A series of struggles and successes
Four documentary films explore the triumphs and tribulations of ordinary people striving toward a prosperous society against the backdrop of a rapidly changing China, Wang Kaihao reports.
AWe wanted to depict stories that were typical of what has been happening in villages, towns and cities all over China, (and) experiences that have been shared by many millions of Chinese people.”
grand picture of the times is painted by the people, as has been proved through the achievements made during the 100-year history of the Communist Party of China.
As this month bears witness to the centenary of the Party, a series of documentary films, which turns a lens on the efforts of ordinary Chinese people to achieve a xiaokang, or moderately prosperous, society, airs on Thursday. The series aims to show the rapid changes in China through the prism of their individual stories.
The wisdom, industriousness and aspiration of those featured not only allows them to change their own destinies, but also contributes to the country’s vigor and vitality.
The four-part production, A Long Cherished Dream, will be released domestically through China Central Television and the major streaming media platform Tencent, among other local outlets. It will also air with English subtitles on overseas platforms, including British Sky Broadcasting and Discovery Channel.
With British, two-time Academy Award-winning director Malcolm Clarke at the helm, A Long Cherished Dream adopts a global perspective, exploring a common value shared the world over through the inspirational personal stories of people seeking a better life.
To prepare for the production, Clarke’s team did research across the country spanning from the mountainous rural area in southwestern Yunnan province to the developed eastern coast and cities Shanghai.
“All of our research was about finding four stories which would not only be entertaining and emotionally engaging, but also, importantly … not unique,” Clarke said at the premiere of the documentary in Beijing on Tuesday.
“We wanted to depict stories that were typical of what has been happening in villages, towns and cities all over China, (and) experiences that have been shared by many millions of Chinese people,” he says.
Main characters in the documentary include a Party branch committee secretary who is devoted to lifting villagers out of poverty by helping them find jobs and a female truck driver who leaves her rural hometown to pursue economic independence while challenging gender stereotypes.
Some almost heroic efforts in the pursuit of a dream are depicted through people like an acrobat who has established his family in Shanghai, but still desperately tries to prolong his stage career, despite his age and physical pain. Alongside them are the express delivery entrepreneurs who have changed the path of their lives through years of hard work.
In Clarke’s eyes, these people represent four different stages of the process to achieve a xiaokang society.
“We’ll see people transformed from rural peasants into factory workers, truck drivers, circus stars and even multimillionaires,” Clarke says. “All of these people started with nothing. They are real-life rags-to-riches stories, but they’re far from being a fairy tale.
film tells the story of Chinese people born into poverty whose lives are transformed by riding the wave of China’s historic economic renaissance,” Clarke says. “And, finally, in our fourth film, we tell the inspiring story of rural people who, after shaking off their lives of poverty and succeeding beyond their wildest dreams — are now using their resources to return to their hometown to help those peolike ple who had been ‘left behind’.”
As the director explains, this final story depicts a miniature version of a xiaokang society created by people who are determined not to forget the hardships of their humble beginnings, and feel an obligation to assist the next generation of villagers to live more comfortable and productive lives.
Clarke has been known for his keen observation of ordinary peo“Each ple’s personal stories. In 1989, the short film about a young boy’s battle with cancer, You Don’t Have to Die, won him an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). In 2013, the documentary, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, about the oldest survivor of the Holocaust, brought him another golden Oscar statuette in the same category.
In recent years, Clarke has switched his focus to making films about China. In 2019, his documentary Better Angels, which is about the ever evolving relationship between China and the United States, was released.
In his opinion, local stories from China have good reason to be seen and heard worldwide.
“(In A Long Cherished Dream), it’s that simple fact which I hope will make these films resonate with people from countries all over the world, because the attachment the Chinese people have for their land and for their roots is quite unique,” he says.
“When opportunity knocks, and there’s suddenly a chance to radically change their circumstances, there’s inevitably a moment of hesitation,” he continues. “Change is scary, and to embrace that change is to leave behind something of real value, a sense of familiarity, of belonging to a community, of family and roots.”
But, in the process of approaching a xiaokang society, once change has occurred, it can be widely beneficial.
“The concept of a xiaokang society is partially to do with poverty relief, and partially to do with helping Chinese people to fulfill their own potential, no matter what they want to be, no matter what they want to do,” he says. “It’s about the ‘Chinese Dream’ and how to attain it. It’s a rising tide, which is lifting everyone in China up and making the country a much more equitable and humane place to live.”
Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Publishing Group, which hosted the premiere, sees the documentary as a good example to capture vivid stories on film.
“The documentary is based on materials from our daily lives,” Du says. “But it goes far beyond that and has shown the strong spirit and morale of the Chinese people and the bright future of our journey in the New Era.”
That spirit can win over a wider audience.
“The universality of their everyday lives and the journey of each respective character is made viscerally and poetically accessible for all to savor,” Vikram Channa, vicepresident of Discovery Inc, says of the series. “This is a special year for China, with the 100th anniversary of the CPC. The beating heart of its incredible achievements on that journey has always been about the people, especially China’s sincere, hardworking, ordinary people, who make this country what it is.
“If you have truly experienced the length and breadth of this country, you know it’s what makes it such a wonderful place,” he says. “Series like A Long Cherished Dream will go a long way in showcasing the real China to the world at a crucial time.”
Malcolm Clarke, documentary director