LIGHTS, CAMERA, RETRO ACTION!

As a primary school student, Wu Xuan often doodled characters from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) on his textbooks. He was particularly curious about what the ancient Chinese wore and how they lived.

While history lessons sowed the boyish enthusiasm for time travel in his heart, it wasn't until he met a bunch of like-minded youths online years later that he figured out a way to realize that dream.

"I loved piecing together information found in books, archaeological studies and other resource materials. It was like a detective's work for me. I was solving mysteries," says Wu, 30, now a director of China Media Group.

In 2019, he teamed up with three other folk culture enthusiasts to launch Shenlouzhi Studio, a hobby group that makes short films about ancient people's lives for the internet. An incredible amount of work goes into making each video, ranging from historical research and tailoring authentic costumes to tracking down era-appropriate furniture and accessories.

Symbiotic needs in creative pursuit brought Wu Xuan to Wu Yicheng and Wu Chuanjie, who shot photographs and videos of people wearing representative styles of hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) at cultural attractions in Fuzhou city, Fujian province.

A native of Fuzhou, Wu Xuan chanced upon the duo's work online and was impressed. "Their photo shoots and videos were different from costume dramas, which are often done inside studios. I almost time-traveled and saw what my hometown looked like in the ancient times," he says.

Wu Xuan offered to help Wu Yicheng and Wu Chuanjie edit their videos. The latter realized that with Wu Xuan's help they could do more, such as making short films, complete with plots and performers.

The three roped in Chen Cai, another history buff with a creative flair when it came to ancient furniture, and formed Shenlouzhi, which literally translates into "recording a mirage".

The four friends live in different places and have separate day jobs, but their shared hobby brings them together to make films that garner hundreds and thousands of views on the internet.

"Through these films, we are able to capture a small part of our country's rich culture and legacy, which we offer our audiences for free. It was never about money or fame. It is the deep satisfaction of creating something priceless that keeps us going," Wu Xuan says.

Inside story

The quartet has defined roles in making each film. Wu Xuan writes the script, directs amateur performers and is also responsible for post-production editing. Wu Yicheng has the last word when it comes to costumes. Wu Chuanjie takes credit for photography, filming and makeup while Chen Cai is responsible for scene decoration and historical research.

One of Shenlouzhi Studio's muchloved productions is Mantingfang (Courtyard Full of Fragrance), a heartwarming story about two women who enter a bet for gardenias. They compete to remove the leaves of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings, a traditional snack for Dragon Boat Festival) and claim the prize. Noticing that her rival really likes flowers, one woman deliberately loses the challenge of finding the longer leaf, but wins hearts in the process.

"The goal was to tell the story about people in our lives whose intentions are always good. They often help us in an indirect manner to ensure we are not embarrassed. We want to focus on scripts that are both simple and moving," says Wu Xuan.

Also, since the performers are not professionals, it is easier for them to relate to stories that are borrowed from daily life.

The plot of Mantingfang is inspired by the folk customs of Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). "People back then frequently gambled over finding the longer zongzi leaf during Dragon Boat Festival. I had read it in historical literature and felt the urge to write the script," says Wu Xuan.

The most distinguishing feature of team Shenlouzhi is perhaps the meticulous eye for detail, over attire in particular. Costume director Wu Yicheng, 29, admits that it is not easy to replicate clothes that were in fashion centuries ago. To add to the challenge, the trends rapidly changed with each imperial ruler.

"For example, the reigns of Emperor Jiajing and Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were separated by only six years, but what people wore drastically changed during that brief period,"Wu Yicheng says.

"Under Emperor Jiajing, women's upper outer garments were relatively short, so were their skirts. But under Emperor Wanli, skirts became longer and sleeves narrower. Hair accessories were different as well," he explains further.

Wu Yicheng borrows design ideas from historical literature, scholar theses, paintings and unearthed archaeological evidence. To ensure the clothes complied with the rules of the ancient times, he earlier designed them and had a tailor in Fuzhou make them.

Today, he knows how to sew the costumes himself. He is quite proud of the female lead's red costume he designed for Mantingfang. It reflects his own interpretation of ancient attire.

"I studied texture, color and patterns thoroughly, but didn't replicate the exact style as was seen in archaeological evidence. Instead, I designed something that probably didn't exist, but is loyal to the aesthetic logic and design language of that time,"Wu Yicheng says.

In addition to clothes, special attention is paid to furniture and accessories. "Our films are high on the retro quotient, which means the setting has to be accurate. We go to great lengths to procure old furniture and other items," he says.

Preserving dialects

All Shenlouzhi stories are told in dialects of their geographical origin. In other words, the characters speak the dialect of the place where the plot is set.

In Fuzhou, for instance, the studio collaborates with a dialect-protection group, which translates the scripts into the local tongue. Performers learn to speak the dialect or the group dubs for them.

"If we are focusing on ancient culture, we cannot speak modern languages," Wu Xuan says.

Wu Yicheng adds: "Many of the amateurs use dialects in their daily lives. When they speak the same during performances, emotions naturally flow."

So far, the studio has uploaded a series of short films based in what is now Suzhou city, Jiangsu province, and Fuzhou. These cover the Ming Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty and other historical periods.

When Wu Xuan edits a video, he often adds surreal effects. "The idea is to offer our audiences a narrative that seems like a dream. These are extraordinary stories about ordinary people who are far from us in time and space," he says.