18 YOUTH | Art Wednesday, August 22, 2018 CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Chinese­American cultural heritage wows LA people By JULIA PIERREPONT III dents in America, and to in LOS ANGELES combine the Eastern and Western cultures in a new, Colors blazed across the unique, artistic way every­ stage of the plush Luckman one can appreciate.” Theater at California State Seasoned professional University, Los Angeles, as a dancers, many from the Bei­ dramatic night of original jing Dance Academy, were dance unfolded, inspired by also invited to perform at Chinese traditional and eth­ the event. nic folk dances presented by Speaking about the show, nearly 100 US­born Chinese Gao Du, a professor at the teenagers. academy and an adviser to In dazzling costumes of the dance program, said: red, lime green, electric blue “Dance conveys the basic and more, Chinese­Ameri­ elements of human nature. can students from all over Every person in the world the United States came experiences happiness, together to celebrate their hardship, joy and suffering. cultural heritage at the These feelings are the same Rows of colorful posters of movies, whose trailers were edited by Zhang Qi, deck out one wall of the film editor’s studio in Beijing. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY annual dance concert host­ for everyone.” ed by the Sino­US Perform­ The program concluded ing Arts Organization. with a dance drama, Yellow None of them were profes­ River, performed by two sional dancers. Chinese cultural dance and They were students from a ballet schools — New Centu­ training program run by the ry Dance School of San host organization, whose Francisco and the Shin BLAZING A TRAILER aim is to foster communica­ Dance Academy of Los tion and collaboration Angeles. between dance professionals It featured sashed “farm Film editor Zhang Qi, who has been working with a slew of top in the US and China. women” who tilled the land Performing to a packed and twirled their threshing auditorium, the students baskets to encourage a directors, shares his passion for movies, Li Yingxue reports. took to the stage in a mixed bountiful harvest and cele­ program of traditional Han brate a hopeful future. t a forum during the launched, and tried my best Jiang’s company to join the and ethnic minority dances, The musical accompani­ recent Shanghai to be in his crew. editing team for Gone with the Peking Opera, and modern ment was a combination of International Film “I first saw his movies when I Bullets that brought him back interpretations, wowing the traditional Chinese and Festival, Jiang Wen, was in high school,” says to film. audience. Western classical, blended the A director of Hidden Man, Zhang, who was born in Qin­ Now, four years later, he has Susie Shu, CEO of the host with experimental ele­ introduced Zhang Qi, his film huangdao, Hebei province. his own studio. organization, said she had ments. editor, saying: “All my recent Speaking about his love of Besides Jiang, Zhang also no idea that the youngsters “We hope these dance films’ trailers are done by movies, Zhang, who began works with other well­known would perform so well. dramas will convey the mes­ Zhang. watching foreign movies on directors including Wong Kar­ “They had only one month sage that life’s journey is the “He does not ask me any­ VCDs, says: “In junior middle wai, Stephen Chow, and Feng to rehearse. I was amazed at same for all people,” said thing or discuss things with school, I would save my lunch Xiaogang. the quality of their perform­ Gao. me before he produces the money and use it to buy VCDs “It’s a good way to learn film ance for such a short time,” “True art is a bridge that trailers, but they are better at the weekends. My dream making, as you can have a look she said. can help people understand than my films. I feel pressure was to run a VCD store then.” at all the material,” says Zhang. “Chinese dances are beau­ each other better. That is the when looking at his work.” Recalling those days, Zhang “From the camera place­ tiful and full of meaning,” very nature of art, dance Besides trailers, Zhang remembers an encounter with ments to the lighting, I can she told Xinhua. and culture.” independently edited Hidden a man who had a VCD store, learn every aspect. “So I thought it would be Man, his first whole­film edit and boasted a large collection When I produce a “It’s always new and chal­ nice to teach them to stu­ XINHUA for Jiang. of foreign films. lenging.” Four years ago, Zhang, now “When he led me to his sec­ trailer, I put myself Speaking about his experi­ 30, joined the editing team for ond­floor collection room, I in the director’s ences at work, Zhang says that Learning Peking Opera Jiang’s Gone with the Bullets, was wowed as it looked exactly after doing a trailer for I Am and four years before that, like the scene in the film Kill shoes, and when Not Madame Bovary, Zhang when Zhang was a senior stu­ Bill, when the Japanese was asked by director Feng dent at the Central Academy swordsmith Hattori Hanzo editing a film, I Xiaogang to do one for his of Drama, he “sneaked” into shows off his collection of kat­ next movie, Youth. Jiang’s crew of Let the Bullets anas.” follow the roles.” Zhang’s trailer for Youth Fly, and asked Jiang to let him That man had almost every was awarded Best Foreign do the trailer. film Zhang had heard of, and Zhang Qi, film editor Music Trailer at the 19th Zhang is a workaholic when he encouraged Zhang to fol­ Golden Trailer Awards in Los it comes to editing films. low his dream of making Angeles. He is a soccer fan, but he films. much about any other kind of “When I produce a trailer, I skipped the Russia World Cup Then, before his national job in the industry then,” says put myself in the director’s matches on TV, as he was college entrance exam, Zhang Zhang. shoes, and when editing a film, working on Hidden Man. asked his parents, who both “While I was at college, I was I follow the roles. Thus, as I Even during the previous teach at Northeast Petroleum busier than in high school as I believe, the best way to two World Cups he was busy University at Qinhuangdao, had courses from Monday to present each scene will come working on Jiang’s movies. for permission to take the Sunday, and I felt fulfilled.” out naturally in my mind,” says “I am a ‘fake’ soccer fan entrance exams for the Beijing Zhang says his time in col­ Zhang. now,” he says. Film Academy and the Central lege taught him two things — When he edits films, his aim “I set a goal to work with Academy of Drama. how to learn and how to gain is to let them roll naturally, so Jiang when I got enrolled in To his delight he was chosen access to learn — things he the audience does not even Children wearing makeup and clad in costumes receive Peking college in 2006, but at that and recruited by the Central uses for his work in the film notice his cuts. Opera training from a tutor at a traditional Chinese art center in time he had just completed Academy of Drama to study industry. From top: Posters for the Bazhou, Hebei province. A series of free­of­charge Peking­Opera shooting his film (Let the Bul­ the film­production major. After his graduation in Contact the writer at movies, Dying to Survive, open classes were held at the center in the summer vacation. lets Fly), so I waited for four “My first choice was direct­ 2010, he got a job in advertis­ liyingxue@ Hidden Man and Hello Mr. LI XIAOGUO / XINHUA years until his next film was ing, because I didn’t know ing, and it was only a call from chinadaily.com.cn Billionaire..