18 | Friday, August 21, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Book helps to navigate the Maritime Silk Road initiative

Ships, ports and ocean voyages and knowledge exchange platform He in the 14th century. It was a “does not exist, and it probably nev­ carry between 70 percent and 80 to see why, for a long time, they have fascinated me from my child­ in Leiden, the Netherlands, sent me subject that has always fascinated er did”, he said, but it does embody percent of the world’s trade, seemed so vast and so remote from hood days. Though the fascination a PDF of his latest book The Mari­ me and I wish I could find more the very essence of these voyages in depending on whether it is meas­ the consequences of what we did did find an early outlet during my time Silk Road, which I must say about the legendary admiral. Part spirit. The Maritime Silk Road is an ured by value or by volume. And on land, or even at sea. That is no student days, it did did indeed make compelling read­ of my curiosity was also piqued as initiative that seeks to integrate half of that traffic is carried on the longer the case. The particles that not blossom until ing. Zheng He had made several trips international seaborne trade and various trade routes that bind we pump into the air also heat the much later as a I do not know what it was about to Calicut and Kochi in my home shipping into the broader and more Europe and Asia. Indeed the Mari­ water, and the heated water journalist. Since the book that fascinated me. Was it state of Kerala in India during his ambitious vision of infrastructure time Silk Road is something that is changes the currents and the then I have been an Griffiths’ impeccable flair for weav­ voyages. building and trade facilitation, a vision of dreams. changing currents affect the avid reader of ship­ ing a compelling narrative that was As Griffiths points out, Zheng backed by China’s Belt & Road Initi­ Though I do not want to dwell winds, and the rains, and the sea­ ping news, mari­ rich with information, facts and fig­ He’s missions were not really “voy­ ative. much on the actual contents of the sons. Increasingly, storms will lash Ullattil time advances, ures? Or was his unbiased style of ages of discovery” as his fleet most­ As I skimmed through the book I book and the technicalities, it does our coasts, tides will flood our Manranjith ocean projects etc. writing and my love for anything ly traveled on trade routes that had realized that the Maritime Silk analyze the need for such an initia­ ports and winds will fuel the fires Second So my interest was historic with a modern perspective? been known for centuries. Instead, Road is more than simply a map tive and the crucial role it has to in our forests and spread the sands Thoughts piqued when my Honestly, I have no answer. they represented a cross between with ports. At any given point in play in the global recovery after the of our deserts. These are the real good friend Rich­ But coming back to the book diplomatic and trading missions time, there are some 50,000 mer­ novel coronavirus pandemic. issues facing us and the Maritime ard Griffiths, director of the New itself, my bias I must say starts and formed part of the tradition of chant ships (above 1,000 dead Along with his explanations, Silk Road,” he said. Silk Roads project run by the Inter­ with the title. The child in me establishing peaceful relations weight tons) that plow the world’s Griffiths also has some stark mes­ national Institute for Asian Studies immediately goes back to the between states. oceans. Isn’t that a fascinating sta­ sages for the future. “The oceans Contact the writer at (Leiden), a global research institute famous voyages of Admiral Zheng The modern Maritime Silk Road tistic by itself? Together these ships are a finite space, but it is also easy [email protected] Candid camera: Social climber Farmer tunes into success as master violin craftsman

SHIJIAZHUANG — Thomas Bohme, lead engineer and project manager of the German musical instrument manufacturer GEWA, I have a wish that has the final say on the quality of one day my hard exported violins made by a Chi­ nese company. work can create For Bohme, the word Huang is favorable conditions synonymous with perfection. It is the surname of Huang for my twins to learn Guoquan, a 50­year­old violin an instrument.” painter at the Wuqiang Jiahua Huang Guoquan, violin Musical Instrument Co, in North craftsman in Hebei province China’s Hebei province. The Germany­headquartered GEWA is one of the largest musi­ location in 2014, according to Yan cal instrument manufacturers in Bin, the general manager. Europe, and Jiahua serves as its The company decided to major violin producer in China. recruit workers from poor house­ Huang used to do farm work in holds in Wuqiang to tackle unem­ Huangtun village of Wuqiang ployment and support the county and learned violin var­ county’s poverty­relief efforts, nishing and shaping techniques Yan says. from scratch. He has trained him­ Huang signed up without hesi­ self to become a master craftsman tation when he heard the compa­ in the field in the three years since ny was hiring. His first encounter he joined the company in 2016. with Bohme was when the Ger­ He has nurtured a dozen man expert was explaining violin­ apprentices and has been dubbed making skills and procedures to Displaying an incredible sense of balance and technique, two sisters from Yunnan province perform Online the “grassroots master” by his fel­ the newly­hired locals in Jiahua’s acrobatics in Lucheng district, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province on Tuesday. Scan the QR code for low luthiers at the workshop. workshop. SU QIAOJIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY subscription or to get a Ten years ago, the birth of twin The hard­working and studi­ copy of today’s paper. boys and a college­age daughter ous man often pays great atten­ to support laid a heavy burden on tion to details and has gradually Huang and his wife, compound­ refined his skills. Through trial, ed by an injury to Huang’s left error and dedication, Huang can arm. now paint as many as 50 violins a “Back then, I wasn’t able to do day compared with the early marks cinema’s return to frontline manual labor for a long time,” days of his career when it was Huang recalls. “With no source of just a few. income, the family was plunged In one product inspection last By XU FAN as Legend of the Demon Cat, served into poverty.” year, Bohme rested his eyes on a [email protected] as director of photography and led a As late as 2016, Huang’s family finished violin as fine and exqui­ team of over 170 members. was living on a few acres of land. site as those varnished by Europe­ The first major Chinese film to be “I believe The Eight Hundred is “We wore old clothes that oth­ an master luthiers. He got some released since the country’s theaters more like a poem, about a small ers threw out, and we barely had other violins made by Huang and reopened just over a month ago, group of people who win back Chi­ meat for meals,” Huang says. The found every one of them superbly director ’s war epic The nese dignity and confidence ex­farmer who knew nothing made, almost perfect technically Eight Hundred is widely expected to through their redemption and sac­ about music never dreamt that he and artistically. boost the sluggish market in the rifice,” says Cao. would one day make a connection As Huang becomes well versed wake of COVID­19. With an ensemble cast varying with violins and guitars. in violin­making, his monthly As of Thursday, the 147­minute between established actors, such Wuqiang’s musical instrument salary has increased from some film’s advanced screenings — held as Wang Qianyuan and , manufacturing industry started 2,000 yuan ($287) to 5,000 yuan. on Friday and Aug 17­20 — earned to pop idols like Ou Hao, the film in the late 1980s. More than 70 The family is better off and will over 210 million yuan ($30.3 mil­ continues to feature director manufacturers now employ not fall back into poverty, he lion), propelling it to the top of Chi­ Guan’s narrative style to reflect a 10,000 people. The county’s pro­ says. na’s box office charts for four special era through grassroots peo­ duction of Western wind instru­ “I have a wish that one day my consecutive days, according to the ple. ments ranks first in China and hard work can create favorable film information tracking app Bea­ With its advanced screenings, the second in the world, selling well conditions for my twins to learn con. The Eight Hundred recounts the defense by Chinese soldiers of a film has drawn around 3 million in over 80 countries and regions. an instrument,” says the father. “It Produced by warehouse in in 1937 during the War of Resistance theatergoers and garnered 8.0 It was why Jiahua Musical would be best if they can play the Media in association with nearly 20 Against Japanese Aggression. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY points out of ten on the popular Instrument moved from the violins I make.” companies including Tencent Pic­ review site Douban. neighboring Tianjin to Wuqiang tures and , the film, But a large amount of the reviews, and started production at its new XINHUA with a budget of around 550 million appreciates all the crew members has previously inspired two films, which have recently flooded major yuan, will open in mainland cine­ and financers who supported him in released in 1938 and 1975. Chinese social platforms including mas on Aug 21. overcoming difficulties and obsta­ But Guan’s latest adaptation has WeChat and , were polar­ Now on a tight schedule to shoot cles to finish his dream project. “It’s reached new heights, especially in ized. his new Korea War­set film Jin a supreme glory for us to finally see terms of cinematic technique, While some users say they are Gang Chuan in Dandong, Northeast this project (in theaters),” he says. thanks to the Chinese film indus­ deeply moved by the sacrifices of China’s Liaoning province, Guan A 52­year­old Beijing native, Guan try’s rapid development. Chinese soldiers and civilians, some attended a local premiere on Aug 14, got inspiration from the battlefield Within 18 months, the crew built history buffs are not satisfied as they while other major cast members stories told by his father, a former a replica of the warehouse, over 60 believe the film has some exaggerat­ showed up at the Beijing premiere soldier with the Eighth Route Army, buildings, and dug a trench to ed depictions of the Sihang Ware­ on the same night. a major force led by the Communist introduce water from nearby house battle. Speaking about the film, which Party to take on the Japanese. Yangcheng Lake, turning it into a Nevertheless, the film has been has fulfilled his decadelong dream, Set during last phase of the Battle 200­meter­long “river”, which is highly anticipated by most domestic Guan says it represents more than of Shanghai in 1937, the film shown in the movie as a section of insiders to boost the recovery of Chi­ merely a cinematic work, as he recounts the story of the more than the River. The warehouse nese movie market. hopes to commemorate the heroes 400 Chinese soldiers defending the stood on its north bank and on the Earlier this year, a report from who fought for the Chinese people Sihang Warehouse, a last­stand bat­ other side were the foreign conces­ Beacon estimated that Chinese cine­ during the War of Resistance tle which boosted the morale of Chi­ sions. mas might have lost around 50­bil­ Against Japanese Aggression (1931­ nese people amid the aftermath of Entirely filmed with state­of­the­ lion­yuan in box office takings 45). the retreat of Kuomintang’s major art IMAX cameras, the first time in caused by the six­month closure and “You will see beyond cinema with forces. China, the film was shot over 230 postponing of many major releases. the scenes about grassroots soldiers In order to mislead the Japanese days in a location covering an area “After Chinese cinemas being conquering their fear of death, and enemy, Xie Jinyuan — the besieged of more than 130,000 square meters shuttered for such a long time due to how the glory of humanity comes Chinese troops’ commander — lied in suburban Suzhou, prov­ the pandemic, The Eight Hundred is from ordinary people in extreme sit­ to reporters, claiming that he had ince, between September 2017 and like a path­explorer. We expect it uations,” says Guan. “800 soldiers” but the actual num­ April 2018. will revive the market and lift the The director, with his voice chok­ ber was a little more than 400. Cao Yu, one of China’s best film morale of all Chinese filmmakers,” Huang Guoquan paints a violin in Wuqiang county, North ing with emotion, says that he The story of “The Eight Hundred” photographers known for hits such says director Feng Xiaogang. China’s Hebei province on June 22. LI XIAOGUO / XINHUA