CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, November 9, 2020 | 17 LIFE
An episode of the new docu mentary, Master Class, features landscape paintings. Pho tographer Zhang Kechun treks to remote snowy mountains, using cameras and lighting to create photos, which look like living landscape paintings. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
MASTER OF CULTURE Drawing inspiration from last year’s hit documentary, director Wang Yu is back with a new focus exploring traditional Chinese culture and its impact on modern trends, Xu Fan reports.
o lead a life of seclusion as a monk, Hanshan bade fare well to his wife and chil dren, and trekked more Tthan 1,500 kilometers from the pros perous capital city of Chang’an — now known as Xi’an in Shaanxi prov ince — to Tiantai Mountain in Zheji ang province during the Tang Dynasty (618907). From then on, the man of mystery lived the rest of his life in a cave, pon dering questions about Zen Bud dhism and writing poems. Interestingly, Hanshan’s poems are more popular overseas in the Englishspeaking world than domes tically. Chinese poet Liu Jun, better known by his pen name Xi Chuan, elaborates this lesser known story in the documentary Master Class. Alongside folk singersongwriter Chen Li, the duo travel across the country to trace the origins of Tang Dynasty poetry, ranging from those penned by famous masters such as Li Bai and Wang Wei to underrated fig ures such as Hanshan. Also a translator with profound knowledge of Western culture and literature, Liu says American writer Jack Kerouac’s 1958 novel The Dharma Bums was dedicated to Hanshan. The novel has also influ enced many famous people includ Top: Awardwinning chef Su Qisheng creates a dish shaped like a resting panda with bamboo shoots from Sichuan, black truffles and rushan (or milk fan) cheese from ing Bob Dylan. Yunnan. Above: Chinese poet Liu Jun (left), better known by his pen name Xi Chuan, and folk singersongwriter Chen Li explore the influence of Tang Dynasty’s poetry. A SinoUS work coproduced by Right: A SinoUS coproduction, the sixepisode Master Class is available on streaming site Tencent Video. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY China Intercontinental Communi cation Center and Discovery Chan nel, the sixepisode Master Class is With Wang and his team looking val, and followed artist Xu Bing to “Instead, they have enduring charm food is explored, with awardwin On another episode featuring now available on streaming site Ten for new ideas to attract more view Jakarta in Indonesia to document to provide guidelines for modern ning chef Su Qisheng going to Sich landscape paintings, photographer cent Video, scoring 7.8 points out of ers, last year’s production made his first solo exhibition in South lifestyles and artistic creations, and uan and Yunnan provinces to find Zhang Kechun treks to remote 10 on popular online review plat them realize that a combined pro east Asia. may also generate new fashion the best seasonal ingredients to snowy mountains, using cameras form Douban. duction of filming travels and inter The entire filming period lasted trends.” localize molecular gastronomy, a and lighting to create epic photos Director Wang Yu says the docu views may help effectively visualize 65 days, giving Wang and his crew For instance, in the second epi cooking style emerging from the which look like living landscape mentary was inspired from last China’s traditional culture and its members new insights into some sode about kung fu, Chinese Ameri West. paintings. year’s documentary hit It’s Bread, impact on future generations. aspects of China’s centuriesold cul can choreographer Franklin Yu With bamboo shoots from Sich The documentary has been aired It’s Air, It’s a Miracle, in which After shooting the documentary ture. Viewers are able to have a follows action film star Frankie uan, black truffles and rushan (or in 40 countries and regions in Asia viewers were able to experience in more than 10 Chinese cities in deeper understanding of martial Chan to visit prestigious Wing Chun milk fan) cheese from Yunnan, Su Pacific on Discovery Channel, and Japanese lifestyle and cultural leg the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu arts, landscape paintings, 24 solar master Duncan Leung to seek inspi creates a dish shaped like a resting will soon be aired in more regions acies through the eyes of Liu, Chen and Yunnan as well as the Tibet terms, architecture and garden ration for his dance works. panda, fulfilling his wish to use a overseas. and actor Xia Yu, traveling around autonomous region, Liu and the design through the series. In the episode about the 24 solar molecular gastronomy cooking Japan eating local food and inter crew traveled to George Town in “Traditional culture is not some terms, the relationship between the technique to showcase the complex Contact the writer at viewing craftspeople. Malaysia to attend a literature festi thing old and outdated,” Wang says. Chinese calendar and seasonal Chinese culture. [email protected]
What’s on
Liaoning province in northern Chi province, was the first Asian vio Die Geschopfe des Prometheus, the including Hao Ruoqi, Xia Tian and na. Jade from Hongshan, an archae linist to win the first prize at the overture to Fidelio, and Incidental Wu Wei, will play leading roles in ology exhibition now underway at prestigious Paganini International Music to Goethe’s Egmont. Sopra the dance drama. Besides following the National Museum of China, and Violin Competition in Italy in no Yuanming will join in the per the story of Hua Mulan, a brave set to run through Jan 17, shows 1987. formances. young woman who disguises her more than 160 artifacts, including 7:30 pm, Nov 13. National Center for 7:30 pm, Nov 12 and 14. National self as a man and fights on the bat jade and pottery objects, that reveal the Performing Arts. No 2 West Center for the Performing Arts. tlefield with honor, the dance the early stirrings of Chinese civili Chang’an Avenue, Xicheng district, No 2 West Chang’an Avenue, drama also portrays love and zation. Beijing. 01066550000. Xicheng district, Beijing. romance with the beauty of tradi 9 am5 pm, closed on Mondays. 16 01066550000. tional Chinese dance. he developed a unique visual A jaded view East Chang’an Avenue, Dongcheng Making overtures 7:30 pm, Nov 13 and 14. National vocabulary. He creates a fantasy district, Beijing. 01065116400. Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 world in which he utilizes vivid When speaking about the Hong A legendary dance West Chang’an Avenue, Xicheng dis colors to express urban dwellers’ shan culture, which dates back to trict, Beijing. 01066550000. happiness, confusions, illusions somewhere between 5,000 and A night of violins and psychological battles. Liu’s 6,500 years, what most often comes Violinist Lyu Siqing will give a oneman exhibition, Fantasy and to mind is the beauty of jade objects The street life recital featuring music works by Superstring, now on at the Today buried in the tombs of this Neolith Beethoven, marking the German Selftrained artist Liu Guoyi once Art Museum and running through ic civilization. The pieces help peo composer’s 250th anniversary this made a living by painting por Nov 13, shows an insight into the ple today understand the social year. Programs will include Violin traits on the streets of Beijing. Not richness and complexity of peo ranks, ceremonies and customs of Sonata No 3 in Eflat major, Violin only did he hone his skills, but ple’s emotions. the Hongshan culture, of which Sonata No 5 in F major and Violin China’s NCPA Orchestra will per also learned to observe people 10 am6 pm, closed on Mondays. 32 several sites have been found and Sonata No 7 in C minor. One of the form, under the baton of conduc Based on the enduring legend of from different walks of life and Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district, are being excavated continuously in most prominent and influential tor Lyu Jia, German composer Hua Mulan, Chinese dance drama, feel social transformations. The Beijing. 01058760600. an area stretching from the Inner Chinese violinists today, Lyu, born Ludwig van Beethoven’s musical Mulan, will be staged by Ningbo experiences of being a street artist Mongolia autonomous region to and raised in Qingdao, Shandong works, including the overture to Song and Dance Theater. Dancers, enriched Liu’s mind and heart, as CHINA DAILY