University’s new documentary centre aims to tell more ‘amazing Chinese stories’

University’s new documentary centre aims to tell more ‘amazing Chinese stories’

By Joyce Xu

Shanghai Jiao Tong University announced its establishment of a Documentary Center during a forum of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival on June 27.

The Documentary Center will cooperate with Shanghai Media Group in the production of one of its first projects, a documentary titled “Dialogue with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”

To be released later this year during the ASEAN Summit, the production covers the friendships and strategic partnerships involved in ASEAN.

“We will cooperate with more documentary industry professionals to produce high-quality works that tell amazing Chinese stories to the world,” said Hu Hao, an official from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The forum, titled “The Cultural Mission and Mutual Learning of Civilizations in Documentaries in the New Era,” featured industry veterans discussing new trends in the genre.

Experts noted that Chinese documentaries have experienced rapid development in the past decade.

“Documentaries offer insights into the tremendous changes of the era while they also evolve in many aspects,” said Chen Hong, deputy director of China Education Television. 

Chen added that domestic documentaries now cover diverse subjects and include multiple artistic expressions in their recording of an era. More excellent foreign documentary filmmakers, such as Takeuchi Ryo and Vikram Channa, are also focusing their lenses on human stories in China. 

“However, a mature theoretical system of Chinese documentaries still needs to be established to support the industry’s growth,” Chen said.

Shanghai Media Group’s new documentary series “When You Are Old” has become a hit for the way it features the touching stories of China's elderly people.

“The series has changed many people's stereotypes about the elderly,” Wang Lijun, director of SMG’s documentary center, told the forum.

Wang added that SMG is making documentaries about varied subjects and from different perspectives, including some wonderful nature documentaries. 

Its “Our National Park" documentary franchise has broadcast two seasons about the Three-River Source National Park in northwestern Qinghai Province, and Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province.

A third season in development is about China’s Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, and National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest. The documentary series’ seasons will also be distributed in overseas markets.

“Through our lens we hope to show a real and vibrant China to the world,” Wang added. “Foreign audiences will learn about its brilliant culture and the contemporary values of Chinese people.”