24 Thursday, July 19, 2018 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION UNVEILING THE PAST hen director subject of the first episode of Pan Yi visited the second season. the Hebei Unearthed in the Inner Museum in The new season of a documentary series, Mongolian autonomous 2016, W she saw the Changxin region in 1972, the centuries Palace Lamp for the first time. Every Treasure Tells a Story, will show the old symbol of power was bur The gilded bronze lantern — ied with a nomadic tribal ruler unearthed from a tomb in stories behind the artifacts from three in China’s northern prairies. 1968 that was buried with a Weighing 1,394 grams, it is the vassal king’s wife over 2,000 periods in imperial China, Xu Fan reports. only crown of its kind ever to years ago — is one of China’s be discovered by archaeolo most wellknown artifacts. gists. “For a moment, time seems For the hundreds of years to have stopped moving for between the Qin and Han ward. The lamp really looks dynasties, emperors in the like a young maid in the West Central Plains fought wars ern Han Dynasty (206 BCAD with the northern tribes, caus 24) who is kneeling down to ing innumerable deaths and serve her master,” Pan, 34, said injuries. Unwilling to recreate during a news conference in this dark chapter in history in Beijing on July 13. a realistic, bloody way, Zhu “I was very curious about asked a friend at a fine arts what ‘she’ had seen in the pal school to create puppets to ace and what ‘she’ would think shoot scenes about the conflict about the modern world if in the form of an animated ‘she’ could come alive,” she short tale. added. Up to 20 centimeters tall, This interesting idea the puppets were painted like reflects the inspiration for nomadic warriors. Every Treasure Tells a Story, a “It took us more than two documentary series helmed months to finish the episode, by more than 10 directors making it the longest one I’ve including Pan that tells the made for the series,” says stories of 100 artifacts selected Zhu. from 3.8 million exhibits from A fan of Chinese culture, nearly 100 museums across Zhu adds that he has been China. amazed by the depth of the The series, which saw its ancient Chinese civilization first season of 25 episodes air during the making of the on China Central Television’s series. One of the items that documentary channel in Janu impressed him the most was ary, will start its second season an ancient plain silk gauze — also consisting of 25 epi garment, the subject of the sodes with each running for 17th episode. Weighing just five minutes — on the same 48 grams, the light and trans channel from Monday. Each parent robe was discovered episode focuses Chief director Xu Huan in Changsha’s Mawangdui on a single arti (second left) alongside Tombs, which dates back to fact, and the other directors behind the Western Han Dynasty series will even the TV documentary (206 BCAD 24). The garment tually run to 100 Every Treasure Tells a was buried with Xin Zhui, the episodes. Story reveal their wife of a prime minister of Thanks to its light stories about filming the Changsha Kingdom, a hearted tune and the artifacts. vassal state under the Han breezy narration PHOTOS BY JIANG DONG / court. style, the first sea CHINA DAILY AND “I was told the garment son proved a hit PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY could fit into a matchbox. with younger Experts nowadays have spent audiences, scor many years trying to make a ing a rating of 9.5 replica of the robe. It’s incredi points out of 10 on ble to imagine that Chinese Douban, a popular craftsmen had mastered such review site. intricate silkweaving skills Compared to the more than 2,000 years ago,” first season, where the says Zhu. oldest artifacts date teristics of the foundations of civiliza during that era, such as lac Aiming to appeal to younger highdefinition sequences, The documentary is set for back to between 5000 these dynas tion for the following 2,000 querware, stone sculptures, audiences used to more enter says Zhang Ning, deputy edi international release. Accord BC and 3000 BC, the second ties, Xu Huan, head of the years.” bamboo scripts and brocade, tainmentbased content, the torinchief of China Central ing to Xu, the first season has season is slightly closer to the directors’ team, says: “Those Aside from pottery, jade adds Xu. series employed some Television. already been translated into present day, covering the War were very creative and imagi and bronze — the main mate She also believes the docu advanced techniques during Zhu Jie, who directed sever eight languages, including ring States Period (475221 native times. You can see a lot rials used for making arti mentary will act as a reference the production process, such al of the episodes, used stop English, French, Spanish, Ital BC), the Qin Dynasty (221206 of innovation across multiple facts in the first season — the point that will help guide the as threedimensional scan motion animation techniques ian and German. BC) and the Han Dynasty (206 fields, from political systems forthcoming season will cov audience through the differ ning techniques and 8Kreso to unfold the backdrop stories BCAD 220). to their cultural products er the rapid expansion in the ent periods of Chinese history lution filming, the latest about The Gold Crown With Contact the writer at Speaking about the charac and technology. They laid out development of products and civilization. technology for capturing ultra an Eagle Perched on Top, the [email protected]
it is the same, why is it the same? When kangaroos help boost Chey continues to look at the unique aspects of this topic; most recently she wrote a paper links between cultures about riddles that are written for the Chinese New Year. Chey continues to learn and By SARAH PRICE relations through a collection Chey took that as the first appreciate new things, in For China Daily of kangaroo figures that sat on step to understanding anoth addition to having many her desk for many years. er culture, where people tend accomplishments in her Bringing people together With over 40 years of expe to focus on the strange and career. from different countries is no rience, and only 30 minutes to exotic. By developing a great Her proudest achievement easy task, but one Australian speak, Chey decided that er understanding of a particu was working with a team to native has made it her life’s mis there were too many stories to lar thing — in this case, a improve the quality of Chinese sion. Jocelyn Chey worked for tell without a theme — kanga kangaroo — people can learn products in the world market more than 20 years on Austra roos. more about how it works in while she was the director of liaChina relations in the Aus Chey started collecting, society. Left: Jocelyn Chey (center) attends the Australian Fauna Specimens Exhibition in China in 1977. the China branch of the Inter tralian Department of Trade what she calls “Chinese kanga She believes that diplomacy Right: Chey has worked for more than 40 years on AustraliaChina relations. national Wool Secretariat. and Foreign Affairs, and she roos”, in the late 1970s after takes more effort than politics; PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOCELYN CHEY AND BY OLIVIA SUN / FOR CHINA DAILY “That was a wonderful continues to speak about the being given a figurine by the collaboration is instead what project, because for the first importance of cultural interac director of the pottery and creates a new sense of discov time, I found myself working tions even after her retirement. porcelain bureau of then Chi ery. From working sideby collaborating and creating pen through chance, as was editing a book titled, Humour handinhand for a common During Chey’s recent visit to na’s Ministry of Light Industry side with her Chinese new things. If you don’t have the case with Chey and humor in Chinese Life and Letters: goal. It was such a satisfying Beijing, she spoke at the Inter who she knew as Mr Chen. counterparts, Chey feels that a outside contact with other cul studies. She got involved in Classical and Traditional experience to be taken in and national Conference of Aus “I was very touched, but to new idea can be created only tures, you’re not going to make this topic through her sister, Approaches. welcomed by my friends in tralian Studies in China. Her fit the kangaroo into the mold, from combining two truly dif progress,” says Chey. Jessica Milner Davis, who This book is the first of two China,” says Chey. talk was titled Chinese Kanga he had to curl the tail around ferent thoughts. As a current visiting profes spent time in this field at Stan multidisciplinary studies of She continues to educate roos: Thoughts on Four Dec like a cat’s tail. He did say to “The most important thing sor at the University of Sydney, ford University in the United humor in Chinese life and let herself and others on matters ades of A Bilateral me that he had never seen a about cultural exchanges is Chey continues her cultural States, and the two pursued a ters in which they aim to of culture diplomacy and Relationship. kangaroo sitting like that, but that they encourage creativity studies with subjects like Chi project together upon their answer the questions: What is understanding. Now back in In her speech, she addressed he hoped that sometimes they and innovation. Cultural nese humor and soft power. return to Sydney. This evolved Chinese humor? Is it different Australia, she is working on the progression of bilateral might,” says Chey. exchanges should be about The best things in life hap into the sisters cocreating and from other kinds of humor? If building better ties.