation of sages, is actually a resolute idealist. In an era of declining ritual and music system, Confucius wanted to educate the masses and restore the Zhou ritual. He broke the official school tradition that had been inherited for many years by the Zhou dynasty and founded China's first private school, where knowledge was no longer a privilege enjoyed only by the aristocracy.
Confucius proposed that education should be imparted without discrimination, regardless of one's social status or talents. Everyone should have equal opportunities to receive education, and as long as they pay a small tuition fee, even if it's just a piece of meat, they can come to him to study. Confucius wanted to spread the declining “Li” (ritual, propriety) from the temple to the countryside.
“Li” was an important course he taught, representing order, norms, and ethics. Confucius believed that “Li” is the standard for an individual as well as a country's conduct, reflects the idea of order and system in modern society, while “Ren” (benevolence, humanity) guides an individual's actions.
At the age of 56, Confucius traveled with his disciples to spread the teachings and promote good governance. However, the princes of the warring states only cared about dominating others, and did not accept his ideology. Nevertheless, Confucius remained an idealist, determined to change the dark world through devoted perseverance. The fact that his ideas were not understood or accepted actually adds to his glory as an idealist.
Photographer Luo Pan painstakingly composed and illuminated this episode, using light and shadow to convey different emotions in accordance with Confucius' changing life circumstances. When he spoke with Laozi, Confucius was resolute in restoring the Zhou ritual and optimistic about the future, with a bright and open forest background. However, as he later traveled from state to state, the lighting became darker and colder, creating a sense of his dire situation. Through the narrator's profound and eloquent voice-over, the audience is drawn into experiencing the shifting moods conveyed by the light and shadow.
Different historical eras have corresponding color tones. For example, during the pre-Qin period, the main colors were heavy and oppressive black and brown. The figures often hid in the shadows of backlighting, highlighting the weight and solemnity of history. By the time of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, to reflect the vast and thriving atmosphere, the colors and light and shadow became rich and bright, making the entire picture more bright and colorful.
In the 12th episode of the first season, to depict the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, everything from color to sound became magnificent. As Chao Heng strolled, a long scroll of a Tang Dynasty bustling market slowly unfolded, with a background of canvas-like light colors, highlighting the various postures of the Tang Dynasty people. The sound team also restored the soundscapes of the Tang Dynasty's West Market: camel bells, horse carriages, the hollering of merchants, the conversations of foreign envoys, and the bold laughter of female literati.
It is worth mentioning that this episode portraying the Tang Dynasty did not focus on political figures or cultural celebrities, but instead focused on three ordinary people within the Tang Empire: Chao Heng (Abe no Nakamaro), a Japanese missions from the Honglu Temple, the Dunhuang couple, and the Sogdia merchant couple from the West Market in Chang'an, outlining an ordinary day in the 14th year of the Kaiyuan reign.
“China” attempts to present a sense of historical normalcy, no longer dramatizing history, but guiding the audience to interpret history from a more objective perspective.
Mr. Qian Mu once wrote in the preface of “A General History of China”: “When any national citizen, especially those who claim to have knowledge above a certain level, should have some knowledge of their country's past history.” In this current era of information explosion and impatience, many people are no longer interested in history.
Luckily, there is a documentary that allows us to learn this all over again. For modern people, the documentary “China” is more meaningful than “A General History of China”.
