The Chinese documentary “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” which premiered on November 23rd, is a treasure trove documentary that chronicles the history and culture of famous historical cities. For the first time, it takes the backdrop of the geographical changes in the five thousand years of Chinese history, focusing on “historical and cultural famous cities.” Through the combination of virtual digital technology and real-world visuals, it showcases the historical changes and cultural landscapes of ancient cities from different perspectives, while also exploring the culture and civilization of ancient cities, and even China as a whole.
This documentary selects historical and cultural famous cities from different regions and ethnic groups in the East, West, South, North, and Central regions of China. By examining the evolution of the terrain and historical maps of cities during different periods, it explores the characteristics of city site selection, urban planning, street design, and housing. It showcases the wisdom of adapting to local conditions and the ideal of harmonizing human habitation with nature, as well as the design philosophy of unity between heaven and man displayed by the Chinese people throughout history.
Currently, the Langzhong section and Shaoxing section have been presented to the audience. It can be seen that this Chinese documentary series has a unique narrative style. Each episode revolves around the unique development of a historical and cultural famous city, with urban planners serving as tour guides of the city. Through exploring the city, streets, and daily life, it unravels the stories of protecting, inheriting, and developing these famous cities. It allows the audience to truly witness how history and culture come alive in the texture of ancient cities and the bustling human world, achieving the goal of “observing the cultural pulse of a city, and understanding the past and present, the spring and autumn.”
Thickness of cultural heritage
The Chinese documentary “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” awakens collective memories of the ancient city of Langzhong, as it begins with Du Fu's poem “Song of Lang River,” which describes the captivating scenes and rare beauty of Langzhong. The documentary showcases the city's concept of choosing the right location and achieving harmony between man and nature, which are the key principles of Chinese historical famous cities.
The selection of Langzhong's site emphasizes the relationship between the city itself and its surrounding environment, such as the integration of mountains and rivers in urban planning, creating a seamless blend between the city and its natural surroundings. Additionally, Langzhong is built on a plateau in the center of the Jialing River, aligning with the traditional concept that the ruler should reside in the center of the world. The integration of the mountains, waters, and the city conveys the idea of unity between man and nature.
In Langzhong, astronomical culture, the Three Kingdoms culture, and the imperial examination culture coexist and shine. The documentary comprehensively narrates the significant achievements of Langzhong in the preservation and inheritance of its urban and rural historical culture.
It showcases the ancient city walls that have stood for thousands of years, the Zhang Huanhou Temple built during the Three Kingdoms period to commemorate Zhang Fei, the Huaguang Tower believed to be built by Emperor Li Yuanying of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the wooden window decorations, shadow puppetry, and door deity paintings that exude the essence of Langzhong's vibrant atmosphere. Through the perspectives of different narrators, the audience gains a glimpse into the depth of Langzhong's cultural heritage.
When discussing the ancient city of Shaoxing, the program uses modern surveying techniques to recreate a map of Shaoxing during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is evident that the present-day Shaoxing ancient city has largely preserved the urban space and water city layout inherited from the Southern Song Dynasty.
The cultural imprint of the ancient city of Shaoxing has an equally long history. It is the final resting place of Dayu, the mythical hero who tamed the floods in ancient times, the homeland where King Goujian of Yue endured hardships and vowed to restore his country, and the place where Wang Xizhi, a prominent calligrapher of the Wei and Jin dynasties, wrote the “Orchid Pavilion Preface.”
The name “Shaoxing” embodies the vision of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty to restore the nation after the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident. It is also renowned as the birthplace of Huangjiu, the famous Chinese rice wine, the place where Wang Yangming's Yangming School of thought matured, and the hometown of Lu Xun, the renowned writer. Thus, the historical and cultural heritage of this 2500-year-old ancient city is clearly visible.
In order to explore the development and cultural heritage of historical famous cities, the documentary “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” conducted six months of research in provinces such as Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Anhui. It reviewed over 3 million words of urban planning documents, local chronicles, and academic papers related to various historical famous cities, as well as examined more than 400 historical maps from different dynasties. Ultimately, it presents the construction patterns of historical famous cities such as Langzhong, Shaoxing, Jianchuan, Shexian, and Yangzhou, as well as the wisdom of Chinese people in city planning.
People-centered with warmth
The ancient city is not just a specimen for nostalgia, it is also a place where generations after generations have lived, with an ever-flowing cultural vitality. Although “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” seems to focus on the ancient city, it tightly revolves around the theme of “human beings”, not only depicting the depth of the city's cultural heritage, but also showcasing how historical culture lives in the present day, how it permeates into the fabric of the city and the details of life.
Shaoxing, with its unchanged city site, is itself a living ancient city. Shaoxing is the most famous birthplace of yellow wine, and the people of Shaoxing have a unique love for it. Yellow wine was initially a reward and strategic resource for population growth given by King Goujian of Yue. Today, yellow wine is still closely associated with joyous life events, such as “Nü Er Hong”, which refers to brewing a good wine cellar in the year of a daughter's birth and opening it for consumption when she gets married.
In tracing the historical origins, “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” connects people's clothing, food, housing, and transportation, integrating historical culture with the city and life. The souls and emotions of both contemporary and ancient people resonate with each other.
The stories of each city are narrated by one or two urban planners, a few cultural inheritors, and young people and enthusiastic citizens living in the city. This not only ensures the professionalism and rigor of the program, but also inspires the audience to contemplate the relationship between urban development and historical heritage, to reflect on the connection between people and the city in the present day, and to see the culture and connotation carried by the city.
The entire documentary is composed of individuals and stories related to the ancient city from various professions, narrating the historical heritage and current development of each city. The visual language is rich, with a particular focus on the depiction of the fusion of the past and the present, ancient architecture and the hustle and bustle of human life. The visuals and text are unified, covering a wide range of topics including history, geography, literature, cuisine, technology, and more. Audiences with different interests and hobbies can easily find points of interest in the film.
Through vivid faces and heartfelt storytelling, the audience can touch the texture of the ancient city, feel the pulse of the streets, understand the changes of time and the city's appearance, and also pay attention to the inclusive nature of the ancient city's food culture and the liveliness of the market. It can be said that “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” allows the audience to appreciate the historical depth of the city while also showcasing the contemporaneity of historical culture.
Historical culture has never been static or confined to the past; it dynamically flows through every individual in the ancient city. What the audience sees is not only the ancient cities of Langzhong and Shaoxing, but also a collection of stories about history and people within the backdrop of Chinese-style modernization.
From this perspective, the documentary “Wen Mai Chun Qiu” is like a bridge, connecting the past and present of each ancient city, as well as the city and its people, accomplishing a recording and expression of historical and cultural cities with depth and warmth. While creating a biography for the ancient city, it also leaves a unique imprint of the present in the hearts of the audience.