Project Name: Exploration and dissemination of local knowledge and wisdom—using Documentary as a medium
Project Time: 2023 Fall
Looking back at the tenth anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, Laotu launched the “Wenxin” series of exhibitions. Many young people have documented stories about Wolong using media such as text and images. For example, the Wolong Mountain Villa, a unique hotel, serves as a significant testament to the Wenchuan earthquake. Although it has been abandoned, it hasn’t been demolished and has become the starting point for many creations. Based on this, Xixing Liuxia wrote a fictional work titled “Frozen Days and Ten Years of Cold”. Laotu has always been pondering how to explore rural culture and convey village stories through various media. We have done many recordings and promotions in the form of oral history, and have made numerous attempts to understand and capture the current changes in the production and daily life of rural residents, as well as their needs for ecological conservation.
Lan Wei (Duke Kunshan University), 2025 – Leader
Nguyen Yen Vy Le (Duke Kunshan University), 2026
Kun Peng (Duke Kunshan University), 2026
During the pre-production session, we conducted a literature review of academic research on the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, as well as reviewed Laotu’s previous materials on counties and villages in Wolong. Our literature review found that most previous research focus on the biological and ecological development within the nature reserve, and other few are about the political mechanisms centered around the 2008 earthquake. However, there are relatively limited attention given to the day- to-day lives of the local people, such as their culture, living habits, and religious rituals. This provides us with an opportunity to gain deeper insights into these aspects. Additionally, Laotu’s previous posts offered us an overview of village life in Sichuan that their traditional culture is, to some extent, fading away. Laotu’s materials also helped us identify three main potential topics for our documentary: tourism, ethnic culture, and the impact of the 2008 earthquake on the local communities.
From December 19 to 26, 2023, we spent eight days in several villages in Wolong and Beichuan for field work and documentary shooting. Upon arrival, we visited the local governments to gain the official perspective on the communities. Following this, we got inside the villages, interacting with the locals, and documenting their daily activities. While we had prepared interview questions in advance, we also adapted our approach by asking spontaneous questions based on the natural flow of conversations during filming.
As we continued our filming in Wolong, we observed a gradual blending of traditional Tibetan culture with Han culture, because of the development of tourism and the geographical landscape. Examples may be the simplified religious rituals of Tibetan Buddhism in the villages, and the shift from Tibetan languages to Mandarin for better communication with outsiders. In contrast, we observed that in Beichuan, the Qiang ethnic culture is displayed in a more commercialized way. They have built museums and had specific cultural performances, which sometimes create a distance between the showcased culture and the authentic daily life of the locals.
Editing the shot footage.
Laying in the score and editing the sound.
Mixing the sound (dialogue, score, Foley, ADR, etc.).
Grading or correcting the color of the footage.
To view more related outcomes, please click on the link. (Viewable only by DKU community)
Through this documentary, we are trying to explore the concept of a fading culture. We also want to investigate the criteria used to label a culture as “shading away” and question who holds the power to make such voices.
The “Laotu Culture” of Yantian District, Shenzhen, is a social enterprise leading in promoting green lifestyles and is dedicated to providing innovative sustainable development solutions for China and the world. Laotu was incubated at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2016. It is committed to precisely supporting the development of ecological conservation areas, advancing sustainable agricultural development with its professional knowledge and product chain on ecological small farming. At the same time, Laotu also establishes original cultural education, promotion, eco-tourism, and environmental public welfare projects. While telling the stories of rural China, Laotu delves deep to discover and offer quality local ecological products and life experiences.
They aim to bridge the natural, cultural, and economic resources of urban and rural areas, promote dialogue between the two, and ground their efforts in environmentalism. Their goal is to inspire more young people to devote themselves to rural revitalization, improve the ecological, economic, and cultural inheritance of China’s countryside, leverage the power of local rural communities, revitalize and promote local culture, and thereby advance the sustainable development of China’s rural areas and urban-rural relations. Laotu has been active in places such as the Wolong National Nature Reserve, Xuebaoding National Nature Reserve, and the Source of Three Rivers. They have considerable experience in promoting habitat protection, ecological agriculture, local cultural inheritance, and interactive education between cities and the countryside.